PRELIMINARY COURSE SYLLABUS Course Title: That’s a Great Idea for a Movie! The Making of a Strong Screenplay Course Code: EGL 08 W Quarter: Summer 2017 Instructor: Xandra Castleton Course Summary: This course will guide students through the screenplay development process, from initial idea to outline and scene writing in three separate workshops. Students will learn to distinguish a “good idea” from a solid screenplay premise and will gain a working knowledge of the tools needed to complete a feature-length screenplay. The students’ screenwriting practice will be supported by thorough readings of screenplays, screenwriting texts, and interviews with screenwriters, as well as by informed, honest, and generous feedback from fellow students and the instructor. Weekly discussion topics are designed to allow for in-depth exploration of the weekly material and the original work presented. *Please see course page for full description and additional details. Grade Options and Requirements: • No Grade Requested (NGR) o This is the default option. No work will be required; no credit shall be received; no proof of attendance can be provided. • Credit/No Credit (CR/NC) o Students must participate in at least 60% of weekly discussions and/or Zoom sessions. • Letter Grade (A, B, C, D, No Pass) o Participation in weekly discussions: 20% o Written responses to fellow writers’ work: 20% o Logline (1-2 sentence summary): 20% o Outline (3-5 pages): 20% o Scenes (3-12 pages): 20% *Please Note: If you require proof that you completed a Continuing Studies course for any reason (for example, employer reimbursement), you must choose either the Letter Grade or Credit/No Credit option. Courses taken for NGR will not appear on official transcripts or grade reports. Tentative Zoom Schedule: Zoom Sessions are normally held on the Thursday or Friday of each week, during business hours, EST. The exact day and time will vary from week to week to accommodate the various time zones and schedules of participating students, and will be set by the end of the previous week. All sessions will be recorded for those who cannot attend. Please contact the Stanford Continuing Studies office with any questions 365 Lasuen St., Stanford, CA 94305 [email protected] 650-725-2650 PRELIMINARY COURSE SYLLABUS Tentative Weekly Outline: Week One: Screenwriting Introduction “Tools, Not Rules” Read: “Screentakes’ Thelma and Louise” Chapter One, Sample Character Introductions Write: Introduce yourself as a character in a screenplay. Week Two: Premise &Theme “Find the Emotional Truth” Read: Thelma and Louise screenplay, Paul Schrader Interview Write: A logline for a screenplay idea. Optional: Character biographies. Week Three: Character & Conflict “Building Blocks” Logline Workshop Read: Robert McKee’s “Story” Part One, How to Write a Logline Watch: Thelma and Louise Week Four: Connection & Believability “Make the Fictive Leap” Read: Robert McKee’s “Story” Chapters Two & Seven, “Screentakes” Chapter Two - Four Write: Opening and/or closing scene Week Five: Problems & Solutions “Sculpting Story” Read: “Screentakes” Chapters Five – Twelve, Robert McKee’s “Story” Chapter Nine Write: Three to Five Page Outline Watch: Dustin Lance Black on his outlining process. Week Six: Stakes & Turning Points Outline Workshop #1 Read: Chinatown screenplay, Robert McKee’s “Story” Chapter Eighteen, Group Outlines Watch: Chinatown Week Seven: Subtext & Storylines Outline Workshop #2 Read: Interview with Robert Towne (writer of Chinatown), Group Outlines Week Eight: Dialogue, Pacing & Exposition “Find the Life” Read: The Kids Are Alright screenplay, Write: Three to twelve pages of pivotal scenes or the first pages of your script. Watch: The Kids Are Alright Week Nine: Genre & Tone Script Workshop #1 Read: Group scenes, Robert McKee’s “Story” Chapter Fifteen, Moonlight screenplay Write: Three to twelve pages of scenes. Week Ten: Rewrites & Resources Script Workshop #2 Read: Group scenes, Interview with James Sheridan Watch: Moonlight Please contact the Stanford Continuing Studies office with any questions 365 Lasuen St., Stanford, CA 94305 [email protected] 650-725-2650 .