RTF w348: The Working Hollywood Writer 1 CRAFTING STORIES FOR THE SCREEN4 Fun THE SYLLABUS! profit& SUMMER 2016: THURSDAY 7 – 10pm UTLA OFFICES: MAIN CLASSROOM (#103) INSTRUCTOR: BRIAN DAVIDSON OFFICE HOURS: BOOKENDING CLASS HOURS—BEFORE (6-7p) & AFTER (10-11p) CONTACT: e: [email protected] c: 818-395-8168 REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS £ SCREENWRITING SOFTWARE…dealer’s choice, though limited to the following titles: < FINAL DRAFT < MM SCREENWRITER < HIGHLAND < FADE IN < SLUGLINE < CELTX £ VARIOUS READINGS…provided by instructor (see COURSE ASSIGNMENTS) £ ABILITY TO PLAY WELL W/ OTHERS… £ PASSION & DRIVE…to tell stories & work your a-- off to learn how £ CLOTHING…do not test me on this one £ COMMITMENT & VIGOR…to your assignments and fellow students £ A CAPTIVATING & UNIQUE FACT…to share in EVERY CLASS, which I will call for at random COURSE PHILOSOPHY “First learn to be a craftsman; it won’t keep you from being a genius.” — Delacroix Have fun & Make money—just like it says up top! Well, we won’t be making any money (though what you learn could lead to a few extra bucks in the glovebox of that Tesla X you’ll buy with all the i.p. you’re going to sell), but we’ll definitely have fun—cause nothing’s more fun than staring at an empty script page until our forehead bleeds. Which is how a wise sage once described writing. So make sure you have tissue, because you’re going to be wiping your forehead a lot2— Because it all starts with a blank page…and the Story you write across it. We’ll push beyond the traditional approach to screenwriting (usually more analytical or outside-in) and come at it from the inside-out—from the perspective of how a Storyteller thinks…how they must think. Beginning writers often think its their ideas which define their talent—it’s true ideas have value in the marketplace—but crafting a successful screen story is less about what it is and more about how you tell it. 1 of any size, medium, or format…for the rules of narrative apply equally to Vine videos, Marvel blockbusters, and mimes 2 I’ll be doing the same right along with you…as my agent wants me to finish a new pilot yesterday 2 of 11 Crafting a Story is akin to making furniture. You might have a great idea for a new chair, but if you don’t know how to cut a tongue & groove joint, no one’s going to be able to sit in it. A good idea can be made bad with poor execution, just as a mediocre one can be made great with a well-executed saw. How well a writer wields their tools is what separates the Aaron Sorkins from the Tommy Wiseaus3. Whether you’re a Writer, Producer, Director, Actor, Development Exec, the secret to success is understanding your craft and mastering this invisible science. Yes, it is a science—though alchemy might be a better term—because producing a successful Story is never accidental. Certain laws must be obeyed for a Story to work. These laws are as old as we are…rising out of the same primordial soup our flesh and souls were hewn from. I believe Story is the original language of mankind…before the Tower of Babel built the walls of many tongues which separate us today…no matter the culture or the era, the grammar of this universal tongue remains the same. As powerful today as when the first human, after listening to their companion’s tale, asked “uga…wacta ragutoo baba?”4 Ever since, those seeking to become Storytellers must join an ancient priesthood, revealing their secrets only to those willing to sacrifice what they hold dear—their own Story. It’s in the job description—we craft a STORY not for ourselves, but for the purpose of TELLING it to someone else. If we don’t tell a Story so the audience can understand…if it can’t pierce their heart…move their spirit…if they aren’t changed in some small way…then we have failed. Now, don’t confuse this with pandering or writing to what the audience wants. In fact, never give them what they want…or at the very least, torture the hell out of them before you do. You must write your Story FOR the audience in the same way a hunter prepares a trap FOR their prey. A Storyteller is more con(wo)man than pure artist—harnessing the rules of diversion and emotional manipulation to make your audience experience what we want them to. Do it right, they’ll never know you have them dancing at the end of your puppet strings (though, honestly, they wouldn’t have it any other way). But the trick is knowing what string to pull when…which is what this class is about—the whats, whens, and a lot of hows. You’ll be introduced to this ancient grammar and how to use it to hack your audiences’ emotions to mainline your Story straight to their heart. Whether you’ve written several scripts or never typed “Fade Out,” you’ll discover a bag of tools & techniques to help you design and create screen stories which will keep your audience asking “uga wacta”…I mean…“what happens next?” Though focused on story creation, we’ll never forget we ply our trade within a real marketplace, so we’ll always consider the business side of professional storytelling in our ever-shifting distribution landscape. More practical than theoretical, because the best way to truly understand the ancient art of Storytelling is to develop and write your own stories for the screen. Though I want you to find stories you are passionate about telling, the focus of the class will always be the How over the What…to reveal the secrets of the Storyteller, so you can harness them to blaze whatever trail you choose. 3 if you’ve never seen Wiseau’s film, THE ROOM, you haven’t lived—not only serves as a cautionary tale, but it’s so bad it’s inspiring—with a cult following, it plays at least once a month in LA 4 translated from the caveman: “so…what happened next?” “Somebody’s got to want something, something’s 3 of 11 got to be standing in their way of getting it. You do COURSE OBJECTIVES that and you’ll have a scene.” — Aaron Sorkin Beyond building my army for a bid at world domination, my primary goal is to help you grasp the secrets of storytelling by learning to think like a professional writer & creator. In addition, I want you to know what elements a script must have to be marketable in today’s entertainment industry. By the end of the class, I want to see you know—at least, at a basic level—HOW TO— identify & employ THE ONE THING your script must have in order to sell it BREAKDOWN SCRIPTS/NARRATIVE MEDIA so you can identify & analyze the methods the storyteller(s) used so you can adapt them to your own projects harness some of the TRICKS & TECHNIQUES OF ”EMOTIONAL HACKING” to build and drive your own compelling stories wield the ever-flexible A.S.S. STRUCTURE TEMPLATE to help you develop your story’s structure use THREE-ACT STRUCTURE as a compass to find your way through every level of your story CRAFT SCENES so only after reading a few, potential employers/buyers will know you can craft an entire story FORMAT A SCRIPT professionally…but also creatively as a writer's secret weapon adapt the business and politics of the industry to MANAGE A CAREER IN HOLLYWOOD whether in features, television, or new media IDENTIFY & CREATE OPPORTUNITIES in the entertainment industry so you will always be moving closer to achieving your career goals “Good storytelling never gives you four, it gives you two plus two. Don’t give the audience the answer; give the audience the pieces COURSE ASSIGNMENTS and compel them to conclude the answer. Audiences have an unconscious desire to work for their entertainment.” [see SCHEDULE below for details & — Andrew Stanton deadlines] You’ll learn how to apply & practice the concepts and skills above BY— DIGESTING READINGS FROM VARIOUS SOURCES PRIOR TO EVERY CLASS [DUE EVERY CLASS] I will assign readings from books, articles, and/or professional scripts every week. More in the beginning, less as we dive deeper into writing, but never burdensome…chosen to prime your grey matter for my lectures or cover areas we can’t in class. I will hold you accountable for knowing their content—demonstrated by your active participation in class discussions and on-the-spot verbal quizzes. I will be pulling primarily from these sources: INTO THE WOODS by John Yorke HITCHCOCK by Francis Truffaut ADV. SCREENWRITING by Linda Seger ON FILM DIRECTING by David Mamet STORY by Robert McKee WRITING FOR EMOTIONAL IMPACT by Karl Iglesias VARIOUS INDUSTRY ARTICLES FEATURE & TELEVISION PILOT SCRIPTS5 FIND & SUBMIT AN ARTICLE FROM AN INDUSTRY WEBSITE [DUE EVERY CLASS] If you want to thrive in this industry you need to keep current—especially since it’s changing year to year. To build this habit and help you decipher the industry’s arcana, you must submit an article (from the sites below) which you find interesting covering the business and/or personalities of narrative creation before every class. Article examples: a best-selling book’s film rights was bought 5 including reading & interpreting my current pilot through modern dance as a class project 4 of 11 by a studio or a showrunner shockingly fired off their own series.