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OBJECTIVES
We will cover screenplay formatting and story structure, but you will also learn how to give and receive criticism. However, the most important takeaway from this course should be that no script is ever finished, nor is it perfect. You may be rewriting more than you’re writing, and that’s okay. The art of screenwriting is a craft, and in order to improve upon a craft and work to perfect it, you must practice both writing and rewriting. To do so means you truly care about your stories, and that’s our ultimate goal: tell stories we care about.
This course is designed to teach you the art of storytelling through the screenwriting format. Using only what one can see and hear, you will portray character, conflict, and themes in a short film using both the discussion section and lecture material from Professor Thompson. While this is an ambitious task, through mini lectures and discussions, you will begin to understand what makes for dramatic storytelling.
Your elusive creative genius | Elizabeth Gilbert
SHORTS
Short Films
Short Films
Patrick Hughes - Signs (short film)
Paperman Oscar Winner Disney
In a Heartbeat - Animated Short Film
The Present - OFFICIAL
Here are some examples of short films. And a link to an extensive list.
PRACTICE
You can study all the screenwriting books in the world but nothing teaches you the craft quite like practicing it. Write, write, then write some more. It's the best way to grow as a writer and learn what works and what doesn't.
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EXPECTATIONS
"You only learn to be a better writer by actually writing."
-Doris Lessing
INQUIRY
Think critically; Ask questions. Through asking questions, we can brainstorm so many more possibilities than we would if we just accept one solution to a problem. The main goal is to learn, so ask questions: of me about concepts that aren't clear to you; of your classmates about their work; of yourself about your own work.
"Sometimes questions are more important than answers."
-Nancy Willard
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ENGAGEMENT
Participate. This class is a community. Show up. Be present, physically and mentally. And contribute. Share your perspective with the class because yours is a unique one. Show effort. Do the work. Engage with the material and each other. And of course, have fun.
"If I waited till I felt like writing, I'd never write at all."
-Anne Tyler
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COMPASSION
Be kind. To each other but also to yourself. Our workshop class is a safe space for everyone to create. So treat each other with respect: offer constructive feedback, without judgement or ridicule. And don't forget to have compassion for yourself: you're still learning; you won't be a perfect writer at the beginning or end of the class because there's no such thing as a perfect writer.
“We are all apprentices in a craft where no one ever becomes a master.”
—Ernest Hemingway
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ABOUT YOUR TA
I'm a Boston University Screenwriting Master of Fine Arts candidate and an alum of Texas Christian University's Film, TV & Digital Media and English Departments. I am a film festival award winner and optioned screenwriter.
I write in the "dramedy" genre, believing that life's serious, but we shouldn't take it too seriously. With an emphasis on LGBTQ characters and themes, I seek to increase the quality of LGBTQ representation in media.
While at BU, I've been fortunate enough to find the Beta Chapter of Delta Kappa Alpha, the National Professional Cinema Fraternity. I'm serving as the Screenwriters' Circle Chair and Webmaster in Spring 2018. I'm also a cohort member of the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning Scholars Program where I investigate pedagogy and design my own research.
Favorite genre to write: Romantic Dramedy
Favorite genre to watch: Rom-Com
Favorite movie: Serendipity
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CONTACT ME
Let's talk story.
Fill in the form and I will contact you ASAP.
Mondays, 12:20-2:05 p.m.
Class Rm# COM B29
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