3 Story Ideas
3 Story Ideas - Due by: NOON Saturday September 16
Hey everyone!
Thanks for submitting your questionnaires; it definitely helps me know how I can best set each of you up for success in this class (but also it's just super fun getting to know you guys better).
A note about this and future assignment submissions: make sure you submit your assignments as either a PDF (.pdf) or Word (.docx) file. PDF is best because we won't have to worry about file conversions from platform to platform. Scripts MUST be PDF files, but essays can be Word. The reason I bring this up is because I received a Mac Pages file that I cannot open since I don't have a Mac computer. If you sent me anything as a Pages files, please resubmit ASAP.
But! I really wanted to send y'all a quick note about the "3 Story Ideas" assignment. I know I unloaded a tremendous amount of information on you guys on Monday and I really appreciate your attention, but I also know that some things may have slipped through the cracks when you were taking notes. On that note:
3 Story Ideas Assignment
For this assignment, I'm just asking that you come up with 3 potential short film story ideas to consider for your first script. These ideas should adhere to the restrictions placed on that script: no more than 2 characters, only 1 location (a single room/single building/single space), 10 pages max. If you have questions about whether your idea meets this, just ask.
For each idea, I want you to describe the short and its major elements: what happens in the beginning, middle, and end; who's it about; what's is about; what are we seeing on screen, etc. Think of it as a mini-short story where you lay out the basic events of the idea. It's not an extensive outline. Aim for 1-3 paragraphs; 1 longer paragraph or 2-3 shorter paragraphs.
Please realize, you are not obligated to use these initial ideas that you submit for the first script because they change dramatically by the time you sit down to write it. You'll submit them to me by Saturday at Noon and I will give you personal feedback on how we can make your ideas stronger, and then you will brainstorm how you might address the feedback. We'll also be diving deeper into short film concepts this Monday, which may (and most likely will) influence your short ideas.
Some questions to consider when thinking of your ideas:
-What’s the story about?
-Who’s the protagonist?
-What’s at stake? Are the stakes “life or death” for the protagonist?
-So what? Why does your audience care?
-Why this moment? Does this story focus on a particular moment?
-What’s the change in the character? Is it reasonable for a short script?
-Is there something universal about this story? What is it?
And if you're struggling to brainstorm your ideas, you can look at the Le Menu chart I sent y'all (it's also on the website: rsemik.wix.com/ft310workshop). And also think about those "Your Story" answers you shared with the class/in the questionnaire. Is there a nugget of greatness in you embarrassing or life-changing moments that you can dramatize and create high stakes for that would make a good short film? (It's not a biopic but totally feel free to draw on your personal experiences.)
According to the syllabus for Professor Thompson's lecture, you should read chapters 1-5 and appendix A of the Linda Cowgill short script writing textbook by our class on Monday. It will serve you well to do this because I will briefly go over this material but will hopefully spend more class time showing examples.
As always, hit me up for office hours; I'm already meeting a couple of y'all tomorrow about your ideas, which I'm stoked about. So if you'd like to chat for 15+ min about your work tomorrow let me know by tonight. Otherwise schedule something with me when it's convenient for you. I want to meet with everyone at least once before October starts.
Questions or concerns, let me know. I hope this clears things up for y'all.
Best,
Rebecca