STANDARD COMPETENCIES:

 

 1. Develop a working knowledge of Hollywood Narrative.

 2. Show how to apply understanding of genre conventions to high-concept narratives.

 3. Demonstrate knowledge and command of genre, genre blends, Hollywood character design, Hollywood narrative and myth-based structures.

 4. Demonstrate understanding of market forces on narrative.

 5. Demonstrate how to conceptualize a story, create a structural outline and write a treatment for a feature spec screenplay.

 6. Demonstrate a working knowledge of how to write entertaining, realistic movie dialogue and understand the differences between real speech and dialogue.

 7. Show how to combine genre beats with structure and character to create unique storylines based on combinations of familiar elements. Apply understanding of dramatic beats to build scenes, scene sequences and structural story beats.

 8. Demonstrate  critical thinking, aesthetic perception and written communication skills by identifying strengths and weaknesses in the works of others and synthesizing these analytical techniques into self-reflection and evaluation of personal works.

 9. Demonstrate command of screenwriting conventions for writing ‘selling’ scripts to the Hollywood spec market through completion of first draft of screenplay.

 TOPICAL OUTLINE:

 

 I.      Development of Story Concept and Character Design

  A.  High-Concept Generation

  B.  Hollywood Character Design

  C.  Combining Concept and Character

 II.     Choosing the Right Structure

  A.  Hollywood Narrative Structure

  B.  Myth-Based Structure

  C.  The 15-turn Structural Model

  D.  The 17-turn Structural Model

  E.  Blending Structures

  III.    Genre and Genre Blends

  A.  Genre-specific story beats.

  B.  Story structure

  C.  Fresh approaches to genre

  D.  Creating genre blends

 IV.    Hollywood Approach to:

  A.  Character development

  B.  Scene development

  C.  Dialogue

  D.  Marketability and script

  E.  Narrative

  F.  Thematic elements

  G.  Writing Action

  H.  Titles

  I.   Selling script versus production script

  J.  Production value

  K.  Dramatic potential

  1. Matched dramatic potential

  2. Unity of opposites

  L.  Mass appeal.

  M.  Avoiding cliché.

  O.  Research

  V.      Creating the Structural Outline

  VI.      Writing the Two-Pager and Logline

  VII.     Writing the Treatment

  VIII.    Writing the Script and Workshopping

  This process is broken down into structural units, so page counts are approximate.  Script is   workshopped at each stage of completion. Typical structure/weekly schedule breaks down as follows:

  A. Opening Hook (pp. 1-5)

  B.  Hook to Inciting Incident (pp. 5 – 10)

  C.  Inciting Incident to Central Question (pp. 10 -17)

  D.  Central Question to Reaction to Central Question (pp. 17 - 30)

  E.  Reaction to Central Question to Next Big Hurdle (pp. 30 – 45)

  F.  Next Big Hurdle to Apex (pp. 45 – 60)

  G.  Apex to False Ending (pp. 60 – 75)

  H.  False Ending to Low Point (pp. 75 – 90)

  I.  Low Point to End (pp. 90 – 100+)