Divide and Conquer

Hiya!  Soooo, today you will finish your 1-page "spec" script in Celtx and print it.  I'll give you 30 minutes to do that.   If you like writing stories, please mark your script with a big "S" at the top next to your name before you turn it in.

Then....

• We'll talk about what makes a story "good", and what makes a story "great".
• We'll decide on key points for our film:  Character types, story arc and plot points
• I'll choose the screenwriting team (2 to 3 people) for your film, and they'll get to work next week on your script.

In the meantime, we'll learn a little about types of films with our Genre Studies series.
Because it's October, we'll start with HORROR!

Don't look now...he's right behind you!!!

Each GENRE we study will be worth 60 points.  You'll take notes as we learn about the "Rules" of each Genre, and watch examples.

Genre: an identifiable type, category, classification or group of films that have similar techniques or conventions.

For this assignment, you'll need a piece of paper.  Keep these notes IN YOUR FOLDER until it's time to turn them in.

Format your paper like THIS, leaving space between each category:

Genre Studied:

(Definition goes here)

 

Sub-Genre(s):

(List goes here)

 

Key Idea/Activities/Plot Structure:

(Key identifiers and ideas go here)

Main Character Type(s):

(You'll note the kinds of characters that always show up in these movies)

 

Typical Art Department (Costume, Location, Style):

(You'll note the kinds of elements that give these movies their signature "look") 

Wed. Oct. 16th

Pd. 3:  You need to choose your story idea today; then we'll finish reviewing script format.  I'd like to get into the Celtx demo today if possible!

Pd. 4: We'll look at your cheat sheet for scripting today, and start reviewing how to use Celtx to write a script.

Tuesday, Oct. 15th

Welcome Back! Hope you had a restful Fall Break.

It's time to get ready for our Short Film!  After we view and critique our "How-To" videos, we'll decide on a story idea, and review Script Format using several examples.  Then, it's time for everyone to practice writing one page of script for our film.  We'll use Celtx to do this; it's a graded assignment, and everyone will complete it during class this week.

"How-To" Peer Critique:
You'll need a clean sheet of paper for this assignment.
Leave space to critique 3 videos.

For each video, complete the following, using a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high):

1.  Rate the quality of the imagery; did they use multiple shot types, or just one long, swervy shot?  Did they get creative with their compositions?

2.  Rate the quality of the audio;  are the directions clear, and easy to understand?  Is the audio properly balanced?

3.  Rate the clarity of the tutorial; is the "how-to" easy to follow and understand?  Would you be able to complete the task, based on the directions given?

4.  Rate the creativity of the video; is it interesting to watch?  Did the student add in unique elements that set this video apart from others you've seen?

You'll receive 1 point for each rating, and 2 points for your explanation.  
You can earn a total of  36 points  for this assignment.