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Writing For Film Class 1 Notes

We discussed film genres, premise, and controlling ideas. Taught by Pr...
Course

Writing For Film And Video (COMM 3765)

3 Documents
Students shared 3 documents in this course
Academic year: 2022/2023
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Fitchburg State University

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Writing For Film Video 1/30/23 (Day 1)

Class Assignment # - Create a logline and description for one of the following movies: A Man Called Otto, M3GAN, Missing

Missing Logline - Don’t believe everything you read - Don’t trust strangers online

M3GAN Logline - AI will always be smarter. - M3GAN’s on the move - Don’t say no to M3GAN - Plastic Melts

Class Assignment # - Create a new plot for the following movies: A Man Called Otto, M3GAN, Missing

M3GAN Reimagining - Musical (dance, singing, etc.) about friendship. - M3GAN teaches a young girl to make friends through the power of music. She encounters a bully, she has to use what M3GAN taught her (through the power of singing/dance) to get the bully to leave her alone, and become a better person.

A Man Called Otto - horror/thriller - He sees the happy family next door and thinks “If I can’t have it no one can”, kidnaps the neighbor’s wife and children and forces them to pretend to be his happy family

Robert McKee: Controlling Idea

  • As a screenwriter you must ot only have ideas to express, but ideas to prove
  • The audience must not just understand; it must believe. You want the world to leave your story convinced that yours is a truthful metaphor for life.
  • At its best, storytelling and screenwriting is the creative demonstration of truth. A story is the living proof of an idea, the conversion of idea to action. A story’s event structure is the mean by which you first express, then prove your idea without explanation
  • Master storytellers never explain, they dramatize. Audiences are rarely convinced when they are forced to listen to the discussion of ideas
  • A true theme is not a word but a sentence — one clear, coherent sentence that expresses a story’s irreductible meaning. I prefer the phrase “controlling idea,” for theme, it names a story’s root or central idea, but it also implies function: it shapes the writer’s strategic choices

Lajos Egri: Premise - The premise is the backbone of your screenplay, it is the motivating power behind everything we do - It is a brief statement that demonstrates what your screenplay is really about — the meaning and the message - Premise is never mentioned in dialogue. The audience must know what the message is through the character, conflict, and ultimately the end of your screenplay - Premise is not always a universal truth, but should be a point you could make an argument for - You don’t have to hunt for a premise, it should be a conviction of yours - A good premise represents the author

Genre Examples - Monster In The House - This genre has two working parts: a monster, and a house - The “house” must be a confined space, the rest is “run and hide” - Example: Home Alone - Golden Fleece - The quest myth - A hero “goes on the road” in search of one thing and winds up discovering something else — himself - Example: Harry Potter - Out Of The Bottle - A wish fulfillment tale - Eventually, the hero must learn that magic isn’t everything, it's better to be just like us (the audience) - Example: The School for Good and Evil - Dude With A Problem - An ordinary guy finds himself in extraordinary circumstances

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Writing For Film Class 1 Notes

Course: Writing For Film And Video (COMM 3765)

3 Documents
Students shared 3 documents in this course

University: Fitchburg State University

Was this document helpful?
Writing For Film Video 1/30/23 (Day 1)
Class Assignment #1
- Create a logline and description for one of the following movies: A Man Called Otto,
M3GAN,Missing
Missing Logline
- Don’t believe everything you read
- Don’t trust strangers online
M3GAN Logline
- AI will always be smarter.
- M3GAN’s on the move
- Don’t say no to M3GAN
- Plastic Melts
Class Assignment #2
- Create a new plot for the following movies: A Man Called Otto,M3GAN,Missing
M3GAN Reimagining
- Musical (dance, singing, etc.) about friendship.
- M3GAN teaches a young girl to make friends through the power of music. She
encounters a bully, she has to use what M3GAN taught her (through the power of
singing/dance) to get the bully to leave her alone, and become a better person.
A Man Called Otto
- horror/thriller
- He sees the happy family next door and thinks “If I can’t have it no one can”,
kidnaps the neighbor’s wife and children and forces them to pretend to be his
happy family
Robert McKee: Controlling Idea

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