[Cwgrad-announcements] First assignment for THEA 266: Screenwriting workshop - Due on first day of class!

[Paul Michael Leonardo Atienza]

From: StuRoGus at aol.com
Message-ID: <550.75645c4.324869af at aol.com>
Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2006 19:07:27 EDT
Subject: My first assignment


Screenwriting 266A/Fall 2006
Professor: Stu Krieger

ASSIGNMENT #1
Due in the first class on Tuesday October 2

PART ONE:
Please write a one page paper on a specific feature film that made a major 
impression on you. It must be a movie that you HAVE NOT SEEN IN AT LEAST 
FIVE YEARS, yet still resonates for you on some visceral and emotional level.

Describe why it touched you, what (if any) impact it had on your decision 
to pursue a film-writing career. Cite the particular scenes, images and 
characters that have stayed with you. I don't want to know your impressions 
of the film-making techniques, camera angles, locations or casting choices. 
I am interested in hearing about your connections to the story and the way 
it was told. What surprised, amazed, amused or enlightened you? What did 
this film make you realize about the human condition that you had never 
quite looked at in the same way previously? Be as specific and articulate 
as possible. Who were the most memorable characters? What about them 
impressed or touched you? Is this a film you consider to be one of your 
all-time favorites? Why or why not.

PART TWO:
Bring at least two, (three is okay if you're brimming with ideas) concepts 
for the film you want write in this class. Break each idea into three 
clear, concise paragraphs, one for each of the three acts of your story, 
representing the beginning, middle and end. I don't want log-lines or mere 
concepts - I want you to be thinking about STORIES that can sustain an 
entire 90-110 page screenplay.

It is very important that these be NEW IDEAS, not ones from scripts you 
have already been at work on. To get the most out of this class, it helps 
if we're all on the same page in developing, fleshing out and executing the 
stories and scripts together. Since this is only a ten week course, it's 
important that we hit the ground running. The more thought you can put into 
these stories before the start of class, the more productive our time will 
be. Be prepared to read both part one and part two of your assignments out 
loud in class to facilitate our discussion. In future weeks, you’ll be 
e-mailing your work to me and your fellow students in advance of class, but 
for the opening week, I want to give you the extra time to really focus on 
the assignment, without having to worry about getting it in ahead of time.

I look forward to meeting all of you on October 2.
Best,
Stu


Mike Atienza
Student Services
Departments of Dance, Music & Theatre
ARTS 130
University of California, Riverside
900 University Avenue
Riverside, CA 92521
(951) 827-3343
(951) 827-4651 FAX