Quote of the Day

"Don't worry about me, Gettys! Don't worry about me! I'm Charles Foster Kane! I'm no cheap, crooked politician, trying to save himself from the consequences of his crimes!"

Orson Welles as Charles Foster Kane
Citizen Kane
Screenplay written by Orson Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz

Movie of the Week

Movie of the Week

Fourth Interview Questions

1. What makes a good screenplay?
2. What makes a bad screenplay?
3. How important is the screenplay to a film?
4. How important is research for a screenplay?
5. In books and novels the author is able to reveal the thoughts of the characters - which help to develop those characters - how does a screenwriter develop characters?
6. Writers always have voices, but screenplays have a set structure and are almost entirely action and dialogue, does this mean the screenwriter loses their voice?
7. Do you have a favorite screenwriter or screenplay? If so, why?
8. Why are screenplays based on novels and other published works easier to write and sell than original screenplays?
9. When screenplays are sold is it crucial for the screenwriter to have connections or are they sold based on the potential of the screenplay?
10. What is a successful screenwriter?

11. What prompted you to become a screenwriter?

12. When you are writing, what do you focus on (i.e. character, theme, plot)? What is your process?

13. How do you know when you have written something compelling?

14. Can the master scene format be broken?

15. What sort of elements in a screenplay make an impression on you?

16. Can you describe the average day in the life of a screenwriter?

17. What do you dislike about being a screenwriter? Or writing screenplays?

18. I think this question applies to writing in general, but do your protagonists often characterize yourself? If so, why do you think that is?

19. What is the key element, the most essential component, the joie de vivre of a good screenplay?

20. What advice would you give to aspiring screenwriters?

Independent Component 2 Plan Approval

1. I will continue my study of screenwriting by studying its form, history, essential components, and skills in writing one. I plan on reading more screenplays, reading more about how they are written and spending more time on trying to write them.
2. 10 hourse reading screenplays, 10 hours reading how to write them, and 10 hours writing one.
3. In the first Independent Component I familiarized myself with the lingo, the structure, etc. This time in every screenplay I read I will search for the most essential component in the written text- as with learning about how to write them. And by searching for this answer in my research I will interpret it into my EQ answers and then apply it to my original screenplay.

Quote of the Day

“We are languishing in a period without much direction and no shared body of ideas about what we and our society are all about. Now, as never before, we need people who have stories to tell that make sense and order out of the daily avalanche of sensation, news, events; the function of the artist in society is to reveal the order of the universe, to trace the grand design that others cannot see. That is what story is.”
Oscar-winning screenwriter Frank Pierson (Dog Day Afternoon)

Independent Component 1 (extra)

Click here to view my logged hours.
Here are Mr. Miller's signature for those hours:

Evidence:

 - notes

 - screenplay

Literal:



I, Inez Franco, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 43.8 hours of work. 16.5 hours working on my own screenplay, 14.5 learning how to write one, and 12.8 hours reading them.

I have read Shakespeare in Love, Annie Hall, Manhattan, A Knight's Tale, and It's a Wonderful Life. I have also read Screenwriting for Teens, written by a screenplay consultant. And have written my own screenplay for a 15 page short.

Interpretive:

I didn't JUST read those screenplays - I analyzed them, broke them down, took notes, and learned from them. That is why it took my more than 2 hours to complete any given screenplay. When I calculated that I did 43 hours I honestly felt like that was such an understatement. 48 hours isn't even two full days. I feel like I have been studying this Independent Component for a month now. The Book I read on how to write a screenplay was perfect because it was written in terms of how a teenager would understand it. There were 100 concepts of basic skills in that book and I noted every single one of them! Reading Screenwriting for Teens really helped me build my story. You would think that making up stories was easy, kids do it all the time. But it is NOT EASY! I have a new found respect for all forms of storytelling. And lastly wrting my own script was super difficult. It was the hardest part of the whole deal. Everything I read before I started helped out tremendously though.

Applied:

This did not straight out answer my EQ, I feel like it presented 100 million more possible answers to me though... like: character, themes, style, strategic word choice, economic writing, element of surprise... just to name a few possible answers. I do feel more comfortable about speaking about my topic though. The biggest leasson I learned is that you can't read 5 screenplays and a book about how to write a screenplay and expect that you can do it. I need like 10,000 hours of practice. I am so far from good! But that doesn't discourage me, the difference between talent and mastery is 10,000 hours of practice. I have a long way to go.