Week 14: Script Feedback

I hope everyone got good feedback to use this week as you revise, polish, and punch up your episode scripts! If you run into problems along the way, feel free to call each other and check in with me as needed.

Next week, Kent Hall will be joining us from the Yahoo! Video Group. I asked him for a list of shows he thinks are particularly well written, and here's what he recommended:

STBD Pittsburg
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=1419430

The Guild
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=1350163

Brigitte Dale
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=1438795

David Gillette: Vote For Me
http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=840717

One of the above shows is a pilot; the rest have more episodes that you can find by clicking on the name of the show (in the right sidebar on Yahoo! Video). Please watch the pilot episode of each series and a few more episodes of your choice. We'll talk about them with Kent in class next week.

Oh, and check this out: "Defenders of Stan" got a write-up in Entertainment Weekly!

Happy viewing and happy writing this week —
Marie

Week 12: Online "TV"

On 11/14, I'll be at the NewTeeVee Live: Reinventing Television conference, so I'm revising the class schedule for the next section on sitcom and short-format scriptwriting. Please download the SYLLABUS UPDATE (on the left sidebar) for the reading, viewing and writing work this week.

Here are the URLs for the viewing and reading assignments:

1. Read Story Structure Tutorials 101, 103, 104, 105, 106, and 108 Million
2. Watch all 5 Prime Time Shows on Channel 101 and Channel 102
3. Watch all 10 episodes of Clark and Michael

The shows will play in Quicktime and in the Firefox browser on computers in the CA 200 lab; if you have trouble on your own computer or on other SFSU computers, make time to use the ones in the lab. Hours will be shorter during Fall Break; check in the office for the schedule.

Disclaimer: Some of the online shows go out of their way to be raunchy, gross, politically incorrect or deliberately offensive; I'm showing them not because I also want to offend anyone, but so that we can talk about the evolution of writing techniques and trends in new media.

Also, if you find yourself going blind trying to read the tutorials, try using command/shift/+ to increase the font size on the screen, or copying and pasting the content into a text program (Word, Appleworks, TextEdit, Notepad).

Instructions for the writing assignment are on the Syllabus Update; read and follow them carefully, and be ready for a quiz when we come back from Fall Break!

P.S. Amy found this great chart outlining how long different shows will last due to the WGA strike (how many episodes they've got finished). Thanks, Amy! And if you're interested in following the WGA strike progress, check out the United Hollywood blog. And here's a little topical treat from Ask a Ninja:

Get your own TV Channel on Chime.TV!

Week 11: Persuasive Messages, cont'd

Today, after a lively discussion of the Writers Guild strike, we followed up on last week's viewing and deconstructed two more persuasive video pieces:

• "Vote Different" (Obama campaign promotion based on Apple "1984" ad)
• Adidas ad featuring Laila Ali vs. Mohammed Ali

I took a quick look at the first drafts of the persuasive-message scripts, and they looked quite good so far. Remember that this assignment is not to write a PSA with a logical appeal (e.g., driving while drunk is dangerous; junk food isn't healthy). That is a fine place to start, but your persuasive strategy (as described in your mini-treatment) must promise or affirm a transformation in the viewer, and you must clearly define how that transformation is made appealing to your audience based on what you understand about their self-image, their values, their deep desires and fears, etc.

Susanne sent me a link to a great article outlining 15 common advertising strategies; you might want to give it a read.

Also, there is a reading listed on the syllabus, but we're going to hold off on that for a bit. Just focus on your writing this week, and feel free to e-mail me if you run into snags.

P.S. Shannon requested some class feedback on his radio show. Take a break and listen to some clips online (they're easy to play in the browser) and send him your comments (check the Class Contact sheet).

Quiz!

1. Before 1993, milk was perceived as a "health food." How did the "got milk?" campaign change that?
2. How did De Beers diamond company "create societal change" in order to sell more diamonds?
3. The "truth" anti-smoking campaign did a lot of research on teens and smoking. What were the important psychological insights they found, and how did they use that understanding in a persuasive way?

Week 10: Persuasive Messages

Today we're going to talk about techniques of persuasive media writing, with a focus on TV commercials and "uncommercials" or other PSA-type spots which seek to change viewer behavior in a way that benefits society.

Here's a list of the online videos we'll watch:

• "Who Shot Raymond Burr?" got milk commercial
• "Our Life Began" De Beers commercial
• "Mr. Roboto" and "Ego Emissions" VW commercial
• Tab cola commercials from 1960s, 1979 and 1982
• "1984" famous Apple spot, aired during Super Bowl
• "Double Life" Playstation commercial
• "Cha Cha Slide" and "Ronald McDonald's Daughter" Japanese McDonald's commercial
• "Mr. Giant Taco Salad Inventor" and "Mr. Really Really Really Bad Dancer" Real Men of Genius Bud Light commercials
  
• "Cell Phone Karma" Kyocera commercial
• "Choose", "Splode" and "You Don't Always Die from Tobacco" truth TV spots
• "Manifesto", "Unbrand America", "Buy Nothing Day" adbusters uncommercials
• "Beautykit" short videos
  
• "Yappy Dog" and "Bag of Leaves" videos (TheONE campaign to encourage young people to vote)
  
• "I'm Every Woman" video
• "Push Ups", "What We Don't Mind You Voting For", and "Lip Sealer" videos (Declare Yourself campaign to encourage young people to vote)

We'll also watch "Introducing Diet Coke" and selections from the 2006 Clio Awards (Gold winners); these are available at the SFSU Media Access Center.

Also, congratulations to Caleb, Angela and Victor, whose scripts were selected by Skye Christensen's BECA 240/241 class for production!

Week 9: Big Scary Boils!

Today we watched "How to Get Ahead in Advertising" (1989). Please post a comment discussing whether you think the film had a happy ending — not just for the characters, but with regard to the bigger picture that the film addresses. What do you think the filmmakers wanted us to come away with? What did all that crazy boil action mean?

The assigned reading is a chapter from the book Breakaway Brands. There is a PDF for you to download in the left sidebar (along with all the other class documents), or you can download it from the Advertising Educational Foundation website here.

Be ready for a quiz next week!

Also, I will be in L.A. at the Screenwriting Expo for several days, so it is possible that I will not have all of the scripts graded by next Wednesday. However, I have delivered them to Skye via the BECA office, so we are off and running! I want to congratulate all of you on your good work, and I'm looking forward to reading lots of excellent scripts.

If you'd like to get a head start on the next section, Persuasive Messages, here's what to do: watch a lot of TV commercials (there are lots of them up on YouTube, and the Media Access Center has DVDs of advertising awards programs that you can watch in the library). Ask yourself: What is the story being told? This applies not only to the "plot" of the commercial, but the basic promise of all advertising and persuasive speech: the product or idea or action being promoted will somehow change you or change your life for the better. What kind of person does advertising promise to make you, or to affirm that you already are? What transformation is implied?

See you all next week!

Week 8: Last Workshop for 240 Scripts!

Today we workshopped the scripts and brainstormed ways to solve potential production problems. The homework this week is to finish your script and attach a cover letter with your contact info and anything the 240 class might need to know about producing your script.

Here's what you need to turn in next time:
Today's version (it's OK if you wrote on it during the workshop)
Final version (2 copies: one for me, one for Skye)
Cover letter (2 copies: one for me, one for Skye)

And you'll see on the syllabus that you also need to post a short comment to this blog entry, discussing your experience writing and revising this project.

PLEASE NOTE: Today I changed the rewrite policy. From now on, papers that get low mechanics grades do not need to be resubmitted. They will be graded only once, and that will be the grade you keep — so please do your proofreading before you turn your assignment in, because you only get the one chance! I will be very happy to help with mechanics questions if you come to me before the paper is due. The Writing Lab is also open Tuesdays 12:00 to 1:30 and 3:00 to 4:30.

Week 7: Shaping Up the Scripts

Today we watched more of last semester's 370/240 productions and some short videos from the Treo Film Festival, and talked about story structure, rising action, change and movement, and using video and sound elements to tell story and communicate "signals" (genre conventions, story-structure elements) to the audience so that they feel receptive as opposed to confused or bored.

We also had a visit from Skye Christensen, who answered lots of questions about script producibility and logistics. As we come up with more questions, Amanda and Angela will act as our liasons with the 240/241 class; we also have several people who have taken 240/241 and can help with production and writing advice.

If you missed class today, please check in the BECA office for work I handed back, and make arrangements with me for getting today's assignment turned in (ideally, get it to my BECA office mailbox by 2:00 Thursday). Also be sure to talk with a few people in class to get filled in on the discussion you missed.

Week 6: Get Your Video On, Part I

Today we workshopped the first drafts of the video scripts that we'll be handing off to the BECA 240 production class in a few weeks. The key issues for now are script format and shot description, and overall producibility of the scripts (remember these have to be shot in Studio 1 in under three hours).

Homework for this week: Revise scripts. Next week I want the draft you had in class today, plus the new version, plus an attached paragraph summarizing the progress you made/changes you implemented between the two drafts. This means that the second draft is significantly better than the first! It doesn't have to be perfect yet, but the next few weeks are going to fly by, so we've got to get these babies shaped up.

Please refer to Assignment Sheet #2 for full instructions and format example; also feel free to download the script template for easy 2-column formatting.

Happy writing! Feel free to e-mail me if questions come up.

Week 5: Moving on to Video Scripts

Today we went over some mechanics and formatting issues in the radio essays; please be sure to download and refer to the Mechanics Errors handout in the sidebar.

We also reviewed syllabus policies re: grading, rewriting papers, and what to do if you miss a class. Please review the syllabus if you weren't here for that today.

Homework for this week is on the syllabus; Assignment Sheet #3 is in the sidebar.

NOTE: If you're absent when I hand back work, the work will be waiting for you to pick up in the BECA office. Please pick it up as soon as possible so that you can incorporate my feedback and corrections into your next assignment.

Week 4: Digital Storytelling, Part I

Today we shifted gears from radio to digital storytelling. This week you'll be reinventing your radio essay as a digital storytelling piece — that is, isolating a moment or an emotional/psychological aspect of the story and "unpacking" it through the use of images as well as sound.

In class, we looked at some video pieces that illustrate different possible approaches to this assignment. Some combine video and narration in direct, literal ways; others use a more experimental video approach.

You are free to craft your video assignment any way you choose: You can keep or leave out the narration, dialogue, and SFX you used in the radio piece; you can change the format from narrative to open letter, meditation, etc. The important thing is that the video expands and deepens something about the original radio piece; by watching the video, the audience gets something it didn't get from the first version.

Full instructions and format example are given in Assignment Sheet #2: Digital Storytelling (download from left sidebar).

You may also do this assignment in video form rather than turn it in on paper. Be sure to host the video somewhere I can access it online next week.

Here are the videos we looked at today:

• Momnotmom by Thenmozhi Soundarajan
• Looking at Things by Jay Dedman
• The Phone Call by Charles Patterson
• Open Letter by Adriana Aguilar

You can find lots more examples by following links from the videos above (Streetside Stories, the Center for Digital Storytelling). The best way to find new things is to start with a video you like, and see what that person has linked to (blogrolls, favorites/playlists on YouTube, etc.).

The tech tools we looked at in class today were Eyespot (video editing) and Odeo (sound recording). You can find lots of video and audio resources at the Ourmedia Open Resource Directory.

Week 3: Radio Essay Workshop

Today everyone had a chance to hear their radio essay read aloud by someone else, and to hear feedback and ask questions in a small-group workshop. Each essay was also closely read and given written feedback on the Reader Feedback Sheet (available in the Documents sidebar).

The syllabus has changed a bit to reflect our upcoming collaboration with Skye Christensen's video production class; please download the new version.

Remember, as you revise and polish your radio essays this week, there is no such thing as a perfect first draft. Ever. : )

Happy writing; see you next time.

Week 2: Radio Essay

Today we scrutinized some personal essays from the NPR Story Project, looking at what makes a great story. We talked about three-act structure, rising action, increasing tension and obstacles, and the connection between the hero's character and the nature of the crisis/change in status quo (which creates dramatic need).

If you'd like to listen to more examples, check out the NPR Story Project archives.

The assignment sheet is in the Documents sidebar (#1: Radio Essay). Happy writing!

Week 1: Welcome to your writing class!

This is where you will find all of the documents you need for this class (syllabus, assignment sheets, handouts, etc.). I recommend printing them out and having them with you each day in class. This is also where you should check for important information if you are absent; any changes to assignments or to the syllabus will be posted here.

Everyone is free to leave comments on the Class Blog. If you know of any videos, podcasts, or other resources that might be interesting and useful for the class, please post a comment with a description of the item and a link.

It's going to be a fun semester—so rev up your writer brain and let's get the show on the road!