It’s been fifteen weeks since you walked into this class, and a lot has happened. You walked in unsure of what to expect. You had taken CMM 410 with Professor Habraken during the spring semester of 2023, but that class was much less structured despite its massive undertaking of a final project. Over the next fifteen weeks, you will have a much more structured environment, learning about the intracacies of what makes a first act of a screenplay work while crafting your own film script. You will only write the first act, but you will conceptualize all of the big scenes in acts two and three as well. Much like your first screenwriting class, you will be pulling from the part of your brain that writes novels, but with more experience under your belt (and less overall pages to deliver at the end of the semester), you will be doing so in a very different way than before, finally taking advantage of genre in your writing. But I want to give you some advice for the coming weeks.
When you are planning out your screenplay, you should really stop spreading your notes across twenty different documents. It gets really confusing really quickly, and you’ll waste time searching through documents rather than doing the fun part of writing. This will only worsen when it comes time for the lookbook, so please, be more organized on Google Docs! Speaking of the lookbook, try to conceptualize visuals sooner rather than later. Your music and characters are great, but the lookbook will not be as satisfying if you don’t compile more photographs (trust me, I’m future you having the strangest structure to her lookbook she could’ve come up with).
When you are coming up with the ideas for the screenplay, you should look to your peers for ideas on how to execute things. August has got a great eye for structuring exposition which is incredibly necessary when creating a fantasy film (this is admittedly ironic considering her realistic world). Taya has great ideas for worldbuilding, so when you inveitably struggle with the intracacies of the various New England Hunters’ Council members, ask her instead of waddling through it at eleven o’clock at night on a Thursday.
Overall, this class will help you develop your skills as a screenwriter, but also as a visualizer for your works, as it is incredibly helpful for editing and moving on to potential adaptations or sequels/prequels.
Caitlin,
The understanding of creative writing that you think you have now is about to be challenged. You think you’re an expert, but this new format will throw you for a loop. You will begin to understand what it’s like to be limited by space, and now just in the way of a word count. From beginning to end, a screenplay must be purposeful. You cannot add all kinds of fancy embellishments onto your words to elevate the piece. What makes this screenplay “good” will have to be the dialogue, the choices of the characters, and the ending. It can be difficult to get started, but working off of what you already know and the thousands of movies you’ve seen will make it easier—there are only so many stories to tell and things to say through film, it’s okay if you have similarities between yours and one that already exists. Syd Field’s book will help to guide you through the creation of your characters, the format of the screenplay, and the plot points that will carry the action from act to act. Learning how to “show” and not “tell” can be hard, but if you commit to it, it will start to come naturally. Be open to writing in a different style, one that is appropriate for the new format, and try to understand that this will not feel the same as your other experiences with creative writing. It doesn’t feel rewarding in the same way, but don’t let it disappoint you. Not many people can say that they’ve written the first act of an original screenplay. It’s an uncomfortable adjustment, but the support of your peers will bring you through it. Listen to what they have to say about their own screenplays as well as yours, especially when it comes to pacing. Each page being equal to one minute can be meaningless when you’ve never paid attention to how movies are broken up before. It doesn’t make sense until it does—if somebody tells you that your beginning is too slow, or your pacing is off at all, just listen.
You’re going to struggle a lot. You have the story already written, but you’re going to have to do this all over again in a different format. Yes, it’s Call of Stralavia. Unfortunately, you have to balance this class, your life, your crumbling social life, AND your 4 other classes that constantly demand attention like little brats, much like this class. You’re not going to be able to do it all, I’m sorry. Your mental health is going to plummet, because I’m at my lowest right now. However, I’m going to give you some tips on this class, and this class only. I’m not going to tell you about the others, because screw them. You’re going to fail them anyway.
1. WORK ON THE ARTIST BOOK PLEASE.
Oh my god, you wanted to do this so bad, and then you never found the time to do shit. So, between making art for your social media accounts, make concept art for this story, please. I cannot believe how much I’ve screwed up, because I’ve been burned out, and really no one cares what happens to you if you fail. So make the art, and ignore whatever else you may be thinking of for other classes, you’re going to regret this. You’re going to scramble.
2. Write the script, actually.
You are going to procrastinate like a 12 year old that’s so high on marijuana, he can see sounds and hear colors. PLEASE keep writing the script, because I blew it off. Now look at me. I’m rushing it. I would recommend actually telling your professors that you’re heading in a downward spiral, and your brain condition is getting worse. Maybe they’ll actually be concerned. ALSO, reference the originally written paper. It’ll make things easier. Make sure Kitor isn’t some sort of weird anime villain that needs to be defeated with the power of friendship. This isn’t that story.
3. BUY SCREENPLAY BY SYD FIELD.
Oh my god, the school doesn’t have it, the professor doesn’t have it, and the nearest bookstore doesn’t have it. PLEASE buy it on Amazon. You’ve missed so much work because you don’t have it.
JUST WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. Don’t panic like you did, look at what a screenplay looks like, write it, and screw everyone else’s opinion.
Dear Me,
You are about to embark on a type of writing journey like you’ve never experienced before. I know you have some experience with this type of thing–with reading, with writing, and with exposure to the craft that is storytelling. From your own time taken to read and write for pleasure, to the literature and writing or rhetoric based classes you took in high school– especially in relation to that one creative writing elective–you have developed an at least decent idea of what it means and what it takes to succeed in writing. However, this class on screenwriting will be something entirely new. For one, it’s an entirely different form. You don’t know how to write a script– a screenplay– and that’s totally okay. You’ll figure it out. It will be hard at times, and you will struggle to understand when to use certain mechanisms of writing (like which words to put in all CAPS and how to dictate camera angles), but it’ll work itself out. You’ll figure it out. Just learn to enjoy the process. It will be a lot, for sure. It will be enjoyable too, though. Writing is fun. It’s supposed to be fun. Remember that. And have fun with this class because it doesn’t have to feel like a bunch of pressure. Just create your story, write, and watch it evolve as you evolve yourself.
Besides just the writing aspect of this class, make sure you reach out to people, too. It takes a little bit of time before you’ll feel comfortable talking and sharing your ideas. That’s okay; it’s all part of the journey. Eventually, you will get there and this will be a class you look forward to, with classmates and friends that you enjoy spending time with and sharing ideas with. Specifically, look to Kha and James for help with revisions. They offer invaluable advice– both in forms of criticism and praise– on what is good (what you should add on and develop more) and what could use some adjustments. Look to Bennet and August to share creative ideas. Bounce your ideas off of them; they’re brilliantly creative and never fail to help you add whole new dimensions to your story. Look to Rachel and Rachel for help– with the things you struggle with, when you need more motivation; they understand how difficult the journey can be and it never hurts to feel that camaraderie with them so that you can push forward when the going gets tough. And look to Caitlin for motivations, for laughs and breaks when you need it. As well as for understanding, because she will help you get through this class by showing you it’s okay to have fun with all of this, and it’s okay if you run into difficulties.
Hey beginning of semester Kha. I want to write you a letter from post semester you just to give you a little bit of guidance for the course and detail the experience honestly. In the next 15 weeks of class, the biggest thing you’ll have to do is write, but the most important thing you WILL have to do is read/research and understand just what you are writing, who your writing for, and how u can make your writing something others can understand and follow. As a writer in 214-SCREENWRITING you should really make sure your reading and understanding the material from Syd-Fields book. His insights on what makes a good screenplay and how to format one are something you will need if you want to create a successful draft of your own. As a writer, currently, you have the ability to put your thoughts on paper and improvise with your creative imagination, but that’s not enough for this class. It isn’t a creative writing class, but a screenwriting class. For this, you will have to really understand your piece of work and understand it well. It’s not the same as writing and going with the flow with this one and the biggest thing you can do for your success is research everything surrounding your topic and formulate the end of your story so you know the ins and outs better than anyone. With this you will always know the direction you want your screenplay to go and if you have that then your on the right path. Utilize your peers and ask questions as they probably have the same questions and can also give great advice as well. Just stay present because the journey is going to be long, you won’t get everything, but you will continuously evolve week by week. Just keep going Kha you got this.
5 thoughts on “FINAL JOURNAL”
Dear Day 1 Rachel,
It’s been fifteen weeks since you walked into this class, and a lot has happened. You walked in unsure of what to expect. You had taken CMM 410 with Professor Habraken during the spring semester of 2023, but that class was much less structured despite its massive undertaking of a final project. Over the next fifteen weeks, you will have a much more structured environment, learning about the intracacies of what makes a first act of a screenplay work while crafting your own film script. You will only write the first act, but you will conceptualize all of the big scenes in acts two and three as well. Much like your first screenwriting class, you will be pulling from the part of your brain that writes novels, but with more experience under your belt (and less overall pages to deliver at the end of the semester), you will be doing so in a very different way than before, finally taking advantage of genre in your writing. But I want to give you some advice for the coming weeks.
When you are planning out your screenplay, you should really stop spreading your notes across twenty different documents. It gets really confusing really quickly, and you’ll waste time searching through documents rather than doing the fun part of writing. This will only worsen when it comes time for the lookbook, so please, be more organized on Google Docs! Speaking of the lookbook, try to conceptualize visuals sooner rather than later. Your music and characters are great, but the lookbook will not be as satisfying if you don’t compile more photographs (trust me, I’m future you having the strangest structure to her lookbook she could’ve come up with).
When you are coming up with the ideas for the screenplay, you should look to your peers for ideas on how to execute things. August has got a great eye for structuring exposition which is incredibly necessary when creating a fantasy film (this is admittedly ironic considering her realistic world). Taya has great ideas for worldbuilding, so when you inveitably struggle with the intracacies of the various New England Hunters’ Council members, ask her instead of waddling through it at eleven o’clock at night on a Thursday.
Overall, this class will help you develop your skills as a screenwriter, but also as a visualizer for your works, as it is incredibly helpful for editing and moving on to potential adaptations or sequels/prequels.
Sincerely,
Future You
Caitlin,
The understanding of creative writing that you think you have now is about to be challenged. You think you’re an expert, but this new format will throw you for a loop. You will begin to understand what it’s like to be limited by space, and now just in the way of a word count. From beginning to end, a screenplay must be purposeful. You cannot add all kinds of fancy embellishments onto your words to elevate the piece. What makes this screenplay “good” will have to be the dialogue, the choices of the characters, and the ending. It can be difficult to get started, but working off of what you already know and the thousands of movies you’ve seen will make it easier—there are only so many stories to tell and things to say through film, it’s okay if you have similarities between yours and one that already exists. Syd Field’s book will help to guide you through the creation of your characters, the format of the screenplay, and the plot points that will carry the action from act to act. Learning how to “show” and not “tell” can be hard, but if you commit to it, it will start to come naturally. Be open to writing in a different style, one that is appropriate for the new format, and try to understand that this will not feel the same as your other experiences with creative writing. It doesn’t feel rewarding in the same way, but don’t let it disappoint you. Not many people can say that they’ve written the first act of an original screenplay. It’s an uncomfortable adjustment, but the support of your peers will bring you through it. Listen to what they have to say about their own screenplays as well as yours, especially when it comes to pacing. Each page being equal to one minute can be meaningless when you’ve never paid attention to how movies are broken up before. It doesn’t make sense until it does—if somebody tells you that your beginning is too slow, or your pacing is off at all, just listen.
You’re going to struggle a lot. You have the story already written, but you’re going to have to do this all over again in a different format. Yes, it’s Call of Stralavia. Unfortunately, you have to balance this class, your life, your crumbling social life, AND your 4 other classes that constantly demand attention like little brats, much like this class. You’re not going to be able to do it all, I’m sorry. Your mental health is going to plummet, because I’m at my lowest right now. However, I’m going to give you some tips on this class, and this class only. I’m not going to tell you about the others, because screw them. You’re going to fail them anyway.
1. WORK ON THE ARTIST BOOK PLEASE.
Oh my god, you wanted to do this so bad, and then you never found the time to do shit. So, between making art for your social media accounts, make concept art for this story, please. I cannot believe how much I’ve screwed up, because I’ve been burned out, and really no one cares what happens to you if you fail. So make the art, and ignore whatever else you may be thinking of for other classes, you’re going to regret this. You’re going to scramble.
2. Write the script, actually.
You are going to procrastinate like a 12 year old that’s so high on marijuana, he can see sounds and hear colors. PLEASE keep writing the script, because I blew it off. Now look at me. I’m rushing it. I would recommend actually telling your professors that you’re heading in a downward spiral, and your brain condition is getting worse. Maybe they’ll actually be concerned. ALSO, reference the originally written paper. It’ll make things easier. Make sure Kitor isn’t some sort of weird anime villain that needs to be defeated with the power of friendship. This isn’t that story.
3. BUY SCREENPLAY BY SYD FIELD.
Oh my god, the school doesn’t have it, the professor doesn’t have it, and the nearest bookstore doesn’t have it. PLEASE buy it on Amazon. You’ve missed so much work because you don’t have it.
JUST WRITE, WRITE, WRITE. Don’t panic like you did, look at what a screenplay looks like, write it, and screw everyone else’s opinion.
Dear Me,
You are about to embark on a type of writing journey like you’ve never experienced before. I know you have some experience with this type of thing–with reading, with writing, and with exposure to the craft that is storytelling. From your own time taken to read and write for pleasure, to the literature and writing or rhetoric based classes you took in high school– especially in relation to that one creative writing elective–you have developed an at least decent idea of what it means and what it takes to succeed in writing. However, this class on screenwriting will be something entirely new. For one, it’s an entirely different form. You don’t know how to write a script– a screenplay– and that’s totally okay. You’ll figure it out. It will be hard at times, and you will struggle to understand when to use certain mechanisms of writing (like which words to put in all CAPS and how to dictate camera angles), but it’ll work itself out. You’ll figure it out. Just learn to enjoy the process. It will be a lot, for sure. It will be enjoyable too, though. Writing is fun. It’s supposed to be fun. Remember that. And have fun with this class because it doesn’t have to feel like a bunch of pressure. Just create your story, write, and watch it evolve as you evolve yourself.
Besides just the writing aspect of this class, make sure you reach out to people, too. It takes a little bit of time before you’ll feel comfortable talking and sharing your ideas. That’s okay; it’s all part of the journey. Eventually, you will get there and this will be a class you look forward to, with classmates and friends that you enjoy spending time with and sharing ideas with. Specifically, look to Kha and James for help with revisions. They offer invaluable advice– both in forms of criticism and praise– on what is good (what you should add on and develop more) and what could use some adjustments. Look to Bennet and August to share creative ideas. Bounce your ideas off of them; they’re brilliantly creative and never fail to help you add whole new dimensions to your story. Look to Rachel and Rachel for help– with the things you struggle with, when you need more motivation; they understand how difficult the journey can be and it never hurts to feel that camaraderie with them so that you can push forward when the going gets tough. And look to Caitlin for motivations, for laughs and breaks when you need it. As well as for understanding, because she will help you get through this class by showing you it’s okay to have fun with all of this, and it’s okay if you run into difficulties.
Hey beginning of semester Kha. I want to write you a letter from post semester you just to give you a little bit of guidance for the course and detail the experience honestly. In the next 15 weeks of class, the biggest thing you’ll have to do is write, but the most important thing you WILL have to do is read/research and understand just what you are writing, who your writing for, and how u can make your writing something others can understand and follow. As a writer in 214-SCREENWRITING you should really make sure your reading and understanding the material from Syd-Fields book. His insights on what makes a good screenplay and how to format one are something you will need if you want to create a successful draft of your own. As a writer, currently, you have the ability to put your thoughts on paper and improvise with your creative imagination, but that’s not enough for this class. It isn’t a creative writing class, but a screenwriting class. For this, you will have to really understand your piece of work and understand it well. It’s not the same as writing and going with the flow with this one and the biggest thing you can do for your success is research everything surrounding your topic and formulate the end of your story so you know the ins and outs better than anyone. With this you will always know the direction you want your screenplay to go and if you have that then your on the right path. Utilize your peers and ask questions as they probably have the same questions and can also give great advice as well. Just stay present because the journey is going to be long, you won’t get everything, but you will continuously evolve week by week. Just keep going Kha you got this.