ENGL 387: Basic Screenwriting
Shawn Wong, Professor of English
B423 Padelford Hall
Office hours: TTh 11-12 and via zoom M-F by appointment. Appointments recommended for in-person office hours.
Email: homebase@uw.edu
Course Description:
This is a screenwriting class, which means that the bulk of the responsibility for the success of this class is based on the writing you produce for the class and your critique of the writing done by your classmates.
The goal of the class is to prepare you for more independent writing and self-critique. The focus on the writing is centered more on revision, editing, adaptation of an existing fictional story and understanding the craft of the screenwriting.
This is a beginning screenwriting class and the structure and focus of the class is on collaborative work in writing teams, mirroring the real world screenwriting work done in a "writers' room." Students will work in teams on an adaptation of an existing short story into a screenplay for a short film of about 15 to 20 minutes. There will be other opportunities to do individual script writing, but that also is adaptation with the goal of learning the format of the screenplay and learning film grammar.
Required Text and Podcast:
There will be a textbook for the class and it can be ordered as an e-book or in hardcopy. The required text is "Invisible Ink" by Brian McDonald and is available for order online from many sources. Here's the listing on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=invisible+ink+by+brian+mcdonald&crid=36JBWQ1SFW403&sprefix=invisible+ink+by+br%2Caps%2C373&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_19 (Links to an external site.)
I'm combining the text with a multi-episode podcast by Brian McDonald in which he discusses both his book and provides many more examples of his storytelling and screenwriting principles. Here is the link to the podcast: https://writeinvisibleink.com/episodes/ (Links to an external site.)
The book, "Invisible Ink," is meant to be a companion to the podcast, rather than the other way around. The podcast episodes are long, some over an hour, but they are important because they lay the foundation for screenwriting and storytelling. Take notes while listening and jot down what you think are the most important qualities you need to remember when you sit down to write a screenplay.
Brian McDonald and I have been working together for the last 8-10 years on a storytelling project, The Red Badge Project (theredbadgeproject.com), and many of the principles we use in our workshops are described in these podcast episodes. He is a master storyteller, drawing from extensive knowledge of film, stories about directors, and his work with many production companies such as Pixar, Industrial Light & Magic, and other major studios.