Thursday, September 4, 2008

Website Analysis Here...Thanx!

While you're at it, check out the website we discussed for The Family that Preys

http://www.familythatpreysmovie.com/?gclid=CNXi3q6FxJUCFSAUagodFEIVig#/?page=home

My Big Fat Greek Wedding Posts Here Please...

Week 8 Wonders

Hello class,

Ok, so don't forget your homework assignments:

  1. Look up the history of My Big Fat Greek Wedding and blog on how it was marketed.
  2. Print out the career links section from the companion website of Media Now.
  3. Look up the websites referenced on the syllabus and do a comparative analysis blog
Also, practice your pitches! Remember the format for the class exercise:

  • Logline
  • Style/tone/type of project.
  • Character descriptions (e.g. Mariah, an artistic, twenty-something instructor with an urban flare...)
  • Hero's journey - brief and to the point. No play-by-plays allowed!
  • Target audience and any peripheral information (look/feel/attachments [talent]).
Don't forget to let us know up front if it is a doc/feature/animation, etc. in the style/tone section. Remember, it's a pitch, not a marathon...

:)

Have a great week!

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Treatment Treats!

Courtesy of your classmate, Steve.
Please take the time to check out these links. Be forewarned, the second one is sticky!

http://writingtreatments.com/

http://www.simplyscripts.com/treatments.html

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Extra Credit

As you may know, the State Fair is featuring a Hollywood theme this year. You may blog a one page report on what you learn from this exhibit for extra-credit.

How many teachers like you enough to give you extra credit for having fun? I know, I know, AI rocks!

Have a wonderful weekend.

Mariah

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Bye-bye Mid-terms!

Okay class,

Don't forget to post your treatments here. Rember to use active, present tense. And this is just a treatment, not a proposal, so focus on describing your story. We will use these to prep you for pitching! This will also help you later on in your writing class(es) to outline the stories you develop.

Have a great week,

Mariah

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Week IV Mid-Term Season...

Okay class,

Just to review, your homework for the week is:

  1. Read your hand-outs, especially the loglines.
  2. Rewrite and post your 5 movie loglines and 1 of your own original idea to the blog.
  3. Watch a feature-length film and write "coverage" of it.

Remember to adhere to the format specified in class.

Read the blog post on loglines and follow the directions. It will help you, I promise:)

Have a great week!

Mariah

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Week IV and Fabulous

Hello class,

Quick recap on homework:

  • Remember to do 3 rewrites of your peers' loglines for homework.
  • Read your Media Now text; chapter 8
  • Complete production modules 1-9 (midterm
Below is an online resource of production personnel/services. The Reel Directory is the Northern California production "yellowpages"!

http://www.reeldirectory.com/

Have a wonderful week!

Thursday, July 31, 2008

Week III Homework and Logline Wisdom...

Don't forget to do your reading in Media Now, Chapter 7.

The link for your cybercollege assignment (see your syllabus) is: http://cybercollege.com/tvp_ind.htm

Remember the following key principles as you prepare your loglines (one original/5 based on movies that are already made). Don't forget to blog them and bring a printed copy.

Loglines should:
1) Be one concise sentence.
2) Illuminate character.
3) Describe plot.

To test your success, look at your character descriptions (remember, there may be more than one). Are they generic or vague? Every character should have at least one POWERFUL adjective to describe him/her. Names are unnecessary and distracting unless it is a high concept name like Garfield or Batman in which case it might be okay ( notice emphasis on "might").

Plot should:
1) Spark interest.
2) Peak curiosity (don't give it all away).
3) Tell what happens in the first fifteen minutes.

Remember, sentence structure is important too. You don't want readers to stumble over a long, rambling sentence. Try structuring it a few different ways. At the same time, avoid being vague, general, or non-descript in an attempt to condense your logline.

AVOID PASSIVE VOICE AT ALL COST (except in rare circumstances).

Please review the following website for a great explanation of active vs. passive voice. I'm sure it will help you to have those super-polished loglines (and overall writing) that demonstrate you are educated, informed, filmmakers and valuable human resources.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/grammar/g_actpass.html

Enjoy! You're on your way to excellence!

Mariah

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Week II Homework

Aaaah, kudos to those of you who took initiative to email your blogs to me. Innovate, innovate, innovate. Do whatever you can to problem solve, navigate over the hurdles, and get the job done! This will get you noticed and set apart!

Once I had an internship where I did various menial tasks. I would often be sent to a highly disorganized storage room to retrieve various items that were in the most difficult and inconsistent places. Other days, I would be left twiddling my thumbs with nothing much to do. Well, one day, I decided to organize the storage room and put all the items where they originally belonged with appropriate labels. It took hours!

Well, there was one person in particular who didn't like my little initiative, complaining that she no longer knew where anything was. For everyone else, particularly the head hauncho, they were thrilled that the doorless space was no longer a blight or a safety hazard. It also set a standard for those other little cubby holes that were collecting slouching stacks of random material that so easily accumulates amongst artsy environments....

There is a lesson to be learned in that little anecdote. See if you can CVA it!

Okay....HOMEWORK....

For your convenience, I am posting it here. You are still responsible for taking note of the assignment in class. If you have any problem with the blog, remember to email your assignment to me. If you get locked out /forget your password, click the little question mark under the login box.

  1. WRITE A ONE [FULL] PAGE PAPER ANALYSIS OF A TV SHOW/MOVIE USING EACH STEP OF THE CVA. REFER TO YOUR HANDOUT. BLOG IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. YOU MAY DO SO HERE (BELOW).
  2. READ THE HANDOUTS GIVEN TO YOU IN CLASS. COME PREPARED WITH QUESTIONS/COMMENTS.
  3. I have emails for the following people (if you are not on the list, please email me asap).

Steve O.

Brittany H.

William P.

JC R.

Keven M.

Ruben U.

Tim V.

Lindsey A.

DeJuan H.

Imani T.

Angy N.

Anton J.

William P.

Manuel V.

Alan C.


Thursday, July 17, 2008

Week 1

Greetings, Class!

For your homework today:
  • Please create a blogger profile if you do not already have one.
  • From your handout on Critical Viewing Analysis, blog the equivalent of a one page (double-spaced) paper on the role of a producer. This MUST BE FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE HANDOUT!
  • Log on to www.accesssacramento.org and view a community produced program. Familiarize yourself with the resources available at this organization and come to class prepared to discuss.

Have a great week.