Write a screenplay for an 8-minute short film.

Screenwriting with James Franco

Project Brief
Project Description

Write a screenplay for an 8-minute short film adapted from one of the source texts. Everyone will be adapting screenplays from similar texts so that we can share valuable feedback with one another. Your project will include these steps:
1. Step 1: Selecting Your Text
2. Step 2: Drafting Your Screenplay
3. Step 3: Writing Your Logline
Project Specs
- Adapt one of the texts provided into an original work
- Keep your screenplay to 10 pages or under
- Follow the formatting tips provided in class
- Include a screenplay, logline and title
Project Template
Step 1: Selecting Your Text
Share. Select the source text you'll use for adapting your screenplay. In the project gallery, share the text you've chosen and 2-3 lines on why.
- The Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters (This one is available for free online through the link provided).
- Winesburg, Ohio: A Group of Tales of Ohio Small-Town Life by Sherwood Anderson
- Pastures of Heaven by John Steinbeck
Step 2: Drafting Your Screenplay
Share. Share the write up of your screenplay by uploading to the project gallery or linking to where you're hosting the screenplay externally. Include as many versions as you like and note the version that's most recent, along with the progress you've made or trouble you're running into.

Remember to keep the screenplay under 10 pages so that it results in an 8-minute short film. Be sure to follow the formatting tips shared in class.
Step 3: Writing Your Logline
Share. Share your logline. Draft as many versions of your logline as needed. This is a great opportunity to ask classmates for advice and feedback to ensure you're communicating your narrative effectively and succinctly.

Additional Resources

Herbert White. Check out Frank Bidart's reading of the poem at the Chicago Humanities Festival - the poem I mentioned in this unit's lessons and from which I adapted my 2010 screenplay of the same name.
Aristotle's The Poetics. Check out a free PDF of Aristotle's The Poetics translated by S.H. Butcher.
Sample Treatments: 10 Lessons from a Former Fat Girl and The Border
Check out our Indiegogo campaign here as an example of alternative funding.

Amanda McKay

My first screenplay..and it won't be my last :)

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