1 Lecture 1a:Introduction Professor Daniel Cutrara Syriana (2005) Robert Baer (novel) Stephen Gaghan (screenplay)

2 Professor Daniel Cutrara Assistant Professor, Film and Media Studies, Arizona State UniversityFilm and Media Studies M.F.A., Cinema & TV, USC Teaches courses in Screenwriting; Story Analysis; Religion and Film. Lecture Hint: Pause the lecture and click on one of the hyperlinks (text that is underlined). Return to the lecture after you have visited the site.

3 In This Lesson What kind of distance learning course is this? How can you succeed in this course? What is the course about?

4 What Kind of Distance Learning Course is This? Lesson 1a: Part I Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) Written by Roald Dahl(book) and John August (screenplay)

5 A Unique Distance Learning Experience This is not an automated course. This is not a self-paced course. This course emphasizes interactivity: Asynchronous Synchronous Participation is to your success! Threaded Discussions on the eBoard

6 The Advantages of this Course Flexibility… not limited by space Study materials available 24/7 Lectures (streaming audio w/ PowerPoint) Websites & other resources Clips Structured like a traditional course Complements multiple learning styles Lots of interactivity

7 The Disadvantages Students that learn best through face-to- face debate can struggle in this environment. Ways to compensate Arrange for real-time meetings with classmates Students that are not well organized tend to not do well in this environment. Meet all deadlines Study in advance of assignments

8 Online Evaluation Pause the lecture and take the Self-Evaluation of Online Students. It will help you better understand how your learning style meets the demands of this environment.Self-Evaluation of Online Students Juno (2007) Written by Diablo Cody

9 How to Succeed in This Course Lesson 1a: Part II

10 How do We Define Success? Improving your ability to analyze story. Learning how to write studio coverage. Leaving the course with a treatment or development notes. Becoming more adept at giving and taking constructive criticism on the Eboard. Getting a high grade: A or B

11 Course Organization Each lesson contains:Each lesson contains: Readings Reading Review Lecture Interactivity (Discussion Board) Clips 11

12 Forms of Interactivity Threaded discussions on the eBoard with classmates and professor Office Hours (if possible) Online Chats with professor 12 Click (2006) Written by Steve Koren and Mark O’Keefe

13 How We Will Engage We will engage with passion and rigor. We will be respectful of each other. We will keep in mind that our goal is to help one another develop the skills necessary to compete in the film and television business.

14 What is the Course About? Lesson 1a: Part III The Player (1992) Michael Tolkin (novel) Michael Tolkin (screenplay)

The Lessons We will develop the necessary skills for story development. –The Exercises We will learn the business of the story analyst. –Writing Coverage We will build on what we learn. –The Final Project 15

16 End of Lecture 1a Next Lecture: Tracking the Story Transformers (2007) Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman (screenplay)