1. Tonight’s question
Hilliard lists seven elements of a script. Which of the following isn’t one of them. A) lighting B) unity C) plot D) characters
Please place your answer along with your first and last name in the top comment on

2. Starting your script
Prof. Jeremy Cox
CMAT 131

3. But first... A few words on the Ocean City adverts
Usually a good idea to toss the first idea that pops into your head. Many of you went with that first idea, so we saw a lot of the same ads (a person or family wishing they were somewhere having fun and a voiceover telling them about OC).
If you started telling a little story about someone in the beginning and dropped them completely 15 seconds into your 60-second ad, you will confuse your audience. You have to stay with them or at least circle back at the end.

4. So many directional problems
The majority of class either used VO/OC/SOT directions consistently wrong or neglected to use them at all. Dude, you’re killing me.
A review:
VO: voice over, when you have a disembodied voice talking
OC: on-camera, whenever someone is visibly shown in the frame and they are talking
SOT: sound on tape, when you want to have natural sounds, like waves lapping the shore or kids shrieking on a rollercoaster and NO TALKING.

5. About your scene assignment
It’s due Thursday, April 26
You are to write one scene. Let’s go with 2 pages, double spaced, 12-point font.
The first line of dialogue should be without any changes: “That was the craziest trip to Disney World ever.”
But first ....

6. The treatment You’re going to write a treatment for a sitcom (funny)
Yes, this is only one scene, but this will be the first scene in your final project screenplay.
So you actually will eventually script this out for 22 minutes. In other words, create some characters you don’t mind hanging around with.
Format it like the one on page 400, and bring it in to class Tuesday. It’s an outline, so 3 paragraphs of 3-6 sentences each should do it. Just rough out what you want to happen.
No, it’s not graded, but we’re going to have a pitch session Tuesday to get feedback from our peers.

7. Formatting the show
Use the same format as on page 411. (“The Cosby Show”)
Character names are centered, all caps
Action is all caps and hard left
Dialogue is in regular case and indented one tab from the left. If it drops down to the second line, it remains indented.
One column.

8. Getting started on your treatment
Think of that line, “That was the craziest trip to Disney World ever.”
What do you think made that characters express that?
Did the trips just happen or in the distant past?
Is the show going to be about that trip or move on to other reminisces?
What will your conflict be?
Who are the characters and what is their relationship?

9. Getting started
Where are the characters and how does this setting influence their actions?
Are there any events from the news or your life you’d like to base this on? Not using the events exactly as they happened, of course, because this is fiction.
What makes you laugh?