Whether it’s a TV show or a movie, most people today feel more connected with video-based stories than purely text. That being said, almost all good video productions start with a screenplay. Even if your target is a video, being able to produce effective writing is essential.
Since the final version of screenplays are videos, few people read the screenplays that the cast and crew used to create it. In this assignment, you will read a screenplay of your choice to get a sense of the types of things which are included.
You are free to choose any screenplay you want, as long as you have access to:
Eventually, you will identify what about it works well (and what doesn’t), doing your best to replicate (or avoid) them. It makes sense to consider what you want to work on later in the unit. Preview the remaining assignments in this unit to get a better sense of what you will need to accomplish with your screenplay.
If you want to work more on your writing, choose something by a well-respected writer. If you want to explore how camera movement can communicate things to an audience, you may be more interested in how a well-known director or director of photography interpreted the script.
There are lots of things, both good and bad, to learn from any screenplay/video. As long as you are aware of your goals, many different things can work well, from low-budget horror movies or YouTube productions to Criterion Collection experimental art films.
Review your previous assignments and feedback from the Mythology and Social Media units. What are the next steps for your writing that you identified? What kind of movie/show is a good example of a successful execution of the skills you want to learn? Create a list of goals for your reading, e.g., “I want to learn how to make a scary/romantic/funny/etc. character,” “I want to learn to use scenery to support the story being told,” etc.
Locate a screenplay using a search engine or LLM. BulletproofScreenwriting.tv has a collection of free screenplays if you want a convenient place to start. Feel free to use any other source that suits you. Choose an appropriate screenplay for your goals.
Use an LLM to help with pre-reading:
Read the screenplay while answering the questions you generated.
Make a video answering the following questions:
Before you submit, please complete the Pre-Submission Self-Assessment.
Google Doc with a list of goals
Reflection video
We are learning to:
Use various comprehension strategies to make sense of new and complex texts.
Analyze texts to identify specific techniques we can apply to our creative work.
Evaluate how different reading strategies impact our understanding and help us achieve our learning goals.
I can:
Prepare to read a complex text by setting goals and using digital tools.
Read for meaning and connect a text to my goals.
Reflect on my reading process through a video.
| Category | Level 4 | Level 3 | Level 2 | Level 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Knowledge & Understanding
Understanding of the screenplay’s main ideas and supporting details
|
Demonstrates thorough and insightful understanding of the screenplay's main ideas and supporting details. | Demonstrates considerable understanding of the screenplay's main ideas and supporting details. | Demonstrates some understanding of the screenplay's main ideas and supporting details. | Demonstrates limited understanding of the screenplay's main ideas and supporting details. |
|
Thinking
Analysis of text connections to personal goals and evaluation of reading strategies
|
Provides a perceptive and insightful analysis of how the text connects to personal goals; evaluation of reading strategies is thorough. | Provides a clear and logical analysis of how the text connects to personal goals; evaluation of reading strategies is well-considered. | Provides some analysis of how the text connects to personal goals; evaluation of reading strategies is developing. | Provides a limited analysis of how the text connects to personal goals; evaluation of reading strategies is superficial. |
|
Application
Use of pre-reading comprehension strategies to guide reading and analysis
|
Uses pre-reading comprehension strategies with a high degree of effectiveness to guide reading and analysis. | Uses pre-reading comprehension strategies with considerable effectiveness to guide reading and analysis. | Uses pre-reading comprehension strategies with some effectiveness to guide reading and analysis. | Uses pre-reading comprehension strategies with limited effectiveness to guide reading and analysis. |
|
Communication
Clarity and organization of video reflections and analysis
|
Expresses reflections and analysis in the video with a high degree of clarity and organization. | Expresses reflections and analysis in the video with considerable clarity and organization. | Expresses reflections and analysis in the video with some clarity and organization. | Expresses reflections and analysis in the video with limited clarity and organization. |
Demonstrates thorough and insightful understanding of the screenplay's main ideas and supporting details.
Demonstrates considerable understanding of the screenplay's main ideas and supporting details.
Demonstrates some understanding of the screenplay's main ideas and supporting details.
Demonstrates limited understanding of the screenplay's main ideas and supporting details.
Provides a perceptive and insightful analysis of how the text connects to personal goals; evaluation of reading strategies is thorough.
Provides a clear and logical analysis of how the text connects to personal goals; evaluation of reading strategies is well-considered.
Provides some analysis of how the text connects to personal goals; evaluation of reading strategies is developing.
Provides a limited analysis of how the text connects to personal goals; evaluation of reading strategies is superficial.
Uses pre-reading comprehension strategies with a high degree of effectiveness to guide reading and analysis.
Uses pre-reading comprehension strategies with considerable effectiveness to guide reading and analysis.
Uses pre-reading comprehension strategies with some effectiveness to guide reading and analysis.
Uses pre-reading comprehension strategies with limited effectiveness to guide reading and analysis.
Expresses reflections and analysis in the video with a high degree of clarity and organization.
Expresses reflections and analysis in the video with considerable clarity and organization.
Expresses reflections and analysis in the video with some clarity and organization.
Expresses reflections and analysis in the video with limited clarity and organization.