UCLA intro to screenwriting 1

Five weeeks ago I started a class with the idea that, one, I'd rewrite my first screenplay, Casey's Catch, or two, I'd start from scratch and work on my second. I decided to start from scratch and move on from my previous work ... a difficult yet important thing for a writer to do.

The first night, I pulled into the "parking 3" garage where I'd be parking from that day forth. I'd scoped it out earlier just to make sure I could get parked and on my way to class in a timely fashion, so that was the easiest part. The real challenge surfaced when I casually followed a few people toward the cinema building then pretended to know exactly where I was going and headed through the sculpture park. I wondered as the clock ticked toward seven until finally spotting the building.

Shortly after I sit, the professor begins the lesson in a casual way and explains the foundations of screenwriting. At that moment, I understood that once you learn something doesn't mean you know it - you have to keep learning it through lecture, reading, and practice.

Anyway, it's been five weeks and my screenplay is finally taking form. It's amazing to watch a story evolve from idea to premise to treatment or beat sheet - it's like a quick sketch that turns into a detailed painting.

I can't release the storypoints to the screenplay because this blog is in the public's eye and the material isn't yet protected with a copyright or the WGA. The basic thematic premise is this:

Hatred leads to Love

The cool thing about this premise is that it can and will be expressed on three different levels: Physical, Emotional, and Social. This will create the backbone for the resolution at the end of act 3 and provide the audience with several explamples of how hatred leads to love. After all, the overall goal of a story is to prove your point as a writer in a drmatic and entertaining way.

Check back later for story details.

Christopher