Rewriting the Feature Length Screenplay
TEACHING REWRITING
Rewriting should be a cornerstone in all screenwriting curriculums. At The University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, Writing for Screen and Television Division, we require all our BFA students to take a rewriting class, and they often repeat the class. In our MFA program, rewriting is an elective, but virtually all our students take the class. As professional screenwriters we know from experience that a script is actually written through a series of rewrites. While the first draft is important, the real work is done in the rewrites.
Teaching rewriting can be challenging, but when done effectively, it can be highly rewarding. Unlike many writing classes where students are working toward the same goal, in a rewriting class, each student has a different set of unique problems to address. In addition, students are often precious with their words and resist making changes. To further complicate matters, not all rewrites initially improve the screenplay—often scripts get worse before they get better. But when students are able to see the big picture, and embrace their notes, their work can soar, and they can grow significantly as screenwriters. Teaching rewriting can be very rewarding for the instructor. It is where the instructor can see the greatest amount of growth and development in their students. I consistently receive a great deal of email from my alumni expressing how much they have used this approach to rewriting throughout their careers.
Screenwriting is Rewriting
Screenwriting is Rewriting is designed to help writing instructors teach the art and craft of rewriting. Working with their instructor, students learn how to gather notes, organize and prioritize their notes, create a game plan, and then systematically execute their game plan through a series of focused passes. The book has eleven separate passes, such as the Foundation Pass, Character Pass, Story and Theme Pass, and Structure Pass. The book is meant to be flexible, and with the instructor’s guidance, can be tailored to each student’s needs.
To rewrite effectively, the writer must have a solid understanding of screenwriting fundamentals. Often, when teaching rewriting, a great deal of class time is devoted to reviewing screenwriting fundamentals. In addition to focusing on rewriting, Screenwriting is Rewriting also has chapters devoted to the essential screenwriting fundamentals such as character, plot, structure, and opposition characters.
Process Over Product
Another essential tenet in teaching rewriting is to teach “process over product.” Students tend to be product oriented—they want a script they can sell. Unfortunately, that is a very short sighted approach to the value of a rewriting class. What they need to learn is a rewriting process that will serve them throughout their careers. In teaching “process over product,” students will not only learn how to rewrite successfully, but will also end up with a greatly improved screenplay—hopefully one that will sell, as well sell them as professional screenwriters.
Semester and Term
One of the hardest aspects of teaching rewriting is the academic time constraints of the semester or the term. In addition, the number of students in a class, and the length of each class, limits how much ground the instructor can cover each week. The fifteen week semester has the advantage of five extra weeks for students to work out their solutions and execute their rewrites. A ten week term presents challenges of limited time, but rewriting can be taught effectively by hitting the ground running from day one and limiting the scope of each student’s rewrite.
One possible way to improve results with the term is to teach rewriting over two consecutive terms so the total length of the class would be twenty weeks. Clearly, there are institutional and curriculum challenges to overcome, but the extra term would help students go deeper into their revisions.
Ideal Class Size
An ideal size for a feature rewriting class is eight students. The ideal length for a rewriting class is a three hour class, meeting once a week. Depending on the number of students enrolled, the length of the class and the number of meetings per week, the syllabus may be revised to fit your institution’s schedule.
If your class is larger than eight students, you may consider dividing your class into A, B, and even C groups. Each group is then responsible for reading and critiquing scripts only within their group. There will be a week between groups and assignments, but once everyone begins writing, the groups tend to catch up and finish the class together. As with any class, there will always be sprinters and students who lag behind.
Before Class Begins
Because of the amount of deconstruction, analysis, and rewriting that must be accomplished, the first class must be a working class. If possible, electronically send out all the scripts to the students two weeks before the first class. Assign half the scripts to be read by everyone for the initial meeting. Then moving forward, the goal is to complete all notes by the end of the second class.
To ensure the students read their colleagues’ work, require all the students to deliver written notes about the scripts they read to you, the instructor, as well as to the students whose work is being critiqued.
Student Notes
When giving notes, encourage your students to always start with the positive: what works and what they liked. It is important to instill in each writer the importance of protecting what works in their screenplay, and revising what doesn’t work. Student screenwriters have a tendency to start again from scratch. Help them resist “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” by emphasizing the successful parts of their screenplay. Use what works as a basis for the rewrite. Starting on a positive also helps the students open up to more critical notes.
Few scripts necessitate a page one rewrite. Unless the premise and execution is so fatally flawed that the entire idea has to be totally reconceived, the student is better served by building out from what works than starting anew. There must be something that can be salvaged and used as building blocks. In addition, students do not learn the skill of rewriting if they are starting from page one. Part of the goal of a rewrite class, is to teach students how to work through their rewriting challenges. Rewriting is hard and only by pushing through do they grow as screenwriters.
Notes Going Forward
As they move through the semester, and turn in their written work, students will get feedback from the instructor and their classmates. After each set of notes, students tend to want to go back and make changes in their screenplays. Due to the short duration of the class, encourage students to keep moving forward. When giving notes, instead of just critiquing the current pages, tell the students what you want to see in the next set of pages. This is “notes going forward.” An example would be: “I’m still confused why Maggie is acting this way. In the next set of pages, make sure we understand what is motivating her and why.” This helps students keep moving forward while addressing their current notes in their next set of pages.
Treat each pass as a “work in progress.” Promote the idea this is just one of several passes they will make on their screenplays. Encourage students to write notes to themselves on their screenplays so they can incorporate the notes on their next pass. There always are, of course, those students that would benefit from going back and making further revisions. The Set-Up is one area that benefits from further revisions before moving forward. A flawed set-up yields a flawed screenplay. As the instructor, this should be your decision on whether a student should go back and revise pages.
Time Management
Time management is critical in a rewriting class. When critiquing a student’s screenplay, it is easy to lose track of time. While it may seem counterintuitive, students actually prefer instructors to keep close track of the time spent on each student’s work. It is recommended, as an instructor, you spend approximately the same amount of time on each student’s work. The students appreciate knowing that each of them will each get the same amount of time to discuss their work in class. You can always meet with students outside class to further discuss their screenplays. One-on-one time is always valuable and greatly appreciated by students.
Rewriting should be a cornerstone in all screenwriting curriculums. At The University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, Writing for Screen and Television Division, we require all our BFA students to take a rewriting class, and they often repeat the class. In our MFA program, rewriting is an elective, but virtually all our students take the class. As professional screenwriters we know from experience that a script is actually written through a series of rewrites. While the first draft is important, the real work is done in the rewrites.
Teaching rewriting can be challenging, but when done effectively, it can be highly rewarding. Unlike many writing classes where students are working toward the same goal, in a rewriting class, each student has a different set of unique problems to address. In addition, students are often precious with their words and resist making changes. To further complicate matters, not all rewrites initially improve the screenplay—often scripts get worse before they get better. But when students are able to see the big picture, and embrace their notes, their work can soar, and they can grow significantly as screenwriters. Teaching rewriting can be very rewarding for the instructor. It is where the instructor can see the greatest amount of growth and development in their students. I consistently receive a great deal of email from my alumni expressing how much they have used this approach to rewriting throughout their careers.
Screenwriting is Rewriting
Screenwriting is Rewriting is designed to help writing instructors teach the art and craft of rewriting. Working with their instructor, students learn how to gather notes, organize and prioritize their notes, create a game plan, and then systematically execute their game plan through a series of focused passes. The book has eleven separate passes, such as the Foundation Pass, Character Pass, Story and Theme Pass, and Structure Pass. The book is meant to be flexible, and with the instructor’s guidance, can be tailored to each student’s needs.
To rewrite effectively, the writer must have a solid understanding of screenwriting fundamentals. Often, when teaching rewriting, a great deal of class time is devoted to reviewing screenwriting fundamentals. In addition to focusing on rewriting, Screenwriting is Rewriting also has chapters devoted to the essential screenwriting fundamentals such as character, plot, structure, and opposition characters.
Process Over Product
Another essential tenet in teaching rewriting is to teach “process over product.” Students tend to be product oriented—they want a script they can sell. Unfortunately, that is a very short sighted approach to the value of a rewriting class. What they need to learn is a rewriting process that will serve them throughout their careers. In teaching “process over product,” students will not only learn how to rewrite successfully, but will also end up with a greatly improved screenplay—hopefully one that will sell, as well sell them as professional screenwriters.
Semester and Term
One of the hardest aspects of teaching rewriting is the academic time constraints of the semester or the term. In addition, the number of students in a class, and the length of each class, limits how much ground the instructor can cover each week. The fifteen week semester has the advantage of five extra weeks for students to work out their solutions and execute their rewrites. A ten week term presents challenges of limited time, but rewriting can be taught effectively by hitting the ground running from day one and limiting the scope of each student’s rewrite.
One possible way to improve results with the term is to teach rewriting over two consecutive terms so the total length of the class would be twenty weeks. Clearly, there are institutional and curriculum challenges to overcome, but the extra term would help students go deeper into their revisions.
Ideal Class Size
An ideal size for a feature rewriting class is eight students. The ideal length for a rewriting class is a three hour class, meeting once a week. Depending on the number of students enrolled, the length of the class and the number of meetings per week, the syllabus may be revised to fit your institution’s schedule.
If your class is larger than eight students, you may consider dividing your class into A, B, and even C groups. Each group is then responsible for reading and critiquing scripts only within their group. There will be a week between groups and assignments, but once everyone begins writing, the groups tend to catch up and finish the class together. As with any class, there will always be sprinters and students who lag behind.
Before Class Begins
Because of the amount of deconstruction, analysis, and rewriting that must be accomplished, the first class must be a working class. If possible, electronically send out all the scripts to the students two weeks before the first class. Assign half the scripts to be read by everyone for the initial meeting. Then moving forward, the goal is to complete all notes by the end of the second class.
To ensure the students read their colleagues’ work, require all the students to deliver written notes about the scripts they read to you, the instructor, as well as to the students whose work is being critiqued.
Student Notes
When giving notes, encourage your students to always start with the positive: what works and what they liked. It is important to instill in each writer the importance of protecting what works in their screenplay, and revising what doesn’t work. Student screenwriters have a tendency to start again from scratch. Help them resist “throwing the baby out with the bathwater” by emphasizing the successful parts of their screenplay. Use what works as a basis for the rewrite. Starting on a positive also helps the students open up to more critical notes.
Few scripts necessitate a page one rewrite. Unless the premise and execution is so fatally flawed that the entire idea has to be totally reconceived, the student is better served by building out from what works than starting anew. There must be something that can be salvaged and used as building blocks. In addition, students do not learn the skill of rewriting if they are starting from page one. Part of the goal of a rewrite class, is to teach students how to work through their rewriting challenges. Rewriting is hard and only by pushing through do they grow as screenwriters.
Notes Going Forward
As they move through the semester, and turn in their written work, students will get feedback from the instructor and their classmates. After each set of notes, students tend to want to go back and make changes in their screenplays. Due to the short duration of the class, encourage students to keep moving forward. When giving notes, instead of just critiquing the current pages, tell the students what you want to see in the next set of pages. This is “notes going forward.” An example would be: “I’m still confused why Maggie is acting this way. In the next set of pages, make sure we understand what is motivating her and why.” This helps students keep moving forward while addressing their current notes in their next set of pages.
Treat each pass as a “work in progress.” Promote the idea this is just one of several passes they will make on their screenplays. Encourage students to write notes to themselves on their screenplays so they can incorporate the notes on their next pass. There always are, of course, those students that would benefit from going back and making further revisions. The Set-Up is one area that benefits from further revisions before moving forward. A flawed set-up yields a flawed screenplay. As the instructor, this should be your decision on whether a student should go back and revise pages.
Time Management
Time management is critical in a rewriting class. When critiquing a student’s screenplay, it is easy to lose track of time. While it may seem counterintuitive, students actually prefer instructors to keep close track of the time spent on each student’s work. It is recommended, as an instructor, you spend approximately the same amount of time on each student’s work. The students appreciate knowing that each of them will each get the same amount of time to discuss their work in class. You can always meet with students outside class to further discuss their screenplays. One-on-one time is always valuable and greatly appreciated by students.