Screenwriting Commons^™

Revisiting The Rural Folk Devil: Rural 'Othering' And The Connections Between Media Stereotypes And Rural Issues, Brooke Baker, Ida L. Oesteraas, Stephen T. Young, Elizabeth Monk-Turner

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The current study is a discourse analysis investigating anti-idyllic cinematic representations, specifically in the horror genre, of rural people, places, and cultures. Findings reveal that anti-idyllic images and discourses are prominent within recently released horror films, which rely heavily on framing rural people as the deviant “other.” Special attention is given to the cultural work of these stereotypical depictions and the associated social harms for rural communities. Specifically, we argue that (1) corporations, particularly film companies, contribute to social harm in rural areas by disseminating negative and anti-idyllic representations; (2) these portrayals have tangible and detrimental effects on both people …

From Theory To Screen: Strain In The Gallagher Experience, Caroline H. Peabody

OUR Journal: ODU Undergraduate Research Journal

This paper applies Agnew’s General Strain Theory to the hit television series Shameless (US), primarily focusing on three of the show’s central characters. The paper argues that the characters’ criminal and deviant actions can be attributed to strain, as defined by Robert Agnew’s General Strain Theory (GST). The paper provides a basic overview of GST as well as a synopsis of the show before implementing the theory into an analysis of the show. In addition, this paper explores how criminality highlights the themes of Shameless and acts as an implicit call to action to address strain variables in underprivileged communities. …

"Fragmegration" Of Identity In Laurent Cantet's Ressources Humaines And L'Emploi Du Temps, Peter Schulman

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Publications

As James Rosenau has written, localization and globalization came crashing together at the turn of the 20^th century in a type of oxymoronic chaos he labels "fragmegration" that characterizes the confusion people have as to their role in society. It is this identity confusion that Laurent Cantet portrays in his landmark films Ressources humaines (1999) and L'emploi du temps (2001). Cantet's protagonists seek their place in society as they cope with the sudden destabilization of their local, national, and globalized identities.

"If You Want To Be The Man, You've Got To Beat The Man": Masculinity And The Rise Of Professional Wrestling In The 1990'S, Marc Ouellette

English Faculty Publications

This paper traces the relationship between the shifting representations of masculinity in professional wrestling programs of the 1990s and the contemporaneous shifts in conceptions of masculinity, examining the ways each of these shifts impacted the other. Most important among these was a growing sense that the biggest enemy in wrestling and in day-to-day life is one’s boss. Moreover, the corporate corruption theme continues to underscore the WWE’s on-screen and off-screen coverage, well into the second decade of the twenty-first century. Thus, the paper provides a template for considering a widely consumed popular cultural form in ways that challenge the determinism …

"It'll Pass": Nypd: Blue's Sipowicz And Mundane Masculinity, Marc Ouellette

English Faculty Publications

(First paragraph) The development of the character of Det. Andy Sipowicz, on the ABC drama, NYPD: Blue, effectively demonstrates that the obstinance of traditional forms of masculinity may ultimately be a key factor in their undoing. Rather than effecting a superficial change based on consumer choice, as concurrent characters do, Sipowicz undergoes a transformation of his social behavior. Sipowicz regularly behaves in a manner consistent with Robert Connell’s definition of “hegemonic masculinity”: he resorts to violence, he resists change and he resents women and minorities (131). His alcoholism and quick temper tend to hinder his ability to adapt. However, change …

Dok: An Original Screenplay, Duncan Campbell

Institute for the Humanities Theses

DOK is an original screenplay in which DOK blames his brother, Jim, for the death of his wife and son. Jim accepts that blame. DOK handles his grief by wandering from place to place, whereas Jim finds solace through alcohol. They meet up two years later in the town of Ayre. Jim, a reporter, is there to cover DOK's arrest by Special Agent Bill Withers. Jim is unaware that DOK, real name Daniel, is his brother. In quick succession: DOK is released from jail, Withers runs a drunken Jim off the road, and DOK finds and treats Jim. Jim, while …

Stand And Run, Andrea Gaye Evans

Institute for the Humanities Theses

Stand and Run is an original screenplay about a woman who has run from her troubled past all her life. Since she was a teenager, Adel Wallis wanted to be a reporter. Although in her thirties and working for a newspaper, she still hasn't reached her goal. Adel decides to use whatever necessary to advance her career including sex with the boss. After a brief romance, she realizes the Managing Editor, Mack Daniels, is obsessive and abusive. She ends the affair but he continues the innuendos and sexual advances implying the affair 1s on-going. When she confronts Mack about his …

Yellow Ribbons, D. Scott Drake

English Theses & Dissertations

Yellow Ribbons is a feature-film screenplay that dramatizes various aspects of the Persian Gulf War. The hero of the story, Lieutenant Jason Hart, a talented but quixotic naval fighter pilot, participates in one of the last allied offensive military actions: the bombing of the retreating Iraqi army. Jake suffers a crisis of conscience in the climactic moment of the bombing and decides that he cannot continue to serve the navy as a fighter pilot. The story then shifts from the Persian Gulf to the United States. There Jake encounters a new set of obstacles as he struggles with his experience …

Kingdom By The Sea: A Screenplay, John C. Jarvis Jr.

Institute for the Humanities Theses

"Kingdom by the Sea" is a feature-length, theatrical screenplay, modeled on the surrealistic works of Bergman and Fellini. In this country the concepts of experimental theater have seldom been put into a full-length film. This work is intended to help fill that void.

Specifically, this is a love story set in a mythical place called Atlantic Beach. There, the protagonist is seeking the ideal, but when he finds it, he cannot free himself of materialistic desires or needs. In this sense he destroys his utopia and descends into a place called Mog, where the dark side of the ideal dwells. …