Screenwriting Commons^™

Pathos, Fall 2020, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

Pathos

Interim Editor-in-Chief: Claire Miller

A Screenplay For Bystander Intervention For Sexual Harassment Scenarios For College Students, Shanti Herzog

Journalism

This project was developed to describe the drafting of a screenplay for an interactive, virtual reality sexual harassment training module for students of the California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo. The research began with the examination of the prevalent and persisting issue of sexual harassment within college campus communities, and how to present college students with the tools to intervene as bystanders, thus encouraging them to intervene when encountering sexual harassment scenarios. The resulting screenplay was written to provide college students at Cal Poly with strategies to identify and take action when encountering sexual harassment, especially in small group gatherings …

Son Of Song, David Randall

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

When a cynical music biographer pins her career on telling the life story of a compulsive liar composer, she must decide if achieving her dream is worth destroying his.

Vampires, Fandom, And Feminism: Updating The Vampire Horror Screenplay Through Themes Of Empowerment, Mckinzie Smith

University Honors Theses

In this thesis supplement, the three major themes of McKinzie Smith’s screenplay Lifeblood are elaborated on in detail. In an effort to craft a screenplay within the horror genre that is modern and meaningful, the vampire myth was adapted to apply to the contemporary conversation surrounding power dynamics and gendered violence. The theme of fandom is shown to expose those power dynamics in a familiar, relatable way for a teenaged female audience. These two themes filter into the broader feminist intention of the work, aiming to provoke conversation about power in fandom spaces as well as provide catharsis for young …

Developing The Screenwriter’S Notebook And Its Implementation Of The Adapted Comic Book Origin Story Of Solstice, Mohansingh Udhwani Jr.

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

This thesis features three documents: The Screenwriter's Notebook Template, The Screenwriter's Notebook: Solstice, and a reflection paper. The Screenwriter's Notebook Template is a planning and pitch tool designed to help screenwriters tell better stories, faster. The template is designed so the user may start with one word (the thematic subject) and flush out their story through a series of guided diagrams inspired by the works of Robert McKee, Dara Marks, and John Vorhaus. The end result is the user developing a detailed scenic model outlining what is happening in each scene in conjunction with Marks' Transformational Arc, to use as …

Time Machine Research And Approach, Tarek Bouraque

Theses and Dissertations

Time Machine is a hybrid documentary that explores the logics of enslavement, colonialism, eurocentrism and their interconnectedness in our globalized world. Mustapha Azemmouri, born in 1502, undertakes a journey to the 21st century to recount his own story of enslavement and exploration, and reflects on a collective puzzle of 500 years of hidden history.

Super Heroes V Scorsese: A Marxist Reading Of Alienation And The Political Unconscious In Blockbuster Superhero Film, David Eltz

Kutztown University Masters Theses

As superhero blockbusters continue to dominate the theatrical landscape, critical detractors of the genre have grown in number and authority. The most influential among them, Martin Scorsese, has been quoted as referring to Marvel films as “theme parks” rather than “cinema” (his own term for auteur film). Despite this, these films often possess considerably challenging views in regards to social justice, and continue to interface with the pervading theme of alienation in increasingly abstract and progressive ways.

This thesis considers four films (1978’s Superman, 2000’s X-Men, 2013’s Captain America: Winter Soldier, and 2018’s Black Panther) from a Marxist perspective, viewing …

You Were There : An Exploration And Analysis Of The Filmmaking Process, Regan Emfinger

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the process of writing, shooting, and editing my short film You Were There. My process involved scriptwriting with several revisions, shooting with a cast and crew, and editing the raw footage. This paper will not only serve as a timeline leading up to the final product of the film but also will explain the function of each artistic choice. This paper will also outline the biggest lessons I learned about fictional narratives, and discuss the successes and failures of the film as a whole. I also plan on discussing how those lessons will further my academic and …

The Marduk Archives: A Take On Thresholds, Christopher Melton

Honors Theses

A fictional screenplay exploring the relationship between absurdity and convention as it pertains to the shifting cultural paradigms of our society. (Under the direction of Beth Spencer)

The Portrayal Of Roman Gladiators And Slavery In Film, Megan Gingerich

Senior Honors Theses

This thesis project will endeavor to examine how prominent historical films set in the Roman Empire deal with slavery and gladiators, said research to inform a corresponding creative project. In studying and analyzing Ben-Hur (1959), Spartacus (1960) and Gladiator (2000), the three most prominent films that deal with the topics of slavery and gladiators in ancient Rome, I hope to uncover how films treat the topic, how the films are influenced by more modern values, and how accurate the films are. I will also identify commonalities between all three films, and supplement my discoveries with observations from two less successful …

The Yellow Belly Anthology: Micro-Films About Humans At Their Least Impressive, Tommy Armstrong

English and Creative Writing Honors Papers

In the fall semester of 2019, I worked with my adviser Dr. Jon Volkmer on writing sixty sixty-second shorts on the theme of human insecurity, based off of real-life experiences and stories. I wrote a series of micro-scripts satirizing human self-consciousness and anxiety — moments that are rushed over or lost in longer-form mass media and film. The scripts show humans at their most indecisive, insecure, and vulnerable. Each of these scripts give glimpses into one or two people’s interior lives as they find themselves in a particular nerve-provoking situation. In all of the shorts, a person must overcome, submit …

Flaws In My Father | Better Engaging With Trauma, Grief, Loss, And Pain Through Storytelling., Neil Fontano

Theatre & Dance ETDs

In this essay, I will review my playwriting methodology and growth as an artist during my time as a Dramatic Writing Candidate at the University of New Mexico. I will begin by examining my personal narrative and the initial impulse to apply for and accept a position in the Dramatic Writing Program. I will continue by dissecting my own writing methodology and its numerous influences: a sense of place, character, and time. Further, I will give an explanation of and demonstrate my own methods developed during my second year work on “Thelonius | My Brother’s Keeper.” In addition to academic …

All That Is Necessary, Jes Martinez

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

Based on Real Events & the New York Times article "Rohingya Recount Atrocities: 'They Threw My Baby Into a Fire'" by Jeffrey Gettleman (Oct. 11, 2017)

Edmund Burke has been attributed the saying, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” I am in my second draft of a screenplay exploring the tangled web of factors which led to the ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya Muslims, a minority group in Myanmar, which began in late 2016. Suu Kyi and her administration deny its occurrence.

A tumultuous history of empires, invasions, and …

Old Man Young Man Snake, Bradley Hathaway

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A young man in rural and frigid North Dakota is on the run for committing a crime. He finds refuge at a secluded bible camp from a mysterious old man that may or may not have his best interests in mind, and the young man must decide if the old man’s protection is worth the cost. Exploring ideas of free will, God, nature, and visions, Old Man Young Man Snake, a screenplay, quietly tells their story.

Pathos, Spring 2020, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

Pathos

Editor: Claire Miller

The Art Of The Game: Issues In Adapting Video Games, Sydney K. Baty

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

On the face of things, movies and video games are similar mediums. Both engage extensively in visuals and audio, both can indulge in speculative fiction, and there is a healthy amount of sharing of inspiration and content. However, this does not guarantee successful adaptations from one form to another. Movies adapted from video games are notorious for being simply terrible, but little academic attention has been paid as to why these adaptations in particular seem so unsuccessful in every way, from audience reception, critical response, and monetary returns. This issue is based on fundamental differences in the medium. Games are, …

A Friend Of Robyn, Megan Fay Raveneau

LMU Theses and Dissertations

An arrogant, but brilliant pediatric psychiatrist accidentally exorcises a demon from a young girl during an experimental procedure – only to discover she wants her demon back.

Transcendental Style In Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer (2nd Edition), Michael Gibson

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a book review of Paul Schrader's Transcendental Style in Film: Ozu, Bresson, Dreyer, 2nd edition (Oakland, CA: University of California Press, 2018).

La Strada, Federico Pacchioni

World Languages and Cultures Faculty Books and Book Chapters

"Released in 1954, La strada was the third solo directorial work of Federico Fellini and followed the critical and commercial success of I vitelloni (1953). Together with the films that preceded La dolce vita (1960), La strada represented a more traditional narrative and sober visual style that contrasted with Fellini's later experimental work. It is also an important film for understanding Fellini's reputation and evolution as an auteur director, especially in the light of the debate that it triggered among the Italian and French critics of the time regarding the true 'calling' of Italian neorealism. The idea for La strada …

The Others (2001) By Alejandro Amenábar In The Light Of Valentinian Thought, Fryderyk Kwiatkowski

CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture

The article offers a Valentinian interpretation of the Hollywood film The Others (2001). A particular attention is paid to the ways in which cinematic motifs and narrative elements of the film draw on myths, ideas and symbolic imagery present in Valentinian works, especially in the Gospel of Truth (NHC I, 3) and the Gospel of Philip (NHC II, 3). In the course of the heuristic analysis, the paper argues that although the film employs Valentinian ideas, it depicts different understanding of the world. This issue is addressed in the last part of the article by situating the film within broader …

Binaural: Trauma And Disability Representation In Cinema, Joshua Grossberg

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

In the year 2019, the film business is undergoing profound change. Streaming services like Netflix and Amazon have become major distribution outlets, threatening the hegemony of traditional Hollywood studios and altering the kinds of movies that receive a theatrical release. Gone is the middle budget film, replaced by franchises like Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Fast and the Furious and Star Wars based on already popular intellectual property. But that's not all. In the wake of the fallout of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy and the #MeToo Movement, for the first time serious efforts are being made both outside and inside the industry …

Barrier-Breaking Women In Indian Cinema, Paulina Sobczak

Communication Student Works

During the last 100 years, Indian Cinema has played a major role in the influence of certain attitudes toward women in Indian society. Early on, women were portrayed as evil temptresses, sex symbols, and/or damsels in distress. These roles went against equality and were far more challenging for the women in Indian films. In 1954, a group of about 13,000 women petitioned the prime minister that these character types were unacceptable. They believed these films were having a negative effect on society, especially for the generations to come. This short documentary showcases the journey of the women who began this …

Escaping Suburbia: A Study In Film Auteur Pertaining To Tim Burton And The Coen Brothers, Morgan Bedard

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This project will focus on the concept of “Auteur Theory” which is a particular film theory branch that emphasizes the filmmaker as the “author” of their work. “Auteur” is a French word meaning “author” in the sense of a person holding complete creative control. Studying Auteur Theory allows for viewers to better understand the filmmaker as a person by connecting visual patterns to the auteurs’ own life. The “filmmaker” in Auteur Theory is defined as the director and they must exercise almost or complete control of all aspects of a film. Distinct visual characteristics as well as repeated casting of …

Pathos, Winter 2020, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

Pathos

Editor: Sadie Jordan

0566: Robert S. Tamplin Jr. Papers, 1948-1992, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

The Robert Tamplin Collection is composed of two broad series of materials: personal papers and professional papers related to Tamplin’s life as a CBS executive. Personal papers, comprising a portion of only one box, include greeting cards (mostly Christmas), personal correspondence, clippings, financial materials, and yearbooks. Professional papers and materials, comprising approximately 43 boxes, include correspondence and memos, planning materials for shows and events, show schedules and contact information, employee newsletters, script drafts for television and radio shows, professional magazines and publications, materials from Tamplin’s office, resumes, programs for plays and events, and audiovisual materials of programs that Tamplin directed …

Level Best: An Original Screenplay, Katherine M. Repholz

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

For my Capstone, I wrote Level Best, an original screenplay. Level Best is about Tony, who finds out that his ex-girlfriend, Kayla, has cloned him, and that clone, dubbed 2.0, is an extremely famous musician. Tony, a failed musician himself, struggles to adjust to his new reality as Kayla realizes that 2.0 is perhaps not all she dreamed up. As Tony, Kayla, and 2.0 yearn for authenticity and meaning, they are forced to confront their personal demons causing the three of them to ponder, “what makes you you?”

Call Me Golden: A Short Film, Rachel Morgan Weiss

Honors College Theses

CHARLOTTE BRAWN is a freshman in college who struggles with an undiagnosed anxiety and depression. After CHARLOTTE and her best friend LILY from high school come to college together and LILY gets romantically involved with a boy, CHARLOTTE is left by herself to find out who she truly is in this modern coming-of-age short film. With the guidance and encouragement of her philosophy professor, she is able to learn more about her identity, resources and coping mechanisms and starts to branch out beyond her comfort zone.

I Spit On Your Agony!, Deann M. Sanval

Theses and Dissertations

Essay : "I spit on your agony!" -- Script 1 : You only live once -- Script 2 : I love your hate -- Script 3 : New money -- Script 4 : Love at first site.

Storyteller As A Cultural Leader, Brielle Yuke Li

Theses and Dissertations

Storyteller as cultural leader -- The answer : pilot "Ice cream addiction" -- Ten years later -- The last train to Death Valley.

Fellowship Of The Misery, Malachi James Moore

LMU Theses and Dissertations

Charles Marques Jr. has only known himself as a football player. Living in a modern society that embraces a culture of masculine toxicity has subconsciously driven him into an unyielding pursuit for love, both in himself and others. Charles' relentless effort to prove his worth on and off the field, however, is compromised once he arrives to college and suffers from his first injury. It is in this time of dejection and isolation that Charles discovers the damaging effect of not knowing who you are as a person, and is finally forced to find a voice on his own.