Course Description
P: COM 251. Study of forms and materials suitable for the electronic mass media; practice in selection, adaptation, and organization of program materials. Cr. 3.

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Course Objectives
At the conclusion of the course, students will be able to:

1. To select appropriate materials as content for fiction television and film production;
2. To use the proper script formats for video and film;
3. To use the proper production terminology where necessary; and
4. To apply the principles of dramatic form in order to conceive and write stories for television and film.

Texts

• Television and Screen Writing, Fourth Edition, by Richard Blum
• The understructure of writing for film & television by Ben Brady and Lance Lee
• Adventures in the Screen Trade (Expanded edition) by William Goldman
• Twenty One Rules for Screenwriters
• Media Communication Terms
• Internet Resources for Scriptwriters
• Script Registration with the Writers Guild

Assignments
All assignment must be completed.

1. Dramatic analysis: Each student will analyse the dramatic structure of an hour-long television drama.
2. Adaptation proposal: Each work team will propose a literary work for adaptation to a long form production format (theatrical motion picture or made-for-television miniseries).
3. Final Script: Each student (or team) will complete a script in appropriate film or television format for a one-hour film or television program. Students will submit a scenario, step sheets, a scene in appropriate format, and a final script. Students will receive one final grade for the script, but each successive assignment will be given a provisional grade so that the student will have a sense of his/her progress.
4. Media Analyses: Each student will complete three Media Analyses of current media productions.
5. Class participation: An admittedly subjective assessment of the student's active participation in class discussion and critiques.

Grading
Course assignments will be weighted as follows:

Dramatic Analysis	100 points
Adaptation Proposal	300 points
Media Analyses (50 points each)	150 points
Script Scenario Step Sheets Scene Final Script	400 points
Class Participation	50 points
Total	1000 points

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The final grade will be based on the following scale:

Points	Grade
1000-890 points	A
889-790 points	B
789-700 points	C
699-600 points	D
599 points-below	F

Course Policies
1. You are expected to attend class.
2. All assignments must be turned in. Failure to turn in an assigment will result in a grade of F for the course.
3. No late assignments will be accepted. Due dates are stated in the syllabus.
4. No handwritten assignments will be accepted.

Campus Services

• In making the transition from novice to experienced college student, the Center for Academic Support and Advancement (CASA) an make the critical difference. CASA offers study-skills assistance, free tutoring, supplemental instruction, and free computer-technology courses (STEPs). The center is also the advising unit for students studying English as a Second Language.
• Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) coordinates IPFW’s programming for people with disabilities, as required by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Persons with qualifying disability conditions per these regulations are eligible for specialized academic support services and other assistance through SSD.
• For questions about how the University experience will enhance your life and potential career, please contact Academic Counseling and Career Services.
• For help with writing, please contact the Writing Center. In free one-on-one conferences, knowledgeable writing consultants will talk with you about your writing for any class, wherever you are in the writing process — understanding assignments, brainstorming and planning, revising, and polishing final drafts. Consultants help you focus, organize, develop and analyze your thoughts, revise, and work on issues of editing and style. (Consultants will not edit or proofread for you but will help you learn how to edit and proofread your own papers.)

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  Spring 2006

  Date(s)	Calendar Item
  Jan 2-5	Final Advising and Registration for Spring Semester
  Jan. 9	Classes Begin
  Jan. 9-13	Late Registration and Drop/Add
  Jan. 13	Final Spring Payment Deadline
  Jan. 13	Last Day for Full Refund (for 16-week classes)
  Jan. 13	Weekend College Classes Begin at 4:30 p.m.
  Jan. 16	Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
  Feb. 6	Pass/Not Pass and Audit-to-Credit Deadline
  Mar. 6-12	Spring Recess
  Mar. 13	Classes Resume
  Mar. 17	Credit-to-Audit Deadline
  Mar. 17	Last Day to Withdraw (for 16-week classes)
  April 14	Classes Suspended at 4:30 p.m.
  April 17	Classes Resume
  May 1-7	Last Week of Classes and Final Exams
  May 7	End of Spring Semester
  May 10	Commencement

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  http://users.ipfw.edu/tankel/syllabi/Spring 2006/com436s06.htm
  Revised: 7 January 2006

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