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Uni Assignments Are Silly
Okay, so this script-writing assignment? It's really giving me a headache.
First, the tutor wanted me to write the treatment before the script. I don't outline. I rarely do it with fic, and I can't do it with original fic at all because I don't know my characters before I start writing. It's not how I approach fiction; plot first, narration later. Doesn't work for me. Luckily, he was alright with me handing in the treatment together with my first draft.
Then, the theme is "home". Okay, I can live with that theme, but could it not have been something a little more interesting? "Death" or "family" or "faith". "Home"--it's so student-y. Oh, those poor first year guys, they just left home, let's give them an assignment where they can write about that. Blah blah blah.
The worst thing though? It can only be 10 pages long. Now, if you're used to writing fic, that sounds like a lot (or, you know, a reasonable length for telling a story), but with writing a script, it's different. We're using the typical script format, and in that format, you write a couple of lines of dialog and the page is full.
I've started two scripts now. With the first one, I got as far as introducing two of my four main characters before I realized I was already on page four and hadn't even started the plot yet. With this second one now, I've just done the exposition scene, and yeah, I'm once again on page four already. I'm going to stick with this plot now, anyway, but seriously--introducing your characters and developing a plot in ten pages? That's sort of a joke. I mean, TV show script writers have 45 pages and they can skip the exposition bits, and they're usually still writing as concisely as possible to squeeze their plot into the allotted time slot.
/raeg
*goes back to writing that script*
First, the tutor wanted me to write the treatment before the script. I don't outline. I rarely do it with fic, and I can't do it with original fic at all because I don't know my characters before I start writing. It's not how I approach fiction; plot first, narration later. Doesn't work for me. Luckily, he was alright with me handing in the treatment together with my first draft.
Then, the theme is "home". Okay, I can live with that theme, but could it not have been something a little more interesting? "Death" or "family" or "faith". "Home"--it's so student-y. Oh, those poor first year guys, they just left home, let's give them an assignment where they can write about that. Blah blah blah.
The worst thing though? It can only be 10 pages long. Now, if you're used to writing fic, that sounds like a lot (or, you know, a reasonable length for telling a story), but with writing a script, it's different. We're using the typical script format, and in that format, you write a couple of lines of dialog and the page is full.
I've started two scripts now. With the first one, I got as far as introducing two of my four main characters before I realized I was already on page four and hadn't even started the plot yet. With this second one now, I've just done the exposition scene, and yeah, I'm once again on page four already. I'm going to stick with this plot now, anyway, but seriously--introducing your characters and developing a plot in ten pages? That's sort of a joke. I mean, TV show script writers have 45 pages and they can skip the exposition bits, and they're usually still writing as concisely as possible to squeeze their plot into the allotted time slot.
/raeg
*goes back to writing that script*
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I managed to come to grips with the ten pages, though! And then the printer fucked up the format and printed it on 12. 9_9
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Also, "home" is just basically the shittiest theme ever. I don't know about you, but after I've left home to go someplace new, it's like the last thing I ever want to talk about. Hello, I just got away.
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If we can hand it in all at once, then I fake the outline. I'm very good at that, having had to do it all along. I once had to design an ad for Advertising class (naturally) at SAIT, and we needed a "rough sketch." I just drew something CLOSE to what I had, wrote in some notes, crossed them out, wrote in more notes with a different pen, drew some arrows showing where I would move stuff, etc., etc.
I had some people watching me while I was doing this, because they hadn't done a sketch either, and they weren't sure how to fake it. I gave them a little tutorial. LOL. One girl was like, "If I hadn't just watched you draw that, I would be SURE you had planned out your whole ad really carefully!"
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Inorite? I ended up interpreting home less as "kid who leaves home" and more as "adult tries to build themselves a home" which worked a little better. Still, most annoying theme ever.
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