4Screenwriters: Screenwriting: Action Writing, action-thriller, action-adventure

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Moderate Class > Action-Thriller Writing

This is an online class for writers with some screenwriting experience; it is suggested (but not required) that you have at least one completed screenplay.

Course Certification?: Yes!, you receive a certification of successful completion!
Course Format: Self-guided!
Course Length: 4 week(s)
Cost: $50

Dates:

Class Goals:

Reading (e-text), movie analysis, and some writing exercises
IN-DEPTH Lectures on fundamental concepts
Case studies

Class Overview:
Action-Adventure/action-thriller films are easily the most popular movies drawing enormous audiences worldwide and across many different cultures. Action writing is in itself, its own language. Translations are rarely needed. Action films have evolved from the one-man wrecking crew movies of the 1980s to the character driven, seat of your pants, near-death thrill rides epitomized by the character John McClain in the Die Hard series.

Students will study chosen films by the instructor and be able to discuss elements of the action genre and the techniques used to create suspense, plot twists, and other essentials of the action-thriller script. We'll discuss current action-thrillers like The Bourne Supremacy, Die Hard, and other excellent Action-Thriller films.

Course Outline

WEEK ONE - Action Writing Fundamentals

WEEK TWO - Struction of Action Writing

WEEK THREE - Characters and Action Writing

WEEK FOUR - Genre & Context

Who is the Course Designer?

This course was designed by two professional writers: D. Martin Watson is the instructor and is a professional screenwriter with his first film TENEBROUS due to be released by Spring 2008. Watson along with Chris Wehner, a published author, journalist, critic and professional screenwriter. He has worked in the field for over 10 years. He was recently Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of Screenwriter's Monthly and VP of Development for MoviePartners. Currently his screenplay, EL CAMINO, is in development with Golden Light Films in Los Angeles and is scheduled to go into production early 2008. He recently (09/2005) optioned his latest script, THREESOME, to producer Ted Melfi and is scheduled to go into pre-production this year.

Do I need any special equipment to take an eClass?

The digital classroom Web site works with every common modern operating system. The best web browsers to use are:

Internet Explorer (IE) version 5+ for Windows 98+

Netscape version 7+ or Mozilla for MacOS X, Mac 9, and Linux

If you do not have the latest version of one of these browsers, you can just download it for free from these websites:

Internet Explorer (recommended for Windows users): http://www.microsoft.com/ie
Netscape Navigator (recommended for Mac users): http://www.netscape.com/download
Mozilla (recommended for Linux users): http://www.mozilla.org/

How do I communicate with the instructor and my classmates?

Via LIVE chat sessions with your instructor and your classmates in the Chat Room, which we call Office Hours. During Office Hours the instructor will make a brief presentation, discuss assignments, and then you and your fellow students can ask questions, discuss the assignments or lectures, and anything else that pertains to the class.

You'll also be communicating with your instructor and classmates in the interactive Forums where you can post about the lectures, assignments, ask questions, make comments, anything! And your instructor will be checking in on the forum regularly to answer your questions and add their own two cents when necessary.

How do I get feedback from my instructor? Will this be an interactive class?

Yes. Your instructor gives you a deadline for posting your work in the Homework Forum. Students and instructor read your work and post comments under your name on the forum. You can go to the forum as often as you like to read instructor and class discussions, post your own comments, or get class updates. In turn, you also will read your fellow students' work and post comments under their name on the forum. We encourage you to read the instructor's comments on all of your classmates' work, since that will help you develop a critical eye. Reading and commenting on each other's work is one of the most critical keys to success in our eClasses.

If I miss an instructor's Office Hours, is there a way to find out what I missed?

Yes! You can read a transcript of all Chat Room discussions by viewing the Chat Room log.

Do I have to register to get into class?

Yes. You can start your registration process below

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Did You Know?
That the average payment to a feature writer or team for a screenplay last year was $654,000!

Have a Question?
4 Screenwriters LLC admin@4screenwriters.com (323) 230-8561