MASS 10100 History of Narrative Film, Television, and Emerging Media Part I (LA)

An examination of the evolution of narrative film and television from the perspective of the screenwriter. The course will explore storytelling and the development of screenwriting from the dawn of cinema in the 1880s to the New Hollywood era of the 1960s. The focus of the course will be narrative works of fiction and not experimental or documentary media. Discussions will center on script writing elements such as structure, plot, character, theme, and dialogue. Weekly class screenings and readings will introduce students to important cinematic works and media milestones. Students will be expected to read and view additional content outside of class. (F)
4 Credits

MASS 10200 History of Narrative Film, Television, and Emerging Media Part II (LA)

An examination of the evolution of narrative film, television, and emerging media from the perspective of the screenwriter. The course will explore the continued development of storytelling in film, television, and emerging media from the Golden Age of Television in the 1950s through the end of the millennium. The focus of the course will be narrative works of fiction and not experimental or documentary media and discussions will center on storytelling elements within films, shows, and emerging media, such as structure, plot, character, theme, and dialogue. Weekly class screenings and readings will introduce students to important cinematic works, television milestones, and emerging media developments. Students will be expected to read and view additional content outside of class. (S)
4 Credits

MASS 10400 Story: From Cave Paintings to Emerging Media (LA)

Students will explore story in myriad forms, from cave paintings to film, television, video games, and emerging media. Part lecture, part writing workshop, the course is designed to provide students with a foundation in the principles of dramatic structure. (F,S)
4 Credits

MASS 13400 Screenwriting (LA)

An introduction to the theory and practice of writing for film, television, and emerging media. Instruction in the fundamentals of visual writing, character, plot, dialogue, and theme, as well as the integration of these elements into scenes and short scripts. (F,S)
4 Credits

MASS 20100 Introduction to Animation (NLA)

Intensive exploration of the art and craft of animated cinema. Through directed productions, screenings, readings, and workshops, students develop experience in a range of processes, compositing techniques, as well as digital and traditional methods. Prerequisites: CNPH 11100 or TVR 11500. (F-S)
Attributes: PROD
4 Credits

MASS 20200 Introduction to Stop Motion Animation (NLA)

Are you a fan of Wallace and Grommet? Ever wonder how Nightmare Before Christmas was made? This course is a hands-on exploration of how to design, construct, and animate 3D models. Using stop-motion techniques, you will construct animation characters based on your design and use digital tools to capture their movements. We will also look into the history and traditions of this type of animation and discuss aesthetic trends and theories. Prerequisites: CNPH 11100 or TVR 11500. (IRR)
Attributes: PROD
4 Credits

MASS 23300 Structuring the Feature Film (LA)

Theory and practice of screenwriting, with analysis of both classic and contemporary screenplays. Students focus heavily on the pre-writing process, drafting a treatment and outline for an original feature-length screenplay. Students participate in written and oral critiques of each other's work and complete, at minimum, the first act of a feature screenplay. Prerequisites: MASS 13400. (F,S)
4 Credits

MASS 23400 Writing the Short Film (LA)

Theory and practice of screenwriting with emphasis on stories intended for short-form film and video production. Students will study examples of short screenplays and short films, further developing fundamentals of screenwriting, including visual storytelling, character and plot creation, dialogue, and the integration of themes. Students will engage heavily with the pre-writing process, participate in written and oral critiques of each other's work, and will complete an original short screenplay intended for production. Prerequisites: MASS 13400. (Y)
4 Credits

MASS 23600 Writing for Series TV (LA)

Theory and practice of dramatic writing for series television with analysis of half-hour and hour-long television scripts. The course will feature a writing workshop where students focus on pitching stories, structuring multiple story lines and capturing character voices for their own original episode of an existing series. Prerequisites: MASS 13400. (F,S)
4 Credits

MASS 33300 Writing the Feature Film (LA)

Advanced theory and practice of screenwriting, with continued analysis of both classic and contemporary screenplays. Utilizing the pre-writing skills learned in MASS 23300, students will complete the first draft of an original feature-length screenplay and participate in written and oral critiques of each other's work. Prerequisites: MASS 23300. (F,S)
4 Credits

MASS 33400 Writing for Series TV (LA)

Theory and practice of dramatic writing for series television with analysis of half-hour and hour-long television scripts. The course will feature a writing workshop where students focus on pitching stories, structuring multiple story lines and capturing character voices for their own original episode of an existing series. Prerequisites: MASS 23300; Junior standing. 4 credits. (F; F-S in Los Angeles)
4 Credits

MASS 33500 Writing for Video Games and Emerging Media (LA)

An examination of the process of creating non-linear narratives. Students will develop an idea for an original video game, a video game based on an existing literary property, or an idea for a multi-platform narrative - and write parts of that narrative. Students will also study existing non-linear narratives to explore the basic principles of writing and they will examine the needs and expectations of the audience/viewer/player for immersive/interactive media and that of established media. Prerequisites: MASS 23300 or MASS 23600. (Y)
4 Credits

MASS 33600 Writing the Series Pilot (LA)

Theory and practice of dramatic writing for series television with analysis of original pilot scripts and series bibles. In a writing workshop students focus on creating a story world and a core cast of characters for their own original series. They will structure a step-outline for the first episode and write the pilot script. Prerequisites: MASS 23600. (F,S)
4 Credits

MASS 33701 Writing Speculative Fiction for the Screen (LA)

An examination of the unique traits of Speculative Fiction and its subgenres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror. Students will explore the special processes that are involved in writing those genres for the screen while developing an original script representing either Horror, Science Fiction, or Fantasy. Prerequisites: MASS 23300 or MASS 23600. (IRR)
4 Credits

MASS 33702 Writing the Adaptation (LA)

An examination of the process of adapting material from literary sources to both short and feature-length screenplays. The class will study one novel and its adaptations, as well as several other properties that have been adapted to screenplay format. Working individually and in teams, students will develop multiple screenplay adaptations based on pre-existing material. Prerequisites: MASS 23300. (IRR)
4 Credits

MASS 33703 Selected Topics in Writing for Screen Media (LA)

Exploration and analysis of a specific genre or type of writing for screen media, designed to enhance and enrich the established writing for the screen curriculum. Topics will vary to reflect current and future trends in writing for screen media. May be repeated once for credit under a different topic. Prerequisites: MASS 23300; junior standing. (Y)
4 Credits

MASS 43300 Thesis Screenwriting (LA)

Capstone workshop in the theory and practice of writing feature-length narrative screenplays. Students complete an original feature-length screenplay, with an emphasis on instructor and peer critique of works-in-progress. Prerequisites: MASS 33300. (Y)
4 Credits

MASS 43400 Thesis Writing for Screen Media (LA)

Capstone workshop in the theory and practice of writing for the screen. Students work individually or in teams to create original works for film, television, or emerging media, with an emphasis on instructor and peer critique of works-in-progress. Prerequisites: One course from the following: MASS 33300, MASS 33500, MASS 33600. (Y)
4 Credits

MASS 43500 Thesis Writing for Emerging Media (LA)

Capstone workshop in the theory and practice of creating screen narratives. Students work individually or in teams to create stories for video games, virtual worlds, or transmedia properties. Students critique each other's works-in-progress before turning in their own completed portfolio. Prerequisites: MASS 33500. (Y)
4 Credits

MASS 43600 Thesis TV Writing (LA)

Capstone writing workshop in which students complete two original projects - one individual and one in a group. For the individual project, each student will conceive, outline and draft the pilot episode of an original comedy or drama. For the group efforts, students will collaborate to develop a second original pilot as if they would in a professional writer's room. Prerequisites: MASS 33600. (Y)
4 Credits

MASS 43700 Thesis Writing for Film and Television (LA)

Capstone workshop in the theory and practice of writing for film and television. Students work individually or in teams to create either a feature-length narrative screenplay or the pilot episode of a television series, with an emphasis on instructor and peer critique of works-in-progress. Prerequisites: MASS 33300 or MASS 33600. (Y)
4 Credits

MASS 49000 Internship: Writing for Film, Television, and Emerging Media (NLA)

Jointly supervised work experience with a cooperating institution in the field of writing, film, television, or emerging media, intended to motivate the intern toward professional growth through observation and participation, to provide opportunities to meet active professionals, and to stimulate career planning. Skills and academic knowledge will be put into practice. May be repeated. Total may not exceed 12 credits, including London and Los Angeles internships. (F,S,U,W)
1-8 Credits

MASS 49900 Independent Study: Writing for Film, Television, and Emerging Media (LA)

Intensive study under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Topics of study may include the development of a script, screenplay, or other creative project, or investigation of a particular element of film, television, or emerging media content. Comprehensive research paper and/or creative project is required. (IRR)
1-4 Credits