FI LMW4005

Midterm paper and final paper, virtually no reading.

- coverage on an assigned script once a week (scripts are 120 pgs) - Director's Prep Project (a series of one page papers and little excerises on a movie of your choosing)

Midterm paper, final paper, weekly readings and section participation

This is the worst class I have had to take as a film major and it is required. I learned nothing I couldn't teach myself from skimming McKee's Story. And it made me hate cinema. Sorry.

I was nervous about this class having read some of the reviews here, but this is easily the most fun class I've taken at Columbia. McKenna's strength is not the information he presents (Vogler's 12 Steps are pretty basic and you could teach yourself by reading the book), but damn, is he entertaining. McKenna is funny and lively, and provides a refreshing break from other classes in the department taught by professors who tend to take themselves too seriously. Yes, he is crazy and often offensive, but if you can laugh it off and appreciate his twisted sense of humor, you will find that there is also a lot to be gained from this class. Most of what I learned in Script Analysis came from the work we were asked to do. It's surprising how much you learn from doing coverage once a week. The scripts chosen were fun (Erin Brockovich, Unforgiven, The Bourne Identity, etc.) and as usual in film classes, the TAs are awesome and an invaluable resource. Someone on here said that participation is vital to receiving a good grade, and while McKenna loves hearing students talk whether he agrees with them or not, I don't think participating is the only way to succeed in this class. I got an A and never spoke in lecture and not often in discussion. Yes, the class is a major requirement, but it is a fun one.

Professor Kallas is one of the most unique and interesting film professors in the department. Her lectures resist simplification and do not always follow a predictable structure however this complexity provides a refreshing contrast to the rest of the department. Students who prefer a clear and direct teaching style may not get the most out of this course. The course examines traditional cinematic structure in practice and history but more interestingly examines structures outside of this model. She has written extensively on nontraditional screenwriting structures in multiprotagonist film and lectures extensively on emotional structure theory (an incredibly interesting and complex screenwriting theory). The screenings, assigned readings and analysis are very engaging and current. The course may be an interesting and beneficial option for non majors and anyone interested in screenwriting.

Do not let the 2 paper workload fool you: it will take a lot of work for you to figure out what is expected from you, and when you do you will get a B - if you're lucky

- 12 screenplay coverages: Read a c.a. 120 page screenplay every week and write a two page synopsis on it. Basically a book report. - Scene Analysis: Break down a scene into reciprocal actions. Short assignment. - Director's Prep: So intense. You will write 30-40 pages of analysis of a screenplay using techniques learned in class and from the assigned readings.

I regret not having written a review earlier, since I would like to help keep as many people as possible from taking this class. Fortunately some of my peers have done an excellent job in reviewing what surely is the worst class in the film department and possibly in the entire undergrad directory. The irony: this highly unstructured class is supposedly about story structure. Keep away from this course at all cost. Sadly for film majors, this is required and you cannot escape Jelinek's arrogant and empty lectures. Hang in there, and do not expect to learn the basics of screenwriting here.

If you are a film major, you -have- to take David McKenna's Script Analysis class. Fortunately for you, it is one of the best courses in film major requirements. Previous reviews are more/less correct regarding the style of the course, insofar as McKenna basically spends the entire semester on one twelve-step process. The process is so intricate, though, that it actually does seem to warrant the amount of time he spends on it. McKenna is extremely engaging and tries to bring out the best in his students. He is loud, inappropriate, and occasionally misanthropic/racist/misogynistic (which, personally, I found to be totally awesome, but it's admittedly not everybody's style). A typical lecture goes like this: - Outline of the day's "12 Step" element - Rocky/Romancing the Stone/Henry V relationship to this element. - Clips demonstrating the step - Cigarette Break - Loglines of previous week's screenplay - Discussion of previous week's screenplay The course is three hours long, and you will not watch full length movies -- which ostensibly means three hours of lecturing. This would be tedious were McKenna not such a wonderful lecturer and performer/entertainer. I challenge you to fall asleep in his class; I don't think it's possible. A word on grading: It's pretty mystical. You will get "check plus," "check," and "check minus" grades as opposed to conventional letter grades. Attenda…