Good movies often start out as a good story. Usually it is a story that would hold someone's interest if told out loud. The story would then become a screenplay. But before it becomes a screenplay, the story must be told, or "pitched" to someone or a group of people who think it could become a good movie. The more the story is told, the better the story becomes. And so the more work that goes into a script, the better it becomes.

Read pages 1-4 of "The Seven Senses for the Story-Teller" by Dick Ross. It is very important to do this. You should find it useful when you do the following assignment.

Assignment: "Tell a story". Write a short story about an experience you have had with someone else. The story will be turned into a short film. A very short film. Maybe 2-3 minutes long.

What are you going to write about? How about a story about a pet; a trip you went on with your parents or a friend; a trip to the mall; going to a movie; sitting around talking to a friend about something (sports, clothing, relationships, video games, etc. Whatever it is, keep in mind you may wind up filming it or at least you will write a script based on the story. Keep the story in ONE location such as a room or outside. It will be shot here at school during class.

What should you focus on in the story? Three things:
1) Location (describe it)
2) Character Development (who are the people in the story)
3) Dialogue (realistic words between 2 or more people and/or v/o)

What about an ending? This story doesn't have to have an ending. At least not one that is important. The idea of this story is to develop the story location, characters and dialogue.