Writing for the Silver Screen

Beginning. Middle. End.

It’s that simple.

Now go write.

But it isn’t that simple. How do you get your hero from point A to point B? Where do you add romance, danger, intrigue, action to make the story interesting? What is a MacGuffin?

Whether you know it or not, screenplays are very formulaic. There is always the basic question-- what does our main character want, and why can’t he or she get it? When breaking down scripts you’ll find that just about every one of them starts the hero on his or her journey between pages fifteen and twenty. There will be a midpoint where the hero finds an escalation of commitment. A launch into the third act marks a point where our hero cannot turn back. And of course a resolution followed by a denouement. Again, simple, right? Not really.

As an example, take the classic film Jaws. What does Chief Brody want and why can’t he get it? Answer: he wants to protect the beach, but there is a shark threatening the safety of anyone who enters the water. We are launched into the commitment phase with the death of Alex Kitner, the little boy on the raft. In reaction, Brody raises the stakes and offers a reward for the capture of the shark. Sadly, the wrong shark is caught and killed. The next shark attack involves his son. The chief develops a new plan, and hires a boat to go out and hunt the shark. The shark attacks, kills the captain and disables the boat. Brody is all alone with little hope of success. There is literally no turning back. In desperation, he shoots a rifle at a scuba tank inside the shark's mouth. Voila! Resolution as the beast is killed and the beach is now safe. Denouement is Brody swimming back to shore in safe waters. Fortunately as you watch the film, you never think of these necessary plot points that move the story forward. That's the goal of great screenwriting: entertain the viewer in a world you create for them.

But even if you write the world’s greatest story, how do you get anyone to read it? Do you hide out in a bathroom stall in Hollywood hoping to slip it under when a big wig uses the restroom? Do you blindly mail hundreds of copies of your script to film producers? Or do you self produce your script and become the next Kevin Smith?

Award-winning writer John Hill offers a class that answers many of these questions and more. Specifically, he’ll cover format, dialogue, characters, and theme with special training on how to plot. Most importantly, he’ll cover both the independent film world as well as the Hollywood studio system. Click the link for more details - http://goo.gl/vKbWzn.

If screenwriting isn’t necessarily your thing, but you still want to tell your story, check out our other writing classes http://goo.gl/DLGy71.

Adobe Photoshop I: A Student Review

UNLV Continuing Education likes to share student reviews of its classes. This student discusses “the great experience of taking a class in Photoshop.”

“As a working student with a full-time schedule, it is challenging to continue with my own development and sharpening of my skills. The short schedule and weekly class meetings made it easy to fit into my busy work and personal schedule. Our instructor, Krystal Hosmer, offered the class years of real world experience in graphic design and specifically with this software. She is incredibly talented, creative and patient, and explains in detail the practical applications with this software.

My favorite part of the class was practicing in class and actually creating new projects immediately. The hands-on experience was much more helpful than trying to figure out the system on my own at home. Krystal kept the atmosphere light and FUN! She also taught us basic concepts in graphic design and how to apply what we learned for our individual needs and in why we wanted to learn this software. For me I wanted to learn how to use the software to help me on my job as a training manager as I use photos in my presentation and instructional design daily at work. Class size was small, which made the teacher-student ratio great where everyone could be involved in the discussions and she encouraged us to ask questions and experiment.

I look forward to taking another class in the future. I highly recommend this class to anyone who wants to further develop their knowledge of Photoshop, or someone like me who was a complete beginner and wanted to develop a new skill.”

Thanks for sharing! The next Adobe Photoshop CS6-Level I class starts June 11.

Pick Up Your Guitar and Your Six String!

When listening to them, it’s hard not to think that the greats in the guitar world weren’t born with one in their hands. You may notice it while listening to your favorites. Andres Segovia, Frank Zappa, Guthrie Govan, Paco de Lucia, and Jimmy Hendrix are some of the names that may elicit your envy. Regardless of how well someone plays currently, every single one of them had to start somewhere. Getting started can be difficult, but finding a good teacher will set you on the right path.

UNLV Continuing Education can provide you with the teacher and atmosphere you need. As a previous guitar student at UNLV, Marlow Valentin provides excellent instruction to beginning students. He will help you learn to read music, tune your instrument, and play basic patterns and chords. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you find yourself recognizing melodies on the radio and thinking, “Hey, I can play this!” It’s amazing how many songs you’ll learn to play just by knowing four simple chords.

Learning and studying takes place in a group setting where you can collaborate with fellow beginners to have fun and help each other out. You’ll also have a selection of duets to play from the required text, Beginning Guitar Superbook by Hal Leonard. I started with the same book as a beginner when I was 16. The next thing I knew, it had become a passion that I decided to study seriously in college. I started off learning jazz, but switched and ended up playing classical guitar for four years. 

While you may not master the craft in the six weeks, UNLV Continuing Education can help you take the first steps towards playing the guitar. Not only will you learn the basics of guitar, but you might just find a new passion. Whether you learn to play so you can entertain friends around a campfire, mess around with and learn new songs during your free time, or further educate yourself and possibly get a degree in music performance, this course is an ideal starting point for those interested in picking up the guitar.  

To learn more about the guitar course offered by UNLV’s Continuing Education, check out our catalog:

  - http://continuingeducation.unlv.edu/catalog