Scriptwriting Book

[Peter Gutierrez]

If anyone works with students @ grades 4-9 who write scripts -- or knows colleagues who do -- please let me know as I'm looking for student models for a book I'm writing that will be published in 2010. They can be film scripts obviously, but also those for video, multimedia, podcast/radio, etc.

Thanks!

Oh, and if anyone has access to pro scripts (or even drafts of them, which actually might be even more useful), please let me know. There's even a small budget for permissioning the pro scripts.

Thanks again -- !

[Lori Rogalski]

My junior year students in English III (British Literature) write screenplay "mini scripts" for multimedia projects and "mini screenplays" for short films at the end of each school year. The project basis is to create a modern adaptation/interpretation of a classic work of British literature. I might be able to share some student models with you...Also, I found John Madormo of North Central College in Naperville, IL to be a valuable classroom guest speaker/resource; he teaches screenplay writing at NCC, and has written several screenplays one or two of which have been optioned I believe.

([e-mail])

[Peter Gutierrez]

Thanks so much, Lori! I'll definitely be in touch about this. Really appreciate your support...

[Jasmine Tyler]

Hi, Peter,

My Literally Film class is almost finished writing an original screenplay for Our Town. It's a 9-12 class but the screenplay writers are 9th graders. They used Celtx to produce the screenplay and the rest of the class will be creating the movie using student actors throughout the school. Would this be of interest to you?

[Peter Gutierrez]

Wow, that sounds great. Would love to learn more. Will follow up in the next couple of weeks, if that's all right (going on vacation tomorrow).

Thanks again -- this group is incredible.

[Kelly Farrow]

My elem. kids have done a variety of scriptwriting. I've had 6th graders put Greek myths in their own words for a play. 4th graders recently wrote poems for two voices (a la the book by that same title!) and created podcasts.

My book club kids wrote their own video scripts for the StoryTubes video booktalking contest. If you're not familiar with this contest, it's a fantastic way to get kids excited about reading and promote concise, effective writing skills. Contest web site: www.storytubes.info . This contest has only been around for 2 years. They have last year's winners posted and are currently running the online voting portion of this year's contest.

[Al Doyle]

Peter,
I work in a N-8 independent school on the Upper East Side of NYC. I did a short podcast project: I asked the 7th grade students to write a review of an exhibition of Buckminster Fuller at the Whitney Museum and had the students created Podcast form their scripts. It was brief and yet it was successful; we posted about 40 reviews to our intranet shortly after the assignments.

I have also created Podcasts with first graders reading their poems and 7th graders commenting on Renaissance art.
I hope this helps.
Best,
Al Doyle, [e-mail]

[Kelly Farrow]

Peter, here's a cool lesson on writing book trailers. It's 2 pages and is from Library Sparks (the May/June 2009 issue).