Screenwriting is a mix of creative art form and structural science.
SCREENWRITER'S QUIZ
1) What is the acceptable length of a screenplay submission for a feature film?
A. 60-90 pages
B. 90-120 pages
C. 120-150 pages
D. A&B&C
E. Whatever length the story takes.
2) Which one of these movies best epitomizes the basic concepts of screenwriting?
A. Rollercoaster
B. Juno
C. A History of Violence
D. Treed Murray
E. Napoleon Dynamite
3) Where do you put character descriptions and backstory?
A. On a separate page.
B. When the character is first introduced.
C. In the cover letter.
D. In the front of the script.
E. Not at all.
4) Match the quote to the author:
Syd Field, Michael Blake, J. Aldric Gaudet, Robert McKee, Michael Hauge.
A. “To succeed a screenplay needs to enable a sympathetic character to overcome a series of increasingly difficult, seemingly insurmountable obstacles and achieve a compelling desire.”
B. “Screen writing is a craft, something that has to be learned like playing the guitar. . . . It's a discipline, it's not something you can just jump into and expect immediate rewards and gratification.”
C. “A screenplay is a story told with pictures, written in dialogue and description, and placed within the context of dramatic structure.”
D. “ScreenWriting is the natural evolution of modern dramatic literature, and part of a broad tradition of storytelling.”
E. “...experienced writers never trust so-called inspiration. More often than not, inspiration is the first idea picked off the top of your head, and sitting on the top of your head is every film you’ve ever seen, every novel you’ve ever read...”
5) Match the screenwriter with the screenplay:
William Goldman, Richard Matheson, Richard Curtis, Martin McDonagh, Charlie Kaufman.
A. Duel
B. All The President’s Men
C. Adaptation
D. Four Weddings and a Funeral
E. Seven Psychopaths
6) Which famous movie was stalled during production while scenes were rewritten to satisfy one of its actors?
A. Cleopatra
B. The Great Escape
C. Heaven's Gate
D. Pulp Fiction
E. The Usual Suspects
7) Which of these directors started out as a screenwriter?
A. Joss Whedon
B. Oliver Stone
C. Quentin Tarantino
D. Nora Ephron
E. All of the above.
8) A properly formatted page of screen play has:
A. Lots of detail.
B. Lots of pictures.
C. Lots of white space.
D. Lots of notes.
E. All of the above.
9) What is the purpose of dialogue?
A. To move the story forward.
B. To communicate facts and information.
C. To reveal character.
D. To establish relationships between characters.
E. To comment on the action and connect scenes.
F. All of the above.
10) What is the basic rule regarding scene energy?
A. Keep energy rising.
B. There is no energy.
C. Keep energy falling.
D. Open and close with reverse energy.
E. Keep energy steady.