Writers
Structure
Reading
Filmmakers
Misc.
100

This ‘Young Adult’ scribe won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for ‘Juno’ in 2007

Diablo Cody

100

This plot point, sometimes called “the point of no return,” shares a name with a 2017 film starring Gary Oldman.

Darkest Hour

100

In “The Essential Elements of Drama” chapter of Directing, the author lists 3 kinds of conflict: person vs. person, person vs. environment, and person vs. ?

Themselves, self

100

This Japanese filmmaker stated "with a bad script even a good director can’t possibly make a good film.” (Week 7)

Akira Kurosawa

100

A story characterized by long-winded anecdotes, terminated by an anticlimax is often referred to as this.

Shaggy dog story, yarn

200

This surrealist writer & painter is the author of the very short story “Mr. Gregory’s Fly,” read during Week 5 of this course.

Leonora Carrington 

200

The word “péripétie” refers to these events, commonly found in the 2nd Act of screenplays.

Obstacles, unexpected events, sudden change in circumstance 

200

In Directing, author Michael Rabiger compares the “dramatic unit” to this system/object that converts heat into energy.

Combustion engine

200

Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia was heavily influenced by this Short Cuts, Nashville, MASH filmmaker.

Robert Altman

200

Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer script actually had this alternate title.

Gadget

300

This writer/director created Green Room, Blue Ruin, and most recently, Rebel Ridge

Jeremy Saulnier

300

This four-part story structure, known for its lack of conflict, is widely used in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean narratives.

Kishotenketsu

300

Paul Joseph Gulino’s The Sequence Approach breaks up a feature-length film into this many individual sequences.

8

300

This filmmaker was the first African-American winner for Best Original Screenplay.

Jordan Peele

300

The person of second importance (to the protagonist) in a story.

Deuteragonist 

400

This ancient Persian poet wrote “Don’t Think,” read during week 6 of this course.

Rumi

400

This botanical root structure was discussed as a way to visualize the gathering of plot points, situations, dialogue, and character details.

Rhizome

400

In the chapter “Recognizing the Superior Screenplay” from Directing, Michael Rabiger uses these two adjectives to describe good scene description.

Spare, vivid

400

This German filmmaker requires all of his Rogue Film School students to read The Peregrine by J.A. Baker.

Werner Herzog

400

Which of the following screenplays were NOT nominated to be read this semester: The Florida Project, Superbad, Jojo Rabbit, Mean Girls, Shrek

Jojo Rabbit

500

In the “Subtext” chapter of Blueprint for Screenwriting, Rachel Ballon opens with a quote (“Talking about oneself can also be a means to conceal oneself”) by this German writer/philosopher.

Friedrich Nietzsche

500

This triangular fractal structure was mentioned as a possible way to structure long-form stories.

Sierpinski triangle/gasket 

500

In Paul Joseph Gulino’s The Sequence Approach, the audience knowing more than the character is referred to as this.

Dramatic irony

500

This filmmaker known for Tar, Little Children, and In the Bedroom has a supporting role in Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut

Todd Field

500

The essay “What Writer’s Really Do When They Write,” emphasizing the importance of revision, was written by this Lincoln in the Bardo scribe.

George Saunders