#MeetTheGraduatesMonday: Antonio Zarro – Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

Every Monday we will be profiling a member of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting 2020 graduating class. This exciting, fresh crop of writers are the future of the industry and are going on to do BIG things, so get to know them now! 

#MeetTheGraduatesMonday: Antonio Zarro

#MeetTheGraduatesMonday: Antonio Zarro

Antonio Zarro is a director and actor for film and television. He created Aria Pictures, a media production company through which he produced and directed over 300 films, commercials and training dramas. His productions have played in Hollywood, Cannes and Europe, and have shown on Showtime, HBO, Cinemax and the Family Channel.

His work has screened at the NY Film Festival, the Chicago Film Festival, the Virginia Festival of American Film, the Columbus Film Festival and Worldfest-Houston. A few of Zarro’s awards include: A Cine Golden Eagle, Telly, Addy, and Aurora Award. He is a member of the Screen Actors Guild, acting in movies, television and the theatre. Zarro received a B.A. from the University of Tulsa and an M.A. from Regent University.

At the graduate level, he wrote and directed Bird in a Cage, which won a Student Academy Award.


Visit the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting for more information.

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Women’s History Month 2: Anne Marbury Hutchinson

Anne Marbury Hutchinson

Anne Marbury Hutchinson

Puritan nonconformist Anne Hutchinson was a wife, mother, and midwife who lived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony and gained fame by challenging the colony’s leadership with her own interpretation of Puritan theology. She also threatened the social hierarchy by demonstrating her willingness and ability to operate outside traditional female cultural boundaries. Hutchinson’s actions not only gained her notoriety in her own lifetime but also helped to transform the “Puritan Way” in the American colonies.

Learn more about Anne Marbury Hutchinson


Learn about more Women In History with these encyclopedia from Dr. Rosanne Welch and Dr. Peg Lamphier

* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs
** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out!
† Available from the LA Public Library

 

Women’s History Month 1: Catharine Littlefield Greene

Womens History Month 1: Catharine Littlefield Greene

Catharine Littlefield Greene

The widow of Revolutionary War hero Nathanael Greene, Catharine Littlefield Greene was also the forgotten co-inventor of the cotton gin.  Known as ‘Caty’ to her friends, Greene demonstrated strength as a military wife, acumen as a businesswoman, and creativity as a contributor to invention of the cotton gin. She is notable as an early American woman active in science and innovation.

Learn more about Catharine Littlefield Greene


Learn about more Women In History with these encyclopedia from Dr. Rosanne Welch and Dr. Peg Lamphier

* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs
** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out!
† Available from the LA Public Library

 

New Event: Beyond the Books: Writing TV Shows Based on Novels – Writers Guild Foundation – April 7, 2020

Beyond the Books: Writing TV Shows Based on Novels

Tuesday, April 7, 2020
7:30 PM  9:00 PM
The Writers Guild Foundation7000 West 3rd Street, 2nd floor, Los Angeles, CA, 90048

Buy Tickets Now

New Event: Beyond the Books: Writing TV Shows Based on Novels - Writers Guild Foundation - April 7, 2020

What do you do when your series continues beyond the original book upon which the show is based? On this special evening, we join forces with Columbia College Chicago to welcome a panel of TV writers who’ll discuss how they navigate the uncharted territory of writing for a show that has diverged from the original novel.

Panelists:

  • Marissa Jo Cerar – Writer, Supervising Producer, The Handmaid’s Tale, 13 Reasons Why
  • I. Marlene King – Writer, Executive Producer, Pretty Little Liars
  • Stacy Osei-Kuffour – Writer, Watchmen
  • Anthony Sparks – Writer, Executive Producer, Queen Sugar
  • Moderated by Dr. Rosanne Welch.

Event Sponsored By

Columbia College of Chicago Logo

Liza Donnelly is live-drawing and tweeting the Athena Film Festival — Valerie Woods and Ken LaZebnik of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

One of the best parts of my gig as Executive Director of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting is sending very good friends like Valerie Woods (@vcwoods24) to very good festivals like the 10th Annual Athena Film Festival!Liza Donnelly is live-drawing and tweeting the Athena Film Festival - -Valerie Wood and Ken LaZebnik of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

Liza Donnelly is live-drawing and tweeting the Athena Film Festival - -Valerie Wood and Ken LaZebnik of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

Liza Donnelly is live-drawing and tweeting the Athena Film Festival

 


Questions about the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting?

Leave a comment here or email me, Executive Director, Dr. Rosanne Welch and I’ll be happy to answer your questions.


Visit Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting for more information.
Follow @StephensMFA on Instagram

Follow and Like the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting#MentorMonday 8 - Dawn Comer Jefferson - Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

Valerie Woods, Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Mentor, Speaks at the Athena Film Festival

Valerie Woods, Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Mentor, Speaks at the Athena Film Festival

The Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting is always proud to help sponsor the Athena film festival. This year we were happy to send mentor Valerie Woods to discuss her career and love of writing.

Val’s ability to share that love makes her a treasured mentor in our program.

Valerie Woods, Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Mentor, Speaks at the Athena Film Festival

Valerie Woods, Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Mentor, Speaks at the Athena Film Festival

Valerie Woods, Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Mentor, Speaks at the Athena Film Festival


Questions about the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting?

Leave a comment here or email me, Executive Director, Dr. Rosanne Welch and I’ll be happy to answer your questions.


Visit Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting for more information.
Follow @StephensMFA on Instagram

Follow and Like the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting#MentorMonday 8 - Dawn Comer Jefferson - Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

Students Brainstorm During Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Winter Workshop via Instagram

Brainstorm During Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Winter Workshop

Brainstorm During Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Winter Workshop via Instagram

First year MFA candidates Marco Antonio Rodriguez and Doreene Hamilton brainstorm together during January’s workshop.


Questions about the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting?

Leave a comment here or email me, Executive Director, Dr. Rosanne Welch and I’ll be happy to answer your questions.


Visit Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting for more information.
Follow @StephensMFA on Instagram

Follow and Like the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting#MentorMonday 8 - Dawn Comer Jefferson - Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

Stephens College MFA Alumni Jackie Perez named Director of Development for the Hawaii Filmmakers Collective

Congratulations to Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting Jackie Perez (Class of 2017) who was just named Director of Development for the Hawaii Filmmakers Collective.

Stephens College MFA Alumni Jackie Perez (Class of 2017) named Director of Development for the Hawaii Filmmakers Collective

Stephens College MFA Alumni Jackie Perez (Class of 2017) named Director of Development for the Hawaii Filmmakers Collective

Our Executive Team is growing! I want to welcome Rosalie, the HFC Executive Assistant and Jackie, the HFC Director of Development. As many of you know, it takes a lot to drive this ship forward and with their help and expertise, we are striving to foster and showcase independent filmmakers in Hawaii and above all Make More Films!

Thanks Rosalie and Jackie for joining our team and making HFC your kuleana and ohana!

Mary Michelle Baghdady
HFC Executive Director


Visit Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting for more information.

Follow @StephensMFA on Instagram

Follow and Like the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

#MentorMonday 8 - Dawn Comer Jefferson - Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

From The Journal Of Screenwriting V3 Issue 1: ‘To see a script’: Jean-Luc Godard’s re-envisioning of screenwriting in Passion (1982) and Scénario du film Passion by Jill Murphy

Highlighting the articles in the past editions of the Journal of Screenwriting, of which I am the Book Reviews Editor. Hopefully these abstracts will entice you to did a little deeper into the history and future of screenwriting. — Rosanne


‘To see a script’: Jean-Luc Godard’s re-envisioning of screenwriting in Passion (1982) and Scénario du film Passion by Jill Murphy

In the film Passion (1982) and its video scenario, Scénario du film Passion (1982), Jean-Luc Godard attempts to re-envision the conventional script by placing an emphasis on visual rather than verbal forms. In this article, I examine Godard’s development of narrative through image in Passion and his description of this process in Scénario du film Passion. In addition, I consider the concurrent emphasis he places on the visualization of narrative in the diegetic film around which the storyline of Passion is based. To contextualize the process of narrative construction that Godard applies in the films considered in the article, I present some earlier examples of his screenwriting practice that illustrate how Godard’s screenwriting evolved towards an image-based approach..


The Journal of Screenwriting is an international double-blind peer-reviewed journal that is published three times a year. The journal highlights current academic and professional thinking about the screenplay and intends to promote, stimulate and bring together current research and contemporary debates around the screenplay whilst encouraging groundbreaking research in an international arena. The journal is discursive, critical, rigorous and engages with issues in a dynamic and developing field, linking academic theory to screenwriting practice. 

Get your copy and subscription to the Journal of Screenwriting Today!


Screenwriting Research Network Conference 2020

Join me at the Screenwriting Research Network’s Annual Conference in Oxford, UK



* A portion of each sale from Amazon.com directly supports our blogs
** Many of these books may be available from your local library. Check it out!

#MeetTheGraduatesMonday: Cierra Winkler – Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

Every Monday we will be profiling a member of the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting 2020 graduating class. This exciting, fresh crop of writers are the future of the industry and are going on to do BIG things, so get to know them now! 

#MeetTheGraduatesMonday: Cierra Winkler

#MeetTheGraduatesMonday: Cierra Winkler

Cierra Winkler is a screenwriter and playwright from the Appalachian region of northeast Georgia. She is currently pursuing her MFA in TV & Screenwriting from Stephens College at Jim Henson Studios, where she’s been able to cultivate her love for creating Southern characters who defy stereotypes and bring authentic Southern voices to the screen. Cierra also enjoys telling female-driven epic adventures, and she’s even had the audacity to rewrite Homer in an epic reimaging of the Odyssey as told from Queen Penelope’s point of view.

In 2019 Cierra placed 2nd out of 400 pitches in Screencraft’s Pitchfest at the Atlanta Film Festival for her Odyssey-based feature screenplay Queen of Ithica. She was also a finalist in the 2019 Athena Film Festival’s Writer’s Workshop. Cierra is a member of the Atlanta Film Society and has been accepted into their Spring 2020 Production Academy, where she’ll be training for different positions within the Georgia film industry. Cierra will graduate from Stephens with her MFA in May 2020 and looks forward to what adventures in the film industry lie ahead!


Visit Stephens.edu/mfa for more information.

Follow @StephensMFA on Instagram

Follow and Like the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

#MentorMonday 8 - Dawn Comer Jefferson - Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting