Category: Screenwriting

Want to go backstage at the Stephens MFA? Apply Now! [Video]

Want to go backstage at the Stephens MFA?

Check out this video to see what our program is like and apply now with no application fees until the end of October!

Stephens behind scenes

More information about the Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting

Master of Fine Arts in TV and Screenwriting 

You have stories to tell. We’re here to make it happen. Come to Hollywood to learn from some of the best working writers in the industry. Stephens is an institution on a mission: To increase the voices and impact of women in television and film.

WHY STEPHENS?

Our program — with its bold, daring mission — has drawn the attention and the support of some of the most successful and well-known writers in Hollywood. Our faculty includes some of the best working writers in the profession, and our curriculum includes an in-depth look at the business side of TV and screenwriting.  Explore more: program highlights, student achievements and stories. 

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Stephens is proud to be the first college in the nation to offer a low-residency MFA program specifically for TV and screenwriting. Our students come to Los Angeles twice a year for 10-day workshops at the beautiful Jim Henson Studio. Between workshops, students work one-on-one online with at least four different mentors over two years. Two years + four workshops in Hollywood = your M.F.A.

Learn More

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  1. Behind the Scenes Video – Dr. Rosanne Welch Teaching at Stephens College Low Residency MFA Program in Hollywood
  2. Working with MFA Students via Instagram
  3. Photos: Kickoff of Stephens College Low Residency MFA Program in Hollywood!
  4. Panel: Increasing the Power of Women’s Voices in Hollywood from the Stephens College MFA in Screenwriting Program [Video]
  5. Class of 2020 – Stephens College MFA in Screenwriting in Television via Instagram

Citizen Jane Film Festival Information and a Mention of “When Women Wrote Hollywood” Book Signing During the Festival

The “When Women Wrote Hollywood” Book Signing gets a quick mention this video from the Columbia Missouri Office of Cultural Affairs. They speak with Citizen Film Festival Director Barbie Banks about the festival and what is expected this year.

As in past years, my Stephens College MFA in TV and Screenwriting students will presenting on important women screenwriters during the festival, too. — Rosanne

Get more Book Signing Event info and RSVP

Related posts:

  1. “When Women Wrote Hollywood” Book Signing at the Citizen Jane Film Festival
  2. “When Women Wrote Hollywood” is at the Citizen Jane Film Festival – November 1-4, 2018, Columbia, Missouri
  3. Full house for “Bold And Brash Women Writers” session at Stephens College’s Citizen Jane Film Festival via Instagram
  4. Join me at the Stephens College’s Citizen Jane Film Festival – Oct 26-29, 2017
  5. “When Women Wrote Hollywood” Book Launch Event [Video] (31:40)

When Women Wrote Hollywood – 30 in a series – Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett

To highlight the wonderful yet largely forgotten work of a collection of female screenwriters from the early years of Hollywood (and as a companion to the book, When Women Wrote Hollywood) we will be posting quick bits about the many films they wrote along with links to further information and clips from their works which are still accessible online. Take a few moments once or twice a week to become familiar with their names and their stories. I think you’ll be surprised at how much bold material these writers tackled at the birth of this new medium. — Rosanne Welch

When Women Wrote Hollywood – 30 in a series – Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett

When Women Wrote Hollywood - 30 in a series - Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett

Frances Goodrich (December 21, 1890 – January 29, 1984) was an American dramatist and screenwriter, best known for her collaborations with her partner and husband Albert Hackett.

Not long after marrying Hackett, the couple went to Hollywood in the late 1920s to write the screenplay for their stage success Up Pops the Devil for Paramount Pictures. In 1933 they signed a contract with MGM and remained with them until 1939. Among their earliest assignments was writing the screenplay for The Thin Man (1934). They were encouraged by the director W. S. Van Dyke to use the writing of Dashiell Hammett as a basis only, and to concentrate on providing witty exchanges for the principal characters, Nick and Nora Charles (played by William Powell and Myrna Loy). The resulting film was one of the major hits of the year, and the script, considered to show a modern relationship in a realistic manner for the first time, is considered groundbreaking. — Wikipedia 

More about Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett

Biography of Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett

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Related posts:

  1. Julie Berkobien, Author of “Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett: The Most Beloved Couple in Hollywood” from “When Women Wrote Hollywood” [Video] (2:40)
  2. Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett from Giving Voice to Silent Films and the Far From Silent Women Who Wrote Them with Dr. Rosanne Welch [Video]
  3. When Women Wrote Hollywood – 20 in a series – Lois Weber
  4. When Women Wrote Hollywood – 26 in a series – Clara Beranger
  5. More on Goodrich and Hackett from Giving Voice to Silent Films and the Far From Silent Women Who Wrote Them with Dr. Rosanne Welch [Video]

Quotes from When Women Wrote Hollywood – 6 in a series – “She has to be mentioned”

Quotes from When Women Wrote Hollywood - 6 in a series -

“In an interview with Pamela Green the director of the soon to be released documentary Be Natural, a film that takes the exploration of Alice Guy Blaché’s life and career to new depths, Green shared, “Anytime you mention early cinema, she has to be mentioned. If you talk about Hollywood before Hollywood, she has to be mentioned. If you talk about an artist and an entrepreneur at the time, she has to be mentioned.””

The Nature and Genius of Alice Guy Blaché
Khanisha Foster

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or Buy the Book on Amazon

 

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* 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

Related posts:

  1. Quotes from When Women Wrote Hollywood – 2 in a series – Forgotten Women Screenwriters
  2. Quotes from When Women Wrote Hollywood – 3 in a series – Beyond the glamour
  3. Quotes from When Women Wrote Hollywood – 4 in a series – A start in pictures
  4. Quotes from When Women Wrote Hollywood – 1 in a series – Lived, Loved and Created
  5. Quotes from When Women Wrote Hollywood – 5 in a series – Satirizing sex and love

When Women Wrote Hollywood – 29 in a series – “The Grand Passion (1918), Wr: Ida May Park

To highlight the wonderful yet largely forgotten work of a collection of female screenwriters from the early years of Hollywood (and as a companion to the book, When Women Wrote Hollywood) we will be posting quick bits about the many films they wrote along with links to further information and clips from their works which are still accessible online. Take a few moments once or twice a week to become familiar with their names and their stories. I think you’ll be surprised at how much bold material these writers tackled at the birth of this new medium. — Rosanne Welch

When Women Wrote Hollywood – 29 in a series – “The Grand Passion (1918), Wr: Ida May Park

When Women Wrote Hollywood - 29 in a series -

The Grand Passion is a 1918 American silent western film directed by Ida May Park and starring Lon Chaney.[1] It is not known whether the film currently survives.[1]

As described in a film magazine,[2] Dick Evans (Stowell), boss of Powderville, decides to start a newspaper and support it through coerced advertising from the businesses in the town. He hires Jack Ripley (Mulhall), a New York newspaperman, to be its editor. Viola (Phillips), niece of Paul Argos (Chaney), arrives on the same train as Ripley. Forming a relationship with her, Evans decides to clean up the town. In the meantime, Viola has been kidnapped and hidden in a roadhouse on the other side of the tracks. Evans and Ripley rescue her but incur the enmity of the denizens of the district. They attack the newspaper office and, in the face of defeat, Evans orders Ripley to escape with Viola. When she discovers that Evans is missing, she returns to the burning town and discovers him wounded. She declares her love and indications are that he will survive to claim it. — Wikipedia 

More about The Grand Passion (1918)

More about Ida May Park

Buy a signed copy of when Women Wrote Hollywood

 

Paperback Edition | Kindle Edition | Google Play Edition

* 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

Related posts:

  1. When Women Wrote Hollywood – 28 in a series – Ida May Park
  2. When Women Wrote Hollywood – 27 in a series – “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1920), Wr: Clara Beranger
  3. When Women Wrote Hollywood – 22 in a series – Gene Gauntier
  4. When Women Wrote Hollywood – 14 in a series – Eve Unsell
  5. When Women Wrote Hollywood – 8 in a series – Bess Meredyth

When Women Wrote Hollywood – 28 in a series – Ida May Park

To highlight the wonderful yet largely forgotten work of a collection of female screenwriters from the early years of Hollywood (and as a companion to the book, When Women Wrote Hollywood) we will be posting quick bits about the many films they wrote along with links to further information and clips from their works which are still accessible online. Take a few moments once or twice a week to become familiar with their names and their stories. I think you’ll be surprised at how much bold material these writers tackled at the birth of this new medium. — Rosanne Welch

When Women Wrote Hollywood – 28 in a series – Ida May Park

When Women Wrote Hollywood - 28 in a series - Ida May Park

Ida May Park (December 28, 1879 – June 13, 1954)[1] was an American screenwriter and film director of the silent era, in the early 20th century. She wrote for more than 50 films between 1914 and 1930, and directed 14 films between 1917 and 1920.[2] She was born and died in Los Angeles, California. She was married to film director and producer Joseph De Grasse, with whom she was regularly teamed at Universal.[3]

Park got her start in the entertainment industry as a stage actress when she was fifteen years old. During her time in the theatre she met her future husband, Joseph De Grasse, also an actor. When Pathé hired De Grasse in 1909, Park was also hired as a writer. Together they were hired by Universal.[4] 

The first screenplay that she wrote was titled A Gypsy Romance which was developed into a short scenario by director Wallace Reid. Reid also directed the next scenario that she wrote, The Man Within.[2] Park then started to work with De Grasse who directed the next several pieces that she wrote. The two worked on multiple shorts and scenarios together over several years. Their first joint project was the short Her Bounty (1914), and their first feature-length film was Father and The Boys (1915). Most of the titles that the two worked on together were for Universal’s Bluebird label.[5] Park made her solo directorial debut in 1917 when she directed The Flashlight[6] starring Universal’s top dramatic actress Dorothy Phillips;[4] after this picture, she and DeGrasse took turns directing Bluebird projects featuring Phillips.[6] She went on to direct 13 more films, many of which were deemed “women’s features”.[7] — Wikipedia 

More about Ida May Park

Buy a signed copy of when Women Wrote Hollywood

 

Paperback Edition | Kindle Edition | Google Play Edition

* 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

Related posts:

  1. When Women Wrote Hollywood – 20 in a series – Lois Weber
  2. When Women Wrote Hollywood – 22 in a series – Gene Gauntier
  3. When Women Wrote Hollywood – 25 in a series – “Don’t Tell Everything”, Wr: Lorna Moon, Dir: Sam Wood (1921)
  4. When Women Wrote Hollywood – 12 in a series – Marion Fairfax
  5. When Women Wrote Hollywood – 8 in a series – Bess Meredyth

Rosanne has a Podcast! Did you know? — Check it out! Dr. Rosanne Welch On Screenwriting and Media

Did you know I have a podcast? 

All the video and audio you see here on the blog and Facebook is also available directly to your computer, tablet or phone automatically when you subscribe for free!

Never miss another talk or clip as I teach and speak around the neighborhood and around the world!

Rosanne has a Podcast! Did you know? Check it out!

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Start by watching my latest talk “Why (and How) I Created a History of Screenwriting Course and NOT a History of Film Course” from the SRN Conference in Milan, Italy on September 15th, 2018

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  3. Why (and How) I Created a History of Screenwriting Course and NOT a History of Film Course with Rosanne Welch, Ph.D [Video] (17:15)
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Why (and How) I Created a History of Screenwriting Course and NOT a History of Film Course with Rosanne Welch, Ph.D [Video] (17:15)

Here is my recent presentation at the 11th Annual Screenwriting Research Network conference. Held on the campus of the beautiful Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan.

In the presentation, I covered the reasons writers have been marginalized – and the reasons they oughtn’t to be so disrespected. Then I talked about how my course works, what books I assign, what guest speakers I invite, what research the students do – and ended on a high note by introducing ‘When Women Wrote Hollywood’ – the book of essays from our inaugural class which has now been published by McFarland.

Why (and How) I Created a History of Screenwriting Course and NOT a History of Film Course with Rosanne Welch, Ph.D

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* 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

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Related posts:

  1. Remember the Ladies from Giving Voice to Silent Films and the Far From Silent Women Who Wrote Them with Dr. Rosanne Welch [Video] (0:56)
  2. Writers Have Been Lost In Film History from Giving Voice to Silent Films and the Far From Silent Women Who Wrote Them with Dr. Rosanne Welch [Video]
  3. The “A Film By” Credit and Writers from Giving Voice to Silent Films and the Far From Silent Women Who Wrote Them with Dr. Rosanne Welch [Video]
  4. Film Is A Collaborative Effort from Giving Voice to Silent Films and the Far From Silent Women Who Wrote Them with Dr. Rosanne Welch [Video]
  5. How Gidget Got Into the Girl Ghetto – Dr. Rosanne Welch – SRN Conference 2017 [Video] (23 mins)

“When Women Wrote Hollywood” Book Signing at the Citizen Jane Film Festival

Just booked my tickets for Citizen Jane – so excited to see students do their Research Paper presentations, to experience the whole festival (Agnes Varda’s ‘Faces/Places’ was my fav film last year) and, of course, to attend the Columbia launch of our book!

 

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  2. Amelia Phillips (center) winner of Citizen Jane Film Festival Screen Grab competition via Instagram
  3. Amelia Phillips pitches “Kismet” at “Screen Grab”, part of CJ Film School at the Citizen Jane Film School via Instagram
  4. “When Women Wrote Hollywood” is at the Citizen Jane Film Festival – November 1-4, 2018, Columbia, Missouri
  5. Join me at the Stephens College’s Citizen Jane Film Festival – Oct 26-29, 2017

When Women Wrote Hollywood – 27 in a series – “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1920), Wr: Clara Beranger

To highlight the wonderful yet largely forgotten work of a collection of female screenwriters from the early years of Hollywood (and as a companion to the book, When Women Wrote Hollywood) we will be posting quick bits about the many films they wrote along with links to further information and clips from their works which are still accessible online. Take a few moments once or twice a week to become familiar with their names and their stories. I think you’ll be surprised at how much bold material these writers tackled at the birth of this new medium. — Rosanne Welch

When Women Wrote Hollywood – 27 in a series – “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1920), Wr: Clara Beranger

When Women Wrote Hollywood - 27 in a series -

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a 1920 horror silent film, produced by Famous Players-Lasky and released through Paramount/Artcraft. The film is based upon Robert Louis Stevenson’s novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and starring actor John Barrymore.

The film was directed by John S. Robertson and co-starred Nita Naldi. The scenario was by Clara Beranger and the film is now in the public domain.

Dr. Jekyll, a kind and charitable man, believes that everyone has two sides, one good and one evil, otherwise considered a split personality. Using a potion that he concocted, Dr. Jekykll becomes Mr. Hyde, creating havoc throughout his town.[1][2]

The early part of Jekyll’s initial transformation into Hyde was achieved with no makeup, instead relying solely on Barrymore’s ability to contort his face.[4] In one scene, as Hyde reverts to Jekyll, one of Hyde’s prosthetic fingers can be seen to fly across the screen, having been shaken loose by Barrymore’s convulsions. The character of Millicent Carew does not appear in Stevenson’s original story, but in the 1887 stage version by Thomas Russell Sullivan starring Richard Mansfield. This 1920 film version used the play’s concept of Jekyll being engaged to Carew’s daughter, and Hyde beginning a dalliance with a dance-hall girl. — Wikipedia 

Watch Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

More about Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde (1920)

More about Clare Beranger

Buy a signed copy of when Women Wrote Hollywood

 

Paperback Edition | Kindle Edition | Google Play Edition

* 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

Related posts:

  1. When Women Wrote Hollywood – 26 in a series – Clara Beranger
  2. A History of Screenwriting 52 – It starring Clara Bow – Written by Hope Loring, Louis D. Lighton and George Marion Jr. – 1927
  3. When Women Wrote Hollywood – 17 in a series – “It” (1927) Starring Clara Bow, Wr: Elinor Glyn , Hope Loring , and, Louis D. Lighton , George Marion Jr.
  4. When Women Wrote Hollywood – 15 in a series – “The Ancient Mariner” (1925), Wr: Eve Unsell, Actor: Clara Bow, Dir: Henry Otto/Chester Bennett
  5. When Women Wrote Hollywood – 8 in a series – Bess Meredyth