Becoming an Authority

The benefit of this assignment is twofold. First, you will be learning to identify the elements

within a script that indicate the author has done research and, thereby, has made her or himself

an authority on the topic, characters and locations they’re writing about. Second, you will be

gaining exposure to script analysis, which you will utilize later in the program as you critique

your own work and the work of your classmates.

Instructions:

1. Download the screenplay, The Hurt Locker.

2. Read the script and look for examples where Boal’s research of the war shows

authenticity in dialogue and description. You will not be able to print the script, so jot down on a

piece of paper when you note an example.

3. Cite examples – one of dialogue, one of description – from each act of the script.

Discuss why you think each is a good example of authenticity. (A one sentence answer will

suffice.)

(Remember, as you learned in Syd Field’s, “Screenplay,” which you read for The Art of Visual

Writing class, Act One is approximately the first 30 pages of the script, Act Two is approximately

pages 30-90, and Act Three is approximately pages 90-120.)

Be sure to list the page number and cite the passage of description or dialogue.

4. When you’re finished, come up with a logline for The Hurt Locker based on the logline

template you were taught last month – “WHO does WHAT and WHY?”

5. Type up the logline and examples of authentic dialogue and description you've found in a

Word document and submit.