Background

Screenwriting at TIP has been going on for 4 years. It is one of the best classes that TIP has to offer. The people in this class tend to form bonds that are stronger than any other TIP class.

The class spends 2 weeks learning about how to write a movie script. they watch "upwards of 150" clips during their three weeks. The last week, every student writes a screenplay with a max of fifteen pages. The best filmable script is chosen, and the class spends the final Thursday making the movie. As of 2007, half of the films made in screenwriting have had dialogue and half have been silent films.

Specific Members

This section is dedicated to alumni of the class who wish to write about specific students/TAs/teachers.

Rolin Moe

Rolin Moe has taught the class since it first appeared in the TIP roster. He has often claimed that he will not be coming back, but he always does. In 2007, he announced his engagement, so he won't be coming back in 2008. Rolin has also taught (and still teaches) e-studies courses. During Term 1 of '07, Allen Smith was hired as Rolin's TA. Allen, frequently known as Poor Allen, was a shy, quiet person. On the last day, he showed the class films of him robbing a bank. The saying, "Poor Allen" was changed to "Oh. Allen..." Allen will be teaching the Term 2 class in '07 and both terms in '08.

150 Movie Clips

Every year, Rolin sent out a list of movies that he intended the class to watch, claiming they saw "upwards of 100 clips every year." That statement was not entirely true. In all of Rolin's teaching history at TIP, never had his class even reached 80. As of the begining of term 1 '07, the most movies his class ever watched was 73. On June 29th, 2007, the record was broken with 101 film clips including Rejected, Hit and Miss and the class' own film; Toasted.

Poor Allen

The phrase Poor Allen started the first day in screenwriting 2007 when he was a TA, during evening session. The class was instructed to go around and tell a story, one word at a time. After creating a story about Allen losing his spirit fingers collection and getting his tricycle stolen, Eden Lewis and Arielle Burstein were at a loss for words. "Say poor," Arielle whispered, to which Eden did and Arielle replied with "Allen!" Four more times around the circle, Eden, Arielle and Becca Bennett repeated the phrase. And so, "Poor Allen!" was born. "Poor" Allen now teaches the class.

During 2008, Allen taught screenwriting to much joy of his students. During one classic exercise of Term I, the class was required to come up with different scenes that would come together to form a movie- this spawned heavy debates such as "The Indigo Daisy Project," "John 'Freedom' Adamson Debate," etc. What emerged was a combination of resurrection, hippies lighting fire to things, and the now-iconic phrase: "I Totally Shot Sandra." His TA for term one was Marsha McSpadden. The last day of Term 1, his class discovered that Allen was his middle name and his first name was in fact "Loran." Such a discovery was simalerly made by the Term 1 2007 class, but in a much less exciting manor. After lying about his knowledge of Facebook, his TIPsters found and friended him on the site and learned that Allen is his middle name.

During Term 2, Allen spawned another phenomenon which is now referred to when members of the class shout "Arcs are fun!" The origination of this term is meant to remain unknown to those who did not partake in the class, but it is to be known that arcs are, indeed, fun.

As the sole teacher of the course during the first term of 2009, Allen became well known for his ironic teacher bearing subtle references to television shows such as Full House and Mad Men as well as illustrations pointing to Christian ska groups.

Everything I ever learned about screenwriting, I learned from Loran Allen Smith.

P.S. Everything is in Courier.

Marsha McSpadden

Marsha McSpadden was the screenwriting TA for Term 1 during 2008. She was heavily revered and enjoyed wearing summer dresses to class every day. Though her students exasperated her on a daily basis, she grew to love them, and in return they confided in her and wrote her poems. One student, Jordan R., went so far as to write her a song which mostly consisted of saying Marsha's name over, and over, and over. The greatest conflict between Marsha and Jordan was the fact that Jordan's room was strategically placed directly over Marsha's in Alspaugh. Seizing this opportunity, Jordan, along with fellow screenwriters Ellen, Emma, and Peri, constantly held loud jumping parties into the early hours of the morning. On one memorable field trip, Marsha introduced her students to the Marshamobile, the first of which had un-useable seat belts,then Marshamobile the second came! And they promptly piled in and got lost. On the last day of class, Marsha finally read a steamy page of her novel to the class. She will be missed.

Clint Bland

Clint Bland was Rolin Moe's TA in 2006. His hatred of manatees and fighting of werewolves has inspired us all. Known far and wide to be the coolest person to walk the earth by his class and other TIPsters alike. His current whereabouts are unknown, but it should be noted that the national rate of crimes against werewolves has dramatically increased since his time at TIP.

Class members Session 1, 2007

• Scott Andrus
• Becca Bennett
• Arielle Burstein
• Roy Collins IV
• Ethan "Schazaim" Edmonson
• Susannah Griffee
• Jenny Kennady
• Crystal Kim
• Noah Levine
• Eden Lewis
• Aubrey McGrath
• Tucker Owen
• Erin Sapp
• Nicole Simoneaux
• Jere Stern
• Victoria Vaccari
• Liz Vukelich
• Matthew Westlund

Class members Term 1, 2008

• Mary Liza Hartong
• Mary Kathryn Menck
• Lauren Coleman
• Katy Poinsatte
• Ellen Jones
• Peri Rehm
• Jordan R.
• Justin Ortlip
• Matthew Grossman
• Kyle "dented tree" McCuller
• Vaughan Nickerson
• Julia "rape-whistle girl" Fowler
• Stuart Leach
• Yates "Thundercat" Wilburn "Freeman"
• Blake O'Brien Montgomery
• Rebecca Dunsmore
• Celeste Glober

Class members Term 2, 2008

• Peter Bushman
• Drisana Hughes
• Kate Rohr
• Lillian Erickson
• Hannah Westerman
• Douglas Marks
• Thaddeus Bouska
• Dana Oglesby
• Madeleine Boudreaux
• Casilia Smith
• Will Merrick
• Zach Dunn
• Shelby DeWeese
• Kyle
• David Myers
• Celina Stewart
• Olivia Truax
• Alex Hitter
• Lili Safon

Class members Term 1, 2009

• Holly Alker
• Anusha Bradley
• Hannah Crow
• Celia Ford
• Sarah Garza
• Bernadette Gnass
• Amanda Hoffman
• Cameron Howell
• Irene Hsu
• Emma Joslyn
• Dan Rothman
• Wendy Tong

Completed Short Films

"PRANK" (Term I 2008)

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