Throughout the semester, you have critically analyzed a number of artifacts. Now it is your turn to propose an original artifact, namely, a movie. You (or your group) are a screenwriter, and you are planning to propose an original movie to the producer (me!). As budding sustainability experts well-versed in the art of rhetoric, you are perfectly suited to write a movie that appeals to a wide audience and has sustainability as a core theme. (Fortunately for you, your producer also understands sustainability and rhetoric, so can provide feedback on both counts.)  The movie can have any story, but must meet the following criteria:

• This must be intended for a general audience. It does not have to be a blockbuster but must not require specialized knowledge in order to be understood.
• It cannot be a documentary. 
• The ability (or inability) of the earth to sustainably support life must be a central theme. It does not have to be the only theme or even the main theme, but it must play a prominent role in the movie.
• It must be an original movie.

You have the option to complete this project individually, or in groups of up to 4 people. I have created a discussion board to help you find others to be in your group. Once you find group members, one person from the group needs to email me, and cc the others in the group. I strongly suggest that you work in groups - it is a good way to get to know others in the course, and it minimizes your work sicne all assignments are the same whether you work in a group or alone.

For group communication, I have created a discussion board that is viewable only by your group members and me. Once you tell me who is in your group, you will be able to view the discussion board.

The final movie proposal must have the following components for full credit. This must be double-spaced, 12 pt font, and submitted on a Word document. If your submission is longer than the prescribed length, that element's score will be reduced by 50%: You must perform your own word count and indicate the number of words in each section.

1. One paragraph (no more than 150 words) overview: This MUST be a single paragraph. It should summarize the movie plot and should be written in a way that “sells” the movie, both to the producer and to the general audience.
2. One paragraph (no more than 150 words) Include a brief analysis of why a general audience would want to see the movie.
3. One paragraph (no more than 150 words) summary of the specific sustainability message of the movie. This must have the following elements:
   • It must address as a MAJOR theme the ability (or inability) of the planet to sustainably provide the resources necessary to support life on earth. The movie could be set in the future, present, and/or past. Describe exactly what message the movie will present in this regard.
   • Be specific!  E.g., do not just indicate that “it is about the negative effects of climate change.”  Be specific about the cause(s) and effect(s) of the sustainability issue, e.g., what social/political/economic situations lead to climate change not being addressed, and the specific impacts that will be portrayed, etc.
   • Describe why this message is an important sustainability issue.
4. 1-2 sentences each: Briefly describe each major character in the movie, e.g., important character traits. Do NOT give away the plot yet!
   • It can be fun to suggest actors/actresses for these roles! Feel free to do this, though it is not necessary.
5. Up to 2 pages: Write the “story” of the movie. Describe the plot and include all major events from start to finish.
   • Feel free to provide dialogue, but you do not need to provide it unless it is essential to the story.
   • You are welcome to provide storyboards, use images (make sure you provide the link to original if you do), and/or include pictures of your own.
6. No more than 1 paragraph (less than 150 words) for each rhetorical strategy below. You can probably accomplish each in a sentence or two: You must include all of the following for full credit.
   • Describe the overall use of logos – how will you establish a logical argument?  Include why/how this establishes logos.
   • Describe 1-2 specific scenes that have pathos.  Include why/how this establishes pathos.
   • How will you establish ethos?  Include why/how this will establish ethos. 
     • Important note: You must establish ethos with the audience. Since these are fictional movies, doing something like including a scientist in the movie will not accomplish this, because they know that the scientist is just someone playing a character. Using scientifically accurate (or seemingly accurate) language may accomplish this, though, as can a number of other things.
7. Up to 1 paragraph (150 words or less) for each bullet below: Scientific basis.
   • Include one quality source of information that you will use as reference material for the scientific basis of the movie, and indicate which part of the movie it will be used for. Find a specific article, website, book, etc., and indicate how it supports what you are writing. Cite your source.
   • Evaluate the validity of the source you use. 
8. Up to 1 paragraph (less than 150 words): Describe how the movie will be effective at delivering the sustainability message, considering the rhetorical devices, plot, characters, etc. How will you convince the audience that the sustainability issue is important?

Note that you will also be graded on overall clarity and organization. The descriptions of each component must have a good flow and quality description. See rubrics for full grading description.

You must submit this via a Microsoft Word document. One submission will be provided per group.

Your final project will be completed in multiple phases, spread out over the course of weeks, as follows. For ALL elements, 50% will be deducted from that element if it is longer than prescribed.

If you work in a group, you must indicate which group member worked on each section for each submission.

Assignment 1: Initial proposal

I'm sure you or your group will have a number of interesting ideas for movies, but for the initial proposal, you must submit one idea. This is a relatively short assignment - the proposal is only a few paragraphs. This gives your group the opportunity to begin solidifying general movie details and gives me the opportunity to provide you with feedback in a short period of time. This feedback will hopefully help you determine which of the ideas you will use for your final project.

Each initial proposal must have the following elements for full credit.

• Movie Title
• 1 paragraph (150 words or less) or summary of the story
• 1 paragraph (150 words or less) description of the sustainability theme and how you address/illustrate it in the movie
• 1 paragraph (150 words or less) summary of how/why this is appropriate for a general audience and justification for why audiences will want to see it

You will submit this via Discussion Board, which is only visible by you (or your group) and me. See the rubric for grading, and the Canvas or Google Calendar for due dates.

This is worth 5% of your final project grade.

Assignment 2: Rough draft

For your full rough draft, you will complete a full rough draft of the Final Project. You must have all the elements of the final project for full credit. See the Final Project Description [1] for full details, and look at the rubric to see how this will be graded.

For full credit. You will submit one draft per group: You must have all of the elements of the final project in rough form.

This assignment is submitted to me via Canvas. You must submit a Microsoft Word Document.  See Canvas for the complete assignment description. See the rubric for grading and the Course Calendar for due dates.

This is worth 20% of your final project grade.

Assignment 3: Final project final submission

For your final project, you will use the feedback provided to you on your rough draft and finalize your project. You will submit one project per group if you are working in a group. For full credit:

• You must have all of the elements of the final project, as listed in the Final Project Description [1].

You will submit this via Canvas. You must submit a Microsoft Word Document. See Canvas for the complete assignment description. See the rubric for grading and the Course Calendar for due dates.

This is worth 75% of your final project grade.

Assignment 4: Discussion Board - Critiquing Other Movie Proposals

You will engage in a discussion board during the last week of the semester. Each person (or group) will be assigned one other project to critique. You will provide substantive feedback on the following aspects of the movie proposal: attractiveness to a general audience, effectiveness of the sustainability message, strongest rhetorical content, weakest rhetorical content, and quality of the plot.

The discussion board will have two parts:

• Part 1: Each student provides substantive feedback on the other project. Each student will provide full feedback for the project.
• Part 2: Each student must provide at least one substantive response to the critique.

See Canvas for the complete assignment description. See the rubric for grading and the Course Calendar for due dates.

Optional Assignment 5: Extra Credit

For extra credit, you or your group can describe a movie trailer. The details are as follows:

• Describe the trailer, scene-by-scene. Include all dialogue (including the voice-over), and describe the action and scenery.
• Use each rhetorical device at least once in the trailer. Describe the device and specifically how it will establish each persuasion method.
• Be very specific about how the trailer will get a general audience excited about the movie.
• There needs to be enough material to realistically have about 2 minutes of footage. Be very detailed about how long each section of the trailer is.

See Canvas for the complete assignment description. See the rubric for grading, and the Canvas or Google Calendar for due dates.

This is worth up to 1% extra on your final grade.

Final Project Breakdown

The final project is broken down into multiple sections, spread out of the course of weeks. See Canvas or the Google Calendar for the due date. See the next page for a description of each section.