Radio Free Athens Script
(FALL 2022) - For this assignment, we followed Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need to help us concept the idea of a screenplay. While researching potential ideas for a screenplay I came across a genre of music called college rock. College rock is essentially music that was played on college radio stations in the 1980s. Think along the lines of R.E.M, The Smiths and The Cure. By the 1990s the use of the term “college rock” was replaced with “alternative” and “indie rock.” Again while researching, I came across the University of Georgia Athen’s radio station. On a few separate occasions the university’s radio station was taken off the air for noncompliance with the FCC and other reasons. With these two pieces of information in mind this is how I came up with the idea for Radio Free Athens.
LOGLINE: An impassioned station manager aims to rally his ununiformed staff in his attempt to save the university’s radio station from the powers that be.
Beat Sheet
PROJECT TITLE: College Rock
GENRE: The Golden Fleece
DATE: 09/28/2022
Opening Image (1): Gus is sitting still during the middle of a chaotic meeting. Everyone around him is pacing, taking and freaking out.
Theme Stated (5): Fin is fed up with the boring station meeting led by Gus. Fin tells Gus to let up on the rules, tells him he needs to live a little and asks Gus if he has broken any rules.
Set-up (1-10): We meet the station DJs. Fin: a music critic who happens to be a frat boy. Matilda: a music addict, she is always listening to music. Inez: a music seeker, she’s into underground, lesser-known music. Darcy: she only listens to glam metal. Fergus: a music connoisseur, obsessed with the Grateful Dead. Gus: a music snub, he thinks he has an excellent taste in music, but is really a casual listener. Jake is Gus’s manager at the Pizza restaurant Gus works at.
Catalyst (12): Gus find a letter from the University in the station’s general manager’s office informing the GM that the station will no longer be funded starting the first of January.
Debate (12-25): How will Gus keep the station running?
Break into Two (25): Gus is going to let the station DJs know what is going on at the next station meeting, but first he is going to let some steam off at Fin’s fraternity party.
B Story (30): Gus wakes up in a hospital bed confused how he got there. The nurse will not release him to leave until he speaks to the hospital’s counselor.
Fun and Games (30-55): Thinking it will be another boring meeting, Fergus brings some snacks for the crew to help them get through the meeting. The crew then ventures to get pizza and the Pizza place and end up sharing some secrets with Gus. Gus comes up with an idea to save the station.
Midpoint (55): Gus’s idea is working perfectly; the station is raking in money like never before.
Bad Guys Close In (55-75): Gus receives a letter from the University’s administration informing the station that it has violated a number of rules. The station is at risk of being shut down following a hearing. The elusive general manager of the station makes a visit, after catching wind that the station is at risk of shutting down.
All Is Lost (75): Bruce (elusive general manager) fires Gus.
Dark Night of the Soul (75-85): Gus enters a depressive state and picks up more shifts at the Pizza Place because he has more free time.
Break into Three (85): While delivering a pizza, Gus ends up at the hospital counselor’s house. Gus updates him on his life. Hospital counselor encourages him to reach out the DJs and help them.
Finale (85-110): Gus helps the DJs prepare for the hearing. At the hearing administration informs the team that everyone is fired and the station is being shut down.
Final Image (110): Gus is sitting still during the middle of a chaotic meeting. Everyone around him is pacing, taking and freaking out. Gus gets up and leaves the station for the last time.
FUN AND GAMES BEAT
PAGE 1
PAGE 2
PAGE 3
PAGE 4
