Logan McInnes
Welcome!
My name is Logan McInnes. Thank you for taking the time to review my portfolio!
Academic Writing Sample
I wrote this paper for my COMM 440 Communication Law course. The assignment was to write a 2,000 to 2,500-word paper, examining a legal case connecting to concepts discussed in class. In this paper, I analyzed Time, Inc. v. Hill (1967) and its relationship to New York Times v. Sullivan (1964) to explore the broader tension between First Amendment protections regarding public interest versus family privacy. This work demonstrates my ability to apply legal principles discussed in class, such as actual malice, false light, public versus private figures, defamation, and burden of proof, to real-world cases.
Revised Artifact
This scene was my artifact, which I made three revisions to in preparation for my Senior Project presentation. I wrote the original scene in my Theatre 460 Writing for Stage and Screen course. The assignment was to write a scene where two characters converse in a bookstore, and they both want the same book. This scene demonstrates my group project's horror theme, displaying my understanding of dramatic structure by building tension through dialogue, character contrast, and subtext, ultimately subverting audience expectations with a dark tonal shift. In this revised scene, I specifically focused on improving characterization, added more visual, descriptive depth to the setting to raise the stakes, and sharpened the dialogue to distinguish between my characters.
Pulp's Premise
I wrote this piece for my COMM 326 Media Writing course. The assignment was to write a screenwriting blog post for the blog I created, called "Hip Scripts: Getting Write to the Story." I analyzed the final draft of the "Pulp Fiction" screenplay, co-written by Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary, breaking the screenplay into 23 distinct sequences to better understand its nonlinear storytelling structure. Before the blog analysis, I included a "Pulp Fiction" film review originally written for Audery and George Lane, co-directors of the Days of the Dead International Horror Film Festival, demonstrating my ability to adapt writing for different audiences. I had the opportunity to share this work directly with Roger Avary when I met and spent time with him one-on-one at the film festival event in Chicago in November 2025.
Short Script Excerpt
I wrote this script for my Theatre 460 Writing for Stage and Screen course. The assignment was to develop a short, original screenplay. In this piece, called "Together-Ness," I explore themes of grief, loss, and healing through a young boy's journey in the Scottish Highlands, incorporating elements of fantasy inspired by the legend of the Loch Ness monster. My family is from Scotland, which inspired this story. I have included only the first 15 pages of the 30-page script, as I feel this excerpt showcases my abilities in writing a compelling narrative arc, developing emotionally driven characters, and translating abstract themes into cinematic imagery and dialogue. This piece played a significant role in my acceptance into the MFA Writing for Film and Television program at Emerson College, as I submitted it as my screenwriting excerpt with three essays.
E.T. Phone Home!
I wrote this piece for my COMM 326 Media Writing course. The assignment was to write a screenwriting blog post for the blog I created, called "Hip Scripts: Getting Write to the Story." I analyzed the final draft of the "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" screenplay, written by Melissa Matheson, breaking the screenplay into 23 structured sequences to better understand its narrative progression and emotional design. This work demonstrates my ability to translate complex screenwriting techniques, such as structure, character development, and thematic resonance, into an engaging blog format. In this piece, I highlight how Matheson's writing intertwines parallel character arcs between Elliott and E.T. to create a deeply impactful story.
Just Got Dark In The Ozarks
I wrote this piece for my COMM 326 Media Writing course. The assignment was to write a screenwriting blog post for the blog I created, called "Hip Scripts: Getting Write to the Story." I analyzed the television series "Ozark," created by Bill Dubuque and Mark Williams, with a particular emphasis on the series finale teleplay, "A Hard Way to Go," written by Chris Mundy. By examining how character actions drive the story and how high-stakes conflict sustains audience engagement across multiple seasons, I highlight the complexity of serialized television writing and why this show was excellent.
