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CW301-30 Screenwriting

20/21

Department Warwick Writing Programme Level Undergraduate Level 3 Module leader Lucy Brydon Credit value 30 Module duration 18 weeks Assessment 100% coursework Study location University of Warwick main campus, Coventry

Description

Introductory description

EN3C0-30 Screenwriting

Module web page

Module aims

The module is aimed at second and third year students. The course will introduce students to contemporary screenwriting practice. There are no formal entry requirements. It introduces students to the principles of screenwriting craft and the current climate in the UK.

Outline syllabus

This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.

Autumn Term - The Craft of Screenwriting Week 1: Introduction – Screenwriting basics and treatments Week 2: for short Week 3: Developing characters Week 4: The fine art of dialogue Week 5: Screenings of short films Week 6: Reading Week Week 7: The Scene I Week 8: Editing and Sound Week 9: and Resolution Week 10: Student multimedia presentation of short film (non-assessed) Spring Term: Elements of Film Making Week 1: The Scene II Week 2: Dramatic structure for feature films – Hollywood 3- structure and alternatives Week 3: Tricks of the trade: Mystery, surprise, dramatic and . Week 4: Managing the story: , activity, dialogue, ellipses, planting set-up and pay-off Week 5: adaptations and writing for television Week 6: Reading week Week 7: Guest lecture by professional / producer Week 8: Script development and the Week 9: Visit to BFI archive and workshop session with BFI Raw Shorts Week 10: Finding your voice

Learning outcomes

By the end of the module, students should be able to:

• By the end of this course, students will be able to craft short and feature scripts for film. • By the end of this course, students will have an awareness of the differences between writing for television and film. • By the end of this course, students will have an improved understanding of the process of film production. • By the end of this course, students will have learnt new technical skills (or enhanced existing ones) relating to shooting and editing video. • By the end of this course, students will have sharpened their understanding of their own voice, and where that sits in the current UK film climate. • Their critical understanding of , screenwriting and film theory will have been enhanced. • They will also be provided with a foundation network of film industry contacts, via visiting lecturers and workshops with the BFI Raw Shorts scheme.

Indicative reading list

The Tools of Screenwriting: A Writer’s Guide to the Craft and Elements of a , David Howard and Edward Mabley Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting, (Third Edition), Bantam Doubleday Bell, 1998. On Directing, David Mamet

Secondary Reading: , Aristotle, Penguin Classics, 1996 On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, Stephen King, Hodder & Stoughton, 2000 Adventures In The Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood, , 1983 In the Blink of an Eye Revised 2nd Edition, Walter Murch, 2001 Hitchcock: A Definitive Study of Alfred Hitchcock, Francois Truffaut. Simon & Schuster, 1986. (NB: This is a revised edition of the original 'Hitchcock', 1967, which may be cheaper.) On Film-making, Alexander Mackendrick. Faber & Faber, 2006. Ronald Harwood's Adaptations: From Other Works into Films, Ronald Harwood. Guerilla Books, 2007. Scorsese on Scorsese Ed. David Thompson and Ian Christie. Faber & Faber,1989. Story, Robert McKee. Methuen,1999.

Subject specific skills

No subject specific skills defined for this module.

Transferable skills

No transferable skills defined for this module.

Study

Study time

Type Required Seminars 18 sessions of 1 hour 30 minutes (9%) Private study 273 hours (91%) Total 300 hours

Private study description

Reading & research

Costs

No further costs have been identified for this module.

Assessment

You do not need to pass all assessment components to pass the module.

Assessment group A

Weighting Study time Assessed short film screenplay 30% Weighting Study time Assessed essays/coursework 70% Assessed 5000-word script/script excerpt plus 2000-word treatment and 1000-word critical document: 180 hours

Feedback on assessment

In workshop critique; individual consultation with tutor; email; Tabula

Availability

Courses

This module is Optional for:

• Year 3 of UENA-Q300 Undergraduate English • Year 3 of UENA-QP36 Undergraduate English Literature and • Year 4 of UENA-QP37 Undergraduate English Literature and Creative Writing with Intercalated Year • Year 4 of UENA-Q301 Undergraduate English Literature with Intercalated Year • Year 4 of UENA-QW35 Undergraduate English and Theatre Studies with Intercalated Year • Year 3 of UFIA-W620 Undergraduate Film Studies • Year 4 of UFIA-W621 Undergraduate Film Studies (with Year Abroad)

This module is list A for:

• Year 3 of UCXA-QQ37 Undergraduate Classics and English • Year 3 of UFIA-QW25 Undergraduate Film and Literature

This module is Option list B for:

• Year 3 of UTHA-QW34 Undergraduate English and Theatre Studies

This module is Option list C for:

• Year 3 of UPHA-VQ72 Undergraduate Philosophy and Literature • Year 4 of UPHA-VQ73 Undergraduate Philosophy and Literature with Intercalated Year