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CW301-30 Screenwriting

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CW301-30 Screenwriting 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 film 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: Dramatic structure for short films 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: Conflict and Resolution Week 10: Student multimedia presentation of short film script (non-assessed) Spring Term: Elements of Film Making Week 1: The Scene II Week 2: Dramatic structure for feature films – Hollywood 3-Act structure and alternatives Week 3: Tricks of the trade: Mystery, surprise, dramatic irony and suspense. Week 4: Managing the story: exposition, activity, dialogue, ellipses, planting set-up and pay-off Week 5: Novel adaptations and writing for television Week 6: Reading week Week 7: Guest lecture by professional screenwriter / producer Week 8: Script development and the film industry 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 filmmaking, 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 Screenplay, David Howard and Edward Mabley Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting, Syd Field (Third Edition), Bantam Doubleday Bell, 1998. On Directing, David Mamet Secondary Reading: Poetics, 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, William Goldman, 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 Literature • Year 3 of UENA-QP36 Undergraduate English Literature and Creative Writing • 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 Option 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.
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