WRITING THE FEATURE Course Syllabus
COURSE DESCRIPTION This screenwriting course is designed as an introduction to the art and craft of professional screenwriting. It will concentrate on the practicalities and daily practice of writing for the screen. The course will take students step by step through the writing of a script from initial idea to full draft screenplay. The main objective of the course is to ‘exercise’ various writing muscles and prepare students for work within the film industry. Key skills are developed in creating industry standard documents, generating ideas, rewriting, pitching and understanding film structure.
COURSE OBJECTIVE At the completion of this course, the student will have: 1) Developed key short documents and a full draft screenplay 2) Developed a daily writing practice 3) Exercised writing muscles related to: generating ideas, dealing with writer’s block, creating characters, writing dialogue, verbal pitching, redrafting 4) Developed an understanding of screenplay construction and structure 5) Developed skills in script development and analysis
TEACHING STYLE Each week is structured in to three areas: 1) Main lecture delivered on the theme and the practical exercises. 2) Workshop based around the practical exercises 3) Screening of selected film samples and discussion
The main lecture each week is foundation for the conceptual elements that underpin each of the practical exercises that are worked upon in the workshops. The course is structured around both the art and craft of screenwriting. The ‘art’ element deals with both creativity and its disciplines. This includes generating ideas and dealing with writer’s block. The ‘craft’ element deals with technical abilities and techniques. This includes script formats and short document writing.
ASSIGNMENTS
The main assignment will be the development of a full draft screenplay between 80 and 110 pages in length. This will begin in week 5 and be delivered in week 12. During the first five weeks assignments will consist of short documents: a treatment of 10-15 pages, a single page synopsis of between 600-800 words, a paragraph synopsis, a step outline of 80-90 lines (approx 500 words) and a single sentence logline.
Weekly exercises take place during each workshop or as weekly assignments.
Each student will be required to make two presentations during the term (on dates to be agreed). These presentations should be a maximum of ten minutes including visual clips.
Each student will be required to present a verbal pitch for their project between week 6 and week 8.
Week One Outline: Introduction to course. Outline of course objectives and structure. Screenplay formats: how, why and what they are. The business of film and the business of writing.
1 Week Two Outline: Creating Short Documents and why they matter. The premise, the theme and the logline: what’s the difference?
Week 3 Outline: Short documents continued: Step Outlines, Character Studies. Creating the character. Introduction to story structure and analysis: Aristotle and Mckee
Week 4 Outline: Short documents continued: Synopsis Creating the character. Introduction to story structure and analysis: Aristotle and Mckee Character and plot: chicken or egg?
Week 5 Outline: Short documents continued: The treatment Rewriting the short documents The big story: 3 Act Structure, myth, narrative and redemption.
Week 6 Outline: The art of the pitch: spoken and unspoken Beginning, middle and End: setup, complication, resolution Reading the script: analysis of screenplays.
Week 7 Outline: Character is plot and plot vs. character Aristotle and Mc Kee continued. Beginning, middle and End: but not in that order…
Week 8 Outline: Unspoken and Spoken: dialogue and subtext On the page: working with script elements and writing description Seen and Heard: working with sound and vision The cut: editing in film
Week 9 Outline: Genre and Authorship: your story or the producer’s? Clear writing: it’s not so simple The shooting script and the production.
Week 10 Outline: Expansion and reiteration of previous lectures
Week 11 Outline: Producers: what they do and how to get one Dealing with script development
Week 12 Outline: Rewriting again How to redraft. Script Revisions based on notes
2