Screenwriting

Essential Questions:

• What makes screenwriting a unique from other types of creative storytelling art forms?
• What are the essential conventions and techniques used by screenwriters to create compelling, effective scripts?
• How can I conceive, develop, and craft my own original first draft of a screenplay?

Learning Objectives:

• Students will identify, describe, and analyze how screenwriters use the literary conventions of the genre to communicate meaning and create an effective screenplay.
• Students will develop the premise, synopsis, and plot for a complete, original screenplay.
• Students will use correct conventions of screenwriting to write the first draft of an original screenplay.

Week 1: Introduction to Screenwriting

Week 1 is devoted to introducing the course, its requirements, and the technology to navigate it. It also will serve as a meet and greet for students, their classmates, and their instructor, and the start of a lively discussion about favorite films as well as reading a few pages from a real movie script.

Weeks 2-6: Screenwriting Techniques

In the first section of the course, students will learn about screenplays, the language of screenwriting, the conventions, and techniques to craft strong characters and plots. Students will choose from an approved list of films to read, watch, and analyze, looking at how the screenwriter establishes conflict and goals, creates memorable characters, and uses three-act structure to develop a plot. The list of films is as follows:

• Casablanca 1942
• On The Waterfront 1954
• Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 1969
• Patton 1970
• E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial 1982
• Bull Durham 1988
• Sleepless in Seattle 1993
• Pirates of the Caribbean 2003
• Juno 2007
• The Social Network 2010
• Hidden Figures 2016
• Green Book 2018

Concurrently, students will work on a group project where they reimagine a fairy tale in a different genre and write a short screenplay for that story. Students will also complete a variety of brainstorming exercises to help them develop an idea for their own original screenplay.

Weeks 7-9: Formal Analysis

In the second section of the course, students will focus on a film of their own choosing to read, watch, and analysis in a formal essay. Students will practice applying their understanding of the concepts studied in the first part of the course and will engage in the writing process to develop and refine their ideas and written expression. During this time, students will also decide on the story they want to tell for their own original screenplay and will take the first steps of developing the plot outline, character sketches, and a writing plan.

Weeks 10-15: Writing a Draft Screenplay

This section of the class takes the form of a writers workshop, as students work on writing the draft of their original screenplay. The writing process is spaced-out over the course of the second Term, allowing students to make structured progress on their 100-120-page draft by writing one Act at a time. In addition to writing and providing feedback to their peers, students will learn about careers in screenwriting and consider whether that is a path they are interested in pursuing. The course concludes with students compiling all three Acts of their screenplay into a first draft. In the last week of the course students will share excerpts of their work for review and commendation as well as complete a timed, proctored post-assessment.