Screenwriting

Course Content:

This module centres on screenwriting. It will have both an analytical and a creative
component. It will interpret screenwriting techniques both in order to then apply these
insights to the analysis of an existing screenplay, but also with a view to enabling
students to write their own short film. Examples from a variety of cinematic genres will
be studied and comparisons will be made between the written screenplay and the
cinematic result.

Leaning heavily on classic examples from Hollywood, but also alluding to British and
European cinema, the course has two strands.
First, we will analyse and dismantle successful examples of the conventional narrative film,
focusing in particular on structure and character/characterisation, and enabling you to
understand the contribution of the screenplay to how the film is constructed and why it
succeeds.

Second, we will guide you to the creation and completion of your own short screenplay,
providing you with models (in both film and script form) from a selection of successful short
films.

Autumn Semester topics:
? Introduction to Screenwriting: From Treatment to Film. Short film
introduced.
? Structure of the Feature Length Film (Part 1) ? Act Structure, Creating the
World, Inciting Incident.
? Structure of the Feature Length Film (Part 2) ? Progressive Complication,
Resolution. Illustrated with clips from Sexy Beast.
? Character (in Feature Film) (Part 1) : Goals, Inner Conflict, aims, struggle,
empathy for character . Illustrated with clips from In A Lonely Place.
? Character (in Feature Film) (Part Two): Aims struggle, lack of self
knowledge, empathy for character , building to crisis, questions of selfknowledge,
point of view, etc. Illustrated with clips from In a Lonely Place.
? Telling the Story ? Screen Narrative Devices. Illustrated with clips from
Body Heat and Witness.
? Telling the Story (Part 2) ? ?Less is More?. The re-write stuff; visual
storytelling, illustrated by clips from Witness and The Hudsucker Proxy, etc.
? Introducing Character. The first appearance. Illustrated with clips from
North by North West, The Constant Gardener, A Matter of Life and Death.
? Tricks - Methods of Story Telling; use of voice over, flash back, flash
forward, false endings. Hidden exposition ? how and when to reveal
information; dynamic cuts ? pushing the story forward.
? Development. (i) Reincorporation ? key objects (The Abyss, Jaws), and (ii)
Twist ? Giving the Audience What They Want But Not The Way They Expect
It. Illustrated by clips from Pulp Fiction, A Very Long Engagement, Witness.
In the spring semester, students will be expected to develop an idea from premise
through treatment to the draft they will subsequently submit.

Teaching:
Two hour weekly sessions consisting of screenings, practical workshops and individual
tutorials.

Assessment:
STUDY OPTION 1:
? 1000 word written exercise in analysis of a professional, feature-length
screenplay (50%)
? A short screenplay of no more than 1500 words, plus a 500 word evaluation
STUDY OPTION 2: alternative assessment

Study Option 1 = Whole Year
Study Option 2 = Autumn
Study Option 3 = Spring/summer