Aims of the course
- to give participants an introduction to, and overview of the screenwriting process
- to equip participants with the knowledge and tools to develop and write a short screenplay following a step-by-step approach
- to encourage and enable participants to develop their writing skills (in order to write a short screenplay)
Target audience
- participants new to writing for the screen
- creative writers from other disciplines looking to learn about screenwriting
- screenwriters looking to improve their knowledge/understanding of the nuts and bolts of screenwriting
Schedule (this course is completed entirely online)
Orientation Week: 5-11 September 2022
Teaching Weeks: 12 September-16 October 2022
Feedback Week: 17-23 October 2022
Teaching Week 1 - Ideation
By studying this week participants should have:
- a solid overview of the screenwriting process
- a knowledge and understanding of how to generate a screen narrative idea
- an understanding of the function of a premise
- a knowledge and understanding of how to write a premise
- an opportunity to write a premise
- an opportunity to pitch a premise
- an understanding of how screen narratives differ from other forms of (creative) writing
Teaching week 2 - From premise to outline
By studying this week participants should have:
- an overview of the meta-elements of a screen narrative: character, theme, and story
- a knowledge and understanding of how to develop a character by identifying a 'want', 'flaw', and 'need'
- an understanding of how to write an effective character profile
- a knowledge and understanding of how to identify and develop a unifying and universal theme within their writing
- a knowledge and understanding of the ten story types and how to apply them
- an understanding of the function of the one-page outline
- an opportunity to apply the above to the writing of a one-page outline
Teaching week 3 - From outline to step-outline
By studying this week participants should have:
- an understanding of how to structure a screen narrative
- a knowledge of the structural frameworks as applied to short film narratives
- an understanding of how to use Active Questions to structure a screen narrative for audience engagement
- an overview of visual storytelling
- an understanding of image systems and visual metaphors
- an understanding of the function of a step-outline
Teaching week 4 - From step-outline to draft zero
By studying this week participants should have:
- a knowledge and understanding of the functions of dialogue in a screen narrative
- an understanding of the functions of subtext in a screen narrative
- an understanding of the do's and don'ts of writing dialogue
- an understanding of how a scene works
- an understanding of how to write an intriguing/engaging opening
- an understanding of how to utilise setting to enhance tension and atmosphere
- an understanding of the function of a draft zero short screenplay
- an opportunity to write and develop a draft zero short screenplay
Teaching week 5 - The rewriting process
By studying this week participants should have:
- an overview of the rewriting process
- an understanding of structured rewrites and their function
- an understanding of the function and process of giving and receiving feedback
- a knowledge and understanding of how to enhance mood/atmosphere through sound (effects)
- a knowledge and understanding of how to write effective transitions
- an understanding of how to stress test a screenplay
- an understanding of tone
Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours reading material, etc., although this will vary from person to person.
While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).
Virtual Learning Environment
Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (discussion boards etc).
Certificate of participation
A Certificate of Participation will be awarded to participants who contribute constructively to weekly discussions and exercises/assignments for the duration of the course.
