Course Language:
English
Course Coordinator:
Course Objectives:
The purpose of the course is to teach students scriptwriting fundamentals and techniques in order for them to write screenplays that meet international standards. It aims to give practical tools that can be applied to their own short scripts.
Course Content:
There will be two hours of lectures focusing on the theoretical aspects and two hours of practical workshops where the students will apply these theories or concepts to their projects. Students will learn the rules and techniques that are used by industry professionals. They will learn to write loglines and treatments of their ideas and turn them into projects. The screenwriting methods and formulas will be explained through the concept of character. Each lesson will focus on one aspect of character that illuminates a general rule. The focus on character will make it easier for students to apply abstract screenwriting concepts to their projects.
Course Methodology:
1: Lecture, 2: Interactive Lecture, 7: Brainstorming, 13: Fieldwork
Course Evaluation Methods:
A: Exam, C: Assignment
Vertical Tabs
Course Learning Outcomes
| Learning Outcomes | Program Learning Outcomes | Teaching Methods | Assessment Methods |
| 1) Understanding the purpose of a screenplay in the film industry. Demonstrating why the particular forms and techniques are necessary in the professional sphere. Preventing students from making amateur mistakes. | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 1, 2, 7 | A, C |
| 2) Students will learn the requirements of writing a screenplay that they will not be directing. As a screenplay is a blueprint of a visual medium they will learn how a screenplay differs from other forms of writing. | 2, 3, 4 | 1, 2, 7 | A, C |
| 3) Learning the character based classical narrative that has been prevalent in story telling since antiquity. To understand the importance of mastering the classical narrative before attempting alternative storytelling methods. | 1, 3, 4 | 1, 2 | A, C |
| 4) To learn that scriptwriting formulas are not random restrictions on the writer but are actually tools to refer to when the writer is stuck as well a way of testing out the flaws and the structure of a completed screenplay. | 1, 2, 3, 4 | 1, 2, 7, 13 | A, C |
| 5) Students will write and rewrite their short scripts with these scriptwriting concepts in mind, and they will be expected to meet professional standards. | 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, 9 | 1, 2, 7, 13 | A, C |
Course Flow
| COURSE CONTENT | ||
| Week | Topics | Study Materials |
| 1 | Introduction. What is a screenplay? What is its purpose in the film industry? How is it different from other forms of writing and what are the implications regarding writing techniques? | |
| 2 | The international scriptwriting format that is approved by film festivals, script consultants and production companies. The balance of action, description and dialogue in a screenplay. This lecture will only focus on the formal aspects of a script. | Downloading CELTX, a scriptwriting software. |
| 3 | What are loglines, synopses and treatments? What are they used for? What is their importance regarding screenplays, finding funding, developing ideas, production and distribution? | Writing a page of script. |
| 4 | Analysing the story spine that arises from the logline by focusing on character. The character will be broken down to goal, want, need, obstacle and conflict. | Writing a character based synopsis. |
| 5 | What are inciting incidents, turning points and act breaks? How can we use character in order to understand these concepts so that they have practical purpose rather than being a part of a formula? | Writing a paragraph differentiating the want and the need of their character. |
| 6 | Analysing character through choice and action. What impact does this have on the reader or audience with regards to empathy, expectation, surprise and catharsis? | Detailing the development of the character in terms of inciting incidents, turning points and act breaks. |
| 7 | Why are flaws of a character essential to screenwriting? What is a tragic flaw? Analysing physical and psychological flaws of characters and how this determines the story arc, character development and self-revelation. | Listing the choices made by their characters that alter the course of the story. |
| 8 | MIDTERM EXAM | Finding the conflict that the will most challenge the character. |
| 9 | The importance of conflict in a screenplay? What are the types of conflicts? How conflicts are related to character? How does this affect the genre of the film? | A paragraph on a flaw of their characters and why the character is blind to it. |
| 10 | The importance of a scene and how it relates to the whole of the screenplay? What are the necessary components of a scene? The importance of subtext when writing a scene. | Finding a conflict between two characters that cannot be resolved without one losing. |
| 11 | What is theme? How does it differ from the premise? How does it relate to the journey of the character? How does it affect the structure and the plot as well as the style? | Writing down the turning points with a scene of their choice. |
| 12 | Controlling the flow of information in a screenplay whether it is between characters or between the characters and the audience. Understanding dramatic irony and subtext from this flow of information. | Writing down the theme of their short film in a paragraph. |
| 13 | Dialogue writing. How does want, need, flaw and subtext have an impact on dialogue? Avoiding bland exposition and on-the-nose dialogue. | Writing down the dramatic irony in their script. |
| 14 | The importance of the editing and rewriting process in scriptwriting. Figuring out what scenes are necessary. | Writing a dialogue scene where there is dramatic irony. |
| 15 | The importance of giving and receiving feedback and how it develops writers. To learn to give constructive criticism to each other’s projects. | Bringing the final version of their script to class. |
| 16 | FINAL EXAM | |
Recommended Sources
| RECOMMENDED SOURCES | |
| Textbook |
- Field, Syd (2005). Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting, NY: Bantam Dell
- McKee, Robert (1997). Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting, NY: Harper-Collins Inc. - Snyder, Blake (2005). Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need, CA: Michael Wiese Productions. |
| Additional Resources | Screenplays of produced feature films. Loglines, synopses and treatments. |
Material Sharing
| MATERIAL SHARING | |
| Documents | Handed out in class |
| Assignments | |
| Exams | |
Assessment
| ASSESSMENT | ||
| IN-TERM STUDIES | NUMBER | PERCENTAGE |
| Mid-terms | 1 | 30 |
| Quizzes | ||
| Assignment | 10 | 70 |
| Total | 100 | |
| Contribution of Final Examination to Overall Grade | 60 | |
| Contribution of In-Term Studies to Overall Grade | 40 | |
| Total | 100 | |
Course’s Contribution to Program
| COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO PROGRAM | ||||||
| No | Program Learning Outcomes | Contribution | ||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1 | Defines basic concepts, theories, methods, and domains of study specific to radio, television and cinema by associating them with the findings and theories of humanities and social sciences. | X | ||||
| 2 | Demonstrates the responsibilities, effective participation, coordination, and planning skills essential for harmonious and efficient teamwork in the production processes relative to the radio, television and cinema fields. | X | ||||
| 3 | Generates media products in accordance with professional standards in various narrative forms and genres specific to the field by synthesizing up-to-date knowledge and skills for expertise acquired through applied and theoretical courses. | X | ||||
| 4 | Manifests professional knowledge and such skills as copywriting, image management, editing, sound design, producing and directing, media management in different fields of radio, television and cinema locally and globally. | X | ||||
| 5 | Holds responsibility in broadcasting by integrating national and international rules of law that media professionals should pursue with professional ethical principles. | |||||
| 6 | Comprehends the knowledge and skills related to institutional operation and management in the production and broadcasting processes of radio, television and cinema for the common interest. | |||||
| 7 | Evaluates radio, television and cinema fields analytically and critically from their institutional structuring to products regarding a wide range of cultural, artistic, economic, and social relations. | |||||
| 8 | Has the ability to collect visual, audio and written data, conduct research, evaluate, report and offer creative solutions in the fields of radio, television and cinema. | X | ||||
| 9 | Develops original projects for radio, television and cinema by following new technologies, developments, and ideas in the fields of art, culture, and media at the national and global planes. | X | ||||
ECTS
| ECTS ALLOCATED BASED ON STUDENT WORKLOAD BY THE COURSE DESCRIPTION | |||
| Activities | Quantity |
Duration (Hour) |
Total Workload (Hour) |
| Course Duration | 14 | 4 | 56 |
| Hours for off-the-classroom study (Pre-study, practice) | 14 | 2 | 28 |
| Students Reading | |||
| Pairwork | |||
| Homework | 10 | 1 | 10 |
| Mid-terms | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Final examination | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Total Work Load | 102 | ||
| Total Work Load / 25 (h) | 4,08 | ||
| ECTS Credit of the Course | 4 | ||
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