Department of Media and Cultural Studies Module Outline Academic Year 2011/12 Birkbeck, University of London Screenwriting The Thirty Minute Script MODULE CODE: FFME026S5BCB CREDITS/LEVEL: 30 CATS/Level 5 ENTRANCE REQUIREMENTS: CLASS TIME: Students should have completed the 22 week introductory module Screenwriting (or be able to provide evidence of having successfully completed a directly equivalent course elsewhere) prior to commencing Screenwriting: the Thirty Minute Script. TBC CLASS DATES: Term 1 Term 2 VENUE: First meeting TBC Last meeting TBC COURSE TAUGHT BY TBC AIMS & OUTCOMES In this module you will revise and expand your knowledge of telling a story visually, gaining a more detailed understanding of the many elements involved in screenwriting craft such as character, dialogue, scene composition, story, plot, sound and image. You will further develop your screenwriting skills by writing a Thirty- Minute Script and a Reflective Evaluation on the writing process and finished project. You will develop your editorial skills in a workshop environment where you will be expected to give and receive editorial comments on work-in-progress. The Thirty- Minute Script can be in any genre(s), for television or cinema, it can be a single, selfcontained drama or it can be an episode of a new series/serial for television. On successful completion of this module a student will be expected to be able to: Develop and plan a story across three acts Demonstrate an understanding of screenwriting craft Demonstrate an ability to create a dramatic narrative Produce work which demonstrates effective manipulation of sound, image and text.
Critically reflect on their own and others work Work independently and as part of a team Show an understanding of the aesthetic and formal qualities at play in screen products. TEACHING METHODS The two-hour weekly seminars are the focus of this module where screenings, discussion and analysis will be used to explore aspects of scriptwriting for film and television. You will also be expected to complete coursework and research outside the seminar meetings. The Thirty-Minute Script will be developed using a workshop method at the weekly seminars. This approach promotes a stimulating and supportive environment where your individual writing styles can be developed. Having your work-in-progress read aloud and receiving editorial feedback on your work may sound challenging, or even daunting, but it is an excellent way of building confidence and preparing you for the professional arena. It will also provide invaluable editorial experience as you learn how to respond analytically and constructively to other people s work. There will also be writing exercises, textual analysis, and the screening of clips to illustrate subject areas covered in the seminars. ASSESSMENT & COURSEWORK FORMATS A mark of pass or above will only be awarded to students who have attended 75% of classes. This is a formal requirement of the module. Students with lower than 75% attendance will not receive credit for this module. TWO pieces of coursework are assessed for this module. The first piece, which constitutes 75% of your overall mark, can either be: OR a) A Thirty-Minute Single Drama, for television or cinema, approximately 30 pages in length, plus character synopses. b) An Episode for a new television series/serial/sitcom, approximately 30 pages, plus character synopses and storyline summaries for the next five episodes. The second piece of coursework, which constitutes 25% of your overall mark is: The Evaluation. This is a 700-word essay reflecting on the process involved in writing your thirty-minute script. This should include an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the finished product, reasons for the decisions and changes made, a sense of the evolution of the project, and reference to other artistic products that have influenced your creative choices. You will also write a Television Series/Serial Proposal. This assignment helps you to generate a coherent concept for a long-running television drama, to research and understand the market, to understand audience differentials, niche markets and how the latter affects commissioning. A sound understanding of industry practice is invaluable if you wish to write for television professionally and sell your own programme ideas. This assignment can be team-written.
Delivery Date for Script and Evaluation: TBC SYLLABUS Week 1 Introduction to the course. Visual Storytelling. Story Structure. Week 2 Television formats: analysis and discussion The TV Proposal: content and presentation Week 3 The Protagonist: Hero, Anti-Hero, Tragic Hero Week 4 Creating Characters. Week 5 Story and Plot Discuss and develop ideas for the thirty-minute script. Week 6 Genre The subplot Writing an Outline Workshop ideas for scripts Week 7 Script Research. Cast planning. Week 8 Deadline: Submit outline for thirty-minute script. Workshop outlines. Week 9 Writing the opening sequence. How to write a Treatment for your script. Week 10 Scenes and Sequences Week 11 Workshop: Coursework. The TV Proposal and the Proposal Document. SECOND TERM Week 12
Deadline: Submit the TV Proposal Deadline: Deliver a Treatment for your 30-minute Script. Workshop work-in-progress. Week 13 Dialogue, dynamics and subtext Workshop work-in-progress Week 14 Dialogue: part two. Workshop work-in-progress Week 15 Deadline: Deliver First Draft of Script Style, tone and landscape Workshop Week 16 The Evaluation: content, structure, presentation. Week 17 Revision of craft elements Workshop first drafts Week 18 Workshop First Drafts Week 19 Deadline: Deliver Second Draft Script Workshop Second Drafts Week 20 Revision. Workshop Scripts and Evaluations. Week 21 Workshop Scripts and Evaluations WEEK 22 Submit 30-minute Script and Evaluation. ***DEADLINE FOR ALL ASSESSED AND NON-ASSESSED WORK FOR THIS MODULE*** Industry Practice. General discussion. RECOMMENDED READING:
A short list of books related to screenwriting is provided below. I would suggest that you just read one or two screenwriting books and spend most of your time reading screenplays. A great many screenplays are available for purchase from trade magazines and bookshops and many are available online. Advice on this will be given in class. Aristotle, Poetics (Penguin Books, 1996) Egri, Lajos, The Art of Dramatic Writing (Touchstone, 1988) Robert McKee, Story (Methuen, 1999) Bordwell & Thompson, Film Art: An Introduction (Knopf, 2007) Dancyger & Rush, Alternative Scriptwriting: Successfully Breaking The Rules (Focal Press, 2006) C Potter, Screen Language (Screen and Cinema) (Methuen, 2001) A Horton, Writing the character-centred screenplay (University of California Press, 1994) W Wenders, The Logic of Images (Faber & Faber, 1992) Eileen Quinn & Judy Counihan, The Pitch (Faber & Faber, 2006)