Screenwriting Syllabus

 

Screenwriting I — Syllabus

Introduction to Screenwriting: The visual nature of movies. Screenplays as blueprints. Where to find ideas. Forming a premise. High and low concept. Hollywood vs. Indie. Genre. The usefulness of outlines.

Plot I: Finding a major dramatic question. The three-act structure. The difference between classic plots and subtle plots. Making a story map.

Character: Finding a strong protagonist. Handling other characters. Making characters dimensional through desire and contrasts. Creating character profiles. Showing characters through their actions.

Format/Description: How to format a screenplay. Writing effective screenplay description.

Scene: Scene defined. Length of scene. Tenets of a good scenes—importance, desire/conflict, structure, compression, visual storytelling. Sequences. Making a step outline.

Dialogue: Dialogue's illusion of reality. Compression. Characterization through dialogue. Subtext. Exposition. Stage directions. Voice over.

Subplot: The value of subplots. Romantic subplots. Other kinds of subplots for the protagonist. Non-protagonist subplots. Subplot structure. Finding subplots in your story.

Plot II: Creating an effective opening section. Techniques for sustaining Act II. Creating an effective climax. Flashbacks.

Tone/Theme: Developing tone through genre, world, and lightness/darkness. Consistency of tone. Theme defined. Types of theme. Weaving theme into a story.

Revision: Exploration of the various stages of revision.

The Business: Creating pitches. Studios, producers, and representation. How to get your pitch to players in the industry. Query letters. The life of a screenwriter.

Note: Content may vary among individual classes.

Workshop Contents:

Understand the various elements of Screenplay Writing and their Fundamentals through interactive lectures, screenings, writing exercises and a step by step development of a Story Idea into full Screenplay for a 10-minute short film.

  • What is a story:
    What are the elements of a good story? How does it keep you hooked to the narrative? Story is Universal.
  • What is an Idea:
    What is the origin of ideas? How does a writer develop his ideas?
    How to break down your own idea to understand its scope and nature?
  • What is a Character:
    How to detail out characters? What all do I need to know about my character? Where do memorable characters come from?
  • What is a Plot:
    What are the events in the story? How are they tied together? Do I need subplots?
    Is Plot married to the climax?
  • What is Conflict:
    How do I find conflict? What creates a rich Conflict? Where to look for it?
  • What is Structure:
    Do I need to adhere to some structure? What are the prescribed structure patterns?
    Three Act structure: Why?
  • Writing Scenes, Sequences:
    What is the basic unit of screenwriting? How to write a scene?
    How to write a sequence and place it in the story?
  • Deciding a treatment:
    What does treatment mean? How does it change the story?
  • Writing a Screenplay: The 1st Draft
    What is a Step Outline? Writing a Screenplay with cinematic elements?
    Just the right language: what is it?
  • Writing the 2nd Draft


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