COM (0108) 262 - Writing the Feature Screenplay

Credits: 3.00

Through screenings and discussions of films, students will isolate the fundamentals of dramaturgy and cinematic syntax. Students will then embark on writing a feature screenplay with supportive feedback from the professor and the class. Students will be expected to complete a full treatment and the first act of their screenplay.

Upon Completion of this course students will have:
•   acquired knowledge of the imperatives of dramaturgy and an ability to use dramatic imperatives in their screenplays.
•   acquired an awareness of the importance of visual images in films and an ability to use striking images in their scripts.
•   acquired an awareness of how cinema grammar choices are used in the service of storytelling in movies, and an ability to use these choices in the service of their scripts.
•   learned the importance of having a theme in a movie, and will learn how to embed a theme in their scripts.

Outcomes:
•   Students will be able to isolate dramatic principles in existing movies and utilize these principles to structure their own screenplays.
•   Students will be able to pick out strong images in existing movies and create their own strong images in their scripts.
•   Students will be able to pick out cinematic grammar choices in existing movies and create their own cinematic syntax choices in their scripts.
•   Students will be able to identify a theme in an existing movie, and be able to embed a theme in their own scripts.