Introduction to Screenwriting

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 7
• Convenor: to be confirmed
• Assessment: an original short script, consisting of 15-30 correctly formatted pages (100%)

In this module we will give you as thorough a grounding in the art, craft and business of writing for the screen as is possible in 10 weeks. Through a mix of interactive seminar presentations, assignments, workshops and analyses of produced screenplays (both on screen and on the page), you will develop an appreciation and understanding of the tools of screenwriting (plot structure, characterisation, theme, dialogue etc.) and knowledge of that which distinguishes the process of writing for the screen from writing prose fiction or stage drama.

During the course of the module, we will look at screenwriting techniques relevant to a wide range of genres and screenwriting forms. By the end of the module, you will have:

• produced two drafts of an original script (15-30 correctly formatted pages)
• analysed a feature-length screenplay
• viewed a wide range of complementary material.

Note: the screenplay you are required to read will be made available to you at some point during the autumn term before the module starts. More titles will be added to the 'film for analysis' list in due course.

By the end of this module, you will have an advanced understanding of the craft of professional screenwriting, as it is currently practised in the industry.