57142 Writing for the Screen

Handbook description

This subject offers postgraduate students the opportunity to develop advanced skills in writing for the screen. Students can develop short- or long-form drama or animation. Students develop an idea through industry-accepted stages of development and formats and through workshops with professional actors. Students gain skills in research, visualisation, structuring, storytelling and character development. Students also improve their ability to read, develop and script-edit their own work and the work of their colleagues.

Subject objectives/outcomes

At the conclusion of this subject students are expected to be able to:

1. Develop a screenplay through researching an idea, pitching, writing an outline and/or step outline and then developing a screenplay.
2. Understand the three-act dramatic structure as well as alternative approaches to dramatic structure.
3. Present their work in industry standard screenplay formats
4. Understand scene and sequence structure.
5. Understand subtext and sub plots.
6. Critique and script edit their own work and that of their colleagues.

Contribution to graduate profile

This subject contributes to postgraduate students' professional capacity to write creatively for the screen. It contributes to students' intellectual capacity to critique as creative and critically informed communications professionals and it contributes to students' personal capacity to organise and manage their own work. It contributes to students' intellectual and professional capacity to use Australian cultural traditions industries and institutions and develops their understanding of the global nature of the screenwriting industry.

Teaching and learning strategies

• Students learn how to understand the language of screenwriting through viewing and analysing both short and long form drama and animation and through studying screenplays.
• Students learn how to structure and develop a screenplay through the process of researching an idea, pitching it and developing step outline and script.
• Students learn how to appreciate and analyse the use of subtext through scene analysis and through viewing and analysing key scenes and sequences.
• Students develop their writing style through in-class writing exercises, designed to enhance their awareness of style, dramatic tension and the ability to evoke time and space.
• Pitching sessions are designed to sharpen students' skills in both pitching ideas verbally and critiquing the work of others.
• The workshops with actors are designed to give students the opportunity to hear their work read under optimum circumstances and to understand the creative role performance plays in realising a work for the screen. Key emotional scenes for long form drama or first draft short scripts will be workshopped.
• Students are advised to watch as many films and read as many original screenplays as they can. The library contains a rich and varied selection of films and screenplays for both film and television.

Content

The main focus of this subject is on developing screenwriting craft skills for both long and short form drama. Students have the opportunity to analyse, debate and explore different approaches to the screenwriting craft at the same time as engaging in a creative development process of their own supported by the lecturer and their classmates.

Assessment

Assessment item 1: Script/Step Outline

Assessment item 2: The Screenplay

Minimum requirements

Students are expected to read the subject outline to ensure they are familiar with the subject requirements. Since class discussion and participation in activities form an integral part of this subject, you are expected to attend, arrive punctually and actively participate in classes. If you experience difficulties meeting this requirement, please contact your lecturer. Students who have a reason for extended absence (e.g., illness) may be required to complete additional work to ensure they achieve the subject objectives.

Indicative references

Aronson, L 2000 Scriptwriting Updated: New and Conventional Ways of Writing for the Screen. Australian Film Television & Radio School ; Allen & Unwin.

Dancyger, K and Rush, J (1995) Alternative Scriptwriting Boston : Focal Press

Dancyger, K 2001 Global Scriptwriting Focal press

Hillis R, Cole 1983-1988 The complete guide to standard script formats CMC Publishing.

Halperin, M 2000 Writing the Second Act Building Conflict & Tension in Your Film Script. Studio City : Michael Wiese Productions

Ondaatje, M 2002 The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing film. Bloomsbury Press.

Lucey, P 1996 Story Sense: Writing story and script for feature films and television McGraw-Hill.

McKee, R 1999 Story - Substance, structure and style and the principals of screenwriting Methuen

Seger, L 1992 The Art of Adaptation: Turning Fact and Fiction into Film. An Owl Book Henry Holt and Company New York 1992

Seger, L 1987 Making A Good Script Great Dodd, Mead and Company New York

Stempel,T 1982 Screenwriting Tantivy Press

Stok, D ed 1993 Kieslowski on Kieslowski Faber and Faber

Thompson, D and Christi, I ed (1989) Scorsese on Scorsese Faber and Faber

Trottier, D 1998 The Screenwriters Bible Silman James Press Los Angeles

Truffaut, F 1984 Hitchcock Dialogue between Truffaut and Hitchcock New York Simon and Schuster

Ward, V 1990 Edge Of The Earth - Stories and Images from the Antipodes Heinemann Reed

Wolitzer Fitzgerald, M 1999 Did It: The Writer's Guide to Mastering the Screenplay Penguin

Other resources

Screenplay formatting

A scriptwriting template is available free for students to use on the Faculty website:

http://www.hss.uts.edu.au/departments/MAP/script_style_template_2006.doc

Final Draft software is installed on all the computers in the Mac and PC labs on Level 4 and the Mac lab on Level 3.

Library

All screenwriting students may borrow films on DVD or VHS from Closed Reserve in the library. See HOW TO USE THE UTS Library in the Reader. The library also holds a large collection of screenplays. These collections are constantly being updated.