SCREEN 700 : Screenwriting Project

Arts

2020 Semester One (1203) (30 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Considers the short film script with a focus on the practice and principles of dramatic screenwriting, including industry format and narrative structure. By developing a script for a 5-8 minute film in stages, students will practice creative writing, script development, and pitching while also learning skills related to production management, proposal writing, and preparing and scheduling a low-budget production.

Course Overview

This subject is an introduction to two aspects of screenwriting: screenplays and funding/development/pre-production documents that accompany screenplays. About two thirds of the course is taught via consideration of the short film screenplay with a focus on dramatic writing. We will study a range of short films as a way of understanding this aesthetic form. The course is designed with particular attention paid to visual language, narrative structure, characterisation and dialogue, script critiques and the process of script revision. The majority of the student’s learning experience will come from their own practical efforts and the personal challenges each sets for him/herself (i.e. the more you work, the more you learn).

During the semester, students produce two short screenplays: a 2-minute screenplay with minimal dialogue that they shoot in SCREEN 701 and a 5-minute screenplay for a short film that students will direct in the second semester in SCREEN 712 (should they enrol in Advanced Directing.)

The last third of the course is dedicated to other types of writing that writer/directors learn to get their projects made/funded. This includes log lines, tag lines, synopsis, treatment, budgets, lookbooks and schedules. These skills are required to write compelling funding documents and proposals for preproduction and production management.

Course Requirements

Restriction: SCREEN 702, 705

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 5: Independence and Integrity

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Understand and analyse fundamentals and principles of dramatic writing in relation to short film Learn to progress from “idea” to “story” to “screenplay” through exposure to various modes of address, narratives, and structure (Capability 1.2, 4.2 and 5.1)
  2. Develop professional skills of screenplay writing including making and keeping deadlines, consistency, presentation, and standardization of format; Experience the various stages through which projects progress; rewrites and revisions (Capability 1.2, 1.3, 2.3, 3.2 and 4.3)
  3. Analyse screenplays, provide constructive critiques of peer-work; Learn basics of presenting a short film concept for funding/development; Practice writing short documents (log line, tag line, synopsis, treatment/vision etc); Learn the principles behind writing compelling funding documents (proposals, lookbooks) (Capability 1.3, 2.2, 2.3 and 4.3)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Assignments 80% Individual Coursework
Assignments 10% Group Coursework
Workshops 10% Individual Coursework

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 30 point course and students are expected to spend 20 hours per week involved in each 30 point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, per week you can expect 3 hours of lectures/workshop and  5 hours of reading/thinking about the content and 12 hours of working on assignments and/or test preparation.

Digital Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website at http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page (https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894), which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter (https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html).

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.

Published on 22/01/2020 10:01 a.m.