SCREEN 700 : Screenwriting Project

Arts

2025 Semester One (1253) (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 course is an introduction to a) screenplay writing for short form and b) writing the funding/development/pre-production documents that accompany screenplays. 

About two thirds of the course is taught through the development of short film screenplays, with a focus on dramatic writing. 

Students 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. 

Students shall develop their screenplays through a workshop process of peer critiques and revision.

Students shall produce two short screenplays: a 2-minute screenplay with minimal dialogue that is shot in SCREEN 701 (during the same semester), and a 5-minute screenplay for a short film that is shot in the following semester in SCREEN 712 (if enrolled in Advanced Drama Directing).

The last third of the course is dedicated to other types of writing that writer/directors must employ to get their projects funded/produced. This includes log lines, tag lines, synopsis, treatment, budgets, lookbooks and schedules. Students shall learn the skills 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: People and Place
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 4: Critical Thinking
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration
Capability 8: Ethics and Professionalism
Graduate Profile: Master of Arts

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Analyse creative feedback to make revisions in screenplays (Capability 3, 4, 6 and 7)
  2. Collaborate on creative projects to develop collective filmmaking skills (Capability 1, 6, 7 and 8)
  3. Engage creatively with narrative forms and concepts in screenwriting to relate ideas, themes and dramatic experience (Capability 1, 3, 4 and 6)
  4. Demonstrate and reflect on the development of your voice as a screenplay writer (Capability 3 and 4)
  5. Develop and demonstrate the ability to write persuasive funding documents (Capability 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Coursework 100% Individual Coursework

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 30 point course. Students are expected to spend 20 hours per week in each 30 point course.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance in class is required to complete the requirements for this course.

Learning 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.

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.

Feedback has been incorporated in this year's iteration of the course. Feedback will also be sought and addressed within the semester in a timely fashion. There will also be an opportunity to evaluate the course at the end of the semester. 

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations 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. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

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 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.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

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 31/10/2024 08:12 a.m.