MCW685 Basics of Screenwriting
Lead Faculty: Mr. Frank Montesonti
Course Description
Introduction to the craft of screenwriting, particularly in regards to the principles of narrative and storytelling, traditional three-act structure, character, and dialogue. Through intensive reading and writing exercises, along with workshop critiques, students produce a finished treatment and the beginning of a feature-length screenplay.
Learning Outcomes
- Develop view, read, analyze, and evaluate published and produced scripts for the
purpose of understanding the major constituent elements of a traditional
screenplay.
- Identify the individual components of a successful screenplay.
- Understand the traditional three-act structure and its elements, including initial
conflict, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouement.
- Generate a compelling and coherent plot of the level that would sustain a feature- length film.
- Create multi-faceted and complex characters, and be able to create effective
dialogue.
- Produce a complete and compact treatment, which successfully conveys their
script idea in an engaged and compact format.
- Produce a successful and significant sample of a screenplay draft.
