Course Title: Screenwriting Workshop

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Screenwriting Workshop

Credit Points: 12

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
COMM2173	City Campus	Postgraduate	345H Media and Communication	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2006

Course Coordinator: Dr Lisa Dethridge

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3

Course Coordinator Email:lisa.dethridge@rmit.edu.au

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

Some formal academic qualifications in creative writing or dramatic or screenwriting are useful. 

Course Description

     This course is designed to train students in the research and development  of original written material for a feature film script.  This process will include the research of story and character materials; the creation of synopses; outlines and story drafts that prepare the student for completion of an original script project.  Students will also explore the structure of the film industry and their role as a provider of content within that framework

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

Upon successful completion of the course, students achieve competence within the academic and industrial field of screenwriting.    Depending on their experience, students will  aim for a professional standard of screenwriting technique that will enable them to make a variety of inputs to media industry projects within film and TV screenwriting and across other related media fields such as multimedia and literature.

•    Students identify the relative industry components and structures that are necessary for the best development and marketing of their original project.
•    Students identify and create the key technical components of their screenplay project including three act structure; genre, premise, plot, chronology, turning points, scene construction and character psychology.
•    Students will compose their screenplay materials effectively using the standard industry vocabulary and terminology of the screenwriting field.
•    Ongoing students may use products from the Screenwriting workshop as part of both their exegesis and project components.

Overview of Learning Activities

Students will research and create the necessary preparatory documents that will lead to the composition of  a single screenplay document.
There will be a variety of activities employed including structured writing seminars where a close observation of technical skills will be employed.  Students will provide detailed evaluation of their screenwriting work and may offer constructive critique to fellows. Students may role play the story “pitch” by taking on the role of producers or distributors.  
Discussion and observation of industry practice will allow for observation of proper professional standards.  Discussion and debate with teams may allow for the development of varied perspectives while self-evaluation and report writing encourages reflective practice.

Overview of Learning Resources

Dethridge, Lisa  Writing Your Screenplay, Allen and Unwin, 2003

Overview of Assessment

The assessment components for Screenwriting Workshop are designed to enable students to provide the key documentation required to compose a screenplay for their final project in the Master of Creative Media, Screenwriting.