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General Information

Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
F/TVD060C
Course Title (CB02)
Screenwriting Fundamentals for Film/Video III
Course Credit Status
Credit - Degree Applicable
Effective Term
Fall 2023
Course Description
Third level course in screenwriting for film, video, and electronic media; further practice in the development, writing, and revision of original short and feature-length screenplays.
Faculty Requirements
Course Family
Not Applicable

Course Justification

This course is transferable to CSU, part of the Film/TV CTE program, and belongs on the Film/TV: Screenwriting degree program. This class provides students with intermediate-level screenwriting techniques in the practical aspect of the writing with more advanced intermediate-level principles of character development and three-act story structure.

Foothill Equivalency

Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
No
Foothill Course ID

Course Philosophy

Formerly Statement

Course Development Options

Basic Skill Status (CB08)
Course is not a basic skills course.
Grade Options
  • Letter Grade
  • Pass/No Pass
Repeat Limit
0

Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options

Transferability
Transferable to CSU only

Units and Hours

Summary

Minimum Credit Units
4.0
Maximum Credit Units
4.0

Weekly Student Hours

TypeIn ClassOut of Class
Lecture Hours4.08.0
Laboratory Hours0.00.0

Course Student Hours

Course Duration (Weeks)
12.0
Hours per unit divisor
36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
Lecture
48.0
Laboratory
0.0
Total
48.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
Lecture
96.0
Laboratory
0.0
NA
0.0
Total
96.0

Prerequisite(s)

F/TV D060B

Corequisite(s)

Advisory(ies)

EWRT D001A or EWRT D01AH or ESL D005.

Limitation(s) on Enrollment

Entrance Skill(s)

General Course Statement(s)

Methods of Instruction

Lecture and visual aids

Discussion of assigned reading

In-class prompts

Discussion and problem solving performed in class

Homework and extended projects

Guest speakers

Collaborative learning and small group exercises

Collaborative projects

Other: Page-to-screen exercises that include media screenings and facilitated group discussions

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Assignments

  1. Weekly readings
    1. Required textbook
    2. Screenplays
    3. Periodicals, journals, and professional screenwriting articles on Internet sites
  2. Screenwriting assignments
    1. In-class oral story pitches
    2. Logline for short or feature-length screenplay
    3. Story and character worksheet
    4. Beat sheet for story structure
    5. Scene list for short screenplay or up to one-hour turning point of a feature-length screenplay
    6. First act of a feature-length screenplay
  3. Viewing films and other forms of the moving image to illustrate screenwriting principles

Methods of Evaluation

  1. Quizzes and final exam to evaluate the student's comprehension of intermediate-level screenwriting principles.
  2. Oral and written evaluation of screenwriting assignments by instructor based on student's ability to to pitch the story from beginning to end; create a viable logline as a means of efficiently telling the story (including protagonist, goal, antagonist, risks, stakes, journey, and emotion); a comprehensive beat sheet that incorporates intermediate-level plot points and sequences of three-act narrative cinematic storytelling; scene lists that integrate and ensure seamless character development and story advancement; and final original screenplay pages that demonstrate the student's ability to synthesize all aspects of screenplay fundamentals from logline to beat sheet to scene lists to the quality of the writing
  3. Participation in classroom discussions and in-class collaborative work demonstrating the student's ability to analyze in-class screenings in respect to their respective screenplays

Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities

Essential Student Materials:Ìý
  • Access to computer with screenplay-formatting software
Essential College Facilities:
  • Screenwriting lab with professional screenwriting software installed on computers

Examples of Primary Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisherDate/EditionISBN
Howard, David. "How to Build a Great Screenplay: A Master Class in Storytelling for Film." Reprint ed. St. Martin's Griffin, 2006.
Landau, Neil. "The Screenwriter's Roadmap: 21 Ways to Jumpstart Your Story." Focal, 2012.
Walter, Richard. "Essentials of Screenwriting: The Art, Craft, and Business of Writing for Film and Television." Plume, 2010.

Examples of Supporting Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisher
Ackerman, Hal. "Write Screenplays That Sell: The Ackerman Way." Revised, updated ed. Tallfellow, 2017.
Chitlik, Paul. "Rewrite: A Step-by-Step Guide to Strengthen Structure, Characters, and Drama in Your Screenplay." 2nd ed. Michael Wiese Productions, 2013.
Cowgill, Linda J. "Writing Short Films: Structure and Content for Screenwriters." 2nd ed. Lone Eagle, 2005.
Egri, Lajos. "The Art of Dramatic Writing." Merricat Publications, 2009.
Garfinkel, Asher. "Screenplay Story Analysis." Allworth, 2007.
Hunter, Lew. "Lew Hunter's Screenwriting 434: The Industry's Premier Teacher Reveals the Secrets of the Successful Screenplay." Revised ed. TarcherPerigee, 2004.
Iglesias, Karl. "The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters: Insider Secrets from Hollywood's Top Writers." Adams Media, 2011.
Indick, William. "Psychology for Screenwriters: Building Conflict in Your Script." Michael Wiese Productions, 2004.
McKee, Robert. "Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting." ReganBooks, 1997.
Miller, Kam. "The Hero Succeeds: The Character-Driven Guide to Writing Your TV Pilot." High & Low Media, 2016.
Phillips, William H. "Writing Short Scripts." Syracuse UP, 1999.
Russin, Robin U., and William Missouri Downs. "Screenplay: Writing the Picture." 2nd ed. Silman-James, 2012.
Seger, Linda. "Creating Unforgettable Characters: A Practical Guide to Character Development in Films, TV Series, Advertisements, Novels & Short Stories." Holt Paperbacks, 1990.
Snyder, Blake. "Save the Cat." Michael Wiese Productions, 2005.
Tierno, Michael. "Aristotle's Poetics for Screenwriters: Storytelling Secrets From the Greatest Mind in Western Civilization." Hachette Books, 2002.
Walter, Richard. "The Whole Picture: Strategies for Screenwriting Success in the New Hollywood." Plume, 1997.
Vogler, Christopher. "The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers." 3rd ed. Michael Wiese Productions, 2007.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Describe the nature of the screenplay and its role in film, video, and electronic media production
  • Describe and apply increasingly advanced elements of strong narrative fiction screenwriting
  • Create scripts for fiction and nonfiction programs
  • Discuss and interpret the creative and vocational practice of scriptwriting in current and emerging arenas

CSLOs

  • Demonstrate a command of writing subtext, three-dimensional characters, and riveting scenes.

  • Demonstrate a command for writing short scripts for fiction and non-fiction films.

Outline

  1. Describe the nature of the screenplay and its role in film, video, and electronic media production
    1. Conceptual nature of the screenplay as document of composition or design
    2. Practical role of the screenplay in the production process
      1. Screenplay as the heart of pre-production
      2. Screenplay as the language of collaboration
      3. Screenplay and oral pitch as a means to marketability and career advancement
  2. Describe and apply increasingly advanced elements of strong narrative fiction screenwriting
    1. Genesis of a screenplay as a blueprint for a film: from concept to viable feature-length fiction screenplay
      1. Advanced definition of story as it pertains to screenwriting
      2. Create a logline, the solid basis of a good screenplay, that tells the entire story in a few sentences including the elements of the protagonist, goals and motivations, needs and wants, conflict through antagonism, and the emotional core as the foundation
      3. Apply Aristotle's three-act structure with major plot points and character development in creation of a beat sheet
      4. Connect each plot point from the beat sheet with a scene list, a detailed outline of plot advancement and character development
      5. Apply all previous steps in the writing and rewriting of commercially viable screenplay pages
    2. Narrative structure
      1. Aristotle's three-act structure
      2. Sequence method
      3. Joseph Campbell's mythic journey of the hero
  3. Create scripts for fiction and nonfiction programs
    1. Writing tools: formats, computers, and software
    2. Traditional screenplay format for film and television drama and comedy
    3. Nonfiction two-column format for live event broadcast, studio shoots, and music videos
    4. Fiction formats: outline, treatment, master-scene, shooting script, and storyboard
    5. Nonfiction formats: outline, synopsis, treatment, two-column TV format, and master scene
    6. Pitching and story conference in collaborative media
  4. Discuss and interpret the creative and vocational practice of scriptwriting in current and emerging arenas
    1. Traditional entertainment industries: film and broadcast television
    2. Emerging entertainment arenas: cable, video, gaming, the Internet
    3. Traditional information media: network and local television
    4. New information sources and the rise of multimedia
    5. Training, instructional, and educational uses of film, video, and electronic media
    6. Corporate and institutional media applications
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