Participation in the Instructor Shoot gives students a reality-based context for the rest of their experiences in the Film Program workshops and in their own productions. Screenwriting Each class produces six dramatic films and each student participates in the production of two, working as part of a crew of ten. The concepts, stories and scripts are developed in this course. Classes cover the basic analytical elements of storytelling, including character, conflict, subtext, three-act structure, scene structure and dialogue. Both conventional and unconventional story structures are studied and a range of genres is examined.
Classes provide ongoing critique and are complemented by individual instructor consultation.
Developed projects are 'pitched' and selected for class production. In groups of two, students conceive, research, write and pitch a proposal for a short documentary film. Six are selected for class production. Each student participates in the production of one documentary project, working as part of a crew of five. Documentary productions are frequently the most difficult to produce successfully, because of the problems in controlling environmental variables and real people in real situations.