By screening and analyzing six successful films, students learn how essential information is conveyed, how story elements are communicated through visual means, how dramatic momentum is built with cause and effect, and what makes a character credible and complex. Texts used include shooting scripts and interviews and articles on screenwriters. We examine the nature of the short screenplay and the elements of screenwriting. Exercises and assignments acquaint students with the building blocks of the script, the establishment of character, accepted screenplay formats, and the knowledge necessary to complete a successful short film script. Daniel P. Calvisi Limited to 18.
Students review actual copies of coverage and write their own sample analysis.
They learn about the elements that producers, story editors, and readers look for in an original story, and how to make sure their scripts include them. Well-known films are cited. The instructor presents strategies for finding jobs as a reader and submitting scripts, and gives tips for selling scripts in an increasingly competitive marketplace. Loren-Paul Caplin Limited to 24. We all think we have a story that will make a terrific film, but often, when we try to write it down or tell it to someone, it falls flat.