English 488 - Advanced Screenwriting Workshop

(Offered as ENGL 488 and FAMS 447) The Advanced Screenwriting Workshop is designed for advanced English and FAMS majors working in film. The workshop is designed to serve as a resource for serious film students interested in developing an existing idea or script-in-progress, with the goal of writing and revising a 20- to 30-page screenplay (or completing a project-in-progress) by the end of the semester. This maximum page limit can mean drafting and revising a series episode, a script for a short film, or one act of a feature. The focus of the workshop will concentrate on structure, as defined through character goals, motivation, obstacles, and approaches, across the macro-structure of a feature, episode, or series, and the micro-structure of scenes. Additionally, there will be detailed instructions on dialogue, visual storytelling, and how best to present story information through engagement techniques. 

In order to enroll in this course, students must have taken Screenwriting (ENGL 388/FAMS 388/FAMS 342) or equivalent. Preference will be given to FAMS majors and English majors concentrating in creative writing; seniors, then juniors, then sophomores. 

Limited to 12 students. Spring semester. Visiting Professor E. Sanders.

How to handle overenrollment: Preference will be given to FAMS majors and English majors concentrating in creative writing; seniors, then juniors, then sophomores. Should the course over-enroll, a waiting list will be kept for future semesters.

Students who enroll in this course will likely encounter and be expected to engage in the following intellectual skills, modes of learning, and assessment: emphasis on written work, readings, independent research, oral presentations, group work, artistic work, audio-visual analysis, revision, self-evaluation.