Film Studies 220SW - Screenwriting: Shape/Stories

The screenplay is a unique and ephemeral form that exists as a blueprint for something else: a finished film. How do you convey on the page a story that will take shape within an audio-visual medium? The screenwriter must have an understanding of both the language of narrative film as well as the general shape and mechanics of film stories. This course will analyze both the language of film and the shape of film stories by looking at two modes of writing that are often at odds with each other: the three-act screenwriting as exemplified by Hollywood and the more elastic possibilities of the so-called 'art film.'

Course limited to sophomores, juniors and seniors