Thursday HS Elective (PM2A) – Fundamentals of Screenwriting

ONE SEMESTER CLASS (2nd semester will be a full screenwriting course):

This course will vaguely mirror the set up of creative writing but instead focus on the structure and execution of script writing. Students will learn proper screenwriting etiquette, formatting, rules, form over function, and the simple beats of a story. Every week we will analyze a scene from a classic but appropriate film to further the students’ knowledge on the fundamentals of screenwriting. Students will be tasked with completing 4 scenes at 2-4 pages each scene. These scenes will be genre specific, encouraging students to get a deep understanding on the mechanics of writing and genre. The genres that they will be asked to write these scenes in are: Drama, Action, Comedy, and Tragedy.

*Teacher will provide all materials, but students will need access to a working computer, as they will have to use a professional (and free) script writing program for this class.