CINE 630 Screenwriting Basics

Screenplays are the engines that drive the movie industry. The curriculum in this degree program is designed to give students the leading edge in the world of professional screenwriting by providing a balance between creative exploration and practical industry skills. In this course, students will learn how to tell their stories cinematically by gaining the skills and foundation for structuring a story in the written form of a screenplay.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

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Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

The student will complete one Video Discussion: Class Introduction in this course. The student will post one video introducing himself or herself to the class. The student must then post two replies on other classmates’ videos. No sources are required for this discussion.

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will create a thread in response to the provided prompt for each Discussion. Each thread must be at least 500 words and demonstrate course-related knowledge. The student must support his/her assertions with at least two scholarly citations and one citation from the textbook in MLA format. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to two other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 200 words and incorporate at least one scholarly citation and one citation from the textbook in MLA format. Any sources cited must have been published within the last 5 years. Acceptable sources include the textbook, the Bible, professional publications and scholarly publications.

The Three Act Structure

In this assignment, you will develop a deeper understanding of the three-act structure and the foundational elements of character development from Field’s perspective. You will analyze the Three-Act Structure in a two-part assignment, writing a 1–2-page summary of the three-act structure as outlined by Syd Field, and a 1–2-page analysis identifying key moments in each act.

Keys to Narrative Structure: Initial Assignment

Having a great story is just the beginning of a great film.  Key factors along the way can take a straight-line narrative where every scene along the way is predictable (read: laborious and boring) to engaging and exciting. These key factors are tools in your toolbox. In this two-part assignment, you will explore how they work together and explore examples of the keys at work.

In this assignment, Field identifies the inciting incident, the set-up and the first act turn as keys to your narrative. Explain how these elements work to shape the main character on his journey to achieving his wants and his needs. In a 500 word paper, discuss how overlooking any one of them can lead to a broken narrative or a laborious journey that does not support the main character’s success.

Keys to Narrative Structure: Final Assignment

Having a great story is just the beginning of a great film. Key factors along the way can take a straight-line narrative where every scene along the way is predictable (read: laborious and boring) to engaging and exciting. These key factors are tools in your toolbox. In this two-part assignment, you will explore how they work together and explore examples of the keys at work.

Write a 500-word paper using a film of your choice and analyze how these three elements, inciting incident, set-up, and first act turn, work together to introduce the protagonist, establish the central conflict, and transition the story from the first act to the second act. Write brief descriptions of key scenes in which these changes take place. 

Inciting Incident

The inciting incident is one of the most crucial elements in a film script because it serves as the catalyst that sets the entire story in motion. It’s the event or decision that disrupts the protagonist’s ordinary world and initiates the conflict that drives the narrative forward.

In this assignment, you will write a summary of an inciting incident in the film of your choice.  You will also identify two turning points in the same film.

Format Error Exercise

In this assignment, you will re-format the script provided correcting the formatting errors using the two-page script and the PowerPoint with format examples.

These quizzes will cover the Learn material for the assigned Modules: Weeks. They will be open-book/open-notes, allow one attempt, contain 20 multiple-choice, matching and/or true/false questions, and have a 2-hour time limit.