Filmmaking Structural Analysis

The course explores narrative storytelling forms in contemporary cinema and screenwriting. Geared toward the perspective of the aspiring/emerging screenwriter, filmmaker, and/or media artist, the seminar includes screenings of films and the concurrent reading of source materials and their respective screenplays. Cinema language, dramatic theory, and cinematic story structures will be explored, including sequencing, episodic, three-act, four-act, seven-act, teleplay, and the so-called character-driven forms. Selected texts will also be read, and weekly structural analyses will be written. Students will also explore screenwriting exercises throughout the course and investigate the connection between oral storytelling and the nature of narration through the screenplay. Conference projects often focus on the development of a long-form screenplay/teleplay, analytical research paper, or other film-related endeavors. A foundation course for narrative screenwriting, filmmaking, and new media projects, as well as dramatic analysis, the course develops skills that can be applied to other forms of dramatic writing and storytelling.