Module Information
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Story Breakdown 1000 Words | 30% |
| Semester Assessment | Written Outline for Script (30-45 minutes) 2000 Words | 70% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Story Breakdown 1000 Words | 30% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Written Outline for Script (30-45 minutes) 2000 Words | 70% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Show a writer's working knowledge of the purpose and effects of good storytelling;
Demonstrate an understanding of classic story structure, which forms the basis of most film and television drama;
Understand and work with the various elements necessary for the construction of dramatic narratives;
Demonstrate a professional attitude towards writing for the film and television industry.
Brief description
Writing for Film and Television is concerned with laying the groundwork for all effective storytelling. It places emphasis on story structure, and on the uses of various elements of plot and character. The module will help you to recognise and understand the dramatic options available to a writer, and to make effective choices from within those options.
Content
They will be introduced to the art of good storytelling; brainstorming ideas; three-act story structure; character & characterisation; genre; types of scriptwriting.
Students will develop their own idea from initial premise to full outline stage. Workshops will provide a collection of techniques that will help them to re-evaluate and improve their work.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Communication | Story Breakdowns and Outlines require a high level of written communication. Lectures include segments on how to communicate effectively in these media, and the overall assessment of a piece includes assessments on how well the concept has been communicated. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Students are expected to drive their own learning and to develop their own unique creative approaches. Part of the assessment for the Outline is how well students have improved the work from Breakdown stage |
| Information Technology | Not assessed, although it is the Department's expectation that students present their work in word processed format. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Career planning is not assessed. However it will be developed through discussion of the expectations the media places on a writer, what types of approaches to the media are construed to be professional, and what type of work is most likely to enhance the student's writing prospects. |
| Problem solving | This element is not assessed directly. However, all scriptwriting involves problem solving: what type of character will best convey a particular theme? What plot devices will most effectively propel the story to the next plot point? The effectiveness with which the author has solved problems is evident in the quality of the finished product. |
| Research skills | The element is not assessed directly. However most scripts involve some form of specialized knowledge that the student must research independently. |
| Subject Specific Skills | The module culminates in an assessed story outline which is expected to be of industry standard. A particular skill relating to screenwriting is, therefore, inherent in the module. |
| Team work | Students will have the opportunity to access and give feedback on each other's work. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 5