AFTRS Graduate Certificate of Screenwriting

2011 Program

Learn more about the AFTRS Graduate Certificate of Screenwriting course

Providing a practical introduction to the core skills of writing screen drama, this course is structured around the building blocks of drama. Through craft intensives, screenings, class exercises and group workshops students will explore the basics of story structure, developing an engaging and complex protagonist, the challenge of writing a dramatic scene, visual storytelling, the interaction between performance and script and an introduction to genre. Students will also develop and workshop an outline for an individual project.

This course shares content with its sister course – the Graduate Certificate in Directing, and students from the two courses are encouraged to work together.

OUTCOMES

By the end of this course students will have the opportunity to:

• Discover and apply the basic dramatic principles in the creation of an outline for a long form project for screen.
• Investigate the visual and audio language specific to cinema and how this creates meaning.
• Create a dynamic scene
• Write coverage of an unproduced screenplay
• Explore the creation of unique concepts and compelling loglines
• Analyse and apply to their own projects the key principles underlying intellectual copyright.
• Workshop their own projects and others to develop a consistent and constructive language of script analysis.

PRE REQUISITES
Demonstrated ability in the following area:

• A desire and an ability to tell stories and generate original ideas.

COURSE OVERVIEW
Providing an introduction to the core skills of understanding and writing compelling screen drama, this course is divided into two strands; a theoretical strand that introduces the principles of dramatic storytelling; concept, premise, structure and character; and a practical strand where, in a series of hands-on workshops, students apply these principles to their own work, originating and developing an idea for a long-form drama for the screen from story outline, to a key scene, to the first fifteen pages of a screenplay.

Through craft intensives, screenings, class exercises, script analysis and group workshops students will explore the basics of story structure, develop an engaging and complex protagonist, create a dramatic key scene, learn to write cinematically, write coverage on an existing screenplay and be introduced to genre.

The course shares two modules with the Graduate Certificate: Directing – and it is expected that students in both courses will not only share classes, but also develop working relationships with each other. Students are also encouraged to work together to create productions outside class work.

The last weeks of the semester are dedicated to a script workshop in which students fuse the theory of dramatic storytelling with the practical craft skills of creating engaging characters, writing cinematically, and constructing dynamic scenes, into the first fifteen pages of a screenplay for a long-form drama for the screen.

By the end of the course, students will have created: a story outline for a long-form drama for the screen; a key scene; and the first fifteen pages of a screenplay. They will also have completed script coverage and notes for an existing, as-yet-to-be-produced screenplay.

Students maintain copyright of all their written work, in line with AFTRS policy. Accordingly, students may choose to further develop their project after graduation.

The course provides an introduction to the material covered in the Graduate Diploma Screenwriting.

MODULES

Dramatic Storytelling
An introductory exploration of the theory and structural principles of dramatic storytelling leading to the creation of an original story outline, with a unique premise and compelling concept, for a long-form dramatic project for the screen in the genre of the student’s choosing.

Script Workshop
An intensive, practical workshop analysing existing screenplays and applying the principles of dramatic storytelling to the students’ own work, taking the story developed in the Dramatic Storytelling module from outline stage to the first 15 pages of script.

Creating Engaging Characters
An interactive workshop for students working with professional directors to help reveal the deepest layers of their characters and enhance the emotional engagement of the audience.

Constructing Dynamic Scenes
A practical workshop exploring the different kinds of scenes and applying the mechanisms of writing a dynamic and compelling scene to the students’ own work.

Intellectual Property
This module explores legal and contractual obligations and requirements relevant to the essential areas of chain of title, service agreements, finance, distribution and business affairs for the Australian screen industries.

Cinematic Storytelling
This module examines how the principles of storytelling combine with the cinematic use of sound and image to create powerful emotional experiences for audiences.

Introducing Genres
This module introduces students to genre as a flexible, practical tool for the creation of audience engagement and long form projects for the screen.

Learn more about the AFTRS Graduate Certificate of Screenwriting course