An Introduction to Screenwriting

This course is a hands-on introduction to the techniques of screenwriting. Around the theme of "a very strange love affair" (a quote from Hitchcock's Notorious), we will study several screenplays and the films that followed. Films might include Notorious (1946) by Alfred Hitchcock, The piano (1993) by Jane Campion, Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind (2004) by Michel Gondry or Moonrise Kingdom (2012) by Wes Anderson. We will explore key concepts in the art of screenwriting such as point-of-view, character, and conflict to inspire and instruct the students as writers of a scene intended for the screen. The class will focus on both craft and content, alternating between mini-lectures, practical writing exercises and readings of students' work. In addition to covering the fundamentals - such as structure, timing, rhythm, and dialogue - our discussions will delve into how screenwriters convey emotion and meaning within narratives that are destined to become films.