Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE MCS3200

 
TITLE Scripting Video

 
UM LEVEL 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 6

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Media and Communications

 
DESCRIPTION During this study-unit, students will be analysing, discussing and writing stories for different audio-visual production genres such as fiction full feature films (live action and animation), short films (live action and animation), documentaries (short and full feature) television dramas and sitcoms, music videos, advertisements, webseries etc.

Study-Unit Aims:

The aim of this study-unit is to:
- provide students with an in-depth understanding of what each production genre requires at the scriptwriting level;
- develop an awareness of issues (i.e. creative, artistic, cultural, technological) connected with the writing of fiction and non-fiction;
- develop an understanding of choice, purpose and consumption of an original idea at the scriptwriting level;
- introduce students to the idea of 'negotiated writing' (often encountered by professional screenwriters);
- consider genre conventions.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Plan and draft a professional proposal, treatment, storyboard and a script;
- Appreciate the importance of form and restraint in the audio-visual storytelling;
- Comprehend the distinctive demands of various audio-visual media and the nature of visual narratives;
- Appreciate artistic and artisan engagement and ability to articulate complex ideas in the written forms.

2. Skills
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- Literacy - Proficiency in reading and writing through a variety of audio-visual production genres;
- Exploring - Able to investigate, research and consider alternatives;
- Self-awareness & Reflectivity - Having an awareness of one's own strengths, weaknesses, aims and objectives and an individual and a professional screen/scriptwriter;
- Self-Management - Able to work unsupervised in an efficient, punctual and structured manner;
- Inter-personal - Able to question, actively listen, examine given answers and interact sensitively with others.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Main Texts

- Robert L. Hilliard Writing for Television, Radio, and New Media, (11th edition) 2015.

Supplementary Readings

- Aristotle (335BC) Poetics, translated and interpreted by Malcolm Heath, 1996.
- Jule Selbo Genre for Screenwriters, 2014.
- Robin Russin & William Missouri Writing the Picture, 2012.
- Alexander Mackendrick: On Film-making: An Introduction to the Craft of the Director 2005.
- David Mamet: On Directing Film, 1992.
- Syd Field Screenplay: The Foundations of the Screenwriting, 1979.
- Robert McKee Story: Substance, Structure, Style and The Principles of Screenwriting, 1997.
- Linda Aronson The 21st-Century Screenplay: A Comprehensive Guide to Writing Tomorrow's Films, 2011.
- Ken Dancyger & Jeff Rush Alternative Scriptwriting: Beyond the Hollywood.
- Michel Chion Audio-Vision Sound on Screen, 1990.
- William Goldman Adventures in the Screen Trade: A Personal View of Hollywood and Screenwriting, 1983.
- Lajos Egri The Art of Dramatic Writing, 1946.
- Patrick Nash Short Films: Writing the Screenplay, 2012.
- David Trottier The Screenwriter’s Bible, 2014.
- Richard Walter The Essentials of Screenwriting: The Art Craft and Business of Film and Television Writing, 2010.
- Linda Venis Inside the Room: Writing Television with the Pros at UCLA Extension Writers' Program, 2013.
- Alan Rosenthal Writing, Directing, and Producing Documentary Films and Videos, 2007.
- Sheila Curran Bernard Documentary Storytelling: Creative Nonfiction on Screen, 2010.
- Paul Wells Basics Animation 01: Scriptwriting, 2007.
- Karen Sullivan & Kate Alexander Ideas for the Animated shorts, 2013.
- Christy Marx Writing for Animation, Comics, and Games, 2006.
- Carol Vernallis Unruly Media: YouTube, Music Video, and the New Digital Cinema, 2014.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Classwork SEM1 No 20%
Assignment SEM1 Yes 80%

 
LECTURER/S Monika Maslowska

 

 
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The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints.
Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice.
It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

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