Screenwriting

 

Instruction focuses on storytelling, exploring how essential craft elements -- character, conflict, setting, dialogue, emotional tone, directions/action and professional format -- dramatize a story. More advanced classes explore three-act structure, the value of rewriting, and genre writing –- from classic genres such as the Western and detective thriller to contemporary independent film material. Students workshop screenplays for school productions, particularly in the first and second years, as well as feature-length screenplays, two of which must be written in years three and four.