Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE ATS5401

 
TITLE Screenwriting and the Art of Dramaturgy (Part 1)

 
UM LEVEL 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course

 
MQF LEVEL 7

 
ECTS CREDITS 5

 
DEPARTMENT Faculty of Arts

 
DESCRIPTION This is an intensive one-week study-unit. It will be followed by two interrelated units titled 'Screenwriting and the Art of Dramaturgy (Part 2)' and 'The Practice of Filmmaking: From the Set to the Screen (Part 3)'.

No work of art exists without an underlying system, and dramaturgy is the system which lies at the heart of the art of film. Dramaturgy is a language in and of itself, and as such, it depends on a precise grammar, or on rules which, like any other rules, can be taught and learnt.

The objective of this first study-unit on screenwriting is to teach the basic rules of traditional cinematic dramaturgy, namely, the classical three-act structure. Special attention will be paid to the permutations of such a structure, in particular the so-called journey undertaken by the hero, which brings to focus the elusive confines between mythology and narration. A number of structural elements shared by the most diverse of narratives such as myth, fairy tales, and dreams will also be studied.

Throughout, the pragmatism that is typical of Hollywood will be taught in conjunction with the polymorphous and multidimensional European tradition.

The theoretical component of this study-unit will be constantly supplemented by readings of excerpts of screenplays, the discussion of scenes and sequences from a number of films, as well as an in-depth analysis of an entire film which best highlights the dramaturgic rules treated during the workshop sessions.

By itself theory however is never sufficient. For this reason, at the end of the unit, each participant will be asked to write a draft screenplay for a short film whose theme should be related to Malta. Students will be taught how to use 'Final Draft,' the most widely-used screenwriting software.

Study-unit Aims:

- To provide intensive training in the basic principles of cinematic dramaturgy and characterization techniques;
- To empower the students to critically engage with the narratorial strategies deployed in screenwriting both in Hollywood and in the European tradition;
- To inspire students to develop innovative ideas which can provide the basis of a screenplay;
- To provide students with the basic tools which will allow them to successfully embark on the planning and scripting of a screenplay.

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

- be able to identify, analyse and critically appraise the narratorial techniques of screenplays of both mainstream and independent cinema;
- be able to learn how to apply the basic narratorial strategies and techniques of scriptwriting required in the planning and development of a screenplay;
- become acquainted with the skills which are required to turn a screenplay into a short film.

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

- apply a number of methodological approaches in his or her analysis of individual screenplays via an understanding of the principles and the terminology of cinematic dramaturgy;
- collegially engage in a discussion on the quality of a screenplay;
- apply his or her enhanced writing skills to the practical development of a screenplay.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

Required reading list:
Ken Dancyger and Jeff Rush, Alternative Scriptwriting, Focal Press, 2013.
Joseph Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, New World Library, 2012.
André Bazin, What is Cinema?, translated by Timothy Barnard, Caboose, 2009 [original edition: Qu’est-ce que le cinéma?, Éditions du Cerf, 4 volumes, 1958-1962].
Dara Marks, Inside Story, A & C Black Publishers, 2009.
John Truby, The Anatomy of Story, Faber and Faber, 2008.
Chris Vogler, The Writer’s Journey, Michael Wiese Productions, 2007.
Syd Field, The Screenwriter’s Workbook, Delta, 2006.
Yves Lavandier, Writing Drama, translated by Bernard Besserglik, Le Clown & l’Enfant, 2005 [original edition: La dramaturgie, Le Clown & l’Enfant, 1994].

Recommended reading list:
Werner Herzog, Herzog on Herzog, edited by Paul Cronin, Faber and Faber, 2002.
Bruno Fornara, Geografia del cinema, BUR Rizzoli, 2001.
Andrey Tarkovsky, Time Within Time, translated by Kitty Hunter-Blair, Faber and Faber, 1994.
Daniel Arijon, Grammar of the Film Language, Silman-James Press, 1991.
Andrey Tarkovsky, Sculpting in Time, translated by Kitty Hunter-Blair, University of Texas Press, 1989.
Aristotle, The Poetics, translated by Stephen Halliwell, Duckworth, 1987.
Robert Bresson, Notes on the Cinematographer, translated by Jonathan Griffin, Quartet Books, 1986 [original edition: Notes sur le cinématographe, Gallimard, 1975 (available in French)].
David Bordwell, Narration in the Fiction Film, Methuen, 1985.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Seminar and Workshop

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Presentation SEM2 Yes 30%
Screenplay SEM2 Yes 70%

 
LECTURER/S Gloria Lauri Lucente
Franz Rodenkirchen

 

 
The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
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 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

https://www.um.edu.mt/course/studyunit