Foundations of Screenwriting Craft

This unit introduces core screenwriting concepts and practices, including idea generation, the creative process, three-act structure, screenplay formatting, and ethical/business considerations. Students analyze examples across media, produce short formatted scenes and concept documents, and prepare a basic writer’s package to bridge creative work with industry expectations.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze films, scripts, and cross-medium examples to identify narrative structure, point of view, and stylistic techniques used in effective screenwriting (e.g., voice-over, intercut, split screen, series of shots).
• Apply standard screenplay formatting and three-act structure to produce a correctly formatted 3–5 page opening sequence that establishes protagonist, inciting incident, and early stakes.
• Demonstrate creative development by producing two concept documents (logline and short treatment), drafting an eye-opening opener and a middle outline, and documenting at least two revision strategies for subsequent drafts.
• Evaluate ethical and business considerations by assembling a basic writer’s package (logline, bio, synopsis), outlining steps to procure primary material, and summarizing protections and industry pathways for a screenwriter.