Screenwriting Craft and Structure

This unit develops the writer’s craft by focusing on visual storytelling, character interiority, and the structural elements that make a screenplay work on the page and on the screen. Students practice formatting, treatments, Act I construction, openings, backstory, and pitch-ready materials to build from foundational skills and prepare to produce longer outlines and drafts in the next unit.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze how visual choices and screenwriting format translate narrative action into cinematic beats by converting at least two prose or staged scenes into properly formatted screenplay scenes.
• Apply principles of character development and interiority to create detailed backstories, status maps, and a ‘character music’ sketch for at least two principal characters.
• Demonstrate structural competence by constructing and revising a complete Act I (including three contrasting opening options and a written treatment) and identifying threats to plot cohesion.
• Evaluate and refine professional materials—treatment, formatted sample pages, and a 2–3 minute oral pitch—and present the pitch to peers as part of career preparation.