Course Code: FMTV 217
Academic Year: 2025-2026
Engaging in the story development process through a hands-on practicum, classes are devoted to workshopping pitches, step outlines and draft works. Reading, critiquing and redrafting students' work are employed with the intent of applying the principles of structural screenwriting to different components of a screenplay, character development setups and pay-offs, turning points, conflict and resolution and dialogue. Students will visually write a main script for a studio-based seven to eight-minute drama. These dramas are developed for selection towards the end of the semester for the four-day studio shoots to be produced in the winter semester. In addition, students will act as story editors on each other's work, delivering annotated and written critiques as well as in-class feedback. Students are highly encouraged to keep a daily or weekly scriptwriting journal as a source of ideas for their scripts. Students learn to submit their scripts in strict screenplay form as recommended by the professional guidelines of the Writers Guild. Students will also learn the value of constructive criticism and notes as it relates to their own work and the work of other writers. Assignments handed in are graded and should be thoroughly proofed and edited according to professional standards and guidelines before submission to the professor and class. Note that assignment deadlines are assigned on an individual basis according to the in-class pitch and script reading or workshop schedules. Each section will select, through class vote and the professor's recommendations, four scripts that will move on to the studio drama table reads in the Production Management class. From these 16 scripts, seven to eight final scripts will be selected for production. Note: First year PMPs may not be used as studio drama screenplays. Second year studio drama pitches and screenplays must be constructed from a fresh concept/idea.