Profession of a Scriptwriter

Students explore the knowledge base that forms the basis for a screenwriter’s work, learn how to analyze screenplays, and put what they have learned into practice using screenwriting software.

Additionally, students study Final Draft and other software programs, comparing their strengths and weaknesses so that each student can choose the best one for their needs. Throughout the course, students will do a lot of writing and revising, but they will also read scripts from famous films, watch their favorite films, and analyze them in terms of dramatic structure.

They put different theories into practice, such as whether the concept of a film can be adapted into a short film. To do so, students create a script for a short film based on a popular film. This exercise helps students learn how to analyze the structure of a script and identify the key conflicts in a story. In addition, they investigate the industry and learn how to sell scripts. They listen to a professional producer to understand what happens to scripts once the screenwriter’s work is complete, when the script goes onto the set. Also, they create a director’s script, as well as examine the different approaches that directors take when working with scripts. It is crucial for a screenwriter to be prepared psychologically for the fact that a story changes from draft to draft and may end up quite different from its original idea.

Therefore, we aim to learn how to respond effectively to revisions and the endless rewriting of scripts. To do so, students review each other’s scripts and offer suggestions for improving the story. A screenwriter must always be pitching their ideas, so students learn how to present them and their scripts during formal pitch sessions with expert judges.

By the end of the course, each student has a small portfolio consisting of a pitch for an idea, a synopsis for a feature film, a documentary, a TV series, or a video game, and a script for a short film or music video.