Fall 2024 Film BC3119 section 001

SCREENWRITING FUNDAMENTALS

SCREENWRITING FUNDMENTALS

Call Number 00590
Day & Time
Location
W 12:10pm-3:00pm
119 MILSTEIN CEN
Points 3
Grading Mode Standard
Approvals Required None
Instructor Peter Nickowitz
Type WORKSHOP
Course Description

Prerequisites: FILM BC3201 or equivalent. Enrollment limited to 12 students. Priority is given to Film Studies majors/concentrations in order of class seniority. Corequisites: (Since this is a Film course, it does not count as a writing course for English majors with a Writing Concentration.)

This course is ideal for writers of their FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD screenplays. The first several weeks will focus on STORY: What it is, what it isn’t, how to recognize the difference. How to find your own individual stories that nobody else in the universe can tell.

From there we will make the transition to the highly individualized techniques, the strengths and limitations, the dynamics of telling a SCREEN STORY; what to leave in, what to leave out. As Michelangelo puts it—starting with a block of marble and chipping away everything that isn’t David.  Through studies of existing screenplays and films in coordination with and hands-on writing exercises which we will share in class, we will develop our skills in all aspects of screenwriting; building fascinating characters, dialogue, story construction (The BIG PICTURE) and scene construction (The Small Picture)

Perfection is not the goal; but rather it is to be able to say truly at the end of each day’s writing, “I did the best I could with what I had at the time. (Phillip Roth quoting heavyweight champion Joe Louis)

Web Site Vergil
Department Film @Barnard
Enrollment 8 students (12 max) as of 9:06PM Thursday, December 12, 2024
Subject Film
Number BC3119
Section 001
Division Barnard College
Open To Barnard College, Columbia College, Engineering:Undergraduate, Global Programs, General Studies, Professional Studies
Note FIRST PRIORITY TO SENIOR BC/CU FILM STUDIES MAJORS
Section key 20243FILM3119X001