FAVz054 Theory, History and Practice of Screenwriting

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2015
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 5 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
Claus Tieber (lecturer), doc. Mgr. Petr Szczepanik, Ph.D. (deputy)
Mgr. Luděk Havel, Ph.D. (assistant)
Mgr. Eva Pjajčíková (assistant)
Mgr. Jan Trnka, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
prof. PhDr. Jiří Voráč, Ph.D.
Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of Film Studies and Audiovisual Culture – Faculty of Arts
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 120 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/120, only registered: 0/120, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/120
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 10 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course will provide an overview of history and theory of screenwriting.
Syllabus
  • Course Overview
  • • Introduction
  • • Theory:
  • • Authorship theories
  • • Inter- Transmedial Status of the screenplay
  • • History: Screenwriting for Silent Films: the American History
  • • Format: Scenario, Continuity, Master Scene Script
  • • Organization of dtory Development: Story Conferences
  • • Conventions, norms, Problems and Solutions: Standardization and Differenziation
  • • Analyzing Case Studies: Grand Hotel, Notorious
  • • The social and political contexts: from the Writers Guild to the Blacklist
  • • Role and Function of Screenwriting Manuals
  • • Screenwriting for Television
  • Methods:
  • • Lectures
  • • Working in groups
  • • Working with historical material
  • • Discussion
  • Literature:
  • One or two chapters from: Steven Maras: Screenwriting: History, Theory, Practice. Wallflower Press 2008
  • Ian Macdonald: So it's not surprising I'm neurotic The Screenwriter and the Screen Idea Work Group, Journal of Screenwriting, Volume 1, Number 1, 1 January 2010, pp. 45-58
  • Janet Staiger, "Blueprints for Feature Films: Hollywood's Continuity Scripts," in The American Film Industry, ed. Tino Balio. 2nd ed. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 1985. Pp. 173-92
  • Claus Tieber, ‘A story is not a story but a conference’: Story conferences and the classical studio system, in: Journal of Screenwriting 5/2 2014, pp. 225-237
Teaching methods
lectures
Assessment methods
written test
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
The course is taught: in blocks.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/autumn2015/FAVz054