Feature Screenwriting: The Treatment

The primary purpose of this course is to facilitate and develop a fiction screenplay with emphasis on the first stage of writing: story generation and plot development. Structured as a one-hour lecture and two-hour workshop, students will initially engage in creative writing exercises and consider what kinds of ideas are best fitted to the feature film format. They will read screenplays, and study the various structure models, including the widely used three act structure promoted by script gurus Sid Field and Robert McKee, whilst also considering alternative structures for different narratives. Students will pitch their own story ideas, settling on one idea to develop further. They will consider the structure model that best fits their story and write a feature film treatment using industry standard formats. This will include a log line, synopsis, vison board, character breakdown and detailed plot outline.