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PD Course

Screenplays 101 - Part 1: Basic Structure

Created by Nicholas Pappas

8 modules 1 hours, 22 minutes 3 Credit Hours playwriting screenplays

Screenwriter Nick Pappas leads a two-part course on screenplays 101. Great scriptwriting is not something that can be covered in a single course: so we're going to start with the basics. Those basics are going to be split up into a Part 1 and a Part 2. Part 1, this course, will concentrate on basic film structure. Part 2 will concentrate on screenplay formatting.

By the end of this course, students should have a basic understanding of history, terminology, and are able to identify the barest bones of the three-act structure, all with an eye toward developing their own screenplay.

  1. 0
    Module 0
    Introduction
    5:35 FREE PREVIEW
    This module introduces the course, and outlines what will be covered in each section.
  2. 1
    Module 1
    What is a Screenplay?
    10:53 FREE PREVIEW
    In this module we’re going to look at the history of the screenplay, identify what a screenplay is, how it’s different than other forms of writing, and set up expectations for what’s to come in future modules.
  3. 2
    Module 2
    Theater vs. Film from a Writer’s Point of View
    15:31
    In this module we’re going to look at playwrights and screenwriters, how the jobs differ and how they overlap.
  4. 3
    Module 3A
    The Three-Act Structure
    16:18
    In this module we’re going to discuss the basics of the way we tell stories and how that influences the structure of a screenplay.
  5. 3
    Module 3B
    A Case Study
    7:46
    This is Module 3B - Structure: Pee-wee’s Big Adventure – A Case Study where we’ll take all of the theory that we discussed in Module 3A and apply it to Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.
  6. 4
    Module 4A
    Protagonists: Goals, Obstacles, and Tactics
    15:05
    In this module, we’ll examine how a protagonist is shaped by their goals, the obstacles against them, and how they use different tactics to get around those obstacles.
  7. 4
    Module 4B
    A Case Study
    7:26
    In this module we’ll look at what we learned in module 4A and apply it to Pee-wee’s Big Adventure.
  8. 5
    Module 5
    Wrap-Up
    3:55
    In this module we’re going to wrap up Screenplays 101 – Part 1: Basic Structure and get ourselves ready for Screenplays 101 – Part 2: Basic Formatting.

Standards Addressed

Select, analyze, and interpret artistic work for presentation - Grade HS Accomplished

Refine new work through play, drama processes and theatre experiences using critical analysis and experimentation - Grade 6

Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding - Grade 7

Refine new work through play, drama processes and theatre experiences using critical analysis and experimentation - Grade 8

Refine new work through play, drama processes and theatre experiences using critical analysis and experimentation - Grade HS Proficient

Relate artistic ideas and works with societal, cultural, and historical context to deepen understanding - Grade HS Proficient

Apply criteria to evaluate artistic work - Grade HS Accomplished

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