Overview
Aims
to make students understand the relation between the story and the character
to make students understand the (internal and external) transformation of the characters
to introduce students in the field of documentary films
Course contents
In this course, students will become familiar with the approaches to screenwriting taken by John Truby and Ken Dancyger. From John Truby, they will learn about the film "premise," the "seven key steps of story structure," the "character network," and the "moral argument." Drawing on the perspective of Ken Dancyger, the course will also cover the "character arc" and character groupings.
During the final quarter of the semester, the focus will shift to documentary film, explored through the perspectives of Gábor Xantus, Patricia Aufderheide, Călin Căliman and Laurențiu Damian. Additionally, we will discuss about the obsevational documentary analysing the film ”Teodora păcătoasa” (Anca Hirțe 2011).
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, students will be able to:
- identify ”the premise” of feature-length films;
- define and correctly use the terms "seven key steps of story structure," "network of characters," "character arc," and "character population";
- explain how the character is portrayed in the documentary *Teodora păcătoasa* (Anca Hirțe, 2011);
- explain the advantages and risks involved in making an observational documentary.
Assessment
Creative ability and theoretical knowledge will be assessed through discussions and practical assignments.