Screenplays

Screenwriting Activities

Screenplays really need to be typed. They should use 12 point Courier (not Courier new) or Prestige Pica. These are fixed-pitch fonts that yield ten (10) characters per horizontal inch and six (6) lines per vertical inch.

Activity #1-- Pairs-A skit that could be filmed and uploaded to YouTube

Let’s get our feet wet. Write a 3-5 page (3-5 minutes) screenplay ‘short’. You can use ‘Park Bench’ as a model. Come up with a skit that begins quickly and ends quickly. It could be funny or suspenseful or whatever you want it to be. Use the handouts and follow the format given. Practice writing in the camera angles and scene directions. 

Activity #2--- Individual Screenplay-- A Short Film by YOU

This is the major activity for this unit. Write a 10-15 page short (10-15 minutes long) screenplay that has an introduction, rising action (suspense- something that engages the viewer), a climactic moment and a resolution (think of ‘In God We Trust’). Again, use the format we’ve learned for writing screenplays.

Submit a page explaining the premise for your screenplay (activity #1 and #2. You could use a short story graph to explain your premise)