104132 - AUDIOVISUAL SCREENPLAY

Subject type: Basic

Coordinator: Rafael Suarez Gómez

Trimester: Third term

Credits: 6

Both practicals and theory will use the Catalan and Spanish languages ​​interchangeably.

The subject of Audiovisual scriptwriting is part of the group of basic training subjects and is a first approach to screenwriting (mainly fiction) and its structural and narrative understanding. The basic writing tools for audiovisual, dramatization and the theory of audiovisual narrative are studied. All with the intention that the student can write and analyze films from a point of view of the plot and the story that is intended to tell.

This subject has methodological and digital resources to make possible its continuity in non-contact mode in the case of being necessary for reasons related to the Covid-19.

In this way, the achievement of the same knowledge and skills that are specified in this teaching plan will be ensured. 

Upon completion of the course the student must be able to obtain the following general (RA) and complementary (RAC) learning outcomes:

LO 1: Carry out a critical analysis of a script for a TV show or film (E5, G5, G4).

LO 2: Write a short film (E16, G5).

RAC 1: Establish the theoretical and conceptual bases on which the production of audiovisual scripts is developed (E5, G5)

RAC 2: Understand the basic narrative resources applied to screenwriting. (E5, G5)

RAC 3: Describe the differential characteristics of audiovisual products of different genres. (E5, G5, G4)

RAC 4: Provide the methodological basis for the creation of the different characters in a production. (E10)

RAC 5 :. Apply quality assessment methodologies in audiovisual products. (E10)

RAC 6: Analyze and evaluate the different dramatic, aesthetic and ethical elements essential for writing scripts. (E16, G5, G4)

RAC 7: Use appropriately the practical tools and guidelines for the task of creating and producing audiovisual scripts. (E16, G5)

RAC 8: Fluency in word processors applied to script format. (E16, G5)

RAC9: Identify the differences in the gender representation of fictional characters. (E10)

Teaching methodology

The hours of non-autonomous learning consists of:

- To do theoretical classes (large group) in which the general contents are exposed to achieve the corresponding learning objectives. Conveniently interspersed, individual or group follow-up activities and seminars are conducted within the class. These activities are usually small problems or comprehension exercises of the contents that are being presented.

- To discuss, debate and work in groups some exercises and activities proposed in theory class. This activity takes place in the classroom but with a medium-sized class group. Presentation of topics by students and individual application.

- To do some practices (small group), in laboratories that have the necessary equipment for the realization of the same. These activities are used to promote the competence of group work.

The student has and uses as support material, the transparencies of the subject that the teacher puts at their disposal from the first day and as the course progresses, on the virtual campus. This will allow the student to go to class having made a previous reading of the topics and, in class, to concentrate on the explanations of the teacher, taking the notes that he thinks opportune for a later study. It also has a published detailed teaching plan: learning objectives by content, programming of assessment activities, bibliography and other online resources.

Within hours of autonomous learning the hours that the student spends looking for complementary information on the web are considered, to make a previous reading of both the notes and the basic bibliography for the corresponding theoretical class, to carry out exercises proposed outside the classroom, and the study of complementary materials for the realization of the practices and of the seminars, writing of the reports and / or narrative files, resolution of questionnaires of self-learning, study and preparation of the partial examinations, etc ..

The subject is structured in 4h / week of theory sessions (all students) and 2h / week of practical laboratory sessions (group of practices).

Note on the COVID situation

This course, due to the situation generated by COVID, some of the large group sessions will be held in hybrid format: face-to-face and online (via streaming). This will allow students to rotate to face-to-face classes, respecting the maximum number of students per classroom imposed by the distance measures. When they are not in contact, they will be able to follow the class online from home.

 With regard to internship sessions in smaller spaces (such as laboratories, studios or sets), where appropriate, work will be carried out simultaneously in several spaces in order to ensure that the conditions established by the safety protocols are met.

Subject matter

Topic 1: The script and the media

1.1. What a script

1.2. Types of scripts

1.3. Characteristics of the scripts depending on the medium and use

Topic 2: Basic principles of audiovisual narrative. Narrative structure and construction

2.1. Narrate with pictures

2.2. Basic principles

2.3. The role of sound

2.4. The concept of Gender

2.5. Dramatic structure / narrative structure

2.6. Types of script

- The ternary structure

- The mythical structure: The journey of the hero / The master plots / The universal arguments

2.7. The dramatization

- The conflict

- The plot: teacher and secondary

2.8. The plot design

2.9. Narration and time. Narration and space

Topic 3: Script construction: format and narrative resources.

3.1. Phases in the construction of the script

3.2. Literary script

- How to write it

- Formats

3.3. Technical script

3.4. Resources and dosing of information.

3.5. Point of view and narrator.

Topic 4: Construction of characters and dialogues

4.1. Types of characters

4.2. The characterization

4.3. How to make them known

- Identification

- The transformation arc

- The dialogues

4.4. Character Bible

4.5. Basic principles of dialogue

The activities of the theoretical part of the subject will be divided into theoretical exams and seminars (60% of the final grade of the subject)

1. Theoretical exam (50% of the final mark of the subject)

Related skills: G4, G5, E5, E10, E16

Related learning outcomes: RAC1, RAC 2, RAC 3, RAC 5, RAC 6, RAC 7

Examen individually.

At the end of the course there will be an exam where the knowledge of all the contents treated during the subject will be evaluated. The exam may also include questions related to the practical sessions of the subject, the viewings made in class and the compulsory films. The test consists of a part of questions (test) on concepts associated with the learning objectives of the subject and some development questions that seek to assess the level of reflection and use of the concepts presented in the subject by part of the student. The student has 2 hours to complete the test. It is mandatory to pass this test to pass the subject.

An additional 8 hours of independent learning is considered necessary to prepare for the exam.

2. Seminars (10% of the final mark of the subject)

Related skills: G4, G5, E5, E16

Related learning outcomes: RA1, RAC2, RAC3, RAC6, RAC7

The seminars will consist of two theoretical and practical exercises individuals to perform in the classroom. The teacher will propose a writing exercise about format, dramatic comprehension, characters, structure interpretation, etc. in the classroom setting. 

The activities of the practical part are the following (40% of the final mark of the subject)

3. Write the script for a short film 

Related skills: G4, G5, E5, E16, E10.

Related learning outcomes: RA1, RA2, RAC4, RAC6, RAC7, RAC8

This is the group of activities linked to the final project of the subject: The literary script of a fiction short film.

Students will prepare this activity in groups of five / six people with a support material (CELTX or FADE IN software)

In the last session, the final documentation of the short film published with CELTX must be submitted. Partial deliveries will be made during the previous sessions, based on the specifications made by the teachers.

The result of the activity (script dossier) will have a weighting of 75% with respect to the total of the practical activities.

4. Group pitching of project presentation 

Related skills: G4, G5, E4, E16.

Related learning outcomes: RA1, RAC3, RAC6

The last internship session will be dedicated to oral presentation, in the form of pitching professional, all the stories worked on as if we were exposing them to a film producer. The defense of each script will also count in the final grade.

El pitching carried out will have a weighting of 25% with respect to the total of the practical activities.

Internship regulations:

- Internships are not validated for later courses.

- Lack of attendance at internships: Of the 8 scheduled internship sessions (small group) only non-attendance in two will be allowed. Each of these two unjustified absences will deduct 0,50 from the final grade of the internship up to a maximum of 1 point. In the third fault not justified in a correct and official way, the student will have an NP in practice, and therefore, he will not be able to pass the subject neither in the ordinary call nor in the extraordinary call (in the case of an NP) .

- For each activity, teachers will report on the particular rules and conditions that govern it, including deadlines and means of delivery.

- Deliveries will not be accepted outside the deadlines indicated and by means not specified in the rules.

- The individual activities presuppose the commitment of the alumnado to realize them of individual way. All activities in which the student does not fulfill this commitment will be considered suspended. Likewise, the activities that must be carried out in groups presuppose the commitment on the part of the students that make it up to carry them out within the group. All activities in which the group has not respected this commitment will be considered suspended. The responsibility for the results of the work lies with the group, and not with the individuals who make it up.

- The activities related to the practical sessions of the subject will be carried out in the laboratories, although it will also include autonomous work of the students outside the class hours.

- In all the works will have to identify clearly the relative data to the asignatura as well as to the specific activity and the / s author / s (in alphabetical order). 

- Both the wording and the presentations will take into account both the content and the form, including the spelling. Spelling, syntactic and lexical errors will be penalized according to the criteria indicated in each activity. Jobs that do not meet minimum requirements at the formal level will not be evaluated, so they will be scored with zero points.  

- Any undelivered activity will be scored with zero points.

- Any activity where copying and / or plagiarism is detected will be scored with zero points.

- Any activity that does not meet the requirements specified in the rules will be scored with zero points.

Important: In case of confinement, the activities will not be modified, as they can be done without any problem online.

The theoretical section of the subject (60% of the final grade) will be evaluated by means of a theoretical exam, which is specified in the "Activities" section and constitutes 50% of the subject and seminars, which constitutes the 10% of the total of the subject.

The practical section of the subject (40% of the final grade), which is specified in the “Activities” section, will be evaluated through the presentation of the short film script dossier (30%), and the pitching corresponding (10%).

Qualification system (evaluation)

1 / Ordinary qualification

Minimum requirements: It is necessary to obtain (Nteoria> = 5 and Nprácticas> = 5) to be able to access the ordinary qualification of the asignatura. This means that the two parts must be passed separately in order to pass the course. It is given, however, the opportunity to recover to go only with the suspended part.

The final grade is obtained from the following weighting of the partial grades (in the case of having passed practices and theory):

NFinal = 0.6 NTheory + 0.4 NPractice
NTheory = 0.5 NExam + 0.1 NSeminars
NPractice = 0.75 NDossier + 0.25 NPitching 

NPractices is obtained from the weighted average of the practical activities carried out during the course (Script of a short film and pitching group)

NSeminaris consists of the evaluation of different individual activities (2) carried out during the course in the classroom. 

In order to apply the 60-40 of the NFinal it is necessary to pass the theoretical exam that is worth 50% of the subject.

2 / Recovery Qualification

In case of not exceeding the minimum requirements for an ordinary qualification, the student will be able to recover the note of the part not passed (NTeoria or NPractices).

Minimum requirements: You must have obtained a grade other than Not Presented in the part to be retrieved. 

Seminars will NOT be retrievable. The test of recovery of the theoretical part (60%) will consist of a theoretical exam that will contain questions related to the theory + questions on viewings + questions on the seminars. The test of recovery of the practical part (40%) will refer to questions relative to the practical part of the asignatura. To recover the practical part, the student will be asked to prepare and correct the suspended dossier or a specific individual test that will be announced before the date of recovery.

The valid mark to calculate the NFinal will always be the one obtained in this Recovery which will be a maximum of 5.  
 

Each misspelling discounts 0,25 on homework and 0,5 on homework.

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Aranda, D. De Felipe, F. Icart, P. Pujol, C. How to build a good audiovisual script. Barcelona: Ed.UOC 2006

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Compared Doc. From creation to script. IORT

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McKee, R. The dialogue. Editorial Alba. Off-Field Collection. Barcelona, ​​2018.