1. General information about the training program
- Program name: Film and Television Scriptwriting Skills
- Target audience: All individuals who have graduated from lower secondary school or higher and wish to study film and television screenwriting.
- Training institution: University of Social Sciences and Humanities
- Certificate name: Film and Television Scriptwriting Skills.
- Training duration: 60 hours
2. Training Objectives
The Film and Television Screenwriting Skills training program equips learners with fundamental and essential knowledge in the field of film and television screenwriting: film and television production processes, cinematic art, film and television script analysis, methods of developing film and television scripts, and how to organize a screenwriting team to carry out a film and television project…
3. Program learning outcomes
3.1. Regarding knowledge
- Master the fundamental knowledge of the creative process of a film and television screenwriter: from idea generation, outline formation, character development, to scene breakdown and final script...
- Mastering knowledge of the film and television production process: Learners must understand the entire process of creating a film, from the initial idea to the final product reaching the viewer; the "characters" involved in that production process; and the position and role of the screenwriter in that production chain.
- Master the fundamental knowledge of filmmaking, such as: the components that make up a film (sound, images, etc.); the units of film content (scenes, shots, shots, etc.); and the concept of some basic issues in filmmaking (set design, cinematography, sound in film, etc.). Learners will also understand the differences between feature films shown in theaters and television films, and between fiction and non-fiction (documentaries).
3.2. Regarding skills
Learners will acquire the basic skills of film scriptwriting, from idea generation and developing ideas into a storyline to character creation and plot development using various structural approaches. Based on their understanding of different film and television genres, learners will also be able to differentiate and select screenwriting skills appropriate to each genre to write different types of film scripts.
3.3. Regarding moral qualities
- To have the right attitude towards the function and role of screenwriting and screenwriters in the creative process of film and television works.
- Having a clear and appropriate attitude regarding the role and responsibilities of a screenwriter in relation to other stakeholders in the creative process of film and television works; especially with regard to the script.
3.4. Job position and professional development opportunities
Students can participate in film and television scriptwriting activities as screenwriters in film and television production units, or as independent screenwriters.
4. Structure of the training program
Total accumulated hours: 60 lessons, including:
- Total classroom time: 40 lessons (divided into 16 sessions, each session lasting 2.5 hours)
- Total time for writing the graduation project: 20 hours, including: 01 detailed outline for a television series and 01 completed episode.
5. Program content
5.1. Introduction to Cinema and the Film and Television Production System
(5 lessons)
- Providing basic knowledge about the art of filmmaking (e.g., film structure; narrative in film, staging, cinematography, editing, etc.) and basic knowledge about the history of world/Vietnamese cinema.
- To provide basic knowledge about the structure of film and television production systems, thereby understanding the role of screenwriters in that production system.
5.2. Film Scriptwriting Skills (7.5 hours)
This course helps students grasp the fundamental steps in structuring a film, including the constituent parts of a film script, and the process and techniques of writing a feature film script.
5.3. Television Scriptwriting Skills (20 lessons)
Television scriptwriting is a core subject in the course, providing fundamental knowledge and skills in television screenwriting.
5.4. Analyzing film/television scripts (7.5 hours)
- This module provides students with the knowledge and skills to analyze film scripts through in-depth study of various aspects of screenwriting, as well as other aspects of the filmmaking process. The module prioritizes practical skills by requiring students to apply their learned knowledge to analyze specific film scripts (including Vietnamese films, foreign films, commercial films, art films, and auteur films). Student scripts from the course will also be prioritized for practical exercises.
5.5. Practical training in television scriptwriting (20 sessions)
- This module is conducted independently by students at home under the guidance of the instructor. Students will write one detailed outline for a television drama script and one complete script for one episode.
- The detailed outline and script for one episode must adhere to television script standards and be the original work of the student.
6. Forms of testing and evaluating learning outcomes
After 40 classroom hours, students will write a graduation project lasting 20 hours. The graduation project includes: one detailed outline of a television script and one complete script for one episode. The project must meet the following criteria: it must be the student's own work, adhere to television script standards, and be usable for film production.
Students will receive a graduation certificate upon meeting the following requirements:
- Attend at least 87.5% of the class time (35 lessons).
- Achieve a minimum score of 50/100 on the graduation project evaluation.
7. Reference materials
1. David Bordwell, Kristin Thompson, History of Cinema (2 volumes), National University Publishing House, Hanoi, 2007
2. David Bordwell, Kristin Thompson, The Art of Cinema, Hanoi National University Publishing House, 2007
3. Warren Bucklan, Film Studies, Tri Thuc Publishing House, 2011
4. Timothy Corrigan, A Guide to Writing About Films, Tri Thuc Publishing House, 2011
5. Timothy Corrigan, Literature and Cinema, World Publishing House, 2013
6. Ray Frensham, Self-Taught Screenwriting, Tri Thuc Publishing House, 2011
7. Trinh Dan Phuong, Theoretical and Practical Issues of Film and Television Screenwriting (Lecture), Internal Circulation
8. Hoang Cam Giang, Film Script Analysis (Lecture), Internal Circulation
