Drama Production: Course Outline

This course is designed to provide students with the tools to understand the construction of the drama screen work.

Course outline

Drama – Definition, origin – History
Aristotle’s poetics - 6 elements of drama
Drama development in different cultures
Roman/Japanese/Chinese/Indian/Islamic
The dramatic structure of 8 steps
Distribution of information through characters - Setup and pay-off
Aesthetic movements in the 20^th century
Naturalism – Realism – Expressionism – Dadaism – Surrealism – Absurdism – Postmodernism
What makes a strong screen drama idea? The screenwriter’s toolbox
Story and dramatic structure - Pattern, paradigm and approaches to script planning
Characters and dramatic conflict through crisis to climax, through resolution
Creating interesting and effective characters – character types, 3-dimensional characters
Short film as a genre
Make psychology visual
Scene and shot divisioning
Tips for producing a successful play – 1
Tips for producing a successful play – 2