Course outline
Module 1
Module 1: Introduction to Screenwriting
Introduction to Screenwriting
Knowledge check
Q1. What is the standard unit of measurement for a screenplay's length, roughly equivalent to one minute of screen time?
- A. A scene
- B. A page ✓
- C. A beat
- D. A reel
Why: In industry practice, one screenplay page roughly equals one minute of screen time, which is why feature scripts are typically around 90 to 120 pages.
Q2. Which format element describes the location and time of day for a scene, such as INT. KITCHEN - NIGHT?
- A. Transition
- B. Parenthetical
- C. Slug line ✓
- D. Action line
Why: The slug line, also called a scene heading, tells the reader whether the scene is interior or exterior, where it takes place, and when.
Q3. What is the primary purpose of action lines in a screenplay?
- A. To record the dialogue exactly as spoken by actors
- B. To describe what the audience sees and hears on screen in present tense ✓
- C. To give camera angle instructions for the director
- D. To list the cast and crew credits
Why: Action lines describe visible events and sounds in the present tense, keeping the reader oriented to the story without dictating technical camera choices.
Q4. Which of the following is the most widely used screenplay font?
- A. Arial 12-point
- B. Times New Roman 12-point
- C. Courier 12-point ✓
- D. Helvetica 14-point
Why: Courier 12-point is the industry standard because its monospaced letters make pages roughly predictable in length, which helps estimate running time.
Q5. What does the term 'spec script' refer to?
- A. A script written for a specific actor at their request
- B. An original or existing property script written without a commission, used to showcase a writer's skills ✓
- C. A script that has been officially approved for production
- D. A technical document listing special effects requirements
Why: A spec script is written on speculation, without a guaranteed sale or assignment, and serves as a writing sample to help writers get representation or work.
Module 2
Module 2: Story Structure and Plot Development
Story Structure and Plot Development
Knowledge check
Q1. In the three-act structure, which act typically contains the inciting incident?
- A. Act One ✓
- B. Act Two
- C. Act Three
- D. The epilogue
Why: The inciting incident is the event that disrupts the protagonist's ordinary world and sets the story in motion. It appears in Act One, the setup, where the characters and their world are established before the main conflict begins.
Q2. What is the term for the moment near the end of Act Two when the protagonist faces their lowest point?
- A. Midpoint
- B. Climax
- C. Dark night of the soul ✓
- D. Denouement
Why: The 'dark night of the soul' is the protagonist's lowest point, usually just before the final act. It often forces them to confront their flaws or fears and find the resolve needed to face the climax.
Q3. Which element is the central turning point that pushes the story from Act One into Act Two?
- A. The resolution
- B. The first plot point ✓
- C. The final confrontation
- D. The character backstory
Why: The first plot point is the event that commits the protagonist to the main conflict and launches Act Two. There is no going back to the old world once it occurs.
Q4. What does 'denouement' refer to in a screenplay?
- A. The opening scene that hooks the audience
- B. The climactic battle or confrontation
- C. The final resolution where loose ends are tied up ✓
- D. The midpoint reversal
Why: The denouement is the concluding phase after the climax, where the story's remaining threads are resolved and the audience sees the new normal for the characters.
Q5. Why is a clear protagonist goal important in plot development?
- A. It determines the film's budget
- B. It gives the story direction and drives the audience's engagement through the conflict ✓
- C. It replaces the need for a conflict
- D. It ensures the story has exactly three acts
Why: A clear goal gives the protagonist something to pursue and gives the audience something to root for. The obstacles that stand in the way of that goal create the conflict that drives the plot forward.
Module 3
Module 3: Character Creation and Dialogue
Character Creation and Dialogue
Knowledge check
Q1. Which of the following best describes a character's 'want' in screenwriting?
- A. The character's hidden fear that drives their behavior
- B. The concrete goal the character pursues throughout the story ✓
- C. The character's physical appearance and costume choices
- D. The moral lesson the character learns by the end
Why: A character's 'want' is the tangible, external goal they actively pursue. It gives the plot forward momentum, while the deeper emotional need or fear is typically distinguished as the 'need.'
Q2. What is the main purpose of subtext in dialogue?
- A. To explain the plot directly so the audience never gets confused
- B. To convey meaning beneath the literal words spoken ✓
- C. To make characters speak in long, formal sentences
- D. To provide exposition about the setting and time period
Why: Subtext is the unspoken meaning beneath what characters say. Strong dialogue often reveals emotions or intentions indirectly, making scenes more engaging and realistic than characters stating everything outright.
Q3. Which technique helps distinguish one character's voice from another's?
- A. Giving every character the same vocabulary for consistency
- B. Varying elements like word choice, rhythm, sentence length, and education level ✓
- C. Having all characters speak only in complete sentences
- D. Limiting each character to one line of dialogue per scene
Why: Distinct voices come from differences in diction, sentence structure, rhythm, and background. Readers and audiences should be able to tell who is speaking even without a name attached to the line.
Q4. What is a 'character arc'?
- A. The curved path a camera takes around a character during a shot
- B. The transformation a character undergoes from the beginning to the end of the story ✓
- C. A list of all the scenes in which a character appears
- D. The backstory written for a character before the script begins
Why: A character arc describes how a character changes over the course of the narrative, often through confronting obstacles and internal conflicts. Positive, negative, and flat arcs describe different kinds of change or steadfastness.
Q5. Which is an example of 'show, don't tell' applied to character creation?
- A. Having a character announce, 'I am generous and kind.'
- B. Having a character quietly pay for a stranger's meal without anyone watching ✓
- C. Adding a narrator who describes each character's personality
- D. Writing a character summary at the top of the script
Why: Showing a trait through action is more powerful than stating it. The anonymous act of kindness reveals generosity organically, letting the audience draw the conclusion themselves rather than being told directly.
Module 4
Module 4: Screenplay Formatting and Structure
Screenplay Formatting and Structure
Knowledge check
Q1. What is the standard font used in professional screenplay formatting?
- A. Arial, 12 pt
- B. Courier, 12 pt ✓
- C. Times New Roman, 14 pt
- D. Helvetica, 11 pt
Why: Courier 12 pt is the industry standard because each character takes up the same width, so one page roughly equals one minute of screen time and studios can estimate script length easily.
Q2. Which element of a screenplay identifies the location and time of day of a scene?
- A. Transition
- B. Action line
- C. Scene heading (slugline) ✓
- D. Parenthetical
Why: The scene heading, or slugline, uses INT. or EXT. followed by the location and a time of day such as DAY or NIGHT, signaling where and when the scene takes place.
Q3. Where is a character's name typically placed when they are about to speak dialogue?
- A. Flush left at the margin
- B. Centered above the dialogue block, in all capitals ✓
- C. Indented to the right margin in lowercase
- D. Bolded at the top of the page
Why: Character names are centered and written in all capitals above the dialogue, which keeps the script visually organized and helps readers quickly see who is speaking.
Q4. What is the approximate recommended length of a feature-length screenplay in pages?
- A. 5 to 15 pages
- B. 30 to 60 pages
- C. 90 to 120 pages ✓
- D. 200 to 250 pages
Why: Feature films typically run about 90 to 120 pages, since one page roughly equals one minute of screen time, and a standard feature runs around 90 to 120 minutes.
Q5. Which transition is most commonly used at the end of a scene to signal a cut to the next scene?
- A. FADE IN:
- B. DISSOLVE TO:
- C. CUT TO: ✓
- D. SMASH CUT TO:
Why: CUT TO: is the most common transition in screenplays, as hard cuts are the default way to move between scenes, and transitions should be used sparingly so they don't clutter the page.
Module 5
Module 5: Scene Writing and Visual Storytelling
Scene Writing and Visual Storytelling
Knowledge check
Q1. In screenwriting, what is the primary purpose of a scene heading (also called a slugline)?
- A. To state the theme of the scene
- B. To indicate whether the scene is interior or exterior, the location, and the time of day
- C. To summarize the dialogue that follows
- D. To list the characters who appear in the scene
Why: A slugline tells the reader and production team where and when a scene takes place, using the format INT./EXT., LOCATION, and TIME OF DAY.
Q2. Which principle best describes 'show, don't tell' in visual storytelling?
- A. Characters should explain their emotions directly in dialogue
- B. The narrator should describe every detail of the setting
- C. Information and emotion should be conveyed through actions and images rather than stated outright ✓
- D. Scenes should be written entirely without dialogue
Why: Show, don't tell means audiences should infer character, conflict, and emotion from what they see and do on screen rather than from explicit exposition.
Q3. What is the typical purpose of a scene in a screenplay?
- A. To showcase a single camera angle
- B. To advance the story through a specific conflict, change, or revelation ✓
- C. To establish the film's running time
- D. To introduce the soundtrack music
Why: Each scene should move the story forward by creating or resolving conflict, revealing information, or changing a character's situation.
Q4. In screenplay formatting, how is dialogue typically presented?
- A. Left-aligned in full-width paragraphs with the speaker's name in bold
- B. Centered under the character's name in capital letters, with the spoken lines beneath ✓
- C. Italicized within the action paragraphs
- D. In a separate document from the action lines
Why: Standard screenplay format places the character name in all caps, centered above the indented dialogue, which makes scripts easy to scan.
Q5. What is a 'visual beat' in scene writing?
- A. A rhythmic sound effect used for transitions
- B. A short, concrete image or action that carries story meaning without words ✓
- C. The repeated line of dialogue that ends a scene
- D. A camera movement that follows a character
Why: A visual beat is a meaningful image or action, such as a character lighting a cigarette with shaking hands, that communicates story information visually.
Module 6
Module 6: Rewriting and Revision Techniques
Rewriting and Revision Techniques
Knowledge check
Q1. What is the primary purpose of a first draft in screenwriting?
- A. To produce a polished script ready for production
- B. To get the story down on the page without worrying about perfection ✓
- C. To secure a deal with a studio or producer
- D. To format the script exactly to industry standards
Why: First drafts are about discovering and capturing the story. Rewriting is where refinement, structure, and polish are addressed, so the first draft should prioritize momentum over perfection.
Q2. Which revision approach involves reviewing the script for overall story structure before focusing on individual lines of dialogue?
- A. Line editing
- B. Proofreading
- C. Big-picture (structural) revision ✓
- D. Formatting review
Why: Structural revision addresses the larger architecture of the story, such as act breaks, character arcs, and pacing. Fixing these first prevents wasted effort polishing scenes that may later be cut.
Q3. What is a common sign that a scene may need to be cut or rewritten?
- A. It contains action lines
- B. It does not advance the plot or reveal character ✓
- C. It includes a character who speaks more than once
- D. It takes place at night
Why: Every scene should serve the story by advancing plot, revealing character, or building tension. Scenes that do neither often slow pacing and are strong candidates for revision or removal.
Q4. What does the 'read-aloud' technique help a screenwriter identify?
- A. Spelling and grammar errors only
- B. Unnatural or stilted dialogue ✓
- C. Whether the title is memorable
- D. The correct number of pages
Why: Reading dialogue aloud reveals lines that sound forced, repetitive, or unnatural. It is one of the most effective ways to catch dialogue that looks fine on the page but doesn't work when spoken.
Q5. Why is it useful to get feedback from readers during revision?
- A. Readers will write the revisions for you
- B. Fresh perspectives reveal confusion or gaps you can no longer see as the writer ✓
- C. Feedback replaces the need to rewrite
- D. Studios only accept scripts that have been reviewed by others
Why: After working on a script for a long time, writers become too familiar with it to notice unclear moments or missing information. Outside readers can point out where they got lost or lost interest, guiding targeted revisions.
Module 7
Module 7: Industry Standards and Script Analysis
Industry Standards and Script Analysis
Knowledge check
Q1. What is the standard page-count guideline for a feature-length screenplay?
- A. 30 to 60 pages
- B. 90 to 120 pages ✓
- C. 150 to 200 pages
- D. 250 to 300 pages
Why: Feature films typically run about 90 to 120 minutes, and the industry rule of thumb is roughly one page per minute, so a spec screenplay usually falls in the 90 to 120 page range.
Q2. Which font is considered the industry standard for screenplay formatting?
- A. Arial, 12 point
- B. Times New Roman, 12 point
- C. Courier, 12 point ✓
- D. Garamond, 14 point
Why: Courier 12 point is the traditional standard because each character occupies the same width, which makes one page roughly equal to one minute of screen time.
Q3. In standard screenplay format, what is a scene heading also called?
- A. A transition
- B. A slug line ✓
- C. A parenthetical
- D. A cold open
Why: A scene heading, which states whether the scene is INT. or EXT., the location, and the time of day, is commonly called a slug line.
Q4. Which element of a screenplay describes what the audience sees and hears, written in present tense?
- A. Dialogue
- B. Character name
- C. Action lines ✓
- D. Transitions
Why: Action lines describe visible events and sounds in present tense, keeping the prose concise and cinematic rather than describing thoughts or internal states the camera cannot show.
Q5. Why do professional readers often stop reading a spec script early?
- A. Because the title page is missing
- B. Because the script is written in all capital letters
- C. Because the opening pages fail to establish a compelling hook and clear formatting ✓
- D. Because the script includes too many scene headings
Why: Readers form quick impressions from the first pages, so a weak opening, unclear storytelling, or sloppy formatting can signal an unprofessional script and lead to an early pass.