Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story
Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story
Seasons
24.
Becoming a Screenwriter
2017-11-10
Professor Fletcher concludes the course with a look at the ultimate goals of Screenwriting 101: to help you appreciate more film and TV; tell better stories; and write your own scripts. As he takes you through each of these points and sums up the scope of the course, he also gives invaluable practical advice on how to become a screenwriter from a professional perspective.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 24 Now
23.
The Prime-Time Soap: Grey's Anatomy
2017-11-10
See why soap operas are an enduring and brilliant form of storytelling, despite their reputation. By focusing on the subjective and the most primal of human emotions, soap operas allow viewers to experience deep feelings that may be difficult or absent in real life.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 23 Now
22.
The Procedural: CSI
2017-11-10
The success of the procedural story harkens back to the Victorian heyday of Sherlock Holmes, whose adventures always followed a similar pattern but with important variations. This same technique drives the success of shows like CSI, as this lecture demonstrates by looking at the pilot episode, which encapsulates the show's combination of problem solving and problem making.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 22 Now
21.
The Sitcom: The Simpsons
2017-11-10
In the first of three lectures focused on successful TV genres, look at the longest running sitcom in television history, The Simpsons. This lecture shows you why jokes are not the key to humor; it's all in the characters and their ongoing conflict with the world around them.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 21 Now
20.
Writing a Television Pilot: Game of Thrones
2017-11-10
Follow Professor Fletcher as he shows you how a television pilot works. Or, in the case of the original Game of Thrones pilot, how it doesn't.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 20 Now
19.
Film versus Television: MASH and M*A*S*H
2017-11-10
Begin your transition from the big screen to the small by looking at the different ways television and film scripts approach storytelling. See why the conflicts and plotting of TV must operate differently from film to sustain story over time and how you can determine which format is best for the kind of story you want to tell.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 19 Now
18.
Existential Meaning: Fargo
2017-11-10
Some films defy easy explanation. Fargo is an eccentric story that uses its oddities to its advantage - like delaying the appearance of the main character for almost a third of the film.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 18 Now
17.
Big Sympathy: Toy Story
2017-11-10
How did a film that began as a computer demo become an unexpected smash hit? Solve this mystery as you discover why having an engineering mindset can be a great advantage in screenwriting, and reveal how Pixar changed the direction of Disney films for years to come - by looking at a surprisingly dark side of storytelling.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 17 Now
16.
Surreal Connection: Pulp Fiction
2017-11-10
Film scripts often use literary techniques to build the story world, form characters, and set the right tone. By adopting a collage method taken from the surrealist movement, Pulp Fiction shows that visual arts can influence story in much the same way.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 16 Now
15.
Redemption: Unforgiven
2017-11-10
The gritty soul of the Western genre was revived by the release of Unforgiven - a film that is not just a lesson in great genre writing, but in how to bring old stories back to life. Look at the ways the various story elements help create an anti-hero audiences will root for as you explore how a seemingly forgotten genre can be revived with the right script at the right time.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 15 Now
14.
Alienation Effect: Do the Right Thing
2017-11-10
Most Hollywood films use simple but strong emotional effects to lull audiences into an easy enjoyment in a world with moral certainty. But some movies want to make you think critically and offer no easy answers.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 14 Now
13.
Charm: The Princess Bride
2017-11-10
The Princess Bride is the first film thus far that was not a hit on its initial release. Instead, its popularity grew slowly over time, engaging small audiences who were connected by a sense of being "in on the secret" - the essence of charm.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 13 Now
12.
Big Wonder: Star Wars
2017-11-10
The influence of Joseph Campbell and the idea of an archetypal journey have long been credited as part of the success of George Lucas's epic space opera. However, neuroscience has since debunked the idea of this "monomyth" and Professor Fletcher shows you how the power of the script comes down to something much simpler: childlike wonder.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 12 Now
11.
Romantic Longing: Annie Hall
2017-11-10
A comedy with an ending more like a tragedy and with a tone that effortlessly fuses irony and sentiment, Annie Hall was an instant success that almost didn't happen. Use what you have learned about reverse engineering stories to better understand how to reach your ultimate (psychological) destination in a script.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 11 Now
10.
Suspense and Relief: Jaws
2017-11-10
Take a look at the film whose immense success gave us the term "blockbuster," examining why the feeling of relief is one of the most primordial of human emotions and how it can best be put to use in good storytelling. Also gain an appreciation for the value of improvisation and collaboration with actors in the filmmaking process.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 10 Now
9.
Romantic Satisfaction: When Harry Met Sally...
2017-11-10
The basic plot of all romantic comedies is essentially the same, so the surprise success of When Harry Met Sally can teach writers volumes about all the other ways you can make a story great. Professor Fletcher demonstrates the subtle ways screenwriters can add naturalistic details to make a predictable story still feel realistic and rewarding.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 9 Now
8.
The Tragic Sublime: The Godfather
2017-11-10
How does a script go through 19 rewrites and multiple directors to emerge as one of the most influential films of the 20th century? Reverse engineer this story that traces its roots back to ancient Rome and see how a sublime tragedy can be even more powerful when brought down to a human scale.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 8 Now
7.
Sentimental Return: Casablanca
2017-11-10
Begin your exploration of great film scripts with Casablanca. Learn how to identify its cognitive effect and reverse engineer the four main story components to unlock the tools you will use to understand every script.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 7 Now
6.
Plotting Your Story Beats
2017-11-10
One of the most common pitfalls of scriptwriting is poor plotting. The human mind is actually designed to plot - the key is learning how to constrain this natural tendency so your story doesn't simply wander.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 6 Now
5.
Tone: The Screenwriter's Lens
2017-11-10
Your job as the writer is to create a great story; the rest of the work is up to others. So how do you make sure your story creates the cognitive effect you want?
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 5 Now
4.
Developing Your Characters
2017-11-10
Character is the key ingredient in most successful stories; make great characters and audiences will want to follow them anywhere. Professor Fletcher presents a simple recipe for creating memorable characters with three simple ingredients.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 4 Now
3.
Building Your Story World
2017-11-10
Every script has a setting, both a time and a place where the story occurs. Your "story world" is more than the physical or temporal - what makes the world are the rules you create for it.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 3 Now
2.
Reverse Engineering Successful Scripts
2017-11-10
The first question any writer must ask is: where do I want to take my audience? Professor Fletcher shows you how to reverse engineer stories to pinpoint their cognitive effects and put those tools to use in your own writing (and viewing) experiences.
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 2 Now
1.
Thinking like a Screenwriter
2017-11-10
Before "Lights! Camera! Action!" there is one thing a film must have: a good story. Look to the literary past to see how the earliest stories shape the ones we create today and use that knowledge to look at scripts and storytelling. You may be surprised to discover how cognitive science can shed light on how humans experience stories. #Literature & Learning
Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story Season 1 Episode 1 Now
Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story is a series categorized as a new series. Spanning 1 seasons with a total of 24 episodes, the show debuted on 2017. The series has earned a no reviews from both critics and viewers. The IMDb score stands at undefined.
How to Watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story
How can I watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story online? Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story is available on The Great Courses Signature Collection with seasons and full episodes. You can also watch Screenwriting 101: Mastering the Art of Story on demand at Prime, Prime Video online.
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Channel
The Great Courses Signature Collection
Cast
Angus Fletcher
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