What a screenwriter puts on the page may or may not be realized on the screen. Still, the best screenplays can stand on their own as literature. This course covers the form and nature of screenplays, focusing on plot and characterization in short narrative screenplays. In the first half of the course, students collaborate on an adaptation of a short story while working on pitches, taglines, and synopses. In the second half, each student writes their own original screenplay. Throughout the course, students draft and revise, give and receive feedback and analyze films and screenplays they view and read in class and at home.