Module Name

Learning Resources

On this page in every module, students at AIT get their hands on the learning resources they need each week. This might include readings, videos, podcasts, expert courses or masterclasses. The material students access here will relate to the learning and activities they need to undertake in order to prepare them for assessment. There are two sections:

Recommended Resources: These provide specific knowledge which is directly related to the learning outcomes, activities and assessments for the module.
Additional Resources: These provide information which is interest or for further, deeper study that students may be interested as they progress.

Feel free to explore the sample material we've added below, which is from one of our film subjects.

RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

The resources and learning material in this section provide the fundamental knowledge required for the module. Explore each item below and consider how it relates to the learning outcome(s) introduced on the module introduction page. Then, be prepared to discuss these in your forums, tutorials or classes.

Podcast 1

Overview:
Craig Mazin wrote Chernobyl, the teleplay we considered in module 1 as an exemplar. He is famously suspicious of screenwriting manuals, including some of those referenced among these resources. In this 45 minute episode of the podcast ScriptNotes (http://johnaugust.com/scriptnotes ), he offered his own approach to structure as the journey from anti-theme to theme.

Harvard Reference:
Mazin, C., 2020. How to Write a Movie. Scriptnotes. [Podcast]. [Accessed 8 August 2021]. Available from: https://youtu.be/vSX-DROZuzY.

Reading 1

Overview:
This reading is both a continuation of last week’s subject, and also how character and structure co-create each other. The focus of McKee’s chapter here is on how characters are defined by choices, and a good structure is an array of choices that lead the character from one state of being to another. He places great emphasis on the final act as the one that will define a film’s success.

Link: Module 3 - McKee STORY Structure and Character.pdf

Harvard Reference:
McKee, R. 1997. Story: substance, structure, style and the principles of screenwriting. Harper Collins, New York.

Reading 2

Overview:
The opening scenes of Francis Ford Coppola’s screenplays - Patton, The Conversation, The Godfather - managed to distil the essence of characters in action in unique ways. The opening of The Godfather shows the titular character in action, but also through the character of Bonsera, offers a monologue that serves as a distillation of the whole narrative. This is included as a sample monologue.

Link: Module 10 - Coppola _ Puzo - The Godfather Opening.pdf

Harvard Reference:
Coppola, F. & M Puzo. 1971. The Godfather. [screenplay].

Video 1

Overview:

‘La Ratas’ is one of the six short films contained within the 2014 anthology film Wild Tales. The screenplay is included as Reference 3 above. This short film is provided for educational purposes as a complimentary experience with the above screenplay, and constitutes less than 10% of the film Wild Tales. The film is a good study for screenwriters due to the clarity of its structure, but also its capacity to surprise within that classical structure.

Harvard Reference:
Wild Tales. 2014. Directed by Damien Szifron. Big Bang: Argentina.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

The resources in this section are for further exploration. They are not required for assessment, but provide additional information, which you may find interesting, insightful or helpful.

These might interest you

Title:

How Aaron Sorkin creates musical dialogue in ‘The Social Network

Overview:
This video essay studies the rhythm of Aaron Sorkin’s dialogue in The Social Network, focusing on the same scene that is included in Resource 5 above. This study is more about the metrical rhythms of speech than the functions of that speech. (For more on that, see the additional resource below.)

Harvard Reference:
Insider. (2020). How Aaron Sorkin Creates Musical Dialogue In ‘The Social Network’. [Online Video]. 6 June 2020. Available from: https://youtu.be/SExMi2E4fRI. [Accessed: 21 August 2021].

Title:

The Social Network - Sorkin, Structure and Collaboration

Overview:
At the risk of overkill, here is a second video essay on the scene in Resource 5. If nothing else, this will speak to the acclaim of the scene. This video essay from the Lessons from the Screenplay team offers additional insights to the way Sorkin uses misunderstanding as the fuel to conversation.

Harvard Reference:
Lessons from the Screenplay. (2017). The Social Network - Sorkin, Structure, and Collaboration. [Online Video]. 1 February 2017. Available from: https://youtu.be/8IAGH6k17nw. [Accessed: 21 August 2021].