Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
Original Idea and Scriptwriting
Other languages of instruction: English, Spanish,
Teaching staff
Email.
Introduction
Original Idea and Screenwriting is a practice-oriented course that introduces students to the creative and narrative foundations of audiovisual storytelling. Throughout the course, students will acquire the skills required to generate, structure, and develop an original idea into a fiction project ready for further production.
The course covers the complete screenwriting process, from developing the initial premise and creating compelling characters to writing a screenplay and presenting the project professionally. In parallel, students will analyse selected film and audiovisual works to understand the narrative, dramatic, and expressive principles that underpin effective storytelling.
Through a project-based methodology, students will progressively develop their own original screenplay while experiencing the different stages of the creative and rewriting process. Particular emphasis is placed on collaboration, critical reflection, and the ability to communicate and pitch creative proposals in a professional audiovisual context.
Pre-course requirements
No.
Objectives
- To understand the theoretical and practical foundations of screenwriting as a tool for the creation and development of audiovisual projects.
- To develop the ability to generate original ideas and transform them into coherent and viable narrative proposals.
- To analyse the principles of audiovisual storytelling and their application to the construction of cinematic narratives.
- To apply narrative development techniques to structure coherent, engaging, and effective stories for the audiovisual medium.
- To create believable characters by defining their objectives, conflicts, dramatic arcs, and relationships.
- To produce the key development documents required in professional screenwriting, including the premise, logline, synopsis, treatment, beat sheet, and screenplay.
- To develop critical analysis and rewriting skills in order to refine and strengthen narrative projects.
- To understand the relationship between the screenplay and the different stages of the audiovisual production process, recognising its role as a working document.
- To communicate and professionally present an audiovisual project through effective pitching techniques.
Syllabus
1. Introduction. The art of storytelling: making the invisible visible
Text and subtext. Show, don’t tell. The B story.
2. Professional screenplay format
Conventions and standards of audiovisual writing.
3. Genres, structure and plots: the importance of endings
4. Space and time: the character on stage
5. Narrator, point of view and style
6. Dialogue in audiovisual storytelling
7. How is a screenplay pitched and sold?
Tagline, logline, storyline and synopsis.
Bibliography and resources
BALLÓ, J., PÉREZ, X. (1997). La semilla inmortal. Anagrama.
BALLÓ, J., PÉREZ, X. (2015). El mundo, un escenario. Shakespeare: el guionista invisible. Anagrama.
CAMPBELL, J. (1993). El héroe de las mil caras. Psicoanálisis del mito. Fondo de Cultura Económica.
CARRIERE, J. C., & BONITZER, P. (1991). The End. Práctica del guión cinematográfico. Paidós Comunicación.
CARRIERE, J. C. (1997). La película que no se ve. Paidós Comunicación.
CHION, M. (1995). Cómo se escribe un guión. Ediciones Cátedra.
CRUZ, C. (2014). Imágenes narradas. Cómo hacer visible lo invisible en un guion de cine. Laertes.
FIELD, S. (1994). El libro del guion. Plot.
GRAU, M. (2017). La mente narradora. La neurociencia aplicada al arte de escribir guiones. Laertes.
LYNCH, D. (2016). Atrapa el pez dorado. Reservoir Books.
MCGILLIGAN, P. (2003). Backstory 3. Conversaciones con guionistas de los años 60. Plot Ediciones.
MCGRATH, D., & MACDERMOTT, F. (2003). Guionistas Cine. Océano.
MITRY, J. (1989). Estética y psicología del cine. Siglo Veintiuno Editores.
SEGER, L. (1991). Cómo convertir un buen guión en un guión excelente. Ediciones Rialp.
SIMÓN, C., & VILARÓ, A. (2022). Alcarràs. Una història sobre la terra, la pagesia i la família. La Magrana.