Fall 2026
Screenwriting for Features, Shorts and Documentaries
Instructor: Dani Nicholson
Email: nicholsondm@lamarpa.edu
Phone: See Blackboard
Office Location and Hours: Virtual - by appointment
Additional Contact Information: See Blackboard
Advanced concepts and applied screenwriting techniques for feature length film or video work and related new media storytelling.
You will be reading excerpts from the following titles in Blackboard. You are welcome to buy the following titles in print if you prefer the print reading experience.
Textbook Purchasing Statement: A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer.
Additional readings, videos, etc. will be available in Blackboard.
None
None
Introduction to Screenwriting
Understanding Story
Script Formatting
Writing
Writing for Genres
Pitching Your Script
Final Project
Week 1 – Connect course structure to outcomes; Why screenplays matter as both art and craft
Week 2 – Overview of screenwriting as a profession and creative discipline
Week 3 – Elements of story: premise, theme, conflict
Week 4 – Story arcs and narrative structures (three-act, hero’s journey, episodic)
Week 5 – World-building and dramatic tension; Building treatment outlines
Week 6 – Introduction to screenwriting software; Formatting conventions (slug lines, dialogue, action)
Week 7 – Formatting practice and peer review
Week 8 – Writing scenes: dialogue, pacing, character motivation
Week 9 – Sequencing scenes and building acts
Week 10 – Genre conventions: drama, comedy, thriller, documentary
Week 11 – Cross-genre blending and creative risks; Adapting a concept into a new genre
Week 12 – Writing loglines, synopses, and elevator pitches; Practice video pitches
Week 13 – Submit full screenplay draft
Week 14 – Deliver final pitch presentations; Peer and instructor feedback
Friday, December 4, 2026
The course is made up of weekly assignments. Your final grade is an average of your weekly assignment grades.
Weekly Assignments: 100%
Students are expected to complete their work honestly and to submit only work that reflects their own effort and understanding. Plagiarism, unauthorized collaboration, fabrication, or other forms of academic dishonesty will be handled in accordance with institutional policy.
Use of artificial intelligence tools, including generative AI such as ChatGPT, is not permitted unless specifically authorized for an assignment. If AI use is allowed, students must follow the assignment guidelines and clearly disclose how the tool was used.
Students are expected to communicate promptly and professionally. If you are sick, experience technical or personal issues, or anticipate difficulty meeting a deadline, contact the instructor as soon as possible.
Each student may use a one-week grace period on up to two assignments during the semester. These two extensions may be used for illness, emergencies, scheduling conflicts, or other circumstances that interfere with completing work on time. Once both grace periods have been used, no additional extensions will be granted except where required by institutional policy. These may not be used on the last two assignments of the course.
Be sure to check your campus email and Course Homepage using MyLSCPA campus web portal. You can also access your grades, transcripts, academic advisors, degree progress, and other services through MyLSCPA.
Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSCPA policies (Academic Dishonesty section in the Student Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Accessibility Services Coordinator, Room 119, in the Ruby Fuller Building. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.
No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. Use of electronic devices is prohibited.
This syllabus is part of LSCPA's efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.
As per Texas law and LSCPA policy, all LSCPA employees, including faculty, are required to report allegations or disclosures of child abuse or neglect to the designated authorities, which may include a local or state law enforcement agency or the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. For more information about mandatory reporting requirements, see LSCPA's Policy and Procedure Manual.
LSCPA is committed to establishing and maintaining an environment that is free from all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of sexual misconduct. All LSCPA employees, including faculty, have the responsibility to report disclosures of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault (including rape and acquaintance rape), domestic violence, dating violence, relationship violence, or stalking, to LSCPA's Title IX Coordinator, whose role is to coordinate the college's response to sexual misconduct. For more information about Title IX protections, faculty reporting responsibilities, options for confidential reporting, and the resources available for support visit LSCPA's Title IX website.
For more information about the Clery Act and crime reporting, see the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report and the Campus Security website.
If you have a grievance, complaint, or concern about this course that has not been resolved through discussion with the Instructor, please consult the Department Chair.