Screenwriting Laboratory:
A 4-month course taking you from idea to first draft
Course methodology:
The course is based on the teaching methodology used by respected universities specializing in screenwriting: know, see, apply.
Throughout the course, you will learn screenplay elements, identify those elements in the screenplays you read and films you watch, and apply them by completing screenwriting exercises and writing a short-film screenplay.
Who is the course for?
- Beginners and intermediate-level screenwriters who want to learn screenwriting.
- People who have an idea for a short film or animation and want to turn it into a screenplay.
- Writers with literary or dramaturgical experience who want to learn screenwriting systematically.
- Directors who want to make short films or animation, as well as other creative professionals who want to understand stories from a screenwriting perspective.
- People who want to gain a deeper understanding of how a TV-series pilot and a feature screenplay are structured and strengthen their screenwriting skills.
Note: The course is primarily intended for people who want to write and participate actively. At the same time, a limited number of participants can join as auditors. Auditors may follow the theoretical parts of the course and participate in film analysis. However, writing assignments — scene writing, screenwriting exercises, short screenplays and so on — do not apply to them.
Curriculum:
- Developing an idea through loglines, high concept and other methods. Testing and evaluating the idea.
- Structural models for short films: Truby, Harmon and other approaches.
- Scene. Scene structure and key elements. Artistic solutions and emotional changes within a scene.
- Creating characters and understanding their functions in the plot (protagonist, antagonist, ally, mentor). Differentiating them and making them appealing to the audience.
- Types of scenes: opening, setup and payoff scenes.
- Event and situation. Building a dramatic situation and its components.
- Creating the story world and its key elements.
- Genre: major genres, their characteristics and their effect on structure.
- Plot structure: building the main plotline and its stages of development.
- Secondary and parallel plotlines: their functions and rules.
- Conflict. Types of conflict and stages of development.
- Full film structure — Act I: exposition, setup, inciting action and call to adventure, point of no return, turning point 1.
- Act II — first half: new situation, complication, focus point 1, central turning point.
- Act II — second half: focus point 2, major defeat, crisis, realization, turning point 2.
- Act III: climax, resolution, ethical choice, unexpected change.
- TV-series screenplay: pilot-episode structure and the protagonist’s development trajectory.
- 4 archetypes: orphan, wanderer, warrior and victim.
- Character presentation.
- Dialogue. Writing dialogue: functions and types.
- Maintaining audience interest: hooks, dramatic irony, future elements and so on.
Course duration and format:
- Duration: 4 months — 16 core classes + 2 bonus classes
- Class days: once a week, on Sundays, in person
- Class duration: 2.5–3 hours (including a tea break); from around class 6–7 onward, sessions may be extended by 1–2 hours
- Location: Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers
- Additional support:
- Classes are supported through the online platform (kurs.parvizmammadov.com).
- Participants upload their homework and the ideas they are developing to the website.
- All materials are read and evaluated by the mentor.
Homework (for each class):
- a) Write one scene.
- b) Watch and analyze two or three short films or animated films.
- c) Read and analyze one scene or screenplay.
- d) Develop your own short-film idea and write its screenplay.
- e) Give comments on the scenes and screenplays being developed by other course participants.
- f) From approximately the 6th class onward, watch and analyze a feature film or pilot episode alongside the short films.
- g) From the same period — approximately the 6th class onward — scene-writing and screenwriting exercises will also be carried out in class twice a month.
Submitting assignments:
All written work and comments will be uploaded to www.kurs.parvizmammadov.com.
Each participant must submit both their own writing and their comments on other participants’ work through the platform.
Note: Participants with auditor status will be able to attend the theoretical parts of the course.
Throughout the course, you will read and analyze:
- More than 10 short-film screenplays.
- 1 pilot-episode screenplay.
- 2–3 feature-film screenplays.
- Numerous synopses and scene examples.
- Selected examples from screenplays written by participants in previous courses.
Throughout the course, you will watch and analyze:
- More than 60 short films and animated films.
- 3–4 pilot episodes.
- 6–7 feature films.
- Dozens of scenes and episodes.
Throughout the course, you will write:
- Logline and synopsis examples.
- Dozens of scenes and screenwriting exercises.
- The first version of one short-film screenplay (first draft).
What will you gain from the course?
- You will master the elements of a screenplay. You will learn to approach a story as a screenwriter.
- You will develop screenwriting skills. By writing numerous scenes, exercises and short screenplays, you will build your ability to write screenplays.
- You will write the first version of your short-film screenplay (first draft). You will apply what you have learned by writing a short screenplay.
- You will gain the essential knowledge required to write a pilot episode and a feature screenplay. This will provide a foundation for writing larger-scale screenplays in the future.
- Your screenplay analysis and editing skills will improve. By analyzing written and visual examples and giving well-founded comments on other people’s work, you will develop the ability to think like a script doctor and improve screenplays.
- You will gain colleagues who can analyze professionally and provide useful feedback. You will also gain creative partners who may become co-writers on future projects.
- Participants who successfully complete the course will receive a certificate from the Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers.
Important note: whether a student succeeds in writing a screenplay depends on their diligence and on how well they complete the mentor’s assignments.
Your mentor, Pərviz Məmmədov, is a screenwriter and script doctor with an analytical mindset, a careful approach to every screenplay element, and a systematic focus on the teaching process. He is distinguished by his ability to teach effectively and by the care he gives to participants’ development.
Number of participants and payment terms:
Active participant
This format covers the full educational and writing process of the course:
- Participation in the theoretical parts of the course.
- Participation in film and screenplay analysis.
- Writing assignments: logline, synopsis, scene writing, screenwriting exercises, short-screenplay writing and so on.
- Mentor feedback on all written work.
- Certificate.
Number of participants: 6
Participation as an auditor
This format is intended only for theoretical and observational participation:
- Participation in the theoretical parts of the course.
- Observing film and screenplay analysis.
Number of auditors: 8 (maximum 10)
Note: The course is conducted with the support of the Azerbaijan Union of Filmmakers.