Scriptwriting Certificate

The Scriptwriting Certificate of Achievement provides students with knowledge of and skills in scriptwriting for a broad range of media, including non-fiction and narrative film, broadcast, radio, electronic media, and journalism.  Students gain knowledge of professional formats, research methods, story elements, visual grammar, and aesthetic considerations, in the course of developing scriptwriting skills specific to each format. With a required curriculum that spans writing for narrative and non-fiction film and electronic media, and cross-departmental electives, the Certificate expands students’ understanding of historical, cultural, and political contexts, and of informational, entertainment, and persuasive uses of media, providing solid grounding for continued education at a 4-year university and for entry-level employment as scriptwriters, content developers, story editors, and writer/producers.

With completion of this Certificate possible entry-level employment opportunities include: Broadcast Journalist, Video Writer/Producer for cultural, educational, informational and commercial applications, Computer App Writer/Producer, Advertising Copywriter, Writer/Designer of website narratives, Content Developer, Documentarian, Screenwriter, Independent Filmmaker, Game writer/designer/story editor/storyboard artist.

The projected number of annual completers for the Cinema Foundations Certificate is 10-20 students.  This estimate is based on the enrollment data for the required courses shown in the table below in addition to this unique program offering that will encourage students to advance to CINE 85 to focus on completion of longer projects/scripts and further hone their craft and skills.

The goal of the Scriptwriting Certificate is to provide students with fundamental knowledge and skills required for entry level employment in the film/video industries as well as prepare them for advanced study. With a required curriculum that spans writing for narrative and non-fiction film and electronic media, and cross-departmental electives, the Certificate expands students’ understanding of historical, cultural, and political contexts, and of informational, entertainment, and persuasive uses of media, providing solid grounding for continued education at a 4-year university and for entry-level employment as scriptwriters, content developers, story editors, and writer/producers.

Certificate Goals and Objectives

The goal of the Scriptwriting Certificate is to provide students with fundamental knowledge and skills required for entry level employment in the film/video industries as well as prepare them for advanced study. With a required curriculum that spans writing for narrative and non-fiction film and electronic media, and cross-departmental electives, the Certificate expands students’ understanding of historical, cultural, and political contexts, and of informational, entertainment, and persuasive uses of media, providing solid grounding for continued education at a 4-year university and for entry-level employment as scriptwriters, content developers, story editors, and writer/producers.

Learning Outcomes:

• Apply basic principles of cinematic storytelling

• Evaluate historically and culturally significant film narratives

• Create original scripts and screenplays

• Revise the structure of original scripts and screenplays

Catalog Description

The Scriptwriting Certificate of Achievement provides students with knowledge of and skills in scriptwriting for a broad range of media, including non-fiction and narrative film, broadcast, radio, electronic media, and journalism.  Students gain knowledge of professional formats, research methods, story elements, visual grammar, and aesthetic considerations, in the course of developing scriptwriting skills specific to each format. With a required curriculum that spans writing for narrative and non-fiction film and electronic media, and cross-departmental electives, the Certificate expands students’ understanding of historical, cultural, and political contexts, and of informational, entertainment, and persuasive uses of media, providing solid grounding for continued education at a 4-year university and for entry-level employment as scriptwriters, content developers, story editors, and writer/producers.

With completion of this Certificate possible entry-level employment opportunities include: Broadcast Journalist, Video Writer/Producer for cultural, educational, informational and commercial applications, Computer App Writer/Producer, Advertising Copywriter, Writer/Designer of website narratives, Content Developer, Documentarian, Screenwriter, Independent Filmmaker, Game writer/designer/story editor/storyboard artist.

Program Requirements

The program requirements are shown in the table below.

The minimum time for completion of this Certificate is 2 semesters. Completion time will vary based on student preparation and number of units or classes completed per semester.

Courses Required Cinema Foundations Certificate of Achievement

Course Units    Frequency Offered

Required courses:

CINE 72 - Nonfiction Scriptwriting   3.00 Semester 2 Fa/Sp OL

CINE 75 - Screenwriting 3.00 Semester 1 Fa/Sp

CINE 85 - Advanced Screenwriting 3.00 Semester 2 Fa/Sp

BCST 110 - Introduction to Writing for Electronic Media 3.00 Semester 1 Fa/Sp OL

     Total: 12.00

Choose 1 Film History/Studies Elective:

CINE 18 - American Cinema 3.00 Semester 1 Fa/Sp OL

CINE 19 - Documentary, Digital Media & Society 3.00 Semester 1 Fa/Sp OL

CINE 20A - Film History: Evolution of Film Expression 3. 00 Semester 1 Fa

CINE 20B - Film History: Contemporary Film Expression 3.00 Semester 1 Sp OL

CINE 21 - Introduction to Film Studies 3.00 Semester 1 Fa/Sp/Su OL

CINE 22 - Documentary Tradition 3.00 TBD*

CINE 23A - Films of Alfred Hitchcock 3.00 Semester 1 Fa

CINE 23B - Focus on Film Noir 3.00 Semester 1 Sp

  Total: 3.00

*CINE 22 COR has recently been updated, we are strategizing an online build of the course

Choose 1 Elective

ASAM 30 - Asian American Issues Through Film 3.00 Semester 2 Fa

BCST 104 - Race and Media 3.00 TBD*

ENGL 35A - Introduction to Writing Fiction 3.00 Semester 2 Su/Fa/Sp

ENGL 35G - Introduction to Writing Creative Nonfiction 3.00 Semester 2 Sp

ENGL 51 - The Graphic Novel as Literature 3.00 Semester 2

ENGL 61 - Literature and Film 3.00 Semester 1 or 2 Fa

IDST 14 - American Cultures in Literature and Film 3.00 Semester 2 Fa/Sp OL

LBCS 104A - Work Tales - Beginning Performance 3.00 Semester 2 Fa/Sp

LGBT 12 - Contemporary LGBT Film 3.00 Semester 1 or 2 Fa

PHST 30 - Philippine Society and Culture through Film 3.00 Semester 1 or 2 Fa/Sp

TH A 171A - Beginning Storytelling and Performance 3.00 Semester 1 or 2 Fa

VMD 166 - Storytelling and Storyboarding 3.00 Semester 2 Sp

    Total 3.00

  

  Grand  Total: 18.00

Highlighted courses are NEW and will run for the first time Fall 2019
Select courses as noted available online (OL)

It is possible to complete the entire Certificate  in 2 semesters (1 year):
Semester 1 = 9 or 12
Semester 2  = 9 or 6
Total Units = 18

Master Planning

The Scriptwriting Certificate of Achievement is the result of Screenwriting  faculty feedback, continued strong enrollment in CINE 75 and 85, annual advisory committee meetings and evaluation through student feedback, assessment and program review. This certificate will serve students interested in specializing in cinematography and lighting and proposes a reasonable course load and progression to completion for our predominantly working student population. It is achievable in three semesters. Our industry advisors suggest that the most successful job applicants  are those with specialized skills, coursework and experience. In order for women, people of color and other underrepresented populations to successfully tell their stories in the growing media-scape having a mastery and knowledge of several modes of scriptwriting are integral. In 2 years time from launch of this certificate we should be able to see significant impact in transfer rates and entry into work in the field. Further, recent LMI reporting shows an annual labor market gap of 640 students. With proper advertising of new program availability this could draw significant enrollment increase and student completion for the Cinema Department and CCSF.

Enrollment and Completer Projections

The projected number of annual completers for the Cinema Foundations Certificate is 10-20 students.  This estimate is based on the enrollment data for the required courses shown in the table below in addition to this unique program offering that will encourage students to advance to CINE 85 to focus on completion of longer projects/scripts and further hone their craft and skills.

REQUIRED COURSES

		F17/S18	F18/S19
Course Department Number	Course Title	Annual # Sections	Annual Enrollment Totals	Annual # Sections	Annual Enrollment Totals
CINE 72	Nonfiction Scriptwriting	2	37	2	34
CINE 75	Screenwriting*	2	37*	2	42*
CINE 85	Advanced Screenwriting*	2	9*	2	10*
BCST 110	Introduction to Writing for Electronic Media	2	41	2	51

*CINE 75 and 85 run concurrently

ELECTIVES

		F17/S18	F18/S19
Course Department Number	Course Title	Annual # Sections	Annual Enrollment Totals	Annual # Sections	Annual Enrollment Totals
CINE 18	American Cinema*	5	147	7	300
CINE 19	Documentary, Media & Society*	2	53	2	65
CINE 20A	Film History: Evolution of Film Expression	1	48	1	50
CINE 20B	Film History: Contemporary Film Expression*	2	80	2	89
CINE 21	Introduction to Film Studies*	5	185	7	244
CINE 22	The Documentary Tradition**	0**	0**	0**	0**
CINE 23A	Films of Alfred Hitchcock	1	35	1	29
CINE 23B	Exploring Film Noir	1	32	1	28
ASAM 30	Asian American Issues Through Film	2	56	1	34
BCST 104	Race and Media	0	0	0	0
ENGL 35A	Introduction to Writing Fiction	8	212	8	213
ENGL 35G	Introduction to Writing Creative Nonfiction	1	26	2	38
ENGL 51	The Graphic Novel as Literature	0	0	1	18
ENGL 61	Literature and Film	0	0	0	0
IDST 14	American Cultures in Literature and Film	2	47	2	85
LBCS 104A	Work Tales - Beginning Performance	0	0	2	59
LGBT 12	Contemporary LGBT Film	0	0	1	25
PHST 30	Philippine Society and Culture through Film	2	27	2	29
TH A 171A	Beginning Storytelling and Performance	1	25	1	17
VMD 166	Storytelling and Storyboarding	1	16	0	0

*CINE 18, 19, 20B and 21 are all built for online and currently run sections as noted above. CINE 20A, 23A and 23B are up next to be developed online to expand access to students. We currently rotate on-site offerings of CINE 23A (Fa) and 23B (Sp).

**CINE 22 is on the list to be developed as an online class. With reduced departmental budgets this has not run as an on-site class for some time.

Courses with 0 reporting across these 2 years are NEW and will run for the first time Fall 2019, confirmed with respective department chairs.

BCST 104 has not been offered in the last 2 years, however they are currently looking for someone to teach it plan to offer it again.

Place of Program in Curriculum/Similar Programs

The Scriptwriting Certificate will offer an area of focus on this integral pre-production aspect to film production and broadcast applications. This course of study is offered in collaboration with BEMA and other departments across the college to offer diversity in study and various applications of the craft of scriptwriting.

Similar Programs at Other Colleges in Service Area

To date there is no other program in the Bay Area offering such a comprehensive engagement across several industry-standard script writing practices, formats and protocols. COCI does not report any CCs in the state of California offering such a curriculum which would make this the first of its kind. This certificate of study will provide students with essential tools to work in the rapidly growing need for content creators across industries and platforms. All of this begins with a script. According to Cisco, 81% of all online consumer traffics will be video by 2021.

Required Courses

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
CINE 72	Nonfiction Scriptwriting	3	S2
CINE 75	Screenwriting	3	S1
CINE 85	Advanced Screenwriting	3	S2
BCST 110	Introduction to Writing for Electronic Media	3	S1

Choose 1 Film History/Studies Elective

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
CINE 18	American Cinema	3	S1
CINE 19	Documentary, New Media & Society	3	S1
CINE 20A	Film History: Evolution of Film Expression	3	S1
CINE 20B	Film History: Contemporary Film Expression	3	S1
CINE 21	Introduction to Film Studies	3	S1
CINE 22	Documentary Tradition	3	S1
CINE 23A	Films of Alfred Hitchcock	3	S1
CINE 23B	Focus on Film Noir	3	S1

Choose 1 Elective

Course	Title	Units	Year/Semester (Y1 or S1)
ASAM 30	Asian American Issues Through Film	3	S2
BCST 104	Race and Media	3	S2
ENGL 35A	Introduction to Writing Fiction	3	S2
ENGL 35G	Introduction to Writing Creative Nonfiction	3	S2
ENGL 51	The Graphic Novel as Literature	3	S2
ENGL 61	Literature and Film	3	S1 or S2
IDST 14	American Cultures in Literature and Film	3	S2
LBCS 104A	Work Tales - Beginning Performance	3	S2
LGBT 12	Contemporary LGBT Film	3	S1 or S2
PHST 30	Philippine Society and Culture through Film	3	S1 or S2
TH A 171A	Beginning Storytelling and Performance	3	S1 or S2
VMD 166	Storytelling and Storyboarding	3	S2

The Scriptwriting Certificate will offer an area of focus on this integral pre-production aspect to film production and broadcast applications. This course of study is offered in collaboration with Broadcast Electronic Media Arts (BEMA) and other departments across the college to offer diversity in study and various applications of the craft of scriptwriting.

To date there is no other program in the Bay Area offering such a comprehensive engagement across several industry-standard script writing practices, formats and protocols. COCI does not report any CCs in the state of California offering such a curriculum which would make this the first of its kind state-wide. This certificate of study will provide students with essential tools to work in the rapidly growing need for content creators across industries and platforms. All of this begins with a script. According to Cisco, 81% of all online consumer traffics will be video by 2021. Skyline College runs some production courses and has been contacted to assess possible impact to their offerings, though the program does not currently award AA, AS or Certificates according to their website. We have reached out to the department and have not yet heard back as of Tuesday May 28, 2019 and are awaiting response.