SCHOOL OF FILM & ACTING

The goal of the intensive Eight-Week Screenwriting Workshop is for the screenwriting student to create his or her first draft of a feature length film script. Unlike other screenwriting workshops and programs, our screenwriting students complete in a few weeks what most workshops relegate to an entire semester or academic year. The curriculum covers everything from classic three-act structure to contemporary software and formatting and everything in between. Classes are held daily, Monday through Friday at our film schools in New York and Universal Studios, Los Angeles. Students should expect to spend the majority of their evenings and weekends writing.

In weeks one through three of the screenwriting workshop, film school students will be introduced to the basic elements of the screenplay, including structure, plot versus story, format, dramatic arc, character arc, beginnings and endings, outlines, and treatments among other topics. By the end of week three, students will be expected to have a completed treatment of their screenplay. Weeks four through seven of the screenwriting workshop will be dedicated to putting the actual script onto the page. Students will be required to complete a certain number of pages each week and that material will be 'workshopped' during class time. In week eight there will be a final review of the first draft and further discussion about career development, screenplay copyrights and registration.

In weeks one through three, students will be introduced to the basic elements of the screenplay, including structure, plot versus story, format, dramatic arc, character arc, beginnings and endings, outlines, and treatments among other topics. By the end of week three, students will be expected to have a completed treatment of their screenplay. Weeks four through seven will be dedicated to putting the actual script onto the page. Students will be required to complete a certain number of pages each week and that material will be 'workshopped' during class time. In week eight there will be a final review of the first draft and further discussion about career development, screenplay copyrights and registration.

Each daily class runs for three hours and is a combination of lecture, in-class exercises, and workshopping of student-written material. The remainder of the day is reserved for Screenwriting Lab Time. This time must be used for writing. If students do not take advantage of their writing time, they will not be able to complete their scripts in the eight-week period. Students may choose to write at the film school on Final Draft software, or, if students have their own personal computers, at home.