4-Week Screenwriting Camp

This hands-on workshop is designed for people with little or no experience in screenwriting. The course introduces students to the craft and tools of feature film writing as well as Final Draft, the industry standard for screenwriting software. Students spend an average of 24 hours per week in class, and 16 hours per week in supervised writing labs. Students are also required to do a significant amount of writing in the evenings and weekends to complete the ambitious goals of the course. All students learn an enormous amount in a short time. High school students who complete the program are provided with ample knowledge and experience to decide whether to continue their creative studies in college and beyond. High school students interested in writing find themselves challenged and inspired by the craft.

Story Generation
A first week class in which students present a variety of film ideas and choose one to write for the rest of the course.

Writing Workshop
Student-driven class in which treatments, scenes and outlines are evaluated and critiqued.

Elements of Screenwriting
Introduces students to the craft of screenwriting; from screenplay format to dialogue, structure and exposition.

Screenplay Analysis
Looks at the intricacies of feature length screenwriting through the reading and screening of well-known films.

Film Craft
Students learn about the elements of the feature film, from directing to cinematography, production design and editing.

Acting
Teaches the theory and practice of the acting craft in order to give writers an understanding of how to make strong character choices.

Production Workshop
Students expand their understanding of the visual components of screen story by shooting their own short scene.

open writing
Writing time supervised by a TA in the classroom.