Class Overview
Do you want to write a screenplay for a feature film, but don’t know where to start? Perhaps you’re a beginner curious about the mechanics of screenplays, or a longtime writer feeling a bit stuck, or a director who would enjoy a new perspective. In this class, gain the skills to turn your ideas into a solid screenplay for a feature film.
Gain the tools and building blocks to help guide each part of the writing process for a feature-length screenplay. Learn how to be successful with each step, from idea generation, to writing and revising, and especially outlining and structuring your film.
Each 90-minute class will include one or more short in-class exercises, from brainstorming to writing and revising scenes. In the sixth and final class, you will have an opportunity to read an excerpt of your script or present a detailed synopsis to classmates. You’ll be encouraged to work between classes.
We’ll look at ways to organize your ideas into an outline that can advance progressively closer to a feature film, discussing diverse and alternative approaches in your structure that might help your script connect with audiences without using clichés. Explore how three-dimensional characters drive plot and how setting, staging, and dialogue can be used to tell your story in an energetic, immersive way. We’ll discuss the differences between writing a screenplay you plan to direct yourself versus one you’re writing for someone else.
There will be handouts and/or reading suggestions offered in class. We’ll look at excerpts from books such as Aristotle’s Poetics and Susan Sontag’s Against Interpretation, as well as film clips and interviews with a diverse array of famous filmmakers across time and space.
Get support and guidance on how to find inspiration for your own personal artistic expression and the drive to finish your project. Explore the many joys that can be found in this unique, creative, and multifaceted artform.
Learning Objectives
- Brainstorm and organize ideas for a screenplay
- Approach structure in a flexible way that allows for different types of films
- Create three-dimensional characters that form the basis of a story
- How form can be progressive and new, just like content
- Find your voice and learn to write comfortably and confidently as yourself
Who Might Enjoy This Class?
- Writers interested in exploring how they might approach a screenplay
- Anyone who wants to develop their voice as a screenwriter and filmmaker
- People who have begun a feature-length screenplay and would like the support to continue
- Artists drawn to other parts of the filmmaking process who would like to explore the writing side
- Anyone interested in how films are structured and what screenplays are made of
- Filmmakers who want to create an unconventional piece without sacrificing character and structure
- No experience is needed; everyone is welcome!