Writing for the Screen: the Basics of the Screenplay is taught by local creative writer R. Lyon Bergh. Lyon will lead students through the fundamental aspects of screenwriting for films, once a week for 6-8 weeks. Contact us for potential 2023 dates.
This class is a crash-course in the principles, guidelines, and grammar of writing for the screen. It covers industry expectations for formatting and techniques for ensuring your artistic vision can be realized on the screen. Best practices are discussed both for writers who intend to direct their own work, and for those who hope to have their work produced by others. Students will be asked to complete writing assignments between sessions and should plan to spend up to four hours per week on outside work. Access to a screenwriting program is required— Final Draft is recommended.
This class answers the questions:
And it speaks to the following concerns:
This course does NOT cover: (Please see other course offerings for these topics)
—Advanced screenwriting techniques.
—Review or workshopping of works in-progress.
—Story structure, genre expectations, or character development.
—Anatomy of scenes or story beating.
—Advice on how to pitch or sell a screenplay, or on professional writing jobs.
—Formatting for “shooting scripts”
—Writing “good” dialog
—Teleplay specific formatting
Cost for the course is $375 ($300 for Alumni), and the registration form is found below. A $50 non-refundable deposit will be needed to secure the registration. In-person instruction will be conducted according to our Social-Distancing Policy for Covid-19, including increased distance, masks and/or face shields, and increased sanitizing.
This class is a crash-course in the principles, guidelines, and grammar of writing for the screen. It covers industry expectations for formatting and techniques for ensuring your artistic vision can be realized on the screen. Best practices are discussed both for writers who intend to direct their own work, and for those who hope to have their work produced by others. Students will be asked to complete writing assignments between sessions and should plan to spend up to four hours per week on outside work. Access to a screenwriting program is required— Final Draft is recommended.
This class answers the questions:
- How is a screenplay different from other forms of writing?
- Why is the format so weird?
- What are the “rules”?
- Why are there so many rules, and do I have to follow them?
- Why are some professional screenplays formatted differently from what is taught?
- What if my story has no dialog or will rely on improvisation?
- What do I need to include in a screenplay? What should I not include?
- I intend to direct the work myself, why do I need a screenplay?
- What are the differences between a “shooting script” and a “spec script”?
And it speaks to the following concerns:
- Screenplay formatting is strange and overwhelming.
- A lot of the rules and advice I’ve read about screenwriting feel contradictory or arbitrary.
- I have trouble writing within the length requirements.
- I have read books on screenwriting and they are all different.
- I feel frustrated because all the rules really stifle my creative voice.
- I’ve never written a screenplay before.
- I have a very specific vision that is hard to put into words.
- I’m told my action lines are too “prosaic”.
This course does NOT cover: (Please see other course offerings for these topics)
—Advanced screenwriting techniques.
—Review or workshopping of works in-progress.
—Story structure, genre expectations, or character development.
—Anatomy of scenes or story beating.
—Advice on how to pitch or sell a screenplay, or on professional writing jobs.
—Formatting for “shooting scripts”
—Writing “good” dialog
—Teleplay specific formatting
Cost for the course is $375 ($300 for Alumni), and the registration form is found below. A $50 non-refundable deposit will be needed to secure the registration. In-person instruction will be conducted according to our Social-Distancing Policy for Covid-19, including increased distance, masks and/or face shields, and increased sanitizing.
