12-Week Feature Film Screenwriting Class

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Write Your Feature Film Screenplay

A 12-week class that provides the tricks and tools for prewriting, writing, and rewriting your complete feature-film screenplay.

Class contents may vary slightly from the following:

Week 1 – Analyze a couple produced films (getting into the groove) by breaking down:

  • Genre classifications
  • Character types based on what they do
  • Three-act structure
  • Boiling each film down to its premise 

 

Week 2 – building an original story backbone:

  • Premise
  • Genre (why so important and common genre mistakes)
  • Brainstorm imagery
  • Protagonist (inner and outer journeys)
  • Antagonist 

 

Week 3 – Story development:

  • Supporting characters
  • Story/Logline
  • Develop overall three-act structure and why this works

 

Week 4 – Outlining:

  • Write the detailed treatment 
  • Scene mapping 
  • Scene transitions 

 

Week 5 – Write Act 1 – Online Workshop:

  • Establishing 1
  • Escalation 1
  • Evolution 1
  • Escalation 2

 

Week 6 – Write Act 2a - Online Workshop:

  • Evolution 2
  • Pinch 1
  • Escalation 3

 

Week 7 – Write Act 2b - Online Workshop:

  • Evolution 3
  • Pinch 2
  • Escalation 4

 

Week 8 – Write Act 3 - Online Workshop:

  • Evolution 4
  • Escalation 5
  • Establishing 2

 

Week 9 – Script feedback:

  • Giving notes 
  • Taking notes 
  • Big Picture Edits (slug lines, character clarity, etc.)

 

Week 10 – Edit line-by-line:

  • Pacing
  • Dialogue editing
  • Action lines editing

 

Week 11 – Professional coverage (understanding the story analyst perspective):

  • How scripts are broken down and analyzed by professionals
  • Writing professional coverage of each others’ scripts
  • Logline Perfecting

 

Week 12 – Business of writing (incl. pitching):

  • Getting reps
  • Query letters
  • Meet and greets
  • Pitch meetings
  • Pitch decks

 

Course Outcome:

In 12 weeks, each student who does the assignments will finish the class with a complete and edited screenplay.