Introduction to Screenwriting: Writing for Movies and Television

🎥 A screenwriting course for teens interested in writing their own film or television series! 🎥

Led by Saundra Mitchell, the head screenwriter for Dreaming Tree Films for 18 years, Mitchell produced more than 400 short films, ten of which earned Academy Award Eligibility. She was an executive producer for Fresh Films, the world’s largest teen filmmaking program, and taught the Screenwriting Intensive for Fresh Films, as well.

This class will consist of screenplay introduction, screenwriting instruction, steps to take to make screenwriting a career, and a screenwriting intensive. All students will write at 4-minute film, with feedback on the first draft, and feedback and letter grade (if requested)!

This is a six week long course!

Screenplays we may look at during this class include:

Movies:

Barbie

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Killers of the Flower Moon

Encanto

Everything Everywhere All at Once

La La Land

Little Women

A Quiet Place

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

Television:

American Horror Story

The Big Bang Theory

Found

Interview with the Vampire

Only Murders in the Building

Stranger Things

Young Rock

Screenplays will be provided for download!

CLASS 1: Screenplay Basics
What is a screenplay? Different kinds of screenplays (film, episodic, sitcom; adaptation, musical, action.) How is it different from a play? We will look at several different kinds of screenplays, to get a feel for how each one is similar and different. We will discuss the kinds of films students would like to write. We will also discuss the importance of reading scripts, and where to find them online.
Homework: Check out the screenplay sites available online, and with permission, download a script that interests you. Read that screenplay to get a feel for the format.

CLASS 2: Screenplay Technology
Introduction to screenwriting software—what it does, what it doesn’t do. We will discuss free software options including Celtx, StudioBinder, Kit Scenarist, and Trelby. We will also discuss paid options, including formatting for Word and Scrivener, Final Draft, and Arc Studio.(Students are not required to use screenwriting software for this class; it will simply make it easier for them to format their scripts. Screenplays can always be written and formatted in any free text editor. No purchases are required.)
Homework: Explore two free screenwriting software options, and write one paragraph about each one. Was it hard or easy to sign up or download? Was the interface confusing or easy to understand? Submit to instructor 48 hours before next class to receive feedback. Feedback will be provided privately and links to free screenwriting software will be provided in class documentation.

CLASS 3: Screenwriting Intensive
How to write a screenplay intensive. Breaking down a screenplay into its elements: scene headings, action, character, parentheticals, dialogue, transitions. How these elements come together as a screenplay. Formatting scripts for television or film. Quirks of the conventions.
Homework: Write one script page demonstrating the use of scene headings, action(slugs), dialogue, parentheticals and transitions. Teacher will provide feedback as long as the script is submitted 48 hours before the next class session. Feedback will be private.

CLASS 4: Script Development
Students will develop a plan for a 4-minute (4 page) movie they will write as the final project for this class. They may write any kind of script for film (no stage plays or graphic novel scripts.) This class will feature approximately 30 minutes of writing time, with live Q&A during writing to help students perfect their screenwriting formatting.
Homework: First 2 pages of 4-page movie, first draft. Feedback will be provided privately, as long as the pages are turned in 48 hours before the next class session. Feedback will be private.

CLASS 5: Show BUSINESS: Emphasis on the Business side of Screenwriting
How does screenwriting become a career? Different paths for different kinds of writing. Contests. Fellowships. The Black List. American Zoetrope. Agents. Independent Film. Registering with the WGA.
Homework: Second 2 pages of 4-page movie, first draft. Feedback will be provided privately, as long as the pages are turned in 48 hours before the next class session.

CLASS 6: Q&A and Showcase
All students should have finished the first draft of their 4-page movie by this class. This session, we will workshop specific questions about student scripts, about screenwriting in general, in specific, including show business questions. Students will also have a chance to share some of their work, if they so desire.
Final: Completed 4-page film, final draft. Personal feedback will be provided as long as the final draft is submitted within 10 days after the Class Session 5.

Class time: 50 minutes per session/6 sessions total