Intro to Screenwriting: Lights, Camera, Action!

“Are you sitting on a fantastic story idea for the screen?” asks instructor Kerry Muir. “In Intro to Screenwriting, get ready to set that idea into motion by developing a detailed beat sheet/story outline and completing (at least!) the first act of your screenplay.”

In this five-week class, you will learn the fundamentals of narrative screenwriting in a low stress, supportive environment. The class will focus on writing believable and entertaining dialogue, building a story structure that works from beginning to end, and developing complex, three-dimensional characters that light up the screen. Class time will be dedicated to readings and group discussion of your work-in-progress. Additionally, you’ll look at film clips and scenes from successful screenplays to get a sense of how a writer conceptualizes and shapes a story told primarily in images.

“By the end of five weeks,” says Kerry, “students will have become familiar with the general guiding elements of dramatic structure and character development that they can then apply--not only to dramatic writing--but to a variety of styles of storytelling.”