20 minute read
NEW SCRIPT X 415.12
Rewriting for Character and Plot
3.0 units
Rewriting is a lot like keeping plates spinning without letting one fall. Multiple elements from the character arc to structural touchstones must be woven together so that the story is constantly moving forward, stakes are raised, tension keeps the energy high and the emotional journey unfolds in an authentic and organic way. Plus, you need to keep the tone consistent and the theme threaded through. In this 10-week course, we will break down how to approach your rewrite by reverse engineering one of your original screenplays scene by scene to find the connective tissue between the two seminal sides: Character and Plot. You can’t have one without the other. To help make the process easier and strengthen your work on every level, we’ve created “The Story Cinque Grid” which will highlight five elements of each scene: purpose, emotion, choice, action, and conflict.
Prerequisite(s): SCRIPT X 410.1 Feature Film I, SCRIPT X 410.2 Feature Film II, SCRIPT X 410.3 Feature Film II, and SCRIPT X 410.4 Feature Film IV, or equivalent, or consent of instructor.
Reg# 393753
Fee: $720
No refund after 18 Oct.
A Remote
10 mtgs
Wednesday, 5-8pm, Oct. 4-Dec. 13
Remote Classroom
No meeting Nov. 22.
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. 7
Roz Weisberg MFA, teacher/writer/book & script consultant. Her producing credits include Beastly and Where the Heart Is and the short films The Heebie Jeebies and Being Vincent She serves/d as a consultant for Netflix, Resonate, The Disney Channel, National Geographic, Mission Pictures, and Focus Features.
Janna King, screenwriter and WGA member, who has written TV movies for Lifetime and Hallmark such as Christmas in the Air and Love, Of Course, along with a host of TV drama series. Ms. King’s film and TV credits also include kids animation like Dragon Tales and the Wacky Races reboot. She has developed and consulted for CBS, Disney and WB, and is the author of The Seasonaires, optioned for TV by Blumhouse. In addition, she has written and directed plays and awardwinning short films.
NEW
SCRIPT X 426.4
Script
3.0 units
Doctoring for Television
We’re in the golden era of television. There’s never been more work for writers out there than these days. Which means many writers are trying to break in. And they need help! That’s where TV Script Doctors come in they help writers finesse their work in order to get it optioned, sold, sent to competitions, etc. TV Script Doctors also work as TV consultants, help develop storylines, or make last minute changes. They’re the unsung heroes of the development process. And in this course, we learn how to analyze TV pilots including their Bibles how to give notes that go beyond the pilot episode and can show that the potential series has legs, how to best structure TV pilots to truly make the protagonist shine, how to show what the show will be about, how to make sure the pilot is a real episode template and not a premise pilot, how to flesh out the supporting characters, how to enhance the world of the story, how to make the pilot feel topical and contemporary, how to help writers polish their Pitch Decks to make them stand out, and how to make a career as a TV Script Doctor. Through the use of lectures, script analysis, readings, and workshops, students get to experience and practice the art of script doctoring, and gain practical experience they can apply in the industry.
Reg# 393757
Fee: $720
No refund after 18 Oct.
M Online
Oct. 4-Dec. 12
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. 7
Cody Smart an independent writer and script doctor from Chile. She holds degrees in English Literature & Linguistics, Screenwriting, Development and Producing. She worked as a script analyst for Sony, she’s a judge for multiple script and film competitions, she’s written some award-winning shorts, she’s head of the coverage department at a script hosting site and she does a bi-monthly vlog with tips for Screenwriters for Story Data. She takes pride in helping writers take their work to the next level.
SCRIPT X 465.3E
Thought-Provoking Horror Narratives for Television and Film
3.0 units
This comprehensive 10-week course offers aspiring screenwriters a deep dive into the world of crafting powerful, thought-provoking horror stories that resonate across cultures. Drawing from diverse global influences, including Latin American, European, South Korean, and Japanese horror, participants will explore various sub-genres, such as social horror and war horror, focusing on addressing contemporary societal issues. Through engaging workshops, expert-led discussions, and hands-on writing exercises, students will dissect iconic TV series and films, examining the successful integration of horror and social commentary while honing their distinctive storytelling voices. The course covers various essential screenwriting topics, from the history of horror cinema and diverse horror genres to screenwriting fundamentals like character development, plot structure, dialogue crafting, and visual storytelling. Additionally, students will learn about polishing their screenplays, obtaining and incorporating feedback, and submitting their work for consideration. Participating in lectures and workshops, analyzing seminal horror TV series and movies, composing original screenplays, and receiving invaluable feedback from industry professionals will give participants the skills and knowledge needed to create compelling, socially-conscious horror narratives that captivate audiences around the world.
Reg# 393756
Fee: $720
No refund after 21 Oct.
A Remote 10 mtgs
Saturday, 10am-1pm, Oct. 7-Dec. 6
Remote Classroom
No meeting Nov. 25.
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. 7
Guillermo Escalona, executive producer and writer who graduated from the International Film and Television School in Cuba. Mr. Escalona is co-creator and co-writer of the HBO Max original series Mil Colmillos, (“A Thousand Fangs”) produced by Rhayuela Films. In addition, he is an executive at La PANDA Productions, a company involved in films such as 10,000km by Carlos Marques and La Camarista by Lila Avilés.
NEW SCRIPT X 465.2E Making Your Character Voices Pop
2.0 units
We take it for granted that real people bring their personalities to situations completely unrelated to their most pressing motivations and conflicts. What would it look like if our characters did the same? Now that you have a first draft of your screenplay or TV pilot, this course lets you unshackle your characters from the hard work of delivering your story so you can experience what they’re like “off the clock.” Through a series of writing exercises, you’ll explore how your characters think, feel, and behave when confronted with mundane situations we all recognize from everyday life. The premise of this course is that once your characters reveal to you what makes them interesting and distinct in situations divorced from the aims of your plot, you’ll see how to let them express themselves more vividly when it really counts.
Reg# 393754
Fee: $485 No refund after 8 Nov.
A Remote 6 mtgs
Wednesday, 4-7pm, Oct. 25-Dec. 6
Remote Classroom
No meeting Nov. 22.
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. 7
Dave Polsky WGA, screenwriter whose credits include Scary Movie and Scary Movie 2 His numerous TV credits include South Park; My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic; Cedric the Entertainer Presents and Pair of Kings He served as showrunner on Hasbro’s Hanazuki and Disney’s The Buzz on Maggie and also sold pilots to FOX, CBS, Castle Rock, and Nickelodeon.
SCRIPT X 469.10E
Final Draft in Production
1.0 units
A comprehensive training course in how the newest version of Final Draft is used by script coordinators and writers’ assistants in feature film and television show production. Topics include configuring the application, file management, troubleshooting, page locking and revision sets. Instructions, demonstrations and practical exercises will give the students insight and experience in how the program is used in a professional environment.
Reg# 394219
Fee: $325
No refund after 28 Oct.
A Remote
6 mtgs
Saturday, 10am-12pm, Oct. 14-Nov. 18
Remote Classroom
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. 7
Joel Levin, former NYC IATSE camera assistant, MFA in film directing (USC), junior development exec for Nickelodeon Movies, freelance script reader, and VP Final Draft Technical Support since 2004. He has authored the last four Final Draft manuals and FD’s online knowledge base.
SCRIPT X 464.3E
Formatting Your Script Like a Pro
1.0 units
There are two key factors that determine the success of your script when it’s about to be read by a script reader, producer, director, agent, or any other Hollywood executive: Does it “look” professional on the page? And is it a great read? Both are affected by the formatting of your script, and it takes more than using screenwriting software to get it right. Screenplay formatting is an industry standard practice that allows a writer to accurately communicate their stories to readers in this collaborative medium. Without adhering to this standard, scripts become indecipherable and distract the reader from the story, characters, and world you are trying to convey. In this course, you learn not only how to properly format scene headings, action lines, characters, dialogue, parentheticals and transitions, but why these are industry standards. Even with screenwriting software, writers still struggle with the intricacies of formatting as it relates to clarity, succinctness, and the reader’s emotional experience. You also learn how to spot formatting red flags that prejudge your script as amateurish, and explore advanced techniques that help you direct and edit on the page without the use of camera directions and other technical jargon.
Reg# 394215
Fee: $325
No refund after 14 Oct.
A Remote
4 mtgs
Sunday, 10am-1pm, Oct. 15-Nov. 5
Remote Classroom
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. 7
Karl Iglesias, MFA, screenwriter and script doctor, who is the author of The 101 Habits of Highly Successful Screenwriters and Writing for Emotional Impact. Mr. Iglesias is a former development executive for Samson Entertainment. He is a recipient of the UCLA Extension Outstanding Instructor Award in Screenwriting.
SCRIPT X 401
Get Your Story Straight
1.0 units
In this short introductory workshop designed for beginners, you learn the key building blocks for a writing a structurally solid screenplay. You begin by refining your story idea by studying and workshopping the elements that make for a successful logline. You then expand upon that and learn how to structure your story into three compelling acts. Special attention is paid to developing a protagonist character your audience will really care about and how that ties into the plotting of your story using the major plot points. By the end of the course you have a refined logline, character bio, and basic beat sheet that covers the major beats of your story from beginning, middle, and end.
Reg# 394217
Fee: $325
No refund after 23 Oct.
A Remote 4 mtgs
Tuesday, 5-8pm, Oct. 24-Nov. 14
Remote Classroom
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. 7
Diane Drake, screenwriter, WGA member whose credits include What Women Want, starring Mel Gibson, and Only You, starring Robert Downey, Jr. and Marisa Tomei. Ms. Drake was Vice President of Creative Affairs for Academy Award-winning director-producer Sydney Pollack’s Mirage Productions.
SCRIPT X 461.1E Adaptation For Screenwriters I
3.0 units
The first part in a two-part sequence designed for experienced screenwriters who want to focus on adapting literary material, fiction or nonfiction, into films and television pilots. The goal is to help you develop the skills associated with adaptation so vital in the current industry and your unique voice and style. This course explores the aesthetics and techniques of creating visual, dramatically compelling scripts. Your major project is to complete and polish an outline and the opening scene of your script based on a public domain material from literary, theatrical, mythical, and traditional sources. The participant may also work other available material, including biographies, fact-based, and personal material. In addition, you learn how to source for original material and the attaining of rights, including life rights. The scripts can be preparation for Adaptation II, in which full-length features and television pilots will be developed and written.
Prerequisite(s): SCRIPT X 410.1 Feature Film I and SCRIPT X 410.2 Feature Film II or department approval. Students must have a strong grasp of the fundamentals prior to entering this course.
Reg# 393764
Fee: $720
No refund after 14 Oct.
A Remote
10 mtgs
Saturday, 10am-1pm, Sept. 30-Dec. 9
Remote Classroom
No meeting Nov. 25.
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. 7
Warren Lewis MFA, screenwriter/producer and WGA member who wrote Black Rain, directed by Ridley Scott, and The 13th Warrior starring Antonio Banderas. He has also sold and developed both features and pilots for Warner Bros. FOX, Paramount, Ensemble Entertainment, and Sony Pictures, among many others.
SCRIPT X 471.1
Comics and Graphic Novels I
3.0 units
From big-budget superheroes to critically acclaimed dramas, many of pop culture’s most entertaining stories originated from comic books and graphic novels. Through their unique marriage of words and pictures, comics can be a magical yet accessible form of expression. This workshop provides a comprehensive introduction to the craft of writing and creating comics. We begin by focusing on visual theory and critical thinking about sequential storytelling. Students study the form and its influences, then experience a classroom version of the editorial process by taking a story of their own from pitch to outline to completed script to visual work, regardless of drawing abilities (stick figures work well!). All story genres are welcome. The goal of the workshop is for each student to complete and visually execute an 8-10-page comic story. Includes special guest speakers based on availability.
Reg# 394239
Fee: $720 No refund after 21 Oct. A Remote 10 mtgs Saturday, 10am-1pm, Oct. 7-Dec. 16 Remote Classroom No meeting Nov. 25.
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. 7
Brian Cunningham writer/producer/editor for comic book and entertainment business. Mr. Cunningham has edited several The New York Times -bestselling collections of comics and graphic novels. He was one of the first editors of the Folio Award-winning Wizard Magazine. As a DC Comics editor, he shepherded such series as Superman, Justice League Green Lantern, and The Flash.
SCRIPT X 451.1
Fundamentals of Story
3.0 units
Whether you want to be a writer for film, television, or theatre, a dynamic understanding of story is absolutely necessary for success. In this course, you learn how to choose and develop your best story ideas while examining point of view, structure, character development, dialogue, subtext, crisis, and climax using classic and contemporary scripts as models. Tools to stimulate your writing incorporate acting improvisation as well as photography, painting, and music. Individual and group writing exercises are shared in a supportive atmosphere with guided rewriting as a core task in the course. At the end of the class, you’re able to integrate classic story principles in every facet of your work as well as use these tools to analyze your own writing and take it to the next level.
Reg# 394333
Fee: $720
No refund after 9 Oct. X In-Person
10 mtgs
Monday, 7-10pm, Sept. 25-Dec. 4
UCLA Extension Gayley Center: 1145 Gayley Ave. No meetings Nov. 20.
Enrollment limited to 15 students.
John Henry Davis, MFA, director/screenwriter, playwright; WGA, DGA, SDC member whose credits include directing OZ The Sarah Jones Show, and Broken Mirrors He’s directed plays at the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, and the Mark Taper Forum, including the show Daughters with Marisa Tomei.
SCRIPT X 421.5
Anatomy of a Pilot
3.0 units
A new television show has exactly one shot at survival: its pilot episode. If the viewer isn’t grabbed in the first hour, they’re gone forever. But what is a pilot? How is it different from all other forms of screenwriting? What makes a good one work and a bad one fail? And how can you be sure yours is one of the winners? In this intense, informative, and entertaining course, you learn everything you need to know about what goes into a winning pilot. You watch and dissect recent network and cable pilots; examine character, theme, and structure; and discuss which pilots best launched their respective series. Emphasis is on identifying the common structural elements of all successful pilots, gaining an understanding of “weekly franchise” versus “series mythology,” and crafting long-term character arcs. We also discuss and develop student pilot ideas, help you turn your idea into a concise “pitch document” (a two-to-three-page breakdown of concept, character, and weekly story structure), and give you the tools you need to make the big move from pitch document to pilot outline and script. The course features guest speakers who have written, directed, and/or produced their own network television pilots.
Reg# 393762
Fee: $720
No refund after 11 Oct.
In-Person
10 mtgs
Wednesday, 7-10pm, Sept. 27-Dec. 6
UCLA: School of Public Affairs Bldg.
No meeting Nov. 22.
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. 7
Richard Hatem, executive producer/screenwriter; WGA member, who is currently an EP on HBO Max’s Titans. He co-created the TV series Miracles and The Gates for ABC. Mr. Hatem has also written/produced episodes including Supernatural Grimm, The Dead Zone, Witches of East End, Once Upon A Time In Wonderland, Damien, Dead of Summer Second Chance, No Tomorrow. He executive produced Syfy’s miniseries event The Lost Room and his feature credits include Under Siege 2: Dark Territory and The Mothman Prophecies. In addition, he is a contributing author to Inside the Room (Gotham Books/Penguin).
SCRIPT X 462.1E
Writing Animation
3.0 units
Animation is a fully creative universe without limits on sets, costumes, or special effects. All it takes is your imagination and the willingness to jump into a field friendly to new talent. This course guides you through the entire TV and Internet animation script writing process, starting with the building blocks of good writing: story structure, character development, and sharp dialogue. You then write your spec script, learning how to find the voice and style of a particular show, pitch stories, create solid outlines, write the first draft, and deal with notes and changes. The course goal is to complete a polished sample script. Guest speakers include show runners, producers, and executives who discuss how to break in; what agents do and don’t do; the process of getting your script bought and produced; how to connect with artists that can make your vision visual; and how to have a satisfying career in a field where your imagination is free.
Reg# 393761
Fee: $720
No refund after 12 Oct.
X In-Person
10 mtgs
Thursday, 7-10pm, Sept. 28-Dec. 7
UCLA: Rolfe Hall
No meeting Nov. 23.
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. 7
Brooks Wachtel, Emmy Award-winning television writer; WGA member whose credits include over 100 episodes of such animated series as Spiderman, ToddWorld, X-Men, Heavy Gear, and Clifford the Big Red Dog His novel Lady Sherlock: Circle of the Smiling Dead was recently published by WordFire Press.
SCRIPT X 463.1E
Creating Powerful Scenes and Sequences
3.0 units
The writing of powerfully constructed scenes featuring compelling characters is the key to any screenplay or dramatic teleplay’s success. This intensive workshop gets you writing and rewriting your own scenes, and arms you with a specific skill set that enables you to improve and elevate your work. Drawing on great scenes and sequences from memorable movies and cable shows throughout the course, you learn to identify the essential building blocks for the creation of dynamic scenes; work with conflict, subtext, characterization, dialogue, and imagery, get feedback that will up your game; and make significant headway in creating an eminently marketable screenplay or pilot.
Prerequisite(s): SCRIPT X 410.1 Feature Film I and SCRIPT X 410.2 Feature Film II, or department approval.
Reg# 394330
Fee: $720
No refund after 14 Oct.
X In-Person
10 mtgs
Saturday, 10am-1pm, Sept. 30-Dec. 16
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center: 10920 Lindbrook Dr.
No meetings Nov. 11 & 25.
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. 7
Colin Francis Costello, screenwriter, director, and WGA-East member, whose credits include The Stream starring Rainn Wilson and Alternate Universe. Mr. Costello’s TV credits include Lost n’ Found and Detectives Club. He has also written and directed award-winning shorts, including The After Party and Dreamwisher.
SCRIPT X 442.1
Developing Video Game Narratives
3.0 units
Writing for games requires an understanding of structure that goes beyond linear storytelling. From the early days of tabletop gaming to more recent hits like Mass Effect and Fallout, writers are expected to hold many possible worlds with multiple branching story points in their heads. And to ultimately translate those concepts into actionable materials. In this course, you explore the nature of interactive story by working in multiple different formats (choose your own adventure, virtual novels, the Telltale style, etc.) and writing games that exemplify the fundamental concepts of branching narrative. The course goal is to develop a vocabulary for interactive fiction and to write a game in the format of your choosing that can be used as a calling card for future work.
Reg# 394335
Fee: $720
No refund after 14 Oct.
X In-Person
10 mtgs
Saturday, 10am-1pm, Sept. 30-Dec. 16
UCLA Extension Lindbrook Center: 10920 Lindbrook Dr. No meetings Nov. 11 & 25.
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. 7
Jonathan Callan, writer and narrative designer for games and animation who served on the VR titles Raw Data and Sprint Vector Mr. Callan has also written on games such as Walking Dead: Onslaught and Westworld: Awakenings. In the world of television, he’s written for over a dozen series, including Young Justice, Lego Jurassic World, and Justice League Action.
SCRIPT X 415.4
Crafting Powerful Dialogue
3.0 units
Dialogue may seem to be the easiest and most fun aspect of screenwriting (look at all those pages fly by, and with so much white space!), yet it’s often the most difficult thing for the aspiring screenwriter to do well. Great dialogue is a vital vehicle for developing character, enhancing plot, and speaking to theme, among its many other uses. This course explores all of dialogue’s functions in depth and provides you with the pragmatic skill set that will make your dialogue more effective and make it snap, crackle, and pop on the page. Through writing exercises, analysis of screenplay pages and classic clips from both features and TV, and a dialogue diary that will help you develop an ear for good conversation, you sharpen and hone your dialogue prowess, and you put your new skills to work on your own projects, both present and future.
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Reg# 394329
Fee: $720 m Hybrid (In-Person)
No refund after 17 Oct.
10 mtgs
Tuesday, 7-10pm, Oct. 3-24
UCLA Extension Gayley Center: 1145 Gayley Ave.
Tuesday, 7-10pm, Oct. 31-Dec. 12
UCLA Extension Gayley Center: 1145 Gayley Ave. No meeting Nov. 21
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted.
Roberto Marinas, MFA and screenwriter/producer, whose credits include Lasso, Headgame, and Alien Vs. Zombies. His award-winning screenplay Last Road Home was selected for the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival, and he is also a recipient of the Walt Disney Studios Screenwriting Fellowship.
SCRIPT X 464.5E
Ultimate Character Creation
3.0 units
Having a great story is crucial, but the key to selling your screenplay is character. You must have great characters. In this class, you learn how to create dynamic, exciting characters that audiences will love and actors will be dying to play (the real secret to selling and getting your screenplay made!). In this course, you analyze great movie characters, focusing on key scenes that make us fall in love with a character; examine unlikable characters, villains, and supporting characters; also, dive into narrative function, character arc, backstory, psychology and motivation, personality, and body language. Step by step, you build your characters through the use of weekly assignments, including exercises, worksheets, and scene writing, giving you the ultimate toolbox for creating truly great characters every time.
Reg# 394240
Fee: $720
No refund after 12 Oct.
A Remote 10 mtgs
Thursday, 7-10pm, Sept. 28-Dec. 7
Remote Classroom
No meeting Nov. 23.
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. 7
Donald H. Hewitt screenwriter and WGA member whose feature film credits include the English-language screenplay for Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning film, Spirited Away My Neighbor Totoro and the Oscarnominated Howl’s Moving Castle Mr. Hewitt has written for Pixar, Miramax, New Line, and Disney.
SCRIPT X 433 Scripted Podcasting
3.0 units
There is something to be said for letting your ears paint the pictures. Before television, radio served as the primary mode of entertainment for audiences seeking powerful storytelling. Radio’s transition to “scripted audio” or “scripted podcasts” has opened doors for screenwriters to write, produce, and release their own content, which may in turn be picked up and adapted for film and television. All those years it was drummed into screenwriters ‘show don’t tell’. You can’t show. There is no screen! You adjust to thinking in terms of sound only. APPLAUSE!
Reg# 394237
Fee: $720
No refund after 12 Oct.
A Remote 10 mtgs
Thursday, 4-7pm, Sept. 28-Dec. 7 Remote Classroom
No meeting Nov. 25.
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. 7
Bill Taub screenwriter; WGA and WGC member who won a WGA Award for 101 Best Written TV Series, including Barney Miller and Hill Street Blues. Mr. Taub has written for Magnum P.I, Newhart, In the Heat of the Night, among others, and created the award-winning web series The G Spot. He has written pilots for NBC, Columbia, Warner Bros, and Paramount.
SCRIPT X 464.11E
How to Write Funny, Compelling Dialogue that Doesn’t Suck
3.0 units
Great, funny, compelling dialogue is easier than you think. It comes when you focus on one single thing: your moral premise. There’s a vice and a virtue ready to argue with each other, and funny lines arrive when you see the strengths and weaknesses in your argument. In this workshop, you learn how screenplay structure can be dialogue’s best friend, how to write great dialogue by drawing from your worst life moments, and how to be a ruthless editor. You also learn how to avoid dialogue pitfalls like wordiness, clunkiness, ambivalence, and wishywashiness. By the end of the course, you write dialogue that cracks like a whip.
Reg# 394235
Fee: $720 No refund after 17 Oct.
A Remote
10 mtgs
Tuesday, 4-7pm, Oct. 3-Dec. 12
Remote Classroom No meeting Nov. 21.
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. 7
Michael Jann, Emmy-nominated television writer and WGA member who served 22 years as a comedy monologue writer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Mr. Jann most recently served as a comedy writer for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and has written features and TV pilots for major studios.
SCRIPT X 425.5
Seasonal-Arc Structure for TV
3.0 units
Television storytelling is undergoing significant shifts in the early twenty-first century, but the basics of structuring satisfying narratives are rooted in human psychology and are timeless. This vigorous tenweek course exposes and explores the underpinnings of classic cinematic story arcs in current, serialized shows (titles subject to change). At the same time, each student methodically practices the foundational, industry-standard skills required to create a high-quality series by developing characters and narrative arcs for an original TV show in their own unique voice.
Reg# 393765
Fee: $720 No refund after 21 Oct.
A Remote 10 mtgs
Saturday, 2-5pm, Oct. 7-Dec. 16 Remote Classroom No meeting Nov. 25.
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. 7
Shari Goodhartz WGA member; multi-award nominated writer whose credits include Dragonheart: A New Beginning, Young Hercules, and Aeon Flux. Ms. Goodhartz’s career spans corporate (Coca-Cola), TV and film (live-action, animation, development, producing, documentary), wellness, publishing, and marketing.
SCRIPT X 416.3
Writing Screenplay Coverage
3.0 units
Designed for both aspiring story analysts and screenwriters who want to accelerate their careers, this course helps you master the methods used by story analysts who evaluate submissions to production companies, agencies, and studios. You learn how to do an in-depth analysis of the three-act structure, as well as dramatic and comic scene construction. You also learn the precise terminology used in story sessions, the foundations for great dialogue, and how to find original approaches to established genres. These and other principles become synthesized into coverage written to the highest professional standards, in preparation for a job as either a story analyst or screenwriter who needs to critique his or her own scripts effectively.
Reg# 394220
Fee: $720
No refund after 18 Oct.
M Online
Oct. 4-Dec. 12
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. 7
Barney Lichtenstein MA, professional story analyst for companies such as Amblin, Imagine, and New Line. Referring trained story analysts to production companies, he is a UCLA Extension Outstanding Instructor in Screenwriting and story editor of a Peabody Award winning program.
