Screenwriting is different from other kinds of creative writing; it means learning how to tell a story visually in a very precise format that will make sense to all the people needed to help make your movie - costume designers, casting directors, actors, etc..  You need to develop and then write your story so that the final image on the movie screen comes close to matching the images from your imagination.  

In this fun and social 4-week class, students aged 10 - 14 will plan their own short film - one that they can write and hopefully make someday! Even if you’ve never written (or even seen) a screenplay before, this class will take you through the essentials of screenwriting from coming up with ideas, to developing characters that audiences can relate with, to getting it all on paper in a proper script format.  By the end of the 4 classes, you will have the knowledge and the ingredients necessary to start making your own film.  

Learners in this class must be in the proper age range of 10 - 14 years old. There is another class designed for students aged 14 - 18. Learners not in the correct range will be transferred to a class with the appropriate age range.

In order to understand the craft of screenwriting, we will be reading, discussing and watching scenes from films like Toy Story, The Parent Trap, Kung-Fu Panda and Home Alone. If you haven’t already, I’d recommend watching these films before taking the class.

Below is a rough breakdown of our four classes together

Class 1: Intro to Screenwriting & Making a Movie 
-- Short film planning brainstorm
-- From page to screen: script & film examples
-- HW: Plan your own short film based on the tools you’ve already got

Class 2: Developing Story & Character
-- “Loglines” - making your story ideas clear and exciting
-- Creating Characters - making complex characters your audience will connect with
-- HW: Create your character(s)

Class 3: Screenplay Format & Structure
-- Elements of a screenplay and how to write them
-- “Script Doctoring” - how to make a bad script good
-- HW: Write your own screenplay pages to share in class tomorrow!

Class 4: Screenplay Workshop
-- Share the first pages of your screenplay in class 
-- Positive and constructive feedback on your work
-- HW: Planning the future of your screenplay project.