Whether you are shooting a film, television show, or web series, the script is the backbone of any production. Without a shooting script, actors, directors, and producers are unable to set up the necessary elements to bring a production to life. However, to complete a screenplay, one must understand structure, character, plot elements, and the proper format—facets of screenwriting that are learned, not intuited. As such, the New York Film Academy’s top screenwriting school in Los Angeles is focused on preparing students to master the fundamentals of writing scripts while gaining an intimate knowledge of the elements that help a script go from page to screen.
Review Of The Screenwriting Program
Located in Los Angeles, the Academy’s screenwriting school provides students not only the opportunity to study under working Hollywood screenwriters, but also an environment in which to make professional connections that will help students far after graduation. What truly makes the Academy one of the best screenwriting schools in the world is that students are expected to be constantly writing, continually honing their skills to create a compelling film or television script while building a portfolio of professionally written material that runs from film and television to webseries and comic books. This approach helps students learn how they can achieve their professional goals.
Screenwriting Courses LA
Students enrolling in a screenwriting course at the Academy in LA can expect to take some, if not all, of the following screenwriting courses.
Story Generation
Elements of Screenwriting
The Business of Screenwriting
Script to Screen
Advanced Writing: Character
Sequential Art (Comic Books & Graphic Novels)
New Media
The Great Screenplays
Writing for Television: Specs
Genre Studies
Adaptation Workshop
Writing the Feature Film Screenplay
Scene Study
Rewriting Workshop
Screenwriting Discipline & Methodology
Web Series
The Art Of The Pitch
Writing for Television: The Pilot
Playwriting
Transmedia: Franchises
Interactive Narrative (Game Narrative)
Online Screenwriting Courses
In addition to the courses offered at the Academy, students can also choose to study and practice from the comfort of their homes through an online screenwriting course.
Depending on the length and depth of the screenwriting class a student wishes to take, the Academy’s Los Angeles screenwriting school offers screenwriting classes throughout the year. Click here to view the start dates and tuition for each class.
Screenwriting Degrees LA
Students looking to earn a screenwriting degree have the option to enroll in one of our four degree programs offered exclusively at our Los Angeles campus.
In addition to our longer programs, the Academy’s screenwriting school in LA offers a number of short-term workshops that immerse students in the essentials of screenwriting while also giving them extensive, hands-on practice.
The Academy’s screenwriting school also offers a one-year conservatory screenwriting program aimed at students looking to make a full-time commitment to learning and practicing the art and craft of screenwriting.
Part of what makes the Academy the best screenwriting school around is the fact that it is home to a distinguished and diverse faculty of working screenwriters. Each instructor comes from a unique background, which allows him or her to help each student hone in on a particular genre or style. Here are some of the faculty members under whom students will study.
Nunzio DeFilippis, Chair: MFA in Screenwriting, USC. Christina Weir: MA in Mass Communications/TV Production, Emerson College.
DeFilippis & Weir are a writing team who were writer/producers on HBO's "Arliss" and wrote for the Disney Channel series "Kim Possible." They have had features optioned at Hollywood Pictures, Process Media and Humble Journey Films. Developed a video game at Sony, and a TV movie ("Two Step") at Oxygen. Wrote for the comics "New X-Men," "Adventures of Superman," "Batman Confidential," and "Dragon Age." They created the comic franchises "Bad Medicine" (in development at Closed On Mondays with NBC), "The Amy Devlin Mysteries" (in development as a TV series at E!) and "Frenemy of the State" (co-created with Rashida Jones, optioned as a feature film by Imagine Entertainment/Universal Pictures).
Margaret Dunlap: MFA in Screenwriting, USC. Co-Executive Producer and writer of more than 30 episodes of the Emmy, Streamy and IAWTV award-winning transmedia series The Lizzie Bennet Diaries and writer on the Emmy award winning Emma Approved. Co-Executive Producer and Showrunner on Pemberley Digital’s follow-up project: Welcome to Sanditon. Has written for television on EUREKA and THE MIDDLEMAN.
Dan Kay: Dan holds a BAS in English from University of Pennsylvania.
He wrote and directed "Way Off Broadway" and directed "Straight Bashers" and "A Dream Like You." Wrote the films "Timber Falls," "Pay the Ghost," starring Nicolas Cage, and "I.T.," starring Pierce Brosnan. Recently sold "Nocturnal," a one-hour drama, to Warner Bros. studios.
Cindy Fang: Cindy holds an MFA in Film Production from USC.
Television writing credits include "Rush Hour" (CBS), "Girl Meets World" (Disney), and "A.N.T. Farm" (Disney). Executive Producer/Showrunner of "Minimum Wage," a digital series produced by Project Greenlight Digital and Issa Rae Productions. Has developed original pilots for Warner Bros., Fox Broadcasting Company, Disney Channel, and Entertainment One.
Jenni Powell: Jenni holds an MA in Psychology from San Diego State University and is the Emmy Award-winning producer of "The Lizzie Bennet Diaries," "Welcom to Sandition," "LonelyGirl15," "Emma Approved," and "The New Adventures of Peter and Wendy." For two years, Jenni was director of content and social media for VidCon and was a producer at Felicia Day’s YouTube Premium Channel Geek & Sundry, where she produced the Geekie Award-Winning "Talkin’ Comics Weekly." Most recently, Jenni was head of production for NewMediaRockstars before founding her own production company, Discourse Productions.
Screenwriting Alumni
Distinguished screenwriting alumni of the Academy’s screenwriting school in LA have gone on to achieve significant success as screenwriters.
Career Opportunities
In today’s ever-changing marketplace, there are numerous opportunities for professionals who have studied screenwriting to find employment in a plethora of fields and positions.
Feature Film Screenwriter
Television Screenwriter
Television Showrunner
Story Supervisor
Video Game Writer
Playwright
Script Coordinator
Web Series Writer
Copy Writer
Literary Agent
Development Executive
Treatment Writer
Script Analyst
Creative Executive
Graphic Novel Writer
Contact Us
Interested in learning more about the Academy’s screenwriting school in Los Angeles? Call us today at +1 (818) 333-3558 or click on the links below to receive additional information.
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1-888-988-NYFA | 1-818-333-3558 
Screenwriting Degrees
