In this 15-week screenplay editing class, students learn the basic tools of rewriting a screenplay. How do you take notes? How do you look for the intent behind a note? How do you deal with a note that you disagree with? How do you edit a screenplay, in collaboration and independently? How do you work with producers, directors and development execs? Students present a completed screenplay — either one they’ve written before this class, or one written in our online Screenplay Workshop — and collect notes from the instructor and class which they will incorporate throughout the screenplay editing process. In the first half of the class, students build a rewrite blueprint: a plan to address the notes in a collaborative manner while still maintaining their own artistic vision. Students spend the rest of the class rewriting their script, adjusting their blueprint as they go to reflect the lessons they’ve learned along the way. Screenplay rewriting is itself an art, and at the end of the class, students will have completed a rewrite of their script.
A live video class is held once a week via Zoom. If time restrictions prevent attendance, students can catch up via recordings of the class and communicate with each other and the instructor digitally. In between sessions, students interact with the class digitally, with feedback provided by the instructor.
Video lessons will be made available for viewing through our course Portals. Written lessons and assignments are posted for critique and the class interacts on an electronic course Portal. Instructors are available electronically for support.
The class meets once per week for 3 hours (two 1.5-hour sessions with a 30-minute break).
Additional video lessons are posted online and may be viewed according to a student’s personal schedule. Outside coursework will vary in time based on the student’s writing speed but usually takes 1-4 hours per week.
Deliverables: Rewrite Blueprint and completed rewrite of a feature screenplay
PLEASE NOTE: This class is separate from the 15-Week Online Television Rewrite Workshop but depending on enrollment, may occasionally be combined with that group to give students a full and robust workshop environment.