FOUR WEEK SCREENWRITING CAMP

The Camp Program is designed for people with little or no experience in screenwriting. It is designed to arm students with the skills and confidence needed to produce a well-told story with moving images.

The course introduces students to the craft and tools of feature film writing as well as Final Draft, the Industry standard of screenwriting software. Students will spend an average of 24 hours per week in class, and 16 hours per week in supervised writing labs.  Students will also need to do a significant amount of writing in the evenings and weekends in order to complete the ambitious goals of the course.  This is for the serious writing student.

EXPERIENCE AND BENEFITS

All students will learn an enormous amount in a short time. High School students who complete the program will be provided with ample knowledge and experience to decide whether to continue their creative studies in college and beyond. High school students interested in writing will find themselves challenged and inspired by the craft and form of screenwriting which is different than other forms of writing they may be used to.

Camp Program SUMMARY

Our Student Profile
- Commitment to a fast-paced, intensive learning and writing schedule.
- Be willing to share and accept constructive criticism.
- A passion for writing and storytelling.

What you will achieve
- The goal of the four-week program is for students to write a treatment, outline and first act of a feature screenplay.

CURRICULUM

The following subjects are taught to be of immediate and practical use in an integrated curriculum:

Story Generation: A first week class in which students present a variety of film ideas and choose one to write for the rest of the course.

Writing Camp Program: Student-driven class in which treatments, scenes and outlines are evaluated and critiqued.

Elements of Screenwriting: Introduces students to the craft of screenwriting; from screenplay format to dialogue, structure and exposition.

Screenplay Analysis: Looks at the intricacies of feature length screenwriting through the reading and screening of well-known films.

Film Craft: Students learn about the elements of the feature film, from directing to cinematography, production design and editing.

Acting: Teaches the theory and practice of the acting craft in order to give writers an understanding of how to make strong character choices.

Production Camp Program: Students expand their understanding of the visual components of screen story by shooting their own short scene on the backlot at Universal Studios

Open Writing – Writing time supervised by a TA in the classroom.