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WRITING PROGRAM CURRICULUM
SUMMER PROGRAM
The Summer Program lasts four intense, unforgettable weeks, with 35-40 hours of classroom instruction each week taught by our industry professional instructors, plus challenging homework assignments designed to build skills around the essential concepts taught in class. Students accepted into the optional TV Track attend additional classes and receive additional homework assignments. (For an instructor list, click here.)
- Week One begins with a retreat, during which students are provided meals and overnight accommodations. Classes during the retreat introduce spiritual, ethical and artistic considerations that lay the foundation for the weeks to come. It's also a valuable opportunity for students to become acquainted and begin building a network that can play a vital role in sustaining their spiritual, emotional and professional progress. The retreat also provides an opportunity for quiet reflection and personal prayer. Classes include "Spirituality for Screenwriters," "The Ethics of Character," "Fading In," and "Writing a Credo." Week One continues with an introduction to the craft of screenwriting. Classes include "Choosing Your Story," "The Heart of the Character-Driven Story," "Character," "The Business of Television Writing,” a panel on TV writing featuring three experienced TV writers, and "Formatting." During Week One, students also have the chance to apply for the optional TV Track. The first TV Track class introduces students to the conditions of a network TV "writers room."
- Week Two furthers students' grasp of craft with classes like "Deconstructing Structure," "Dialogue," “Writing Loglines, Treatments and Beat Sheets,” “Making the Script Reader Your Ally” and "Understanding Genres." Week Two also provides an introduction to the business of Hollywood. TV Track students practice "breaking a story" in a simulated writers room environment.
- During Week Three and Week Four, students learn advanced writing techniques in "Writing Funny," "Haunting Moments and Visual Images," “Creating Character-Defining Moments,” “”Introducing Your Character” and "Writing with Style." They also receive advanced tips on the business with the classes "Working with an Agent," "Pitching," and "The Writers Guild." And they revisit ethical and spiritual considerations with "The Writer's POV," “Developing an Ethics of Entertainment” and "Surviving or Thriving in Hollywood." TV Track students take part in a late-night session recreating a typical TV rewrite session. A career panel and consideration of important next steps concludes the classroom instruction. Finally, all students are introduced to the community of Act One alumni at our annual alumni barbecue, and are sent off in style with a memorable wrap party.
Dates: The 2007 Summer Writing Program will run from July 6 through August 4, 2007.
To apply now, click here.
SATURDAY PROGRAM
Like the Summer Writing Program, the Saturday Program begins with a retreat, followed by classroom sessions three Saturdays each month for eight months, with six classroom hours each Saturday. Curriculum for the Saturday lectures mirrors the content of the Summer Program. However, a great deal of program time is devoted to work in small groups, under the direction of instructors, as each writer develops and writes a feature screenplay. A significant amount of writing must be completed outside the program hours. Those who are accepted into the optional TV Track will attend additional classes and receive additional homework assignments.
Dates: Dates for the 2008 Saturday Writing Program will be announced soon.
