Writing for Film, Television & Digital Media BFA

Storytellers are powerful people. They wield character development, dialogue, conflict, and structure to tell stories that change the world. You'll develop these storytelling skills by creating an outline and beginning to write a short film. (This course is cross-listed with LA 166.)

Learn how to find, option, and develop material for feature films and television. Practice composing effective script notes to help writers, and learn to evaluate the appropriate marketplace for your developed content. (This course is cross-listed with MPT 688 and MPT 888.)

Gain experience being a director by working with actors on film sets. While concentratingon screenplay analysis, you'll direct actors through the rehearsal process and shooting of a basic scene. You'll learn the best way to communicate with actors to become "an actor's director".

This two-semester portfolio course feels like a real-world production company, where you will write, direct, or produce at least 2 different projects: an assessment scene, and a thesis film. In this hands-on advanced production environment writers, directors, and producers collaborate todevelop scripts in the first semester along with writing and shooting assessment scenes. In the second semester they collaborate to prepare, shoot, and post-producehigh-quality projects that are suitable for film festival release. (This course is cross-listed with MPT 750 and MPT 850)

In this advanced course, teams of students work in a production environment to develop scripts and prepare, shoot and prepare for/execute postproduction on projects. Students will troubleshoot and solve development and production problems working in assigned roles. Students will become adept at implementing notes to improve projects, as in a studio model. (This course is cross-listed with MPT 752 and MPT 852.)

Characters are the heart of every story. You'll acquire the skills to develop compelling three-dimensional characters and to create strong, believable backstories.

Create various premises for original series and write a spec episode of an existing series. You'll explore the past and present of episodic dramas and comedies on television, streaming media, and other contemporary platforms. (This course is cross-listed with WRI 634.)

Write your first film. You'll gain basic screenwriting skills to outline and begin the first draft of your screenplay in this first of a two-course process

View, read and discuss screenplays and films. You will gain the tools to analyze theme, story, structure, plot, characters, and dialogue in screenplays and films that have influenced major screenwriters and the art of filmmaking. (This course is cross-listed with WRI 620.)

You'll continue the work on your original pilot begun in WRI 645/250 and expand upon your bible. (This course is cross-listed with WRI 805A.)

Finish your first script. You will complete your first feature screenplay in this second part of a two-part course.

Working from pre-existing intellectual properties including books songs, plays and games, you'll craft outlines, character biographies, and beat sheets. (This course is cross-listed with WRI 622.)