Screenwriting101 Course

Real World Film School. Learn Film & TV from someone with a 30+ year career selling Film & TV Screenplays & Producing TV

Last updated 2022-01-10 | 4.5

- Write a Screenplay
- Get an Agent
- Sell that great Screenplay

What you'll learn

Write a Screenplay
Get an Agent
Sell that great Screenplay
Become a Professional Screenwriter

* Requirements

* Have an open and creative mind
* be willing to try new things and explore the depths of your mind!
* You should already be familiar with a Word Processor of your choice (Microsoft Word
* iWork/Pages
* or Final Draft are all acceptable).
* Over 1 hour of video content. Be committed to learn best.

Description

My name is David Titcher. After attending UCLA Film School, where I was part of the most successful screenwriting class in the history of the film business, I've been a professional screenwriter for thirty years.

I've written film screenplays for “Around the World in 80 Days,” with Jackie Chan and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and for “Morgan Stewart's Coming Home,” with Jon Cryer and Lynn Redgrave. I created the Librarian franchise with Noah Wyle and Bob Newhart that's led to three TV movies and which got me nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award and a Saturn Award and has since been turned into a TV Series, "The Librarians,” which was the highest rated TV Series premiere for all cable in 2014. I am a Writer, Executive Producer, and Co-Creator of FOX's new TV Series, "Houdini & Doyle." I wrote the miniseries “The Curse of King Tut's Tomb” featuring Malcolm McDowell and Hallmark's last Valentine Day's movie, “Be My Valentine” which starred Billy Baldwin. I wrote for sitcoms like “Who’s The Boss,” “Punky Brewster,” and “The Love Boat,” as well as for various Disney animated series. I’ve sold scripts and pitches in every possible genre and medium, including high-budget feature films, low budget films, TV sitcoms, TV dramas, TV movies, TV miniseries, and animation. I’ve worked for practically every studio and network.

I'm going to take you on a journey in writing to hopefully expand your process and your career. This course will take you through screenwriting from premise to outline to script and finally to the business and selling that script. It is perfect for any screenwriter, from those trying to breakout to those with a career trying to improve their work.

The course is broken down into the sections above and is primarily video lectures and PDFs. You will take it at your own pace and should be able to complete the roughly 2 hours of material within a week or two. The best way to take this course would be to work on a screenplay during it and completing each section as you advance.

Who this course is for:

  • This Screenwriting course is meant for writers of all scopes and experience levels. This course gives a fundamental background on all aspects of the writing process, business of hollywood and filmmaking, and creative storytelling. No prior experience is required, not only for filmmakers, contains universal tips to improve your storytelling and persuasive ability. This course is probably not for you if you're looking to learn solely the visual aspect of storytelling or camera operations.
  • Screenwriters - Particularly first time Screenwriters will receive the most benefit from this course.
  • Filmmakers - A Screenplay is a prior question to making a movie or film, learn which ones will make the best films, and understand how elements of story influence the tale you tell.
  • Storytellers - Enrich your storytelling ability by learning the 3 Act Structure, Tone, and other tricks to enhance your tales.
  • Writers - Learn about time tested methods to enhance the reliability of your stories. Understand film adaptations and what books are best compatible for movies.
  • Producers - Get inside the brain of a Screenwriter. Understand what makes them tick so that you can sell them better.

Course content

5 sections • 24 lectures

Introduction to the Course Preview 02:20

  • Introduction to the Course
  • Introduction to Your Teacher
  • Class Goals

Introduction - Transcript Preview 2 pages

The Premise - Basic Tips Preview 11:42

  • How to Find a Story Premise That Will Change Your Life
  • How to Separate Your Premise From the 100,000 Other Scripts That Are Written Every Year

The Premise - Basic Tips - Quiz

Were you paying attention?

The Premise - Checklist Preview 14:11

  • The Eleven Keys to Finding a Commercial Film Premise That Will Intrigue Hollywood Dealmakers
  • The Keys to Finding a Compelling TV Series Premise

The Premise - Checklist - Quiz

Were you paying attention?

The Premise - Full Transcript Preview 16 pages

Outline - Brainstorm Preview 04:27

  • How to Flesh Out Your Premise Into an Intriguing Story
  • The Best Screenwriting Books

Outline - Characters Preview 05:49

  • How to Give Your Hero An Arc
  • How to Create a Web of Characters for a TV Series

Outline - Act One Preview 05:44

  • How to Begin Your Script
  • How to Structure Your First Act

Outline - Act Two Preview 02:30

  • How to Make Your Second Act Exciting
  • How to Incorporate the Research of Joseph Campbell into Your Script

Outline - Third Act Preview 04:40

  • How to End Your Script
  • How to Structure a TV Episode

Outline - Full Transcript Preview 13 pages

The Outine Quiz

The Script - Preparing to Write Preview 05:00

  • How to Overcome Writers’ Block
  • The Proper Attitude to Start Writing
  • How to Use Final Draft

The Script - Sample Page Preview 1 page

This is a slightly modified sample script page from George A Romero's 1968 classic, Dawn of the Dead. It is color coded to the script commands in Final Draft that will be of importance to you.

The Script - The Real First Draft Preview 09:28

  • How to Turn That Outline into a Full-Length Script
  • How to Write a Scene
  • How to Handle Exposition
  • How to Properly Pace the Script

The Script - The Rewrite Preview 06:56

  • How to Mold That First Draft into a Professional Quality Script
  • How to Handle Feedback
  • How to Edit That 200 Page First Draft

The Script - Full Transcript Preview 13 pages

The Script - Quiz

The Business Preview 11:51

  • How to Get an Agent
  • How to Keep an Agent
  • How to Pitch
  • How to Handle Rejection

The Business - Full Transcript Preview 7 pages

The Business - Quiz

The Business - List of Agents Preview 9 pages