Screenwriting Certificate program
July 24, 2009
Program Description
Emerson College's Screenwriting Program offers individuals the opportunity to learn the craft of screenwriting through a series of non-credit workshops designed to build writing skills along with knowledge of the screenplay form and structure. Participants develop the ability to create scenarios and to analyze their own scripts as well as the work of others. Individuals may enroll in one or several multi-session workshops to match his or her personal goals. Program participants who successfully complete the two (2) required workshops* and one (1) elective workshop from the screenwriting series have the option of earning the Screenwriting Certificate.
The Screenwriting Program is intended for aspiring creative writers and for any individual** curious about the creative aspects of writing stories for film. Participants interested in learning to create scenarios or learning to write, analyze, rewrite and critique their own scripts will benefit from the program's progressive, industry-inspired workshops. The program also is ideal for screenwriters who seek opportunities to present their draft screenplays for critique in a supportive workshop environment.
**Note: Participants must hold a minimum of a high school diploma to enroll in screenwriting courses, workshops, and programs offered by the Department of Professional Studies and Special Programs.
INSTRUCTORS
Scott Anderson, Barry Brodsky, Ginger Lazarus
SCREENWRITING WORKSHOP SERIESCE0303 Screenwriting Basics I *Required to complete the certificate program
10-session, non-credit workshop, offered fall and spring semesters $895.00
The focus of this workshop will be screenwriting basics: the three-act structure, proper formatting, screenplay theory and analysis, how to develop ideas into screenplays, the four-page treatment, and writing the first act of a screenplay.
CE0304 Screenwriting Basics II *Required to complete the certificate program
10-session, non-credit workshop, offered spring and summer semesters $895.00
Participants will complete their first draft and write acts two and three in this workshop. Class is conducted in a workshop format. Participants and the instructor read, discuss, and analyze script pages in class. (Prerequisite: CE0303, Screenwriting Basics I)
CE0302 The Business of Screenwriting elective workshop
6-session, non-credit seminar, semester to be announced. $525.00
This seminar is for individuals who have completed a screenplay and want to know the next steps to take toward becoming a professional screenwriter. Enjoy hearing how to pitch your screenplay, find an agent or producer, write query letters to get your screenplay read, enter screenplay contests and film festivals, market one screenplay while you write another, network, and become prepared for the life of a screenwriter.
CE0305 Advanced Screenwriting elective workshop
10-session, non-credit workshop, semester to be announced.
In this workshop, each participant focuses on rewriting his or her completed script, or develops and works on a new script. Individuals enrolled in the certificate program or graduated from the certificate program may attend as many semesters as desired. (Prerequisite: CE0304, Screenwriting Basics II)
CE0301 Film History elective workshop
10-session, non-credit seminar, semester to be announced.
Take a look at American film and its influences, from silent movies to the present, in this film survey course. Focus on the screenwriter's role by reading text, writing several brief papers, and writing a more extensive paper comparing several films by a screenwriter of your choice.
CE0306 Shoot Your Own Movie elective workshop
10-session, non-credit workshop, semester to be announced.
This technical workshop is designed for individuals who write movies they play to film themselves. The workshop covers the basics of camera operation, editing, and location shooting. Participants will be encouraged to enter local short-film contests. The workshop will culminate in shooting short films (10 minutes or less). (Prerequisite: CE0304, Screenwriting Basics II)
Professional Studies participants may choose to work toward earning the Screenwriting Certificate. The following guidelines apply to all non-credit, non-degree, certificate-seeking individuals at Emerson College:
- Individuals must satisfy the certificate program requirements published for the term in which they register for the first course toward the certificate; all prerequisite coursework must be completed; and program courses or workshops taken in the prescribed sequence.
- All individuals must complete coursework for a certificate program within a period of three (3) years from his or her initial date of registration.
- Only learning activities offered by Emerson College's Department of Professional Studies & Special Programs may be applied to fulfill the requirements of a certificate program.
- Enrollment in non-credit, non-degree certificate programs is open to all individuals who have a high school diploma or GED. Prerequisite requirements apply in some instances. To receive a certificate, individuals must submit a "Request for Certificate" form to the Department of Professional Studies & Special Programs within one year of program completion. Request for Certificate Form (PDF)
Each participant who successfully completes the Screenwriting Certificate Program is eligible to enter his or her script into the Screenwriting Certificate Award Competition at the end of the program. The winner will receive the opportunity to have his or her script read and analyzed by screenwriting professionals.
Faculty
Scott Anderson, the business of screenwriting instructor
Scott Anderson is the director of The Harvard Square Scriptwriters. He has worked on a number of films and television shows. Scott has taught scriptwriting in the Boston metropolitan area since 1992 at such institutions as UMass Lowell, the Boston Film and Video Foundation, Cambridge Center for Adult Education and Boston Center for Adult Education.
Mr. Anderson's work on scripts and with screenwriters has earned him special thanks and credits in The Strangler's Wife, Long Distance, and Gavin's Way. Scott's optioned screenplays have attracted attachments from Oscar nominated- and Palme D'or-winning directors.
Barry Brodsky, program director and screenwriting instructor
Barry Brodsky is an award-winning playwright and screenwriter who has taught scriptwriting for 16 years. He has been teaching screenwriting at Emerson College and at UMass Boston since 1998. He also has taught screenwriting workshops for Grub Street Writers. Barry has taught playwriting at Brandeis University, the Cambridge Center for Adult Education, and to Boston high school students participating in UMass Boston's Urban Scholars Program. He has been an adjunct professor of writing and theatre history at several other Boston area colleges, and he is a private screenwriting and playwriting consultant. Recently Barry conducted a week-long screenwriting seminar at the Cape Cod Writer's Conference.
Barry is a two-time semi-finalist in the Chesterfield Film Writer's Competition. Barry recently optioned two film scripts to Miledia Productions. He holds a B.A. from UMass Boston and an M.F.A. from Brandeis University.
Ginger Lazarus, screenwriting instructorGinger is an award-winning writer, a teacher, and a Boston native. Her play Matter Familias, was produced at Boston Playwrights' Theatre and received an IRNE nomination for Best New Play of 2004. This June she heads to Valdez, Alaska where her new one-act, Benny and Serena's High School Graduation, will be presented at the 14th Annual Last Frontier Theatre Conference Play Lab. Ginger holds a master's degree in creative writing from Boston University. She is a member of the Dramatists Guild and StageSource. She teaches playwriting at UMass Boston as well as screenwriting at Emerson College.
FORMER INDUSTRY GUEST SPEAKERS
Dara Marks, Ph.D
Dara Marks is a writer and leading international script consultant who has devoted the last twenty years to the development of a groundbreaking approach to the theory of the transformational arc and screenplay structure. Her unique method of story analysis has earned her top ratings by Creative Screenwriting Magazine as the best consultant in the business. She has worked with most major Hollywood studios and many independent filmmakers and has recently received a doctorate degree in Mythological Studies from Pacifica Graduate Institute. Dara is a highly sought-after keynote speaker whose work is committed to the idea that a culture speaks through its stories. She offers workshops, seminars, and script development services. Dara lives in Ojai, California, with her husband and son.
Susan Kouguell
Award-winning screenwriter and filmmaker Susan Kouguell teaches screenwriting and film at Tufts University and Screenwriters Online, and presents screenwriting seminars nationwide. Her six short films are in the Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection and archives, won many international festivals, and were included in the Whitney Museum of Art's Biennial. She is the recipient of many grants and fellowships, among them the MacDowell Colony, Edward Albee Foundation, Jerome Foundation, and New York Foundation for the Arts. As chairperson of her motion picture consulting company, Su-City Pictures East, Susan works with over 1,000 clients worldwide, including the major film studios. Susan worked as a story editor/researcher/production coordinator/crew on Louis Malle's documentary And the Pursuit of Happiness, story analyst for Miramax, Dustin Hoffman's Punch Productions, and Viacom, a consultant for Republic Pictures, and in the story and casting departments at Paramount Pictures. Screenwriting credits include over a dozen independent production companies, including Anjelica Films, and voiceover narrations for Miramax Films. She was the screenplay doctor and associate producer of Maria Escobedo's Rum & Coke and Jay Craven's Where the Rivers Flow North. Susan is the author of The Savvy Screenwriter: How to Sell Your Screenplay (and Yourself) Without Selling Out! (St. Martin's Griffin) and her articles appear in MovieMaker Magazine, Scr(i)pt, Writer's Digest, Screenwriter, and on the WGA website.
Lanice L. Lumpkins-O'Bryant, writer-director; Kristen Lucas, writer-producer; and Karen Webb, writer-producer Read about some of the accomplishments of these three guest speakers: guest speaker bios.
SCREENWRITING CERTIFICATE PROGRAM TUITION & PAYMENTS
Tuition is due upon registration for all Screenwriting Program courses and workshops offered through the Department of Professional Studies and Special Programs. Tuition is calculated per course and individuals must pay tuition in full prior to participating in the courses of their choice.
Students may incur additional course-related expenses. Such additional expenses are separate from tuition costs and payments.
Emerson College reserves the right to change any provision of its programs and courses at any time. The College specifically reserves the right to change its tuition rates and any other financial charges. The College also reserves the right to rearrange its courses and class hours, to drop courses for which registration falls below the minimum enrollment, and to change instructor assignments.
