Advanced Screenwriting
with Andy Craft

You have created believable characters; you know who they are and why they do what they do. Or at least you hope so. You have a great idea for a plot and have begun to piece together an outline. It's almost right but somewhere in the middle things are, well, stuck.
You have some great dialogue but no real reason for people to be saying it and you've also come up with some great ideas for some visuals, but somehow the whole idea is missing that sense of urgency that drives it forward to a satisfying conclusion.

In this course we revisit the guiding principles of screenwriting and see where you've skimped. We get to the heart of your original idea and find out what's good about it. Each week, a series of lectures and assignments covering character, theme, more character, stakes raising, conflict heightening (more character) and use of image will help you sharpen your story-building skills. Students will be expected to share their ideas and process via online postings and discussion.

By the end of the class students will have a tight and seamless outline and the beginning scenes of an original movie that will work.

Admission requirements:
You must be entirely familiar with screenplay format. You should submit a letter of interest, including a brief work history, previous courses, and a writing sample of no more than 15 pages.

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Andy Craft has written and produced musical theater in London and New York. He has worked as a script consultant and story developer for TenPaces Productions, Maniac Films, Longfellow Pictures and Ariel Semmel productions, among others. He has taught screenwriting at beginner, intermediate and master-class level at New York University for five years. He currently has a movie in development and is also working on a novel.