Screenwriting I: Foundations, Characterization & Arc

In “Screenwriting I,” we will focus on series scripts and film scripts with a study of scenes from Psycho, Homeland, House of Lies, Winter’s Bone, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?, and more. You will work with Final Draft 9, preferred screenwriting software to begin new work and/or further explore existing work. If you do not have the Final Draft 9 software, you will be able to download a free, one-month trial version. In this workshop, you will write a five to seven page short film script for potential reworking into a feature length.

Final Draft 9

Final Draft has eclipsed all of its competitors because it is the best. It does everything you could possibly think of and then you can write and not think of it at all.”

Matthew Weiner — Writer / Producer / Director / Emmy® winner
Mad Men, The Sopranos, Becker

The Industry Standard

  • The number-one selling screenwriting software in the world
  • Over 100 templates that format and paginate screenplays, teleplays and stage plays
  • Scripts on Windows, Macintosh, or in the Final Draft Writer® app for iPad look exactly the same

The Choice of Professionals

  • Industry giants such as James CameronJJ Abrams, and Aaron Sorkin recommend using Final Draft to write your screenplay
  • The market leader and a preferred file format of the Writers Guild of America West Online Script Registration
  • The proud recipient of a 2013 Primetime Engineering Emmy® Award 

Goals

  • To help you learn and improve on the foundational techniques and structure of screenwriting so that you may apply these tools to wherever your screenwriting journey takes you;
  • To generate two original premises for short screenplays;
  • To generate a new short screenplay;
  • OPTIONAL PITCH AND CRITIQUE SESSION: To provide critical feedback on work so you can revise it further and make it as strong as it can be.

Materials

 

Kevin Del PrincipeThe son of a snowplow truck driver and a nurse, Kevin Del Principe grew up in Buffalo, New York. He first cut his teeth working as a schoolteacher while also producing plays and publishing poetry. He later moved to Los Angeles to pursue writing for film and to earn his MFA in Screenwriting at the University of Southern California. During his time at USC, Kevin was a finalist for Script Pipeline’s Student Screenwriting Competition. Since graduation, he continues to write, direct, produce, and teach. Kevin currently teaches screenwriting at Loyola Marymount University. He specializes in short screenplay writing, creating online content, feature writing, and rewriting.