FILM-670B: Advanced Film Development

This graduate course is an intensive screenwriting class for Writers and Writer/Directors. Students will meet individually with the instructor to develop a short film screenplay from idea through final shooting script with the intention to direct the film in Advanced Film Production. The course is designed to provide the student with a comprehensive, professional understanding of screenwriting and the associated aspects of the craft. This is a class about finding the student's original voice. Students will study what makes a short film standout in an already convoluted market. What sets shorts that premiere at SXSW, Sundance, or Tribeca apart from the rest? Often, it's the filmmaker's voice. Their point of view and their ability to incorporate that into their storytelling. Along with voice, students will focus on writing within the constraints of their resources. Writing with the intention to "film the feasible". Students will learn about how to cast reputable actors and how to write for locations that elevate the material, not the budget. Like an imaginary friend suddenly knocking on your front door, at the end of this class what once existed in your head, will now exist in the world.