MASTER OF FINE ARTS IN SCREENWRITING

START DATES FOR NEW YORK CITY & UNIVERSAL STUDIOS:
January 7, 2011 • September 9, 2011

New York Film Academy degree programs are offered at our Los Angeles Campus at Universal Studios. Qualified students have the option of completing course work at the New York Film Academy in New York City in a one-year non-degree program and requesting that their course work be accepted for advanced standing and start in the second year of the degree program at the Los Angeles campus. In order to do so, students must apply and be accepted to the degree program in Los Angeles. Please click here for conditions for the acceptance of credit and number of credits awarded.

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SEMESTER 1: OBJECTIVES SEMESTER 2: OBJECTIVES YEAR ONE COURSES
SEMESTER 3: OBJECTIVES SEMESTER 4: • OBJECTIVES YEAR TWO COURSES

TWO YEAR ACCELERATED MFA DEGREE PROGRAM

The New York Film Academy recognizes the critical role writers play in the creation of every film and television show. Yet, writing talent alone is not enough to create successful work in these mediums. Screenwriting is a learned craft, and a writer must write every day to train for the demands of this field, and to truly understand the elements that make a screenplay or teleplay functional, as well as engaging.

In addition to learning the conventions of the writing craft, students are given the support and structure to write and meet deadlines. Students write intensively throughout the course and complete several projects with the assistance of constructive critique from instructors, as well as peers.

What makes our Screenwriting Programs unique?

Over the course of the year, each student writes two feature-length screenplays, plus one television "spec" script along with a number of treatments. As part of a fully integrated program, students explore related areas of filmmaking that help to improve their screenplays and put them into a real-world context. Thus, in addition to writing classes, students study film craft, acting, pitching, and cinema studies, as they apply to screenwriting. Students also write, direct and edit a short digital film or scene from a feature script.

Upon completion of the program, students not only understand story structure, character, conflict and dialogue, but also leave the Academy with finished products that they can pitch, produce, and try to sell.

In the MFA Screenwriting Program, students are taught the art of screenwriting through courses in both film studies and screenplay/script analysis.

Students are assigned several writing projects. These projects are subject to critique from instructors and peers during in-class workshops.

SEMESTER ONE OBJECTIVES

During Semester One, MFA Screenwriting students will be introduced to the skills and tools necessary for writing successful screenplays. Students are encouraged to be creative, but are also taught to think of the screenplay as the definitive industry tool for articulating ideas or concepts to a production team, including producers, financiers, directors, and actors. Clarity can be as important as creativity. Standard formatting and industry expectations will be studied and analyzed during writing workshops and lectures. Students will also study acting and its impact on the written script, as well as the Business of Screenwriting and how to navigate the entertainment industry.

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Learning Goals
• WGA format and copyright law.
• In-depth study of classic screenplay structure, characterarcs, theme, conflict, flashbacks, voiceover, subtext, style, tone, visualization, discipline, and genre.
• Critical concepts in film history.
• Theory and practice of acting.
• Entertainment industry methods, practices, and players.

PRODUCTION GOALS
• Write a 10-page short film script.
• Write a treatment for a feature length film.
• Write an outline for a feature length film.
• Write a first draft of a speculative ("spec") feature length screenplay.

SEMESTER TWO OBJECTIVES

The second semester of Year One challenges students to develop their craft artistically and technically, and to progress beyond their earlier experiments with the feature length screenplay. In an advanced workshop, students will write a first draft of a second original spec feature length screenplay and will then choose between revising that screenplay or the screenplay from Semester One. Students are expected to share revised or newly written material in workshops. In addition, students will broaden their understanding of the medium by learning to develop material for television and writing a spec one-hour television sample script.

Learning Goals
• Fundamentals of film directing.
• In-depth look at treatment writing.
• In-depth study of the pitch.
• Standard conventions of TV writing.

PRODUCTION Goals
• Revise draft of spec or write a new spec script.
• Direct a short film or scene.
• Write a one-hour or half-hour television spec script.

Year-End Staged Readings
MFA Writing students will celebrate the completion of Year One with a night of staged readings of their written work. The readings will be developed in conjunction with actors from the NYFA Acting program, and will be held in a nearby professional stage theater.

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QUICK FACTS:

Start Dates:

For Universal Studios:
Jan 7, 2011 , Sep 9, 2011

For New York City*:
Jan 7, 2011 , Sep 9, 2011

Program Requirements: Bachelor's Degree
tuition: $12,500 (USD)/Semester
€8,729 (EURO)/Semester
You Graduate With: Diploma

* New York Film Academy degree programs are offered at our Los Angeles Campus at Universal Studios. Qualified students have the option of completing course work at the New York Film Academy in New York City in a one-year non-degree program and requesting that their course work be accepted for advanced standing and start in the second year of the degree program at the Los Angeles campus. In order to do so, students must apply and be accepted to the degree program in Los Angeles.

Semester one Courses

Elements of Screenwriting
This course introduces students to the craft of screenwriting, establishing a foundation for all future writing. Through lectures and in-class film screenings, the instructor will highlight a specific topic that students will then analyze in classroom discussion and practice through skill-building exercises. Topics include Classic Screenplay Structure, the Elements of the Scene, Developing the Character, Character Arcs, Antagonists, Dialogue, Writing the Visual Image, Introduction to Final Draft, Theme, Conflict, Flashbacks, Fantasy Sequences and Dream Sequences, Voice-Over, Text and Subtext, Developing Your Writing Style, Tone and Genre, Visualization, Revealing Exposition, Creating a Compelling Second Act, Climaxes and Resolutions, and the Beats of the Scene. Screenplay formatting will be a major focus, and students will learn how to write scene description, to describe characters and locations, and to develop action sequences. The course will also include script-to-screen analysis, comparing well-known films to their original screenplays.

Screenplay Analysis
This course is designed to further students’ knowledge of the intricacies of feature-length screenwriting. Each week, students will be required to view a film (or read the script) prior to an in-class screening of that same film. The instructor will then critique the film as it is screened, offering minute-by-minute observations focusing on such topics as subplot development, visual storytelling, turning points, planting and pay-off, and character development.

The Business of Screenwriting 1
There are many "angles" to understand when approaching "the deal," and they differ from one medium to the next. It is crucially important for a writer to protect his or her work both through Copyright Registration and registration through the Writer’s Guild of America. Next, the writer must strategize about how to get his or her script into the right hands, in the correct manner, and for the appropriate market. An overview of topics include: Agents, What Is Copyright?, How Do I Enforce My Copyright?, How to Register with the Writer’s Guild of America?, Getting Your Script in the Right Hands, What To Do If You Don’t Have an Agent, If the Deal Goes Through What You Need to Know, Options, Pay for Rewrites, Writing on Spec or for Hire, How a Television Deal Differs from a Film Deal. Classes will be supplemented with special lectures by industry professionals.

Short Script Workshop
Students will write short scripts to be used in later production workshops. By developing a film without dialogue (silent film) students will learn the value and strength of images within the medium. Emphasis is put on maintaining structure and incorporating all elements of visual storytelling within the short form.

Screenwriting Workshop I
Workshop sessions are student-driven classes in which student work isevaluated and critiqued. Deadlines will be established that guide students in the development of a feature-length screenplay from logline to treatment, then from outline to screenplay. Each student will be allocated one hour of workshop time a week in which his/her work will be critiqued in a constructive, creative and supportive atmosphere.

Cinema Studies
The Cinema Studies course introduces students to critical concepts in film history and culture, and allows students the opportunity to engage deeply with individual films. Consisting of lectures, screenings, and group discussions, each session will give students the chance to consider classic and provocative films within the context of a broader film culture. The course includes topics such as: film genre; film history; film style; film criticism and cinema-going practice; entertainment industry organization, and other topics in the culture of film.

Acting for Writers
Acting for Writers introduces students to the theory and practice of the acting craft, using Stanislavski Method, improvisation, and scene and monologue work as starting points. By exploring how actors build characters and performances based upon the information provided in a film script, writers will learn how to write more powerful dialogue, develop more memorable characters, and create more effective dramatic actions. Upon completion of this course, writers will have a new understanding of how their words are translated into performance, and this knowledge will help students refine their craft.

Advanced Story Generation
This course introduces students to the workhorse of the screenwriting business – treatments. Students will spend one quarter perfecting a treatment for a feature film script which will be used as the foundation for the second feature-length screenplay they will write in their first year.

Screenwriting Workshop 2
The workshops continue, providing students an arena in which to complete the first draft of their first screenplay. This will be the perfect place for students to practice the art of discipline, as they will be expected to continue to hone their working styles and find their voices.

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SEMESTER TWO COURSES

Special One-Week Seminar in Digital Filmmaking
This intensive workshop trains students in the fundamentals of film directing, which in turn facilitates an understanding of the filmmaking process as it relates to screenwriting. It is our belief that a student who actually picks up a camera, blocks a scene and directs actors from a script is far better prepared to then write a screenplay. If a writer has actually translated a shot on the page into a shot in the camera, then the writer has a much sharper perspective on the writing process.

Hands-on classes in directing, editing, cinematography, and production cover the creative and technical demands of telling a story with moving images. Then, working in crews of four, students will make a short film or shoot a scene from one of their screenplays using digital video cameras. Afterwards, they will edit their footage with digitized sound on Final Cut Pro. At the end of the one-week seminar, the final films are celebrated in a screening open to cast, crew, friends and family.

The Business of Screenwriting 2
This course introduces students to the moviemaking machine know as the Studio System: the players, the relationships, and the deals. A survey of the studio system history and the major players of today will be discussed. Topics include writing on spec versus a contract job, re-writes, WGA law governing authorship, the open writing log used by agents and managers to identify screenwriting jobs for clients, distribution, and production. Similar topics with regard to television will also be examined.

Revision Class
Having created two spec scripts during the course of the year, students are now ready to delve into the revision process. In this class, each student’s feature will be read, strengths and weaknesses will be identified and a strategy for revising the feature will be developed. Students will then rewrite the script. Workshop classes will provide students the opportunity to hear their work read aloud and to receive constructive criticism from fellow students and the instructor.

TV Writing 1
This class is an introduction to the television industry and television writing. Topics include standard conventions, proper formatting, expected running times, styles of dialogue, and seasonal character and plot development. As part of this training, students will then conceive, write and polish their own one-hour drama or half-hour comedy television spec script based on a show that is currently running on television, which can later be used as a writing sample.

ELECTIVE: Internship
Students may intern at a film or television production company, film or television studio, management company, or talent agency. Students are encouraged to choose their internship wisely based on their interests and strengths honed during their first year in the program. The Business of Screenwriting instructor is responsible for approving internships. Any internship considered as enhancing and/or enriching the student’s understanding of the film or television industry may be an option. Students will be expected to write reports on their internship experiences, and internship supervisors will assess the students’ performance at the work site.

ELECTIVE: Research Project
Students may opt to write a research paper that will investigate a specific topic related to the entertainment industry. All research papers must be approved by the Business of Screenwriting instructor, and must address a topic that directly relates to the field, such as the Studio System, histories of specific entertainment companies or movements, depictions of writers and filmmakers in popular culture, etc. Papers must be at least 15 pages in length and must reference a comprehensive list of research sources.

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YEAR TWO

During Year Two, MFA candidates begin working on their thesis, a feature length screenplay or episodic television series. The thesis should represent the best work a student is capable of and, when complete, be of professional industry quality. In advanced workshops, students will use knowledge gained in the first year to slowly and deliberately construct their thesis Coursework in Year Two will focus on more general aspects of the entertainment industry, thus preparing students for life after the MFA.

Thesis Options:

Thesis Option A: Feature Film
Students may choose to write a feature length film speculative ("spec") screenplay.

Thesis Option B: Episodic Television
Students may choose to write a pilot episode and bible (supporting materials) of an original comedy or drama television series.

SEMESTER THREE OBJECTIVES

At the beginning of Semester Three, students must form a thesis committee consisting of a primary advisor (a Screenwriting Faculty member) and two readers. The thesis advisor works closely with the MFA candidate throughout the process, while the readers act in a more consulting role. At certain times throughout the year, each student will present treatments and drafts of his/her thesis script to his/her committee, who will then give notes to the student in a mandatory thesis committee meeting. Three such meetings will take place throughout the academic year. Semester Three classes are infused with an emphasis on perfecting craft, and exposing students to the realities of the entertainment industry.

Learning Goals
• Gain advanced TV writing technique.
• Examine principle theories of film.
• Gain mastery of the pitch process.

PRODUCTION Goals
• Write an original television pilot script
• Write an outline and first draft of thesis feature or TV pilot.

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SEMESTER FOUR OBJECTIVES

In Semester Four, students devote most of their time to their thesis requirements. Faculty meets one-on-one with students in an extensive series of advisements to assist them and coach them through the successful completion of thesis requirements.

Learning Goals
• Lecture series with a cross-section of industry professionals.
• The challenges of writing and producing independent cinema.
• Survey of the studio system history.
• Learn the art of adaptation
• Intense examination of scene writing.
• Learn the New Media landscape of Webisodes, Mobisodes, Branded Entertainment, etc.

PRODUCTION Goals
• Revise, rewrite, and polish thesis project.
• Write and produce a pilot episode of an original Web series.
• Develop and perfect a written and verbal pitch for thesis project.

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SEMESTER THREE COURSES

Advanced Thesis Workshop I
In this Seminar/Workshop, master students will structure, develop, outline, and write a first draft of their thesis projects. These projects will be approved by the Thesis Committee and overseen by the Committee and appointed student advisors throughout the semester. Students may choose between Thesis Option A) Feature Film or Thesis Option b) Episodic Television. Working inside the classroom, in consultation with their instructor, and through extensive writing outside of the classroom, students will develop drafts that will be polished and finished in Advanced Thesis Workshop 2 in the fourth semester.

ELECTIVE: Adaptation Workshop
Popular and fascinating stories will always be in high demand for screen adaptation. Studios often buy the rights to "stories" whether in the form of a play, magazine article, newspaper article or book with the intention of hiring a screenwriter to adapt it for the screen. With this in mind, master students will learn how to adapt a story from another medium into the highly structured visual form: the screenplay. Often this means that crucial moments of the story must be identified while others eliminated. In all instances, imagination must be employed for the successful execution of rearranging one form for the sake of another. Students will share their work with fellow students during in class critiques.

Advanced TV Writing
An intensive screenwriting seminar that teaches students the art of creating original episodic television series, including the script for the pilot episode. In-class critique provides an opportunity for students to receive constructive criticism of their writing. By the end of the course, each student will develop and write the pilot episode for an original hour or half-hour television series.

The Business of Screenwriting 3
This course introduces the challenges of writing and producing an independent film. Topics include, how to write with a specific budget in mind, how to secure financing, film festivals, options, distribution, and how to deal with legal issues without the help of an agent.

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SEMESTER FOUR COURSES

Advanced Thesis Workshop 2
In this Seminar/Workshop series, master students will re-write, revise and, polishtheir thesis projects. A continuation of Advanced Thesis Workshop 1, students will work inside the classroom, in consultation with their instructor, and through extensive writing outside of the classroom, as they finish their thesis projects for delivery to the Thesis Committee for final review.

ELECTIVE: Advanced Scene Writing Workshop
The scene is the fundamental building block of any screenplay. Each scene must be essential, reveal vital information, and ultimately push the story forward. This workshop gives students the opportunity to put their scenes under a microscope. During in-class exercises, students will hone their scene writing skills through experimentation and establish the most effective way to accomplish a particular "goal" of a scene. Through in-class feedback, students can discover what works in terms of story and emotional impact.

New Media Workshop
With each passing year, more content is being developed for alternative media such as the Internet, mobile devices, and on-demand outlets. This class will introduce students to the New Media landscape: the major players, the technology, the special storytelling considerations inherent in each medium. Students will then create and write their own original web series and produce their 5-minute pilot episodes.

The Business of Screenwriting 4
The primary goal of the second year is to fully prepare students for life in the "real world" of the professional writer. This course focuses on mastering the "Art of the Pitch" in preparation for a major industry pitch fest with agents, managers, and producers. Guest speakers will illuminate various aspects of the industry.

ELECTIVE: Internship
Students may intern at a film or television production company, film or television studio, management company, or talent agency. Students are encouraged to choose their internship wisely based on their interests and strengths honed during their first year in the program. The Business of Screenwriting instructor is responsible for approving internships. Any internship considered as enhancing and/or enriching the student’s understanding of the film or television industry may be an option. Students will be expected to write reports on their internship experiences, and internship supervisors will assess the students’ performance at the work site. Students should keep in mind as they choose their internship sites that this position is likely to be their entree into the entertainment industry, so it is imperative that they be responsible and recommended that they foster as many positive relationships as possible.

ELECTIVE: Research Project
Students may opt to write a research paper that will investigate a specific topic related to the entertainment industry. All research papers must be approved by the Business of Screenwriting instructor, and must address a topic that directly relates to the field, such as the Studio System, histories of specific entertainment companies or movements, depictions of writers and filmmakers in popular culture, etc. Papers must be at least 15 pages in length and must reference a comprehensive list of research sources.

Any college credit or degree earned is awarded solely by the New York Film Academy's academic headquarters in California. All camps are solely owned and operated by the New York Film Academy and are not affiliated with Universal Studios, Harvard University, or Disney Studios.

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