Script University

With details of upcoming courses:

Hurry, Course Starts Thursday!   In this four-week course, an established executive producer/showrunner will give you an inside look at the world of dramatic, episodic television. You will explore—and practice—the actual process involved in successfully writing a spec episodic script that will open doors across Hollywood. When you enroll in this course, you will learn how to analyze a TV show and develop “franchise”-friendly story ideas for a one-hour drama. Then you’ll build upon those skills to develop and write a story under the direction of the course’s instructor, who will be acting as showrunner. After incorporating his notes, you will be sent off to write your outline—or beat sheet—which is a breakdown of entire episode, beat by beat. You’ll receive feedback from your instructor and incorporate the suggestions into your outline leaving you at the end of the course ready to write an episodic script for a drama…the first step in getting a job on a TV series!   How to write an episodic script that is exactly like the series you’re writing for yet is also uniquely, unmistakably you How to deal with restrictions—the franchise, the four-act structure, the budget, the shooting schedule—and create something new, fresh, and different How to take a one-paragraph story idea and spin it into one-pager, or sales pitch How to plot, or “crack a story” How to use your beat sheet to write your spec script and much more!     Course Starts Thursday! May 3 - June 10 LEARN MORE & REGISTER     Instructor: William Rabkin William Rabkin, author of WRITING THE PILOT and co-author of best-selling book SUCCESSFUL TELEVISION WRITING, is a veteran showrunner whose executive producing credits include “Missing,” “Diagnosis Murder,” and “Martial Law.” He has most recently written for A&E’s new hit show The Glades. His writing and/or producing credits also include “Monk,” “Psych,” “SeaQuest,” “Spenser: For Hire,” “Hunter,” “Baywatch,” “Sliders,” “The Cosby Mysteries,” and “Nero Wolfe,” to name a few. In addition, Rabkin has directed episodes of “Diagnosis Murder” and several short films. He has led writing seminars in Madrid and Stockholm, consulted for broadcasters in Germany, Sweden, and the Netherlands, and served as an adjunct professor of screenwriting at Stephens College. He is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor of creative writing in the University of California, Riverside’s MFA Program, Palm Desert Graduate Center, and also teaches television writing at the UCLA Extension.     Active Interest Media P.O. Box 20730 Boulder, Colorado, 80308 United States     When screenwriters ask an industry insider for advice, the most common response writers hear is, “Move to L.A.” But Jeanne Veillette Bowerman says, “Not so fast.” Jeanne has built a strong network for herself right from her country home in New York State while only making a handful of trips to L.A. a year. She’ll show you her key secrets and how to navigate the plethora of social media outlets available. This webinar covers creative, out-of-the-box strategies to use right from the comfort of your home, miles away from the Hollywood hills, and still have a shot at breaking down the barriers and breaking in. Learn the secrets to preparing for a successful trip to L.A. and how to continue building those relationships after you’re back home. When you live far from L.A., networking is crucial. Learn the enigma surrounding networking—and find out how to create a strong community of support. Traveling to pitchfests requires time and money. Learn how to get the best bang for your buck at a pitching event and turn a five-minute pitch meeting into a relationship that lasts years.   • Resources for learning online • Social media platforms and tips • How to build a strong community of support • The importance of creating your own website • Planning your trips to L.A. to maximize your success • and much more!     • Writers who have a script ready and want to know the next step • Writers who have social media phobia • Writers who need networking tips • Writers looking for resources on the craft and business • Writers wanting to maximize pitchfest trips • Writers who want to create their own website • Writers who need the push to get past their fears     June 17, 2021 1:00 pm PT LEARN MORE & REGISTER!     Instructor: Jeanne Veillette Bowerman Jeanne is an Executive at Pipeline Media Group, Editor-in-Chief of Pipeline Artists, former Editor-in-Chief of Script magazine, and a former Senior Editor at Writer's Digest, where she launched the screenwriting column, Take Two, for Writer's Digest print magazine. Recognized as one of the "Top 10 Most Influential Screenwriting Bloggers," her Script magazine column, Balls of Steel, was selected as recommended reading by Universal Writers Program.      Active Interest Media P.O. Box 20730 Boulder, Colorado, 80308 United States   Whether you're completely new to writing screenplays or you're an experienced screenwriter looking to add a new skill, Script University has a course for you, all from the comfort of your home! Click here to view the full course schedule >>   Courses Starting This Week:    Ten Weeks to Your Feature Film Instructor: Paul Peditto The world of the feature film is booming and you are gushing with ideas. This workshop will give you the tools to get the ideas out of your head and into a completed screenplay by introducing you to the methods that professional screenwriters use to write under deadlines.   Beginning Television Writing Instructor: William Rabkin In this four-week course, an established executive producer/showrunner will give you an inside look at the world of dramatic, episodic television. You will explore—and practice—the actual process involved in successfully writing a spec episodic script that will open doors across Hollywood.   Fitting Writing Into Your Life: Becoming a Productive Screenwriter Instructor: Jenna Avery If you aren't making progress on your screenplay, or you feel blocked every time you sit down to write, it's time to break the chains of unproductive writing. Adopting the techniques that will make you a consistently productive writer is imperative to seeing any of your writing projects from beginning to end. Get all of the tools to develop an effective strategy and a schedule that you can stick to.   How To Write Based On A True Story Instructor: Paul Peditto In this workshop, you will learn how to USE ‘history’ to make ‘story.’ Audiences and industry professionals view the 'reality' behind the story as an element of intrigue, or selling point, but the screenwriter’s skills need to be up to snuff. In this workshop, you will go through the step by step process of building your screenplay from the foundation of a true story.   Write Your Drama Pilot in Six Weeks Instructor: William Rabkin With the recent explosion of successful cable dramas and Internet viewing, it’s now possible for writers without a strong track record or network connections to get producers and executives to read and sometimes even buy their pilot scripts. In this workshop, you will learn the tools professional screenwriters use to finish high-quality scripts under deadlines. By the end of this workshop, you will have completed and received professional feedback on a script for your drama pilot.   Upcoming Webinars:  Based on a True Story: How to Secure, Write, and Sell Non-Fiction Screenplays & Book Proposals with Jon James Miller May 27, 2021 Use Hollywood's propensity for "true stories" and the publishing world's voracious appetite for non-fiction to your advantage. Screenplays based on true stories and creative non-fiction books sell faster than fiction in today's marketplace - but they also present unique challenges to the writer. During this live webinar, you'll learn what you need to know to get your true story down on the page and up on the screen.   Breaking Into Hollywood with Jeanne Bowerman June 17, 2021 When screenwriters ask an industry insider for advice, the most common response writers hear is, “Move to L.A.” But Jeanne Veillette Bowerman says, “Not so fast.” Jeanne has built a strong network for herself right from her country home in New York State while only making a handful of trips to L.A. a year. She’ll show you her key secrets that have led her to be successful outside of Hollywood.   Hate being tied to a schedule? Check out our affordable Self-Paced Courses >>   EXPERT INSTRUCTORS | CONVENIENT ACCESS INVALUABLE FEEDBACK   Active Interest Media P.O. Box 20730 Boulder, Colorado, 80308 United States