Overview

Behind every good movie is a good screenplay; without solid screenwriting, directors would literally have nothing to direct. Filmmakers are always looking for great scripts. If you’re a movie buff and have the ability to tell a good story, chances are a career in screenwriting would be a great fit for you.

Screenwriters don’t just study filmmaking; they study the art of story. You’ll learn about things like character development—how to give depth to your characters—and you’ll learn how to take those characters and work them into a captivating plot. You’ll learn how to do the necessary research to make your story lines believable and accurate. Best of all, you’ll learn how to take the elements of story and work them into a script that makes actors come to life and keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Scriptwriting can become a very lucrative career—and snagging a few Oscars along the way wouldn’t hurt either!

Find Screenwriting Schools Near You!

School Website Length to Graduate: 6 Months Location: Most Major Cities in US and Canada Students per Class: 1 Tuition to Graduate: $7,750 Subject: Screenwriting

DESCRIPTION
Film Connection offers courses in Directing, Producing, Writing, Editing and General Production for the film and television industries. Accredited by the National Private School Alliance, Film Connection is not a Title IV School. There is a curriculum that is followed so that all students learn how movies and TV shows are really made. Business skills are part of the curriculum.

Film Connection features the mentor apprentice method of teaching students the necessary skills by having them work one-on-one with their mentor on real world projects. Film Connection enjoys working relationships with mentors in film and television directing, producing, writing, editing and general production in most major U.S. and Canadian cities. Read More...

School Website Length to Graduate: 4 Years Location: FL-Tallahassee Students per Class: 21-30 Tuition to Graduate: $119,964 Subject: Cinematography, Film Directing, Film Editing, Film Production, Film Studies, Screenwriting

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School Website Location: CA-Orange Students per Class: 11-20 Subject: Screenwriting

DESCRIPTION

If you see yourself someday writing a Hollywood blockbuster or a breakthrough indie film… or collaborating with a team of writers on a sitcom or hour-long drama… If you’ve ever imagined yourself accepting an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay or an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, then Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts is an excellent place to pursue your passion and hone your skills. Read More...

School Website Length to Graduate: 4 Years Location: NY-Ithaca Students per Class: 11-20 Tuition to Graduate: $33,630 Subject: Cinematography, Film Studies, Screenwriting

DESCRIPTION

If you’re interested in the creative possibilities of the visual media, consider entering our bachelor of fine arts program. The film, photography, and visual arts program differs from the B.S. program in cinema and photography by adding coursework in the other fine arts. Rather than focusing on one specific medium, you’ll be encouraged to explore the whole spectrum of visual culture.

Beginning in your freshman year, you’ll take many of the same classes in photography and film production as cinema and photography majors (bring your own digital SLR camera and light meter), and you’ll spend as much time in the darkroom or at an editing station as they do. But you’ll also venture into the television studios for video production classes and trek over to the art studio for lessons in drawing. Read More...

School Website Length to Graduate: 2 Years Location: MA-Boston Students per Class: 11-20 Subject: Screenwriting

DESCRIPTION

Students completing the two-year graduate program will earn an M.F.A. in Screenwriting and be prepared to place, sell, and/or produce their work in the film and television industry. The program is small yet vigorous and nurturing. Our motto: writers write.

By the time students leave the halls of the University, they will have completed three or four feature length screenplays, a television pilot, and several short screenplays. In addition, students will have a strong understanding of the film and television industry and what it takes to sell their work. Read More...

School Website Length to Graduate: 4 Years Location: NC-Winston-Salem Students per Class: 11-20 Tuition to Graduate: $31,044 Subject: Screenwriting

DESCRIPTION

The BFA program in filmmaking is open to students who wish to pursue program emphasis in the areas of animation, cinematography, directing, picture editing and sound design, producing, production design, or screenwriting. At the same time, the School expects students to have or to develop a strong base in the liberal arts and humanities, as well as the physical and social sciences, with additional intensive coursework in film history, aesthetics and criticism.

With this in mind, the School of Filmmaking does not offer a College Arts Diploma to any student who does not already possess a BA, BM, BS, or BFA degree. Read More...

School Website Length to Graduate: 4 Years Location: VA-Roanoke Students per Class: 1-10 Tuition to Graduate: $115,640 Subject: Film Studies, Screenwriting

DESCRIPTION

You will become part of a supportive community of screenwriters, filmmakers, and scholars who share a love of the art of film. Class sizes are small and you will enjoy regular interaction with a distinguished faculty from Hollins and institutions across the country.

Aside from classes, you will benefit from an exciting series of visiting screenwriters, filmmakers, and film scholars during each summer term, in addition to a regular series of film screenings and discussions. You will live on Hollins’ historic and beautiful campus, minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Trail. Although the setting is decidedly pastoral, you are also minutes from the small city of Roanoke (250,000 in the metro area), which offers many cultural amenities. Read More...

School Website Length to Graduate: 2 years Location: CA-Los Angeles Students per Class: 21-30 Tuition to Graduate: $129,900 Subject: Screenwriting

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Focusing on narrative storytelling in an environment designed to simulate the world of the professional screenwriter, Screenwriting Fellows find their unique voices, while learning the essence of working as part of a creative team.

The heart of the Screenwriting program lies in the relationship between the Fellow and the exemplary faculty who serve as teachers and mentors, guiding and supporting each writer’s development in an intimate workshop setting. In the core Screenwriting Workshops, Fellows grow as cinematic storytellers through critique and analysis of their work by faculty and peers. Read More...

School Website Length to Graduate: 4 Years Location: MA-Boston, CA-Los Angeles Students per Class: 11-20 Tuition to Graduate: $84,480 Subject: Screenwriting

DESCRIPTION

Storytelling has evolved from its roots in the oral tradition to that of telling stories for film and television. A specialization in writing for film and television will foster learning through writing, critique, and rewriting. Students will be encouraged to be innovative and individualistic in their style and expression. Students will have the opportunity to write feature-length scripts, situation comedies, one-hour prime time drama, and short scripts suitable for film, video, or new media.

The Visual and Media Arts Foundations offers the student a broad theoretical, historical and practical introduction to the visual and media arts. Read More...

School Website Location: CO-Denver Students per Class: 11-20 Tuition to Graduate: $11,224 Subject: Film Directing, Screenwriting

DESCRIPTION

The Writing/Directing program is designed to provide students with the storytelling skills that are essential to media content creation.

Writing/Directing majors focus on scriptwriting, preproduction, eliciting actor performances, production with crews, and postproduction. BFA students should graduate from our rigorous program with a completed teleplay, feature screenplay, and a reel of professional quality videos, ready to work in the creative economy sector in broadcast, feature film, webcast, or any of the evolving media creation formats. Read More...

School Website Location: CO-Denver Students per Class: 11-20 Tuition to Graduate: $11,224 Subject: Film Production, Screenwriting

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It all starts with imagination, ideas and the script.  Creative producers and screenwriters learn to analyze and write screenplays by understanding character, structure and narrative story elements, then assemble and collaborate with key creative artists to form a combined vision through a project’s development, pre-production, production and post-production.

Filmmakers will perfect both the creative and business aspects of filmmaking by enhancing and developing artistic proficiency and judgment and becoming immersed in a solid background of the entertainment industry. Read More...

School Website Length to Graduate: 2 years Location: New York, Los Angeles Students per Class: 11-20 Tuition to Graduate: $60,000 Subject: Screenwriting

DESCRIPTION
The Film School at the New York Film Academy was founded in 1992 on a belief that a top quality education in filmmaking should be accessible to anyone with the drive and ambition to make films. The Academy opened its doors in 1992 in Robert DeNiro‘s Tribeca Film Center. Since that time we have grown into our own facilities in Manhattan‘s Union Square and Soho; as well as, a degree granting campus in Los Angeles at Universal Studios. We hold One and Two-Year and short-term programs throughout the year in these locations; as well as, degree programs at the Universal Studios Campus. During the summer we offer our short-term programs at a number of additional locations, including Harvard University; Disney Studios- Florida; Paris, France; London, England; and Florence and Rome, Italy. Read More...