Crafting Your Short Film Screenplay

Short films are a great way to showcase your voice, talent, and storytelling skill. In this eight-week self-paced online course, you will learn the fundamentals of screenwriting and develop your original story idea into a short screenplay with accomplished filmmakers as your guides. Designated homework assignments are reviewed by a Sundance Advisor and designed to move you closer to your completed short screenplay (5-15 pages).

This is a self-paced course. Self-paced courses allow you to watch pre-recorded lectures at your own pace, while working on deadlines to get individualized feedback on your work.

What you bring to the course:

• an idea for a short screenplay that you plan to work on throughout the course.

What you’ll get from the course:

• An application of industry-standard screenplay formatting.
• An understanding of the short film format, including different structures, lengths and genres.
• A shaping of your creative voice and vision.
• An understanding of how to write a scene.
• How to develop and reveal your protagonist, antagonist, and supporting characters.
• How to construct the world and tone for your short screenplay.
• How to craft the structure for your short screenplay.
• How to write action and dialogue.
• How to take notes and approach a rewrite.

This course will:

• offer opportunities for designated homework to be reviewed by a Sundance Advisor. The work is designed to move your project idea through to a draft of your short screenplay.
• connect you with other creators via a discussion board where you can discuss core concepts and share your work.
• analyze a variety of short films across genres and styles.

You will submit your work to a Sundance Advisor for written feedback at two points throughout the 8-week course. For an additional fee, you may elect to meet with your advisor for a 60-minute one-on-one session during the course term.

A limited number of need-based scholarships are available and are considered on a rolling basis as they are received. Those who apply earlier will have a greater chance of getting support. To apply for a scholarship, please complete the registration form and follow the instructions on the left side to fill out a scholarship application.

Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Accommodations and services are designed to meet the needs of each participant. Please email us at accessibility@sundance.org to arrange for services.