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 course registration form.

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.