Crafting Your Short Film Screenplay (On Demand)
About this On Demand Course
This is an On Demand course. On Demand courses allow you to watch pre-recorded lectures at your own pace, with curated resources and other materials to support your work. You can begin taking this course at any time.
In order to serve more of the Sundance Collab community, we developed this On Demand course from existing self-paced course content. By doing so, we are able to offer Crafting Your Short Film Screenplay (On Demand) at a price that allows more people to benefit from the course content.
This course does not offer feedback on your work. If you would like feedback from a Sundance Advisor and to network with other filmmakers, consider taking Crafting Your Short Film Screenplay (Self-paced).
Short films are a great way to showcase your voice, talent, and storytelling skill. In this On Demand course, you will learn the fundamentals of screenwriting and develop your original story idea into a short screenplay with an accomplished filmmaker as your guide. Suggested homework assignments are designed to move you closer to your completed short screenplay (5–15 pages).
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.
View the Outline tab for more details on the course.
On Demand CourseAccessibility
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.
Outline
Topics covered include:
- Key Elements of Story & Structure
- Effective Approaches to Short Films
- Writing a Logline
- Outlining and Formatting
Topics covered include:
- Introduction to Character
- The Protagonist, Their Wants, & Needs
- Supporting Characters
- Building The World
Topics covered include:
- Dramatic Problems
- Types of Conflict
- Building Tension
Topics covered include:
- Objectives, Obstacles & Given Circumstances
- Scene Transitions
- Conveying Tone on the Page
Topics covered include:
- Beat Shifts
- Intention vs. Tactic
- Dialogue
- Exposition & Subtext
Topics covered include:
- Opening & Closing Images
- Beginnings
- Endings
Topics covered include:
- Visual Storytelling on the Page
- Story Arcs Through Visual Shifts
- Creating a Lookbook
Topics covered include:
- Receiving Feedback
- Rewriting Process
- Revising Your Logline
- Preparing An Elevator Pitch
- Final Thoughts
Instructor
Asher Jelinsky
Writer / Director
Asher Jelinsky is a Los Angeles based director and writer originally from the San Francisco Bay Area. Their perspective as a nonbinary filmmaker fuels a passion for character-driven stories about outsiders and the resilient quest for connection. Asher's short film MILLER & SON was shortlisted for the 92nd Academy Awards and won the gold medal Student Academy Award, the BAFTA Student Film Award, and the Cannes Lions Young Director Award. Overall, Asher’s shorts have garnered awards and nominations at over 70 film festivals around the world including Clermont-Ferrand, BFI London, Ashland, and Seattle.
Currently, Asher is developing their debut feature, JULIAN, which received support from the SFFILM Rainin Grant, the California Arts Council Fellowship, and the Cine Qua Non Lab. They earned an MFA in Directing from the American Film Institute, and received the Franklin J. Schaffner Fellow Award for Directing, presented by AFI Fest. They also hold a BA with honors in Media Studies and Public Health from Pitzer College. In addition to their professional practice, Asher often mentors filmmakers at Sundance Collab and Temple University.
FAQ
Sundance Collab’s On Demand courses provide flexibility to learn on your own time, whenever you’re ready. On Demand courses do not provide you with feedback on your work, but they do provide suggested activities and curated resources.
Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion for all of the On Demand courses and the certificate will include the name associated with your Collab account.
You can find any courses that you are enrolled in or have already completed in the profile section of your Collab account under “Courses.”
Sundance Collab provides accommodations and support services to participants with disabilities. Please contact us at (435) 776-7790 or email us at accessibility@sundance.org to ask any questions or to discuss your specific needs.