Screenwriting: Crafting Your Comedy Feature

Topics covered include:

• Introductions to Screenwriters
• Discovering your core idea
• Loglines: character, goal, obstacles, resolution
• Creating a mission statement for your script
• Opening scenes

Topics covered include:

• Three-act structure review
• Alternative structures
• Comedy structure basics
• Set-ups and pay-offs, and the power of your protagonist

Topics covered include:

• Specific people
• Defining moments for your main character
• The role of the main character and the role of supporting characters
• Antagonists
• What they DO versus what they SAY

Topics covered include:

• The importance of inertia and rhythm
• The escalation of story, heightening and building on premise
• Character over plot
• The importance of your midpoint

Topics covered include:

• Conflict versus schtick
• Conflict that comes from character

Topics covered include:

• Revisiting character arc and tentpole moments
• Punching up jokes
• Does your outline deliver on your mission statement?

Topics covered include:

• Elements of genre work… and how to break the mold
• Troubleshooting an outline
• How to evaluate your own work
• Elements of an elevator pitch
• Next steps

The course concludes with a one-on-one mentoring session with your advisor

In Sundance Collab’s Live Online courses, participants attend live, virtual class sessions on the same day and time for a specified period. These sessions are led by an instructor and in some cases, supported by a team of advisors. In some courses, you are given assignments with submission deadlines to help you take the next step with your work. 

• Each week you will be able to attend live lectures via Zoom video and ask questions of your instructor.
• In some courses, you will receive individualized feedback from your course advisor on elements of your work.
• In some courses, you will have the opportunity to have a 1-on-1 session with your advisor. Depending on the course, this session may be included or may be purchased separately for an additional cost. Check the course description for specifics. 

All members of the Sundance Collab community are welcome to register for Sundance Collab courses. Please review the course description and any eligibility requirements to ensure the course is a good fit. If you have any questions about a course, please email collab_courses@sundance.org.

Note that space is limited. If the registration window is open, you will see a “Register” button on the course page. If there is an application, applications are considered as they are received and applicants are accepted on a rolling basis until the course is full or the deadline has passed, whichever comes first. 

We do not allow creative partners to do our live online courses as a team. However, both creators can individually register for the course.

Part of Sundance Collab's unique educational approach is to create a teaching team for every course. Each class is led by an instructor who may be accompanied by additional course advisors. This allows us to keep an intimate ratio of participants to advisors and to provide a diversity of voices and approaches to the course content.

We often offer a limited number of need-based, full or partial scholarships. Check the course description to see if that course currently has scholarships available. Scholarships are prioritized for one per person per year (from the date of issue). Scholarship applications are available up to one week before the registration deadline. To apply for a scholarship,complete the registration form by clicking the REGISTER button and selecting the option to apply for a scholarship, if available.

Applicants will be notified about their scholarship decision prior to the first day of the course. Due to the volume of applicants, we are not always able to provide a scholarship, but we may still offer a spot in the course. In this case, depending on the course, payment plans may be available and can be selected at checkout.

Yes, we offer two or three-part payment plans for Live Online courses, depending on the length of the course. In all cases, the first payment is due at the point of registration. The remaining payment(s) are spread out throughout the course term. For specific payment plan dates for a course, please reach out to our team at: collab_courses@sundance.org. 

Yes, you are welcome to take a live, online course even if you can’t make the live sessions. Recordings of each class session are available online by the following day so you can keep up with the course lectures. For courses that include a 1-on-1 session with an advisor or instructor, the meeting is scheduled according to your (and their) availability.

All sessions are recorded and usually made available within one business day. The videos will also contain the chat and transcript from the class session, viewable in the video playbar.

Participants will have access to the recordings for one year following the last class session.

All participants will receive a Certificate of Completion. The certificate will include the name associated with your Sundance Collab account.

You can find any courses that you are enrolled in or have already completed in the profile section of your Sundance Collab account under “Courses.”

You can join a course via a computer or mobile device. All of our live, online courses are conducted via Zoom.

Download and set up the Zoom software (https://zoom.us/download) and make sure you have the latest update. Here are some great resources from Zoom’s Knowledge Base to take a deeper dive into using Zoom:

• Watch Zoom's Video Tutorials or review training materials on the Getting Started page
  
• Join a Live Training from Zoom
  

If you have any further questions, please email collab_courses@sundance.org.

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 after you have been accepted into the course.