Screenwriting: From Outline to First Draft of Your Screenplay

Topics covered include:

• An introduction to Sundance Collab courses
• Understanding industry standard screenplay formatting

Topics covered include:

• A review of three act structure
• A breakdown of Act One
• Identifying narrative function and narrative drive in terms of story
• Clarifying your theme
• Understanding your tone
• Knowing your stakes
• Crafting the opening sequence
• Making a plan to write your first act

Topics covered include:

• Breaking down an inciting incident
• Determining how your character must change
• Learning the shape of story

Topics covered include:

• Breaking down your character’s journey
• Understanding character as narrative function
• Mapping your characters' emotional landscape

Topics covered include:

• Establishing the rules of your fictional universe
• Giving your characters context

Topics covered include:

• Distilling your central dramatic question
• Understanding the different types of antagonists
• The dark side of your protagonist

Topics covered include:

• How to build conflict
• Getting to your Act One break
• The driving force of second acts

Beyond the First Act

Topics covered include:

• Revisiting your outline
• Setting yourself up for success in the rest of your screenplay

Screenplay Structure Review

Topics include:

• A refresher on three-act structure
• A breakdown of Act Two

Topics covered include:

• Staying engaged with your audience (and yourself) throughout your second act
• Moving through your second act
• What are reversals?
• Catharsis
• Revisiting your established subplots
• Resetting the audience’s expectations after your first act break
• Understanding your midpoint
• Cause and effect and narrative flow

Topics covered include:

• Theme as your North Star
• The evolution of your theme
• Identifying narrative function and narrative drive in terms of theme

Topics covered include:

• Revealing character through behavior, scene description, and dialogue
• Subtext in your scenes
• Making sure each scene is driving the story forward
• Elevating the emotional stakes in organic ways

Topics covered include:

• A breakdown of Act Three
• Understanding your first resolution
• Completing your character arcs

Topics covered include:

• Overt and covert twists
• Creating your final twist
• A payoff for every set-up

Topics covered include: 

• What makes a great ending?
• Crafting your final scene (including final twist)
• Finding your final image

Topics covered include: 

• Things to avoid and lean into when writing action
• Reviewing your characters’ dialogue and idiom in your screenplay
• Crafting tonal shifts while remaining consistent to theme

Topics covered include: 

• Character objectives and super-objectives
• All the ways to look at subtext
• Looking at action vs. intent
• Breaking down a sequence for subtext

Topics covered include:

• I have a draft - now what? (start with some distance)
• Revisiting your logline
• Room to write: creating a habit for writing in your life

Sundance Collab’s Self-paced courses provide flexibility to complete the work on your own time, but also within a structured timeline that helps you to advance your project. You will travel through the course with a cohort of creators like yourself, and - if applicable - are given assignments with due dates during key weeks of the course:  

• Each week you will view pre-recorded lectures by the instructor structured around key topics.
• Post-Video Activities after each session are designed to apply concepts to your own work, and move your project to the next stage.
• If assigned, a course advisor will give you feedback on elements of your work.
• You will have the opportunity to join live class exercises or group office hours, hosted by Sundance Collab Advisors, at critical points in the course to ask questions and discuss concepts.
• In some courses, you will have the opportunity to purchase a 1-on-1 Zoom session with your assigned course advisor.

All members of the Sundance Collab community are welcome to take Sundance Collab Self-paced courses. Please review the course description to ensure the course is a good fit. If you have any questions about a course, please email collab_courses@sundance.org.

Note that each Self-paced course has a registration deadline, so please check the date and time to ensure you don’t miss the cut-off. If the registration window is open, you will see a "Register” button on the course page.

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

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 above and selecting the scholarship option, 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 Self-paced 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. 

In courses with live class exercises or group office hours, the sessions are recorded and usually made available within two business days. The videos will also contain the chat and transcript from the session, viewable in the video playbar.

Participants will have access to the lecture recordings and course materials 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 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.”

You can access the course videos via a computer or mobile device. All of our live class exercises and group office hour sessions 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.