Worldbuilding: Designing the World Behind the Story

Your story's world shapes every character decision, plot twist, and emotional beat. In speculative fiction, masterful worldbuilding transforms your screenplay from a collection of scenes into an immersive experience that captivates audiences and makes the impossible feel inevitable.

Whether you are creating a grounded science fiction screenplay, a fantasy episodic series, or a short film set in an alternate reality, this four-day intensive will walk you through how to map out the world that will best serve your story. With award-winning filmmaker and Feature Film Program alum Sonte’nish Myers as your guide, you will discover new techniques for brainstorming, creating a blueprint for your story, and testing your fictional landscape for potential plot holes. By the end of the intensive, you will have a solid foundation for creating your story.

What you bring to the intensive:

• An interest in understanding the worldbuilding process in speculative fiction. Creators at any level of experience are welcome to apply.

In this intensive, you will learn:

• How to assess the scope of your world and plan accordingly
• How to build a believable world that serves your story
• How to establish “rules” for your story and how to incorporate them into your screenplay
• How atmosphere can inform the story and characters
• To identify common mistakes in worldbuilding to make a bulletproof concept

For an additional fee of $100, you may elect to meet with your Instructor for a 30-minute 1-on-1 session during the course term. You would submit work in advance, and then in this 1-on-1 session, your Instructor would provide feedback on one of the following documents:

• A breakdown of the world you are building (no more than five pages)
• A logline and synopsis of the story you are working on (no more than five pages)
• A selected scene from your work (no more than five pages)

Intensive Schedule

• Session 1: Monday, August 18
• 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (PT)
• Session 2: Tuesday, August 19
• 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (PT)
• Session 3: Wednesday, August 20
• 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. (PT)
• Session 4: Thursday, August 21
• 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (PT)

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.