Writing Screenplay Adaptations
Session: July 2026
About this Self-Paced Course
Every screenwriter has had that moment: you’re reading a gripping novel, playing an immersive game, or listening to a haunting poem and think, “This belongs on the big screen.” But the bridge between a great book and a great script is notoriously difficult to cross. How do you honor the source material without being tied to it? How do you condense hundreds of pages and internal monologues into a screenplay and cinematic experience?
In this self-paced course, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Robin Swicord (Memoirs of a Geisha, Matilda, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) pulls back the curtain on her professional process. She will guide you through the high-stakes world of adaptation, from finding your way into a story, to preserving the “soul” of the original work while building a cinematic structure that stands on its own.
This course is built upon the foundation of a Sundance Collab Master Class and features exclusive insights from award-winning writers and filmmakers and industry professionals.
In this course, you will:
- Identify the core of the original story you plan to adapt
- Learn what makes compelling and complex characters
- Explore and develop themes
- Develop a strong story engine
- Establish character wants and needs
- Access your creativity to strengthen your writing process
Who this course is for: This course is designed for aspiring screenwriters looking for a proven roadmap and established writers seeking to sharpen their technical skills under the guidance of an industry legend.
Additional Benefits: Your enrollment includes a workbook to guide your progress and access to several additional videos from Sundance Collab's Video Library.
Live Interaction and Support:
- Weekly Group Office Hours: Connect directly with a Sundance Collab Advisor in live online sessions. Get your questions answered, solve narrative bottlenecks, and gain insights from a community of fellow creators.
- Private 1-on-1 Strategy Sessions (Optional Upgrade): For writers seeking a professional deep-dive, book a 60-minute personalized session with a Sundance Collab Advisor to stress-test your story idea and refine your adaptation strategy ($150).
Self-Paced 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:
- Course Overview
- Connecting to Your Story
- Exploring Theme
- Structuring Your Concept
Topics covered include:
- Evoking Emotion
- Dramatizing Character Actions
- Establishing Wants and Needs
Topics covered include:
- Expressing the Elements of Drama
- Reviewing Three-Act Structure
- Creating Stakes and Boundaries
- Refining the Narrative
Topics covered include:
- Accessing Your Creativity
- Getting Writing Done
- Giving and Receiving Feedback
- Next Steps in Your Screenwriting Journey
Team
Robin Swicord
Instructor
Robin Swicord is primarily known for her work as a screenwriter for Memoirs Of A Geisha (Satellite Award for best screenplay); Little Women, (co-producer, Writers Guild award nomination); Matilda (co-written and co-produced with Nicholas Kazan); the cult comedy Shag (shared); The Perez Family; and Practical Magic (shared, co-produced). She has written two plays that were produced off-Broadway (Last Days at the Dixie Girl Café, Criminal Minds, both published by Samuel French).
In 2009 Swicord received an Oscar nomination for her contribution to The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button, a project Swicord originated and worked on for more than a decade.
Swicord made her feature directing debut with Sony Pictures Classics’ The Jane Austen Book Club, produced by Julie Lynn and John Calley, adaptation written by Swicord. She then wrote and directed the feature film Wakefield, an adaptation of E.L. Doctorow’s short story starring Bryan Cranston and Jennifer Garner which premiered at Telluride September 2016. Swicord co-Executive Produced and wrote episodes of Ava DuVernay’s Netflix Emmy Award-nominated mini-series When They See Us, now streaming on Netflix. Currently, Swicord has written an independently-financed feature to direct Welcome To The Tempest Hotel, a romantic comedy set in Bermuda, during the impending crisis of climate change. For Warner Brothers, she is also at work on a six-part limited series about Mark Twain and his incomparable wife, the heiress Livy Langdon Clemens; based on Richard Zack’s non-fiction Chasing The Last Laugh; produced by Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner, to star William Macy.
For seven years, Swicord was a Governor for the Writers Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, and chaired the prestigious Nicholl Fellowship. She mentors for the Sundance Screenwriting lab and Tribeca Film Festival, and often co-leads Film Independent’s Writers Lab. In 2015 she helped create and launch the inaugural Hedgebrook Screenwriting Workshop for women writers. Swicord is married to screenwriter Nicholas Kazan; they have two daughters, actor-writer Zoe Kazan and actor-writer Maya Kazan.
FAQ
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.