Screenwriting and online education
I’ve received a lot of email recently asking me to explain how online course like those Tom Benedek and I offer at Screenwriting Master Class work. So let me use this post to provide some answers as well as my thoughts on why online education through SMC offers a great value to participants.
Here a few facts:
* I have been teaching screenwriting and leading writing workshops online since 2002.
* I won the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program Outstanding Instructor Award for Online Teaching in 2005.
* I wrote the handbook to instruct every new online teacher in that Writers’ Program.
* I have taught 100+ online classes to over 1000 writers.
* I have created dozens of online classes.
All of which is to say I have a lot of experience in this field. And I am firm believer in the value of online education. Indeed in some ways, I think it is better than traditional on-site education.
Why?
First, online is asynchronous. That’s a big word, but what it means is you can do almost everything you need to do in an online class on your own time. Download and read lectures. Review pages. Writing exercises and assignments. Upload pages. Provide feedback. Almost all of it on your schedule. So when people ask me, “When does the class meet,” the most apt answer is, “Whenever you want!”
[In SMC classes, Tom and I have teleconferences that do have a set time, but we always find a schedule that works for everyone.]
Second, instead of a sitting in a classroom frantically scribbling down notes while the teacher blasts through a lecture, with an online class you can download and read lectures. Again at your leisure. And over the summer, I’ll be recording lectures so in the future, you can access lectures as podcasts.
In addition, whereas feedback in an on-site workshop environment can be pretty scattered and off the top of people’s heads, I find when writers are forced to type out their reactions to script pages or story ideas, they come up with much more insightful and helpful comments.
That said when we do have a teleconference workshop, we’re likely to have vibrant, creative brainstorming sessions. Plus we record those sessions so participants can reference them later to take comprehensive notes.
Here’s something that may come as a shock to someone who has not taken an online class: The amazing sense of community that happens. I think it has something to do with the degree of comfort people have being at home on their computers, but even though we’re not actual in the same room, participants can get really close to each other. In fact, there are writers from some of my very first classes over a decade ago who still have a writers group created because of their connection in those classes.
How about this: You get an incredible exposure to storytellers around the world. For example in the Pages II: Rewriting Your Script workshop that just started today, we have writers from Northern Ireland, Scotland, Sweden and the United States. In fact, I’ve worked with writers from over 30 countries. Given the internationalization of the movie market, this can have untold benefits for writers to learn about cultural sensibilities from a variety of foreign locales. Plus create networking opportunities for foreign-based writers with people in the U.S., many of whom at SMC are affiliated with the entertainment industry.
Finally when you work with Tom or myself, you get extensive, personal mentoring that includes everything from feedback and coaching to strategizing and counseling.
If you haven’t taken an online class with Tom or me, consider it. Here are two upcoming possibilities:
Prep: From Concept To Outline: This unique 6-week writing workshop takes you through a step-by-step process enabling you to break your story before you type FADE IN, giving you the best shot possible at finishing your script… and making it great.
Dates: April 29-June 9, 2013 Instructor: Tom Benedek
Craft: Create a Compelling Protagonist: In this 1-week online screenwriting class, you will go beyond surface level writing of a ‘sympathetic’ and ‘flawed’ Protagonist to discover the stuff that makes for a compelling lead character. Only offered one time in 2013, so enroll now!
Dates: May 6-May 12, 2013 Instructor: Scott Myers
Years ago, I came up with this mantra: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages.
If you are serious and take that to heart, it’s entirely possible to learn everything you need to know about the craft of screenwriting from doing just those three things.
For most writers, however, especially if you want to expedite your learning process, you will benefit from resources that lead you through the miasma of ideas, concepts, theories and practices.
I happen to believe Screenwriting Master Class is a great resource.
So kick off your shoes, curl up in bed with your computer and a cup of coffee, and take a Screenwriting Master Class course, a perfect marriage of screenwriting and online education. You may find a full schedule of our classes and workshops here.
Comment Archive