The Advantages of Online Education

Learning the craft of screenwriting online is accessible, flexible, affordable.

2017 will be the 7th year in which Tom Benedek and I have offered our unique curriculum through Screenwriting Master Class. It will also be the 16th year Tom and I will have taught in an online learning platform.

In fact, I totaled up some figures:

• I taught 31 online courses through the Writers Program at UCLA Extension. My average student evaluation was an 8.9 on a 9.0 scale.
• I have taught 77 one-week courses and 50 six or ten week writing workshops through Screenwriting Master Class.
• All told I have taught 158 online classes.

That is a lot of teaching! It should be no surprise that I wrote the handbook on online teaching for new UCLA Extension Writers Program teachers AND in 2005 won the program’s Outstanding Online Instructor Award.

Combine that experience with the 60+ years Tom and I have worked in the movie and TV business, I doubt there is anybody who can match us in terms of knowledge about the craft and business of screenwriting and the ability to convey that knowledge to writers in an online learning environment.

But what are the advantages of online education? Here are some:

• You can do pretty much everything on your own time. Download and read / listen to lectures. Track and respond to other writers in 24/7 online message board forums. Complete and upl0ad writing exercises and assignments. Quite literally, you can be dressed in your pajamas, sipping coffee in bed, and engage your online course.
• You can access your online course site anywhere, any time, and on any device such as a computer, tablet, smart phone, etc.
• You don’t have to drive anywhere to attend class, instead it’s right there at your fingertips.
• You don’t have to frantically scratch down notes from lectures since they are written or recorded for you.
• The feedback you receive from Tom or myself, and that of your fellow writers is much more thoughtful because people have time to compose their observations, rather than just speaking off the top of their heads in an on-site class setting.
• Your classmates come from all over the world. I counted it up and I have worked with writers from over 40 countries. This is a wonderful benefit in interfacing with people from widely diverse cultural backgrounds.
• You would be amazed at how much of a community writers form in our online classes. Indeed dozens of writers groups have emerged from my classes, some stretching back to 2002 and continuing to this day.

It’s not surprising that distance learning continues to grow in popularity, offering a winning combination of accessibility, flexibility, and affordability.

Given the experience Tom and I have both as professional screenwriters and educators, it’s clear to see why writers who have worked with us have achieved success in the business:

Screenwriting Master Class alumni have set up projects at major studios including Paramount, Warner Bros., and Legendary Pictures, TV networks including ABC, AMC, HBO, and USA, and signed with top agencies including CAA, The Gersh Agency, UTA, Verve, and WME, as well as managers including Circle of Confusion, Grandview, Lee Stobby, Madhouse Entertainment, Mosaic, and MXN Entertainment.

Indeed just last week, Pat Connelly who is one of my Quest writers, set up a Will Ferrell comedy at Legendary Pictures.

All of which is to say as you move into 2017 and look to upgrade your understanding of the craft, consider Screenwriting Master Class. If you’ve never taken an online course, try one of our one-week classes to ‘dip your toe’ in those waters. You will LOVE Screenwriting Master Class courses.

The next opportunity is a hugely popular class: Pixar and the Craft of Storytelling. It begins January 16, 2017 and I am expanding it with new content, adding two more story dynamics present in Pixar movies and covering their most recent movie: Finding Dory. It’s the first of 10 Craft classes I’ll be offering from January through May of next year.

I hope to have the opportunity to work with you!