Writing For Film & Television Curriculum (2024-2025)
CONCENTRATION & THESIS REQUIREMENTS / WRITING FOR FILM & TELEVISION (2024-2025)
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Please note: Writing for Film & Television is a shared concentration, with all full-time faculty advising on all forms of writing for the screen. Students with a particular interest in television writing may be placed with an advisor specializing in that field, but all full-time faculty advise on television writing. It is assumed that most Writing for Film & Television concentrates will move back and forth between generating features and episodic work in Research Arts.
The goal is to provide flexibility between the two forms, while acknowledging that some students may wish to focus entirely on feature writing, others on writing pilots. We strive to support each student as fully and appropriately as possible.
REQUIREMENTS FOR ALL WRITING FOR FILM & TELEVISION CONCENTRATES:
–Screenwriting I, II, Script to Screen (1st year), Screenwriting III/IV (2nd year)
–TV Pilot (second semester 1st year, 2nd year)
–Playwriting (1st semester of 2nd year)
–One semester of Script Revision and one semester TV Revision (3rd year)
–At least one full semester (or two half-semesters) of Thesis Workshop (Research Arts)
–A total of 6 semesters (3 years) residency, with the Research Arts requirements to be met in the 3rd year, no exceptions without permission of thesis advisor and concentration head.
THE WRITING FOR FILM & TELEVISION THESIS:
Portfolio consisting of only ONE (1) of the following:
-- An original, professional-level screenplay or teleplay that has either wholly been written with the student's thesis advisor or whose first draft was completed in Screenwriting II, III/IV or in a TV Pilot class, but has been significantly rewritten and improved upon in and outside a Revision class or Thesis Workshop, or in TV by working directly with the student's thesis advisor.
In addition, the Thesis Portfolio will include only ONE (1) of the following:
--A revised and polished second feature-length screenplay or teleplay, which may be the Screenwriting II or Screenwriting III/IV screenplay, a TV Pilot class teleplay, or may be a screenplay or teleplay written independently of coursework, ideally having gone through one semester of Script Revision and/or revision in the thesis workshop