TWO YEAR ACCELERATED MFA DEGRE PROGRAM
The New York Film Academy recognizes the critical
role writers play in the creation of every film and
television show. Yet, writing talent alone is not enough
to create successful work in these mediums. Screenwriting
is a learned craft, and a writer must write every day to train
for the demands of this field, and to truly understand the
elements that make a screenplay or teleplay functional, as
well as engaging.
In addition to learning the conventions of the writing craft,
students are given the support and structure to write and
meet deadlines. Students write intensively throughout the
course and complete several projects with the assistance of
constructive critique from instructors, as well as peers.
What makes our Screenwriting Programs unique?
Over the course of the year,
each student writes two featurelength
screenplays, plus one television “spec” script along
with a number of treatments. As part of a fully integrated
program, students explore related areas of filmmaking that
help to improve their screenplays and put them into a realworld
context. Thus, in addition to writing classes, students
study film craft, acting, pitching, and cinema studies, as they
apply to screenwriting. Students also write, direct and edit a
short digital film or scene from a feature script.
Upon completion of the program, students not only understand
story structure, character, conflict and dialogue, but also
leave the Academy with finished products that they can pitch,
produce, and try to sell.
In the One-Year Screenwriting Program, students are taught
the art of screenwriting through courses in both film studies
and screenplay/script analysis.
Students are assigned several writing projects. These projects
are subject to critique from instructors and peers during inclass
workshops.
SEMESTER ONE OVERVIEW
Screenwriters are cinematic storytellers. The genesis of any
film project is an idea or concept that must be fleshed out into
a fully formed screenplay deemed worthy of production. During
Semester One, students are introduced to the screenwriter’s
tools, and develop the skills necessary for writing. Students
are encouraged to be creative, but are also taught to think of
the screenplay as a tool—the definitive industry tool-- used to
articulate an idea or concept to a production team, including
producers, financiers, directors, and actors. Standard
formatting and industry expectations are studied and analyzed
during writing workshops and lectures.
Learning Goals
• WGA(Writers Guild of America) format and copyright
law.
• In depth study of classic screenplay structure, character
arcs, theme, conflict, flashbacks, voiceover, subtext,
style, tone, visualization, discipline, and genre.
• Critical concepts in film history.
• Theory and practice of acting to understand good
dialogue and appropriate behavior.
Continue >>
Writing Goals
• Write a treatment for a feature length film.
• Write an outline for a feature length film.
• Write a first draft of a “spec” feature length screenplay
SEMESTER TWO OVERVIEW
The second semester challenges students to develop their
craft artistically and technically, and to progress beyond their
earlier experiments with the feature length screenplay. In an
advanced workshop, students may choose between revising
the screenplay draft written in the first semester or they may
begin writing a new feature length screenplay. Students
are expected to share revised or newly written material in
workshops. During Semester Two, students broaden their
understanding of the medium and develop additional material
for television.
Learning Goals
• Fundamentals of film directing.
• In depth look at treatment writing.
• In depth study of the pitch.
• Standard conventions of TV writing.
Writing Goals
• Revise draft of “spec” or write a new “spec” script.
• Direct a short film or scene.
• Write and perform a pitch.
Continue >>
QUICK FACTS:
Start Dates: January, September
Locations: New York City, Universal Studios
Cost:
$12,500 (USD)/Semester
€8,429 (EURO)/Semester
Semester one Courses
Elements of Screnwriting
This course introduces students to the craft of screenwriting,
establishing a foundation for all future writing. Through
lectures and clips, the instructor highlights specific topics
that are analyzed in classroom discussion and practiced
through skill-building exercises. Topics include: Classic
Screenplay Structure, the Elements of the Scene, Developing
the Character, Character Arcs, Antagonists, Dialogue, Writing
the Visual Image, Introduction to Final Draft, Theme, Conflict,
Flashbacks, Fantasy Sequences and Dream Sequences,
Voice-Over, Text and Subtext, Developing Your Writing Style,
Tone and Genre, Visualization, Revealing Exposition, Creating
a Compelling Second Act, Climaxes and Resolutions, and the
Beats of the Scene. Screenplay formatting is a major focus,
and students learn how to write scene description, to describe
characters and locations, and to develop action sequences.
The course also includes script-to-screen analysis, comparing
well-known films to their original screenplays.
Screnplay Analysis
This course is designed to further students’ knowledge of
the intricacies of feature-length screenwriting. Each week,
students are required to view a film (or read the script) prior
to an in-class screening of that same film. The instructor
critiques the film as it is screened, offering minute-by-minute
observations focusing on such topics as subplot development,
visual storytelling, turning points, planting and pay-off, and
character development.
The Busines of Screnwriting
There are many “angles” to understand when approaching
“the deal,” and they differ from film to television. It is crucially
important for a writer to protect his or her work both through
Copyright Registration and registration through the Writer’s
Guild of America. The writer must also strategize about how to
get his or her script into the right hands, in the correct manner,
and for the appropriate market. Topics include: Agents, What Is
Copyright?, How Do I Enforce My Copyright?, How to Register
with the Writer’s Guild of America?, Getting Your Script in the
Right Hands, What To Do If You Don’t Have an Agent, If the
Deal Goes Through What You Need to Know, Options, Pay for
Rewrites, Writing on Spec or for Hire, How a Television Deal
Differs from a Film Deal.
Screnwriting Workshop I
Workshop sessions are student-driven classes in which
student work is evaluated and critiqued. Deadlines are
established to guide students in the development of a
feature-length screenplay from logline to treatment, then
from outline to screenplay. Each student is allocated
one hour of workshop time a week in which his/her work
is critiqued. A constructive, creative and supportive
atmosphere is maintained.
Cinema Studies
The Cinema Studies course introduces students to critical
concepts in film history and culture, and allows students
the opportunity to engage deeply with individual films.
Consisting of lectures, screenings, and group discussions,
each session gives students the chance to consider classic
and provocative films within the context of a broader film
culture. Topics include: film genre; film history; film style; film
criticism and cinema-going practice; entertainment industry
organization, and other topics in the culture of film.
Acting for Writers
Acting for Writers introduces
students to the theory and practice
of the acting craft, using Stanislavski
Method, improvisation, and scene and
monologue work as starting points.
Writing students explore how actors
build characters and performance
based upon the information provided
in a film script, which allows them to
write more powerful dialogue, develop
more memorable characters, and create
more effective dramatic actions. Upon
completion of this course, writers have
a new understanding of how their words
are translated into performance, and
this knowledge helps students refine
their craft.
Continue >>
Special One -Week Seminar in Digital Filmaking
Similar to our One-Week Filmmaking Intensive, this
intensive workshop trains students in the fundamentals of
film directing, which in turn facilitates an understanding of
the filmmaking process as it relates to screenwriting. It is
our belief that a student who actually picks up a camera,
blocks a scene and directs actors from a script is far better
prepared to then write a screenplay. Writers who have
had the opportunity to be behind the camera, and have
translated a shot on the page into a shot in the camera,
have a much sharper perspective on the way a director will
use the written word. This knowledge is valuable to the
writing process. Hands-on classes in directing, editing,
cinematography, and production cover the creative and
technical demands of telling a story with moving images.
Working in crews of four, students make a short film or
shoot a scene from one of their screenplays using digital
video cameras. The students edit their footage with digitized
sound on Final Cut Pro. At the end of the one-week seminar,
the final films are celebrated in a screening open to cast,
crew, friends and family.
Treatment Writing
This course introduces students to the workhorse of the
screenwriting business – treatments. On fast and furious
deadlines, students are expected to create two high concept
screenplay ideas, flesh out characters, and organize their
story structures. The end product is two treatments, which
can be used as the foundation for the second feature-length
screenplay, the pitch to be developed in the fourth quarter, and/
or in conjunction with a student’s producing package created
for the One-year Producing Program.
Semester two Courses
Screnwriting Workshop II
The workshops continue, providing students an arena in
which to complete the first draft of their first screenplay or
begin work on a second feature length screenplay. It is here
where students must practice the art of discipline, as they are
expected to work at their own pace and to present scenes
only every other week.
Revision Class
Having created three spec scripts during the course of the
year, students are now ready to delve into the revision process.
Each student’s feature is read, strengths and weaknesses are
identified and a strategy for revising the feature is developed.
Students then begin the process of rewriting. Workshop
classes provide students the opportunity to hear their work
read aloud and to receive constructive criticism from fellow
students and the instructor.
Pitching Class
Description: Pitching is crucial in the film and television
business. Pitching is the ability to accurately and engagingly
convey the basic outline of your story to another person,
verbally, in a very short time. Working with experienced
professionals, students practice pitching in a mock real-world
session. They come up with characters and storylines (or use
one of the treatments they developed in the second quarter),
practice verbally pitching, and then pitch to the instructor,
and receive feedback and comments to further their skills.
Pitching practice and experience will be of great value for
future screenwriting endeavors.
TV Writing: Sitcoms and One-Hour Dramas
Even in these days of reality TV shows, Sitcoms and One-Hour
dramas are still top ten hits. In this course, students choose
to specialize in either writing the sitcom or writing the onehour
drama. Each class covers standard conventions, proper
formatting, expected running times, styles of dialogue, and
seasonal character and plot development. Students conceive,
write and polish their own television spec script based on a
show that is currently running on television, which can later be
used as a writing sample.
During the second year, students begin working on their
Thesis, a feature length screenplay or episodic television
series. The thesis should represent the best work a student
is capable of, and when complete, be of professional industry
quality. In advanced workshops, students will use knowledge
gained in the first year to slowly and deliberately construct
their Thesis Screenplay.
Semester Three OVERVIEW
At the beginning of Semester Three, students must form a thesis
committee. The thesis committee should consist of a primary
advisor (and The Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting Faculty
member) and two readers. The thesis advisor will work closely
with the student throughout the process, while the readers will
act in a more consulting role, reading only the initial treatment
and the final screenplay. Students must meet at least once a
month with their thesis advisor in order to ensure compliance
with New York Film Academy standards, and to seek assistance
in the realization of their respective creative visions. Semester
Three classes are infused with an emphasis on perfecting craft,
and exposing them to the realities of the film industry.
The focus of the semester is on “professionalism”. It is
designed to prepare The Master of Fine Arts students to enter
the industry as professional screenwriters and a life in the
industry after graduation.
Thesis Options:
Thesis Option A: Feature Film
Students write a feature length film speculative
(“spec”) screenplay.
Thesis Option B: Episodic Television
Students write a pilot and bible, based on a six episode
season, for an episodic television series.
Learning Goals:
After Year One, the Master of Fine Arts in Screenwriting
students will engage in a series of workshops and advanced
lectures, and seminars.
• Standard conventions of TV writing.
• Learn the art of adaptation.
• Examine principle theories of film.
Production Goals:
• Write and polish a television spec.
• Write a short script.
• Direct original short script.
• Write an outline and first draft of thesis.
Continue >>
SEMESTER FOUR OVERVIEW
In Semester Four, students devote the majority of their time
to their thesis requirements. Faculty meets one-on-one with
students in an extensive series of advisements to assist them
and coach them through the successful completion of thesis
requirements.
Learning Goals
• Lecture series with a cross-section of
industry professionals.
• The challenges of writing and producing
independent cinema.
• Survey of the studio system history.
• Intense examination of scene writing.
Production Goals
• Revise, rewrite, and polish Thesis project.
• Revise and polish TV writing project.
Year two COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Short Script Workshop
Students write short scripts to be used in later production
workshops. By developing a film without dialogue (silent
film) students learn the value and strength of images within
the medium. Emphasis is put on maintaining structure and
incorporating all elements of visual storytelling within the
short form.
Short Script Production Workshop
Using short scripts written in Short Script Workshop,
students produce their own short films thus broadening their
perspective of the filmmaking process as a whole. Teaming
with students in the NYFA filmmaking program, Two-Year
Conservatory in Screenwriting students act as a crew
member on the set of films they have written.
ELECTIVE: Adaptation Workshop
Popular and fascinating stories are always in high demand
for screen adaptation. Studios often buy the rights to
“stories” whether in the form of a play, magazine article,
newspaper article or book with the intention of hiring a
screenwriter to adapt it for the screen. With this in mind,
students learn how to adapt a story from another medium
into the highly structured visual form of a screenplay.
Typically in adaptation, crucial moments of the story must
be identified while others are eliminated. In all instances,
imagination must be employed for the successful execution
of rearranging one form into the other. Students share their
work with fellow students during in class critiques.
Advanced Thesis Workshop I
In this Seminar/Discussion series, students structure,
develop, outline, and write a first draft of their thesis
projects. These projects are approved by the Thesis
Committee and overseen by the Committee and appointed
student advisors throughout the semester. Students
may choose between Thesis Option A) Feature Film or
Thesis Option B) Episodic Television. Working inside
the classroom, in consultation with their instructor, and
through extensive writing outside of the classroom,
students develop drafts that are polished and finished in
Advanced Thesis Workshop 2 in the fourth semester.
Advanced TV Writing I
This is an intensive screenwriting seminar that teaches
students the art of creating situational comedy. This course
teaches and assesses the aesthetic elements of writing
sitcoms, including both the formal requirements of the genre
as well as the basics of technique. Students write their
own sitcom and have their work critiqued during in class
workshops.
Cinema Studies II
In this course, students expand upon the concepts of Cinema
Studies I and explore the principal theories of film through
advanced critical reading of texts and a close examination
of films. The texts to be pursued comprise several groups.
Classical film theory includes Eisenstein, and Godard. The
critique of classical film theory includes Burch, Perkins,
and Henderson. The course also explores semiotics,
psychoanalysis, and poststructuralism, feminist film theory,
avant-garde theory, Soviet editing and antirealism.
Continue >>
The Busines of Screnwriting II:
The Studio System
This course introduces students to the moviemaking machine
know as the Studio System: the players, the relationships, and
the deals. A survey of the studio system history starting in
the 1920s with vertical integration and the major players of
today are discussed. Topics include writing on spec versus
a contract job, re-writes, WGA law governing authorship, the
open writing log used by agents and managers to identify
screenwriting jobs for clients, distribution, and production.
Similar topics with regard to television are also examined.
ELECTIVE: Advanced Scene Writing Workshop
The scene is the fundamental building block of any screenplay.
Each scene must be essential, reveal vital information,
and ultimately push the story forward. This workshop
gives students the opportunity to put their scenes under a
microscope. During in class exercises, students hone their
scene writing skills through experimentation and establish
the most effective way to accomplish a particular “goal” of
a scene. Through in class feedback, students can discover
what “works” in terms of emotional and/or comedic impact.
Advanced Thesis Workshop #2
In this Seminar/Discussion series, students re-write, revise,
polish, and learn to pitch their thesis projects. A continuation
of Advanced Thesis Workshop 1, students work inside the
classroom, in consultation with their instructor, and through
extensive writing outside of the classroom, as they finish
their thesis projects for delivery to the Thesis Committee
for final review.
Industry Perspectives
On a week-to-week basis, industry professionals address
New York Film Academy students following a screening
of their recent work. A broad cross-section of the film
community is represented in this lecture series, including
directors, producers, directors of photography, editors,
screenwriters, production designers, post production
coordinators, and casting directors. Students are exposed
to multiple avenues for potential employment in the film
industry. All lectures are followed by Q&A sessions.
The Busines of Screnwriting III:
Independent Cinema
This course introduces the challenges of writing and
producing an independent film. Topics include, how to write
with a specific budget in mind, how to secure financing, film
festivals, options, distribution, and how to deal with legal
issues without the help of an agent.
Advanced TV Writing II
A continuation of TV Writing I, in this advanced writing
workshop students examine the genre while revising
and creating original work. In class critique provides an
opportunity for students to receive constructive criticism.
Russian
Spanish
Italian
Portuguese
Japanese
Korean
Chinese Traditional
Chinese Simplified
