Have you thought there’s a terrific screenplay in your head? Do you know you have the ideas but lack only the experience to get them down in screenplay form? Have you always wanted to get expert feedback that helped shape your idea into a marketable finished product?
Now all of this can be achieved online, on your time schedule. Dr. Paul Lazarus, Director of the University of Miami’s prestigious Motion Picture Program will work one-on-one to assist you in planning, outlining, and commencing your feature-length screenplay.
Winner of two national screenwriting competitions and producer of six acclaimed Hollywood films, Dr. Lazarus has guided hundreds of aspiring screenwriters during his years in Hollywood and with UM’s School of Communication. Now, he will bring his years of experience to assist you, online and in the privacy of your home. With this unprecedented opportunity: refine your idea, develop the principal characters, prepare a step outline of your plot, perfect your screenplay format, and receive extensive comments on your actual screenplay pages.
Judy Hood, a UM Graduate Student had this to say about her experience: "This on-line screen writing course has been a challenging and rewarding learning experience. Paul Lazarus gives such a close read for every step of the process and offers guidance specific to my project at precise and critical points. I have the flexibility which a creative but highly disciplined skill demands and the advantage that response from him is immediate. He is available for conferences whenever I need them to refocus on the spine of my story and wrestle with characters and conflicts."
Registration is ongoing and the duration is ten weeks. The class is held completely online. This new course is available for credit or non-credit. For more information or to register contact:
Carol Wilson
carol@miami.edu
(305) 284-4411
Download Sample Syllabus (requires Adobe Reader)
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. What would I gain from a screenwriting course?
You would learn how to adapt your unique ideas into a professional-appearing screenplay.
2. Why can’t I just write my ideas down?
Of course, you can. But, unless it is in proper screenplay form, it will not be saleable in the marketplace.
3. What does this course consist of?
Preparations for writing include a screenplay treatment, character biographies, how character traits influence the story, a step outline of the entire screenplay, and a written and re-written first act of a feature-length screenplay (25-30 pages).
4. What assistance will be given to me?
Working online, each step will be submitted to the professor, Dr. Paul Lazarus, who will provide comments and corrections.
5. How do I know I can do this?
In truth, you don’t know until you try. If you have ideas for films in your head, this course will facilitate your getting those ideas on paper.
6. Is Dr. Lazarus the right person to teach me?
Yes. Dr. Lazarus is an award-winning screenwriter, producer of six major Hollywood films, and instructor to hundreds of budding screenwriters as Director of the University of Miami’s School of Communication’s prestigious Motion Picture Program.
7. How long will it take me to finish writing a screenplay?
This course runs for ten weeks. At its end, you will have the first act of a three-act screenplay written and re-written. With the outline completed, the remainder of the script should take two to three months to complete.
8. What does it mean that screenplays are re-written, not written?
Most screenplays are re-written at least five times by the time they get filmed. A first draft, then, is a first draft. It is the critical foundation on which all else is built.
9. Why don’t I buy a book and do it on my own?
The honest answer is, you could, but chances are, you won’t. Having deadlines to meet and feedback at every stage will keep you involved and help you realize your goal.
10. What do I do with my screenplay when I finish it?
If you hope to sell it, obtaining a literary agent will prove very useful. On your own, you can enter it in one of many screenplay contests. A successful result in a contest will render the screenplay more desirable to agents, and studios.
