UCLA Extension Screenwriting Program: A Comprehensive Guide

The UCLA Extension Screenwriting Program offers a focused and results-oriented environment for aspiring screenwriters to hone their craft and gain essential industry knowledge. With a wide array of courses taught by experienced professionals, flexible learning options, and valuable industry connections, the program provides a pathway to success in the competitive world of film and television.

Overview of the Program

The UCLA Extension Screenwriting Program is the largest open-enrollment creative writing and screenwriting program in the nation. It welcomes writers of all levels, aged 18 and older, to participate in over 450 courses annually. The program distinguishes itself through its comprehensive curriculum, experienced instructors, flexible learning options, and industry connections.

Comprehensive Certificate Program

The UCLA Extension Screenwriting: Film and TV Comprehensive Certificate program offers a structured curriculum for students seeking in-depth training. The program emphasizes a results-oriented environment where enrollees can work on feature film and TV scripts, and learn essential skills and information of the trade. Students can benefit from professional exposure and industry connections, and are eligible for other perks.

Curriculum Structure

The full certificate curriculum is listed further down on this page. For those who meet certain requirements, an intermediate or advanced level track is also available. Required introductory courses may be waived upon departmental approval, however, to earn the certificate, candidates must still complete a minimum of the sum total of required core course units and elective course units listed for this Writers’ Program certificate. Previously completed courses in another UNEX Certificate program may apply in a limited quantity of units to a Writers’ Program Certificate if the course is eligible for the requirements.

Course Disciplines and Subject Areas

Course disciplines in the Writers’ Program span subject areas such as Fiction and Nonfiction Writing, Poetry, Screenwriting (Film and TV), Editing & Publishing, and more. The Screenwriting program challenges students to write well-structured stories inhabited by vivid, compelling characters.

Flexible Learning Options

The UCLA Extension Writers’ Program offers a variety of learning options to accommodate different schedules and preferences.

Online and Onsite Classes

Classes can be online (live or asynchronous formats) or in person in Westwood or Downtown Los Angeles. Classes held with live instruction meet once a week for 10 weeks, typically in evenings and on weekends. Asynchronous online classes are deadline-driven and have no class meetings. What perhaps is one of the biggest incentives of the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program is their multitude of online courses, which make up half of the courses in general; not only are they good for international students and American students living outside of L.A., but, Ko said, “students can learn at their speed.” “They’re receiving the same level [of] instruction as they would onsite.

Variety of Courses

According to Ko, there is (besides all of this) one thing that makes the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program stand out from the rest: Variety. “We try to cover it all in one place, so people have a wide range of resources for success,” he said. Classes on playwriting, short film and creative writing for those with a background in fiction are all available in the program. Plus, courses are led by professional writers with work that has been produced. “It’s practical training,” Ko said.

Experienced Instructors

Courses are taught by produced writers and/or experienced entertainment industry professionals, many of whom are Writers Guild of America (WGA) members. More than 200 Writers’ Program teachers are working writers who have published or produced credits, or who are in allied screenwriting professions such as agents, publishers, studio executives, and literary managers. All instructors in this field have documented publications (books, periodicals, and/or literary magazines), and we are especially interested in those with current/recent publications in order to help students understand and navigate the evolving landscape of this field. All instructors in this field have documented produced scripts (features, teleplays, etc), and we are especially interested in those with current/recent productions in order to help students understand and navigate the evolving landscape of this field. All instructors in this field have documented professional experience as a professional staff member of a publisher or press, not including self-publishing and vanity presses, and we are especially interested in those with current/recent experience in order to help students understand and navigate the evolving landscape of this field.

Industry Connections and Resources

The UCLA Extension Writers’ Program provides students with valuable opportunities to connect with industry professionals and access resources to support their screenwriting careers.

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Networking Opportunities

Team work is also a theme in the writers’ program and even beyond it; writing students join forces with students from acting, directing and producing programs at UCLA because “Hollywood is a relationship-based system,” said Ko. Ko describes UCLA Extension’s classrooms as “nurturing environments,” partly because the instructors are willing to help students connect to people in the industry; in both online and offline courses instructors connect students with showrunners, agents and producers for advice.

Screenwriting Resources Page

Screenwriting competitions are the best way to practice your skills at writing screenplays. The school’s resources page lists some of the most reputable competitions and includes a helpful calendar of upcoming entry deadlines. The page is also loaded with information on possible avenues for exposure, fellowships and labs, job openings, screenwriting tips, networking opportunities, trade news, and lists of the best books on screenwriting.

MFA Screenwriting Program

The two-year Master of Fine Arts degree program allows students to focus on either feature film or television writing, with opportunities to explore workshops in both areas. Throughout their studies, students are guided by faculty members actively involved in the film, television, and new media sectors, benefiting from their extensive professional experience. Admission to the Screenwriting program does not guarantee specific workshop placements each quarter. Students build their thesis portfolio by concentrating either on feature film or television writing, though students are encouraged to, and often do take, workshops in both concentrations.

Time-to-Degree and Units

The Screenwriting program has the following time-to-degree requirement: A minimum of six quarters; maximum of seven quarters. The minimum total units required to graduate is 72 units (12 courses).

Required Courses

430: Introduction to Film & Television Writing is required for all MFA screenwriting students and must be taken in the Fall Quarter of the student’s first year. Students must take a minimum of one graduate-level FTVDM course outside of screenwriting.

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Benefits of the Program

There are benefits for those who do, though; including priority on class wait lists and discounted rates for admission entry fees for the program’s three screenwriting contests. There is also a free consultation on one script and a meeting to discuss the project for students who complete the certificate programs - a value of $750.

Notable Alumni

Established in 1965, the UCLA TFT Screenwriting program has provided a strong foundation for hundreds of alumni, including Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night), Dustin Lance Black (Milk), Steven Canals (Pose), Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather), Laeta Kalogridis (Shutter Island, Altered Carbon) David Koepp (Spider Man), Josefina Lopez (Real Women Have Curves), Alexander Payne (Nebraska), David S.

Specific Courses and Workshops

Beginning Writing for the Half-Hour Spec and Beginning Writing for the One-Hour Spec

Beginning Writing for the Half-Hour Spec and Beginning Writing for the One-Hour Spec are also popular because, Ko said, they help writers build skill by mimicking other voices and mirroring a TV writers’ room. “It also helps to inform their writing when it comes to creating their own original TV script,” he said.

The Writers Studio

The Writers Studio, an annual four-day workshop that takes place in February, is an option for writers short on time. “They can get a lot done … with professional guidance and in an environment that’s conducive to writing,” Ko said.

Other Courses

Emphasizing how new technologies continue to impact post-production, this course examines the post-production process for film and television. Learn the many components of film language used by great directors to tell their stories in the most effective way. Develop creative writing skills in multiple genres of interest including fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and more. Develop creative writing skills in multiple genres of interest including fiction, creative nonfiction, poetry, and more.

Instructor Employment Information

UCLA Extension is the open-access, self-supporting continuing education division of UCLA. Because Extension is a division of UCLA, all Extension degree-credit instructors and courses must be formally approved according to the regulations of the Academic Senate of the University of California. Eligibility to teach a course is contingent upon this formal academic approval. Once approved, teaching assignments are “by agreement” on a quarter-by-quarter basis. The Instructor’s Contract outlines the deliverables for the course, the course schedule, and the compensation terms, subject to Extension policies and procedures. UCLA Extension makes no commitment to hire an instructor until it has sent and received a signed Instructor Contract. In an effort to promote and maintain a healthy environment for our students, visitors and employees, UCLA is a smoke-free site. Employment as a UCLA Extension Instructor is dictated by contract terms and conditions. As a University employee, you will be required to comply with all applicable University policies and/or collective bargaining agreements, as may be amended from time to time. Federal, state, or local government directives may impose additional requirements. The University of California is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Instructor Compensation

Compensation starts at $2,204 per course, paid monthly on the first day of the month.

Instructor Responsibilities

• Use subject-matter expertise to impart knowledge to students and leverage additional resources appropriately to enhance the curriculum (i.e.

Easy Enrollment

As the largest university-related continuing education writing program in the nation, the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program has an open admissions policy. It welcomes writers of all levels who are 18 years or older to over 450 courses annually in creative writing and screenwriting.

Program Director

Program Director Dr.

The Importance of Fundamentals

As with all artists, there is one place writers go for a sense of direction when lost: The basics. It is also the starting point at UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, a continuing education screenwriting and creative writing program based in Los Angeles, California. “We cover all aspects of what it means to be a professional screenwriter, whether it’s how you research your idea or … what is a viable screenwriting idea,” said Chae Ko, whose tasks include building courses for the program. “How to figure out your writing process and the actual writing and the rewriting of it, then what … [to] do with it. How do you get yourself out there?

Variety of Students

More than 400 of those classes (including those that make up the feature film and television writing certificate programs) - and 200 instructors - make the writers’ program the largest of its kind in the world. That enrollment is open makes it inclusive, too. “The beauty of the UCLA Writers’ [Program] is that anyone from any walk of life is open to taking our courses if they’re 18 years of age,” said Ko. “We’ve seen students … who’ve just graduated from graduate or undergraduate programs in writing [and] people who are completely fresh and have never studied writing before. Then we have … professional writers who are coming back to perfect and keep up their craft. There are also those who want to explore writing in general. “Some people might want to take a course to see how they like it or dabble in it, and that’s perfectly fine,” said Ko. According to Ko, courses are well suited to those who can’t grasp the concepts of screenwriting from books or online resources. “A lot of people want to learn the fundamentals, especially if they feel they need more guidance,” he said.

Inspiration

After reading The Story Solution: 23 Actions All Great Heroes Must Take, by experienced screenwriter Eric Edson, aspiring screenplay writers may be inspired to further hone their craft. As an educator himself, Edson is always looking out for courses and books that can be of assistance. One of these opportunities is the UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, the nation’s largest open-enrollment creative writing and screenwriting program. About The Story Solution: The Story Solution was written by accomplished screenwriter Eric Edson. It reveals the 23 actions used to create dynamic, three dimensional heroes and link all parts of a captivating screenplay.

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