 
Take any 3 or more classes and receive $10 off the price of each!
*IFP Certification available.
Elements of Screenwriting*
Instructor: David Grant
8 sessions: Thursdays, April 8–May 27, 6:30–9:30pm
Reg. deadline: April 1
Tuition: $295/$250 members
Max. enrollment: 12 students
The course goal is to provide the beginning screenwriter with the tools and information necessary to get started on their first-draft screenplay, the first pages of which will be workshopped in the final two class sessions. In this course you will learn:
• The basics of the screenplay in format and content
• How a story idea or a piece of narrative fiction or non-fiction translates into a finished film
• Tricks for mastering three-act structure
• Tips on next steps: competitions, fellowships, becoming part of a community of writers,
and building a career
Advanced Screenwriting – Do the Rewrite Thing*
Instructor: David Grant
8 sessions: Tuesdays, May 4–June 22, 6:30–9:30pm
Reg. deadline: April 27
Tuition: $295/$250 members
Max. enrollment: 10 students
You’ve completed your fist draft. Now what? All the great screenwriters know that the real work comes not in the writing, but in the rewriting! This course provides an engaging and interactive workshop environment where you will learn to diagnose, evaluate, and revise your screenplay to make it sing. Take your learning from Elements of Screenwriting to the next level, or hone your skills and your movie! Students are strongly encouraged to come to class with a complete screenplay, with the minimum requirement being at least one act completed.
Instinctual Structure for Screenwriters*
Instructor: Jim Taylor
8 sessions: Wednesdays, April 14–June 2, 7–9pm
Reg. deadline: April 7
Tuition: $245/$205 members
Max. enrollment: 10 students
Creativity and structure are not mutually exclusive. In this course students will learn techniques to generate and develop story ideas from an instinctual creative place, then use the rigors of structure to fully realize their ideas in screenplay form. Students will:
• Learn techniques to generate story ideas
• Learn techniques to create material driven by their deepest creative impulses
• Learn to apply these techniques to transcend writer’s block and to never get “stuck”
• Study act structure as a naturally occurring phenomenon in stories - and not as an artificial imposition
• Learn to recognize the inherent act structure in their personal stories
• Learn to recognize act structure and story elements by analyzing well-known films
• Discover their material’s inherent structure
• Translate that structure into classical screenplay structure
• Build a detailed step outline of their story
• Create a roadmap for moving forward with the writing of the script
In addition to generating new material, students have the option of working on their existing scripts and ideas. Be prepared to write both during and between class sessions. This class is for students who have already had an introductory course in screenwriting at IFP or elsewhere.
Pitch Your Movie Like a Pro
Instructors: Dean Lincoln Hyers & Pete Machalek
1 session: Saturday, June 5, 10am–3pm
Reg. deadline: June 1
Tuition: $100/$75 members
Max. enrollment: 20 students
They are the five words that strike fear in most writers: “Tell me about your story.” A great script is necessary to win over a producer, but a great pitch is what gets them to read the script in the first place. This workshop will show you how to turn nerves into new opportunities!
The morning session will be a fun and engaging workshop where you’ll learn easy principles of story and presence that bring immediate improvement to your pitch.
• Distill your story into a powerful and compelling 30- to 90-second synopsis
• Deliver your pitch dynamically, yet conversationally
• Connect with your audience with confidence and manage anxiety
You’ll have an hour break at noon to prepare for the afternoon session putting these principles into practice with the rest of the group. Bring your ideas and discover why people facing make-or-break pitches have called Dean and Pete “an inspiration” and “the best coaches in the business.”
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