Which Schools are Best for Screenwriters?
I’ve never been good in school so it was clear early on that I wasn’t going to build a creative career based on my academic achievements. I dabbled with UCLA’s screenwriting program but other than that … I pretty much have no idea what classes, programs, and schools to recommend other than the obvious USC, NYU, UCLA.
I was hoping you could help.
I’m interested, as I’m sure a lot of screenwriters, in learning what schools are out there, which programs to look into, and what classes you found helpful. While I’m not interested in going back (at this time anyway), I am interested in putting together an extensive list for aspiring screenwriters interested in finding the best school for them.
I’m also interested in hearing what all of you think about college for screenwriters – is it necessary in your opinion?
Leave your responses right below this post in the comments section – or tweet them to @ScriptXRay on Twitter.
- What school did you go to / are you looking into / attending?
- What do you think about it?
- Is college necessary for screenwriters in your opinion?
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I’m thinking of the Film and Media Program and Queen’s University. It has screenwriting courses and courses on other things such as production, cameras, directing etc.
1. I once took a long shot and applied at USC. Didn’t get in, but learned a lot about their program and was VERY impressed. I’d like to go there for grad school one day, but that’s a long way off.
2. If a screenwriter wants to go to college, in my opinion, they should save it for grad school. I think a writer should study something much different in undergrad, plus it gives some ground to fall back on. I’m not on any admissions committees, but let’s say I was. I have to choose between two students who applied to my grad school. The first has his bachelor’s degree in screenwriting, gave adequate writing samples, deserves to be in the program. The second student has a bachelor’s in Biochemistry, his writing samples are not quite up to par with the other student’s but the material is more interesting and intelligent. Personally, I would favor the Biochemistry grad because he’s going to bring something new to the program and tell a different kind of story, even though his writing skills need work, but after all, that’s what school is for, right? It’s amazing to see how many great writers spent a lot of their time not writing because they were living different lives and gaining experience in other areas. Ernest Hemingway is probably the best example for a novelist. Robert Towne is a great example for a screenwriter. He was a cop in LA before making it big as a writer and this inside knowledge helped him write “Chinatown.”
3. In my opinion, no. College is not necessary for screenwriters. I started writing when I was 11 (12 years ago) and never took a screenwriting class until the beginning of this year (which was really more of a workshop than a class) but everything I’ve learned has come from watching movies, reading novels and scripts, and books like Story, Screenplay, etc. I think college should be a place where writers can focus more intensely on their craft than they could anywhere else. I’m in favor of college, and aspire to go someday, but is it necessary? I wouldn’t say so.
I suppose there are some great schools out there, but I don’t attend one, neither do I plan to. I think there are lots and lots of aspiring screenwriters who just aren’t able to do it for one reason or another, and they shouldn’t feel bad about it. I’m not promoting laziness. I’m promoting taking initiative and taking responsibility for constantly educating ourselves. School isn’t going to make you a writer. There are many people with film school “diplomas” who have nothing to say. I think it was Tarantino who said, “When people ask me if I went to film school I always answer, no, I went to films.”
College? I went to college, but I don’t think it has made me a better writer in any way; but I could be wrong.
I went to USC. I was a Theatre major, but I took all the non-major screenwriting classes I could. I liked them, but I felt like something was missing.
This summer I’m taking a television writing class at UCLA, and I realized what was missing. In this UCLA class, we’re assigned a script to read every week. In all of my USC screenwriting classes, I don’t think I was ever assigned to read a script. Just “Adventures in the Screenwriting Trade” (which is probably better than 90% of screenwriting classes) and my classmates’ work (best way to learn what not to do).