SCR 511 and 512: Screenwriting Workshop and Conference
FALL AND SPRING TERMS
7 CREDIT HOURS TOTAL
REQUIRED
In this Screenwriting workshop, Fellows meet weekly in a small group with their Faculty mentor and discuss their story ideas, develop outlines and complete at least one full-length feature screenplay, and a second draft of that screenplay. Fellows read each other’s work and give productive notes to their colleagues, as well as hear notes from each other and the mentor. The Screenwriting workshop emphasizes dramatic structure, telling a story cinematically in terms of action and the reality of characters portrayed.

SCR 515: Introduction to Writing for Video Games
FALL TERM
1 CREDIT HOUR
ELECTIVE
An application-only elective class. Writing a video game storyline shares key features with writing a film screenplay: interesting characters, conflict, emotions, originality, style and purpose. Because story is the most important value in video games, the workshop will focus on the core narrative concept of the game and build out the characters and world from there. Fellows will have their works-in-progress read, analyzed and discussed by all participants as they move from Game Conception to a polished and professional Pitch Deck.

SCR 535 and 536: The Story Incubator: Story Creation, Development, Presentation
FALL AND SPRING TERMS
5 CREDIT HOURS TOTAL
REQUIRED
A year-long practicum for first-year Screenwriters in story creation, development and presentation. Fellows work on what makes a good story for the screen and how to take it from idea to realization. Over the course of two semesters, through writing assignments and discussion, Fellows practice creating, developing, analyzing and presenting or pitching original stories for film and television.

SCR 541: Improv for Writers
FALL TERM
.5 CREDIT HOURS
ELECTIVE
This is a ten-week elective workshop, open to first-year Screenwriting Fellows. “Improv for Writers” introduces Fellows to the principles and rules of improv in a positive and supportive environment, with the goal of applying those principles and rules to writing for screen and television. Particular focus is placed on collaboration, on developing a positive and constructive writing process and on the fundamentals of sketch writing and scene construction.

SCR 557: Scenes, Sequences, Outlines
FALL TERM
1 CREDIT HOUR
REQUIRED
Scenes, Sequences, Outlines is a semester-long first-year workshop that focuses on developing skills in the building blocks of dramatic writing: dynamic scenes and sequences that can move the story, dialogue that feels like authentic behavior and outlining of the overall structure of a story. Fellows will do in-class exercises on scene writing, dialogue and sequence building, to specific prompts. Case studies and lectures will be used to illustrate successful use of these elements. There will also be assignments to be done at home and brought in for critique – including possible “special” dialogue assignments, some involving eavesdropping, which may change from term to term.

SCR 572: Writing for TV6 — Comedy
SPRING TERM
3 CREDIT HOUR
REQUIRED
This workshop focuses on the foundational basics of writing for television, specifically the half-hour comedy. Fellows will break an original story and develop an outline and first draft spec script for a current television series.

SCR 574: Writing for TV — Drama
SPRING TERM
3 CREDIT HOUR
REQUIRED
This workshop focuses on the foundational basics of writing for television, specifically the one-hour drama. Fellows will break an original story and develop an outline and first draft spec script for a current television series.

First Year Comprehensive Review
At the end of the first year, Screenwriting Faculty conduct a year-end review through a formal interview with each Screenwriting Fellow, which results in a recommendation regarding future directions the Fellow might decide to take in the program.

⁶ Fellow can choose between taking SCR 572 or SCR 574 as their required course.

SCR 611 and 612: Advanced Screenwriting Workshop (in conjunction with SCR 690)
FALL AND SPRING TERMS
11 CREDIT HOURS TOTAL
REQUIRED
In this workshop, each Screenwriting Fellow develops a thesis portfolio consisting of two full-length written works. These may be two feature-length screenplays, or one feature-length screenplay and, upon request of the Fellow and at the discretion of Faculty, an additional TV pilot (one required TV pilot will be written in SCR 631 and 632). Each Fellow revises and completes drafts of the two works in the context of continual analysis and evaluation by Faculty and peers. All Fellows in the workshop group read each other’s work and come prepared each week with constructive notes.

SCR 615: Introduction to Writing for Video Games
FALL TERM
1 CREDIT HOUR
ELECTIVE
An application-only elective class. Writing a video game storyline shares key features with writing a film screenplay: interesting characters, conflict, emotions, originality, style and purpose. Because story is the most important value in video games, the workshop will focus on the core narrative concept of the game and build out the characters and world from there. Fellows will have their works-in-progress read, analyzed and discussed by all participants as they move from Game Conception to a polished and professional Pitch Deck.

SCR 631 and 632: Writing the TV Pilot: The Writers Room
FALL AND SPRING TERMS
7 CREDIT HOURS TOTAL
REQUIRED
This two-semester workshop will focus on the skills necessary to become a professional writer in television. The class itself will function as a writers’ room — each Fellow will be working on their own script as well as helping structure and note the work of others. The core skills learned will be applicable for all screenwriting work, including features, one-hour dramas, half-hour comedy, animation or web series. Each Fellow will complete an original pilot and a re-write of the pilot in the course of the year.

SCR 633: Writing the Adaptation
FALL TERM
2.5 CREDIT HOURS
ELECTIVE
An application-only elective practicum for first- and second-year Screenwriters on the essentials and challenges of adapting existing material. Fellows will work from their choice of fiction or nonfiction source material in public domain, seeking the story they want to tell and building it into a movie-sized or television series-sized project that honors the original while not necessarily just duplicating it for the screen. Fellows are tasked with giving source material new life in a new form.

SCR 636: Original Series Development for the Global Market
SPRING TERM
1 CREDIT HOUR
ELECTIVE
An eight-week, application-only elective workshop designed to give Screenwriters or Screenwriting and Producing teams an opportunity to develop original TV drama series for the current global marketplace. Each Fellow or team is expected to produce a full bible, series document or pitch outline refined by the class, and regular story notes.

SCR 662: The Table Read
SPRING TERM
1 CREDIT HOUR
ELECTIVE
This workshop is centered on table reads of 30 pages of each enrolled Screenwriting Fellow’s work, generally the first act of one of the second-year feature scripts. Fellows will work with Faculty to prepare their script pages and will work with a casting director to cast professional actors who will perform the table read of their work. At the end of the table read, they will receive feedback from the actors as well as the other workshop participants. The final assignment is a proposal for revisions based on the notes and feedback from the workshop.

SCR 670: Internship Practicum
ANY TERM
1–3 CREDIT HOUR(S)
ELECTIVE
The objective of this course is to provide working experience in the film/TV industry as it pertains specifically to the Fellow’s degree/certificate requirements. Specific duties and requirements will be outlined and supervised by the faculty mentor. This internship qualifies an international Fellow for Curriculum Practical Training; approval must be obtained by the international advisor, as well as the faculty mentor prior to enrolling in the course.

SCR 691: Screenwriting Thesis Portfolio
SUMMER TERM
2 CREDIT HOURS
REQUIRED
In this advanced rewriting workshop, AFI Screenwriting Fellows submit a feature-length screenplay developed during the second-year writing sequence (SCR 611/612) to be evaluated by a new faculty mentor and a new group of peers from their class of Screenwriting Fellows. Through a feedback session at the start of the summer term, Fellows gain fresh insight into their work from new perspectives. Following this session, Fellows dedicate the remainder of the term to revising their script based on the feedback received. The rewritten screenplay is then submitted to the Fellow’s SCR 611/612 instructor for final evaluation and grading. The final grade for the course reflects the quality and execution of the revised script.

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