2011 Summer Workshop in Screenwriting
Application Deadline -- May 27, 2011
Start Date -- Week of June 27, 2011
End Date -- Week of August 29, 2011
2011-2012 Professional Program in Screenwriting
Application Deadline -- August 5, 2011
Program Start Date -- September 26, 2011
Program End Date -- June 1, 2012
Summer Workshop Application Form
Professional Program Application Form
Screenwriting Application Procedure
Applicants to both the Professional Program in Screenwriting and the Summer Workshop in Screenwriting must submit a completed application form via fax or mail. Applications will not be accepted via email.Professional Program in Screenwriting -- Application FormSummer Workshop in Screenwriting -- Application Form
Along with the form, applicants must submit the three items listed below. Please do not send your reel, head shot, or letters of recommendation. Those items will be disposed of upon receipt. Please be sure to proofread all of your work and correct any and all typographical errors.
5 page Writing Sample
Screenplay format is preferred, however we will accept any sample that demonstrates your narrative storytelling abilities, as well as character interaction and conflict. If you do not have a screenplay, we will accept stage plays or short stories as alternatives. Examples of writing samples that we are not looking for are outlines for screenplays, treatments, poems, articles, or journal/blog entries.
1 page Statement of Purpose
Your Statement of Purpose is simply a short essay in which we'd like you to tell us a little about yourself, your writing experience and goals. Your Statement of Purpose should be one full page in length.
Undergraduate Bachelor's Transcript or Copy of Degree Certificate or DegreeVerify Certificate from National Student Clearinghouse
Although we do not take college grades into consideration, we require proof that an undergraduate Bachelor's degree has been conferred. Please provide a copy of your transcript (an unofficial copy is okay), or a copy of your degree certificate, or a DegreeVerify Certificate from National Student Clearinghouse. Alternatively, if you have an advanced degree such as an MFA, we will accept that transcript or certificate.
Tuition Cost and Payment Process
The tuition cost for the Professional Program in Screenwriting is $4500. Payments are collected in two installments: $1500 is due upon enrollment, with the balance of $3,000 normally due a few weeks prior to the start of the program (please see the application form for specific dates).The tuition cost for the Summer Workshop in Screenwriting is $1100, collected in one installment up front.
Applicants must provide payment information with their application. The second page of the application form includes a spot for credit card information (we accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover). Alternatively, applicants may send a cashier's check or money orders made out to UC Regents (please be advised that we do not accept personal checks).
IMPORTANT: There is no application fee for our programs. If an applicant is not admitted, the applicant will not be charged, or the cashier's check/money orders will be returned.
At this time, financial aid is not available for any of our courses. However, some banks offer private loans specifically for non-degree programs and will send the money to you upon verification of enrollment. An example is the Wells Fargo Education Connection Loan (this is not an endorsement, merely an example). Applicants interested in a private loan must first be enrolled in one of our programs and make their tuition payments directly to the Professional Programs office as described above. Do not apply for a loan that requires the lender to send the money to the university. Once you make your payments to the Professional Programs office, the lending bank will request proof of enrollment and/or a receipt. We can provide those items for you.
Please be advised that Sallie Mae loans are not available for the Professional Programs. If you have questions about this, please call (310) 825-6124.
Refund Policy and Schedule
Applicants who would like to withdraw from any of our courses must do so in writing. Students may send a fax to (310) 206-7099 or simply email Program Representative Jason Freelin at jason@tft.ucla.edu.Summer Workshop in Screenwriting Online
If you're unable to commit to the year-long Professional Program in Screenwriting, the Summer Workshop in Screenwriting Online is a great way to get your feet wet. Students meet in a weekly three-hour workshop that stresses the theory and craft of professional screenwriting. Over the course of 10 weeks, each student develops a concept, outlines a story, and completes the first act of an original feature-length screenplay.
The Summer Workshop is closely modeled after the MFA screenwriting program's "434" screenwriting class. Designed by former MFA Screenwriting Chair Lew Hunter and current Co-Chair Richard Walter, and limited to no more than eight students, the workshop meets live via Skype and involves round-table readings and analysis of each student's work, led by an instructor who is a professional screenwriter. The Summer Workshop is a great introduction to UCLA screenwriting.
Online Campus
Students in the online program also have access to a virtual campus, where they can view a weekly video lecture provided by UCLA instructor and professional screenwriter Kris Young, who is featured in the 2009 documentary “Tales from the Script.” At the virtual campus, students also post their homework assignments in preparation for their weekly workshop meeting, and participate in discussions on message boards. Workshop instructors have their own forum in which to post their thoughts, as well as any handouts they may have for their class.
Students who successfully complete the Summer Workshop and choose to enroll in the year-long Professional Program do not need to resubmit their application materials (please note that students must begin a new screenplay in the Professional Program).
Technical Requirements
In order to participate in the Summer Workshop in Screenwriting Online, you’ll need the following items:
NOTE: Enrolled students will receive more information on what to look for in a Microphone/Headset, as well as how to download and use Skype.
Quick Facts
Check out our Screenwriting Admissions page for information about the application process and to download an application form.
Start Date: Week of June 27, 2011
Workshop Day: Mon, Tues, Wed, or Thurs. Specific day of the week TBD. Schedule conflicts of enrolled students taken into consideration.
Workshop Time: 7:00pm – 10:00pm
End Date: Week of August 29, 2011
Application Deadline: May 27, 2011
Tuition: $1100 for the summer (due with application). See Screenwriting Admissions page for details.
Workshop Day: Mon, Tues, Wed, or Thurs. Specific day of the week TBD. Schedule conflicts of enrolled students taken into consideration.
Workshop Time: 7:00pm – 10:00pm
End Date: Week of August 29, 2011
Application Deadline: May 27, 2011
Tuition: $1100 for the summer (due with application). See Screenwriting Admissions page for details.
The Professional Program in Screenwriting Online
"Better than any class I had while getting my MFA."
That's what one student had to say about the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting, the only non-degree screenwriting program that has oversight by the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, and the only viable alternative to the world-renowned UCLA MFA screenwriting program. In the Professional Program, students focus on the theory and craft of professional screenwriting, without having to take the critical studies seminars and related electives that are required to obtain a degree. The goal of this graduate-level program, which takes place over one academic year, is for the student to start and complete two original feature length screenplays. Upon successfully finishing the Professional Program, students receive a certificate of completion.And because you're a screenwriter wherever you are, the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting is also offered online.
Online Screenwriting Workshop
Like the campus program, the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting Online is modeled after the UCLA MFA screenwriting program. The backbone of the program is a three-hour writing workshop, closely modeled after the MFA program’s “434” screenwriting class. Designed by former MFA Screenwriting Chair Lew Hunter and current Co-Chair Richard Walter, and limited to no more than eight students per class, this workshop involves intensive analysis of each student's work, led by an instructor who is a professional screenwriter.
The audio screenwriting workshop meets live via Skype once per week. It takes place on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday OR Thursday night, depending on which one the student is placed in (schedule conflicts are taken into consideration). Workshops take place from 6:00pm – 9:00pm Pacific Standard Time. If we have enough enrolled students on the east coast of the U.S. and overseas, we schedule workshops that meet at a more convenient time for those students (typically 1:00pm – 4:00pm PST).
Online Campus
Students in the online program also have access to a virtual campus, where they can view a weekly video lecture provided by a UCLA screenwriting instructor. Each quarter, a different series of 10 video lectures is presented. One such series, titled “Taking Vienna,” is provided by UCLA Co-Chair of Screenwriting Hal Ackerman, author of the book “Write Screenplays That Sell.”
The lectures include structural breakdowns of feature films, screenwriting techniques and exercises, thoughts on the writing process, and more. At the virtual campus, students also post their homework assignments in preparation for their weekly workshop meeting, and participate in discussions on message boards that are set up specifically for the students in each workshop. Workshop instructors have their own forum in which to post their thoughts, as well as any handouts they may have for their class.
Program Structure
The Professional Program in Screenwriting takes place over three consecutive academic quarters, starting in September. In the Fall Quarter, students are introduced to the concepts of story and structure. They develop their stories in the weekly workshop and begin writing an original feature-length screenplay from scratch. In the Winter Quarter, students complete their first screenplay. In the Spring Quarter, all students are assigned a new workshop instructor and they are supervised in the creation and completion of a second original feature-length screenplay.
Because so few applicants are accepted into the MFA program each year, the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting was created to bring a greater number of promising screenwriters to UCLA. This is the perfect way to get a respected UCLA screenwriting education, to receive honest feedback on your screenplays, and to work under a regimen that will allow you to come away with two completed feature-length screenplays in only one academic year - all while keeping your day job.
Technical Requirements
In order to participate in the UCLA Professional Program in Screenwriting Online, students need the following items:
(you can find these at office supply stores for as little as $30)
NOTE: Enrolled students will receive more information on what to look for in a Microphone/Headset, as well as how to download and use Skype.
Quick Facts
Check out our Screenwriting Admissions page for information about the application process and to download an application form.
Start Date: September 26, 2011
Application Deadline: August 5, 2011
Tuition: $4500 for the year ($1500 due with application;$3,000 balance due by September 2, 2011). See Screenwriting Admissions page for details.
Start Date: September 26, 2011
Application Deadline: August 5, 2011
Tuition: $4500 for the year ($1500 due with application;$3,000 balance due by September 2, 2011). See Screenwriting Admissions page for details.
