Learn how to write for television or movies.
Introduction to Screenwriting is a 6-week self-paced course for teens who want to learn how movies and television shows are actually written—and start creating scripts of their own. Through pre-recorded video lessons, students will explore the fundamentals of screenwriting while developing an original short screenplay from idea to polished draft.
Each week includes a video lesson, guided writing exercises, screenplay activities, and personalized feedback from a real instructor. Students won’t simply watch lessons independently—they’ll receive individualized responses designed to help them strengthen dialogue, pacing, formatting, scene construction, and visual storytelling.
Led by Saundra Mitchell, former head screenwriter for Dreaming Tree Films and executive producer for Fresh Films, the course introduces students to both the creative and practical side of screenwriting. Students will learn how scripts differ from prose writing, how to structure scenes visually, how dialogue functions differently on screen, and how professional screenplays communicate action, emotion, and pacing.
Throughout the course, students will explore screenplay formatting, story structure, scene transitions, character development, cinematic pacing, and the basics of writing for film and television. Students will also examine excerpts from professional screenplays across multiple genres to better understand how screenwriters build tension, humor, emotion, and character through visual storytelling.
The course emphasizes creativity, experimentation, and storytelling rather than perfection. Students are encouraged to develop original ideas, experiment with genre, and learn how to think like screenwriters—focusing not just on what characters feel, but what audiences actually see and hear.
Because the course is self-paced, students can move through lessons on their own schedule while still benefiting from meaningful instructor feedback and structured guidance. No additional software purchases are required; students will be introduced to free screenwriting tools appropriate for beginners.
By the end of the six weeks, students will complete an original short screenplay while gaining a strong foundation in screenwriting craft, cinematic storytelling, and the creative process behind film and television writing.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9–12.3 — Narrative Writing
Students develop original screenplays using the techniques of visual storytelling — establishing characters, building tension, and structuring scenes that convey emotion, action, and meaning through what audiences see and hear rather than through prose narration.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9–12.4 — Production and Distribution of Writing
Students produce writing in which development, organization, and style are appropriate to a specific form and audience — learning professional screenplay formatting conventions and how the visual demands of film and television shape every aspect of a script.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9–12.5 — Strengthening Writing Through Revision
Students develop and refine their original screenplay across the six weeks — strengthening dialogue, pacing, scene construction, and visual storytelling through structured activities and personalized instructor feedback.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.9–12.10 — Range of Writing
Students write consistently across six weeks in a form distinct from prose fiction — building familiarity and fluency with screenplay as a discipline while developing an original short script from idea to polished draft.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.9–12.5 — Structure and Form in Literature
Students analyze excerpts from professional screenplays across multiple genres — examining how screenwriters use structure, scene transitions, pacing, and form to build tension, humor, emotion, and character in ways specific to film and television.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.9–12.3 — Knowledge of Language
Students develop an understanding of how language functions differently in screenwriting than in prose — learning how dialogue, action lines, and scene description communicate character and emotion within the strict constraints of the format.
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