Fall 2026 Courses in Film, TV Writing, Creative Writing

FLM 500.S60 (#92192) MASTER CLASSIN INDEPENDENT FILM PRODUCTION (4 cr)Tuesdays, 5:30-8:20 pm - Christine Vachon, Magdalene Brandeis, Simone Pero

Master Classes focus on filmmaking as an art form and an industry. Creative and business sectors are at an intersection of unlimited potential, and students will learn how to tap into and exploit the shifting paradigms of filmmaking – or content-making -- as practiced today. Students study the craft of script development, directing, and producing, and learn the realities of the independent film business from top industry professionals, including producers, casting agents, cinematographers, designers, actors, distributors, and lawyers, as well as distinguished filmmakers. This class is a core requirement for the MFA in Film and open to TVW students.  Due to professor Vachon’s course schedule, some of these class sessions will be held remotely. 

FLM 501.S60 (#92193) Film Tools (3 cr) SAFETY, SHOOTING & SPLICING] Thurs, 5:30-8:20 pm, Jordan Roberts - Section I

This course will focus on the fundamentals of production; covering safety, production equipment and editing. You’ll be introduced to the tools that you will have at your disposal to shoot your first semester film projects. We will spend time in the classroom and on set, shooting various exercises. We will cover set safety, proper handling of the gear, the ins and outs of framing, blocking and cinematography, sound equipment and natural lighting. In addition we will cover audio techniques and set protocol. This is the first step to help you properly capture the stories you want to tell.

Once we shoot for a few weeks we will move into the edit lab. Whether you are a seasoned editor just looking for a few new tips, or a novice who has never made an edit in your life, this section of the course will provide the instruction that you need. Working with Adobe Premiere Pro, the course will cover the basics of non-linear editing; including: creating new projects, media management, sequence settings, importing, transcoding, sound, JKL cuts, titling, mixed file format editing, export settings and delivery. Not only will we discuss the tools of editing, we will discuss the theory of it, and how each and every cut should have a purpose. Through film examples, articles, books and hands on lessons, we will dive into the craft and explore this often-underappreciated process. You can test out of this class if you possess the skill sets.

FLM 505.S61 (#92382) Film Management I: Creative Producing & Development Thesis Practicum (3 cr) (Wed 5:30-8:20) ( hybrid /online) Summer Shelton

This course is for producing and directing students preparing to create a short or feature film to fulfill their thesis requirement. Enrolled students are required to have a cohesive draft of a script completed prior to beginning of class. Students will use their individual projects to complete all course assignments. Traveling through the production process, beginning with creating development materials (visual deck, pitch statements, financing plans) and outlining a comprehensive timeline for their thesis plan, students will also begin executing tasks for their production. Assignments include but are not limited to: researching locations, identifying and understanding the roles of third-party partners for their project (guilds, unions, legal, insurance, payroll) and researching creative tasks unique to their stories. Additionally, course time will be spent enhancing student’s research skills to engage non-profit support via fellowships and grants alongside understanding the film festival domestic and international circuits. Various assignments may be tailored to respective producing and directive disciplines. At the completion of the course, students will be better equipped to have focused engagement with thesis advisors. 

This is designed to be taken concurrently with Micro Budget, and is required for anyone pursuing a feature film as their thesis project.

 

FLM 525.S60 (#92194)TOPICS IN FLM: WRITING IN FILM: The Short (3 cr)

Mon, 5:30-8:20 pm Jennie Allen 

Students will study short film forms and dramatic storytelling principles but the focus of this class is on practice. The main fuel for each class will be student work. Students write and revise short film scripts, provide and receive peer feedback, and reflect upon the process. Students leave with three scripts, two of which have been through at least one revision. For FLM students, this includes the film they will shoot in Spring. 

 

FLM 526.S60 (#96059) Topics in TV Writing for Film (3 cr) – Burkhardt - Mondays 5:30-8:20 pm

Students learn how to write a pilot. Students will learn how to brainstorm story ideas, structure an outline and write scenes with dialogue, all in a constructive, supportive workshop atmosphere. The class covers both half-hour comedies and one-hour dramas. In addition, the class will watch, deconstruct and discuss a wide variety of TV shows in order to better understand how a successful episode is built. All the basics of TV writing are covered and the workshop is designed to closely mirror a professional writers room on a prime-time series. 

 

FLM 550.S60 (#92195) Teaching Practicum (3 cr) Thurs, 2:30-5:20 pm, Karen Offitzer 

This is a weekly seminar in teaching at the University level, with special emphasis on teaching in the creative arts, specifically creative writing and filmmaking. This course plunges into the basics of pedagogy, exploring learning styles, discovering a teaching philosophy, designing syllabi for undergraduate courses, creating assignments and rubrics for grading assignments, and practicing these skills in a classroom setting. You’ll get hands-on experience and mentoring through visits to undergraduate classes and teaching opportunities and will gain an understanding of what works best for helping undergraduate students learn. Particular focus will be on exploring issues that arise when teaching creative endeavors such as writing and filmmaking.

FLM 576.S60 (#92199) Core Elements of Producing (3 cr) Tuesdays, 5:30-8:20 pm Summer Shelton - Section I

FLM 576.S61 (#96060) Core Elements of Producing (3 cr) Thursdays, 2:30-5:20 pm Summer Shelton - Section II

This course is required for anyone involved in production. Core Elements of Producing will give students a greater understanding of the various components used to generate content for the screen. This course will provide foundational elements that will enable students to effectively interface with creative collaborators as well as understanding a wide variety of third-party entities that creators must professionally work alongside to create and distribute content across all mediums. Areas of focus will include but are not limited to: developing a sound production plan, breaking down scripts, creating schedules and budgets, working with unions and guilds, securing insurance policies, engaging with financing and production legal counsel, and navigating copyright and clearance issues. Additionally, students will learn basic principles of Line Producing including using Movie Magic Budgeting and Scheduling Software. This is an intermediate course that will include research outside of class. 

(Required for Y2 Producing track and Directing students. Screenwriters upon permission of instructor)

 

FLM 591.T01 (#92212) Independent Project (Flex time), (1 to 3 cr), Magdalene Brandeis

Please complete this form to request an independent project. 

 

FLM 608.S60 (#94401) ADVANCED EDITING II - Jordan Roberts, 3 credits, 11 meetings, 4 hours/class - Monday 1-5 PM

Oftentimes the relief of actually shooting your film makes the post-production process a dreadful stage, but it can be argued that it is the most critical. This is the final stop before the film is shown to the public. This course will help you get over the finish-line and polish the project that you invested so very much in. Taking the films that you shot in the Spring semester, we will workshop cuts to craft the very best film possible. Taking what we learn from them we will apply that to your pieces. At the end of the course you will have a fully finished film that will be festival ready. Additionally, we will take a deep dive into DaVinci Resolve and discuss the color grading process and how important a step it is. Finally, we will practice cutting various types of scenes to hone your editing chops and get you well versed in different styles of cutting. Prerequisite: having shot a film in the Spring of 2025. Course capped at 8 seats.

FLM 638.S60 (#92196), Directing I: Principles of Directing (3 cr) Wednesdays, 5:30-8:20 pm - Section I - Perry Blackshear 

How do directors decide where to put the camera? How do shots tell a story, create meaning, and make an audience feel something? Students will study and practice script analysis, shot progression, composition, and staging. There will be several assigned directing exercises shot outside of class and workshopped in class; students must shoot and edit their own exercises. The focus is on narrative storytelling but there will be room for interpretation and experimentation. The final exercise will be a four-minute short film.

FLM 639.S60 (#92198) Directing II: Advanced Directing (4 cr)Wednesdays, 5-8:50 pm - Niav Conty- sec I

 

FLM 639.S61 (#96061) Directing II: Advanced Directing (4 cr)Wednesdays, 12:30-4:20 pm - Niav Conty- sec II

An incubator for second-year short films. Refinement of scripts and exploration of techniques for directing actors, coverage and various applications of mise-en-scene. Testing, re-writing, development of best approaches to directing the material. Weekly shooting exercises. Full first draft of a second-year short script (10 pg max) and short synopsis required prior to first class meeting. Mandatory for Directors. Prerequisite: Directing I. 

 

FLM 650.S60 (#92200) THE ADVANCE PARTY (3 cr) – Leonard Crooks, Tuesdays, 2:30-5:20 pm

The Advance Party challenges all you know about screenwriting as you progress from a blank page to a short form screenplay. We start with a character - each student creates a single character and learns how to describe their character in an authentic way. If the class size is 10 then there will emerge 10 characters and you will choose which of these characters will interact with your own. We then focus on the natural story as an essential element in this  organic approach to screenwriting. As we progress, each of your stories will evolve, not out of traditional plot driven characterization but out of the characters' authentic actions and reactions to situations created by you. Caps at 12 students. Priority will be given to those students on the writing track. 

The Advance Party process was first utilized by Andrea Arnold to write her Cannes prize winning feature ‘Red Road’. 

 

FLM 651.S60 (#92197) Screenwriting II –Anna Holmer–Thursday 5:30-8:20 pm (3 cr) sec II

This course will build on introductory screenwriting skills and elements. It will offer a more intensive study of the screenwriting craft especially character, scene construction, scene sequence/juxtaposition and dialogue. Rigorous class sessions will consist of group readings and open critiques. The objective of this course will be to structure and write or rewrite a full-length feature screenplay. Intermediate to Advanced Screenwriters. Prerequisite: Screenwriting Workshop I, the first act of a screenplay, or instructor’s permission. Priority will be given to those students on the writing track. 

 

FLM 651.S61 (#96062) Screenwriting II – Jennie Allen – Tuesday 2:30-5:20 pm (3 cr) sec I

This course will build on introductory screenwriting skills and elements. It will offer a more intensive study of the screenwriting craft especially character, scene construction, scene sequence/juxtaposition and dialogue. Rigorous class sessions will consist of group readings and open critiques. The objective of this course will be to structure and write or rewrite a full-length feature screenplay. Intermediate to Advanced Screenwriters. Prerequisite: Screenwriting Workshop I, the first act of a screenplay, or instructor’s permission. Priority will be given to those students on the writing track. 

 

FLM 653 (#96063) Screenwriting IV - Ultra Low Budget Screenwriting. (3 cr) - Perry Blackshear, Wednesday 2:30-5:20 pm

The goal of this course is to complete a feature film script that can be shot for an Ultralow Budget. We will mix grounded production methods with advanced industry screenwriting techniques to write scripts based on the filmmaker's life, resources, favorite production style, and vision. While writing and workshopping our ideas, we will break down the unique productions of a wide range of Ultralow Budget features and apply them to our own projects. Students with early drafts or in-progress scripts are welcome to join for revision and re-writes.

 

FLM 670.S60 (#92203) Directing III - TBD - Tuesdays 5:30-8:20PM

This course is designed to help students connect with their distinctive voices and investigate their own personal approach to their filmmaking process. Students are expected to engage fully and attempt to solve directing problems in new ways without fearing to fail or break filmmaking sacred rules. By deeply exploring each filmmaker's unique perspective, students will sharpen their individual qualities and clarify how they wish to bring their final Grad Film Thesis to life. Prereq Dir II and Prod II.

 

FLM 690.T01 (#92191) Professional Internship (1-3cr.) Brandeis/Koffler 

FLM 691.V01 (#92210) THESIS PROJECT – (3cr) Magdalene Brandeis

FLM 692.V01 (#92211) THESIS PAPER – (3cr) Magdalene Brandeis 

Your thesis is both a calling card for your creative work and a practical dry-run for the complicated process of production. This is a safe space to fail and learn from the multitude of changes, compromises and setbacks you will undoubtedly incur. We will develop your story and find the best possible path toward a polished screenplay or production. The semester will be spent designing plan A, but preparing for plan B, C and D.

FIRST YEAR:

 

TVW 500.S65 (#92847) Intro. Grad Studies (The Spec), Alan Kingsberg, Thurs, 5:30-8:20pm, (4 cr)

Students learn how to write a spec script for a TV show that is currently on the air.  A “spec” is a script where the writer creates original stories for a show’s existing characters.  A great spec is a key part in learning to create the portfolio needed to get a job as a television writer.  Students will learn how to brainstorm story ideas, structure an outline and write scenes with dialogue, all in a constructive, supportive workshop atmosphere.  The class covers both half-hour comedies and one-hour dramas.  In addition, the class will watch, deconstruct and discuss a wide variety of TV shows in order to better understand how a successful episode is built. All the basics of TV writing are covered and the workshop is designed to closely mirror a professional writers room on a prime-time series. This class is paired with one-on-one advisement every other week.

TVW 536.S66 (#92861) Forms of TV – Spec Writ Conf – Alan Kingsberg, Wed, 2:00 - 4:30 pm, (1 cr)

Students meet individually with the professor to advance their spec scripts, first focusing on story then outline and finally scenes.  Assignments due at each conference. Paired with #92847.

TVW 525.S65 (#92849) Topics in Film: TV Guest Series - Alan Kingsberg, Mon, 8:00-10:00 pm (1 cr)

A moderated guest series featuring in-depth discussions with TV writers and producers about their scripts, series and careers.   Meets six times during the Fall semester.  Required for first and second year TVW. Open to FLM and CWL.

TVW 526.S65 (#92853) Topics in TV Writing: Showrunner, (1 cr) Date and Time Jackie Reingold

In a writers room environment, students form teams to pitch and break stories under the supervision of a showrunner.  Working as a cohesive group, the class builds a complete episode for an ongoing series. 

TVW 536.S65 (#92859) Forms of TV Writing: Short Form/Sketch Comedy, Ethan T. Berlin, Wednesdays, 6:30-9:20 pm, (3cr)

Taught by a veteran comedy writer, this workshop covers the fundamentals of late night and sketch writing in the style of SNL, The Late Show, Full Frontal, and The Daily Show. Structured like a comedy writers' room, students learn to pitch jokes and sketches live in front of other writers.  Students also gain experience working on a sketch or late night packet.

TVW 591.T60 (#92865) Independent project - Flex time, Magdalene Brandeis (1-3 credits)

SECOND YEAR:

 

TVW 651.S65 (#92882) Screenwriting Workshop II - Advanced Pilot-  Jackie Reingold – Wed, (3 cr) 5:30 -8:20 pm

Students build on the skills developed in their first year to create a new series concept that has a strong story engine and a powerful emotional or comedic core – a concept that can generate compelling episodes over multiple seasons.   Next, students create stories for their pilot episode, outline and write scenes working toward finishing at least one pilot script.  3 Credits. Prerequisite classes: Spec and Pilot.   

TVW 576.S67 (#92864) Conference for Advanced Pilot (2 cr) – Jackie Reingold Time TBD

Students meet individually with the professor to advance their pilot  scripts. Assignments due at each conference. Paired with FLM 651.S65 immediately above.

TVW 525.S65 (#92849) Topics in Film: TV Guest Series - Alan Kingsberg, Mon, 8:00-10:00 pm (1 cr)

A moderated guest series featuring in-depth discussions with TV writers and producers about their scripts, series and careers.   Meets six times during the Fall semester.  Required for first and second year TVW. Open to FLM and CWL.

TVW 576.S65 (#92863) Topics in TV - Prod Management - Limited Series –  Business of TV  Adam Yaffe, Stephen Gates (4 cr) Thursday 5:30-8:20 pm

During the first half of the semester, the class works as a group to plot out a season of a limited series based on a true event.  This includes building story and character arcs across a season, breaking individual episodes and writing scenes.  Led by Adam Yaffe.

During the second half of the semester, this workshop, taught by professional manager Stephen Gates, covers the business of TV including how pilots are sold and TV series set up. How do you get hired in a writers room? Learn about agents and managers, pitching and pitch documents. Design a strategy to launch your career and manage your brand. 

TVW 638.S65 (#92866) Directing for TV Writers – Kris Lefcoe, (4 cr), Tuesdays 5:30-8:20pm

Students will learn the foundational theory, skills, and practical experience to take a leadership role on set. Key focuses will be on the intersection of writing and directing, script analysis, directing actors, cinematography for directors, blocking and pacing, and mastery of on-set dynamics. While practicing their craft, students will continue to develop their own vision for what kind of storyteller they want to be and apply this to filmed exercises. These include directing scenes from a student’s own script and scenes from scripts written by others. 

TVW 501.S65 (#92848) TV Skills – FILM TOOLS - Saro Varjabedian–Mondays 5:00-7:50 (3 cr)

For second year TV students, in conjunction with TV Directing. 

Learning the fundamentals of how to create shot lists, block a scene and production protocol is invaluable in helping you become better writers. This course will introduce you to the tools that are integral to bringing your vision to life. Working with top of the line camera and sound equipment, you will acquire the skills necessary to navigate the rocky waters of production. Sync sound will be introduced, along with how to properly fill out camera reports, script supervisor duties, the roles of different crew members on set and how to properly break a script down beat by beat to create a well thought out shot list. We will then spend several weeks in the edit lab cutting different scenes to create different emotional impacts and points of view. Through film examples, articles, books and hands on lessons, we will dive into the craft and explore this often-underappreciated process. You can test out of this class if you possess the skill sets.

TVW 526.S66 (#96058) Micro Pilot / Web Series Production - Lefcoe, Mondays at 5:30-8:20 (3 cr)

A continuation of Spring semester class where each student Produces, Directs and edits their micro pilot. Final deliverable is a screenable micro pilot.

TVW 692.V05 (#92884) Thesis for TV (3cr) – For TV Writers who have fulfilled all class reqs - Kingsberg/Burkhardt

Each student polishes one pilot script, preferably their “showpiece” or best script, the one that will be the jewel in their writing portfolio. In addition, each student prepares a pitch for a new series, including series concept, and primary stories. This pitch becomes the project they can develop after graduation.  At semester’s end, there will be a thesis review panel to critique and discuss the final work.

 

Please note: CWL Course enrollment requires advance permission

CWL 510.S60 (92190) – Fiction with Marlon James, Mondays, 6:00 PM-8:50 PM 

“Books come out of books,” Cormac McCarthy once said. He’s right of course; fiction has always come out fiction. Sometimes to uncover a marginalized voice, or to humanize a demon (Jane Eyre/Wide Sargasso Sea). Sometimes to make troublingly round, the reassuringly flat (Great Expectations/Jack Maggs). And sometimes to view a story from back then in a point of view that reflects us now (Huckleberry Finn/Huck Way Out West). All these stories came out of stories that compelled the author to respond.
    This is what you will be doing next semester: writing Fiction as a response to Fiction. The dismissed voice, the monster with a soul, the character without agency, the character everybody but you forgot. The villain. The punch line. The caricature. The racist joke. Who can you uncover? What can you take (or reject) and make your own? Which story demands another view? What was merely hinted at, that you could bring to the fore? Reaction/Fiction will be conducted for the most part in workshop format with the emphasis on continuing to develop writing skills, but it will also involve extensive readings and discussion of several examples of short and long fiction.
    Reaction/Fiction is where you will twist, turn and violate, but it will also uncover, re-humanize and dignify. In this class, the “ending” is just the beginning of where your imagination will take you.

 

CWL 565.S60 (92205) – Special Topics in Writing with Susan Minot, Tuesdays, 6:00 PM-8:50 PM, Combing Hair: Self-Editing and the Case for Drafts

Flaubert wrote, “Prose is like hair; it shines with combing.” In this workshop we will discuss student work each week with attention toward editing and what choices might be made in the refinement of drafts toward improving a piece of writing. Outside reading will include examination of manuscripts (Ernest Hemingway, Elizabeth Bishop, Leo Tolstoy) and work focusing on the nuts and bolts of the writing process. Authors will include Annie Dillard, Gustav Flaubert, Flannery O’Conner, E.B. White, Julian Barnes, Virginia Woolf, Stephen King.

 

CWL 560.S60 (92202) – Topics in Literature with Genevieve Sly Crane, Wednesdays, 2:30 PM-5:20 PM, Description TK

 

CWL 500.S60 (93922) – Intro to Grad. Creative Writing with Robert Lopez, Wednesdays, 6:00 PM-8:50 PM

Part ethics, part studio, part special guest appearances and craft conversations, this course is designed to get you thinking about how you would like to exist in the creative world, both in this program and beyond. You’ll explore recent and current events in writing, dig into literary magazines, and spend time generating work. You’ll explore craft. You’ll engage with contemporary writers in and outside of our faculty. The course is designed with you and your MFA experience at the forefront.

 

CWL 520.S60 (92208) – Poetry with Julie Sheehan, Fridays, 4:00 PM-6:50 PM, Sound and Fury

This course explores the technical aspects of meter, line, rhyme, and refrain, as well as some of the uses to which formal devices–and informal ones–are put. What are the motives behind various forms and why do we continue to adopt and adapt them? We’ll praise, we’ll rant, we’ll judge, we’ll laugh, we’ll obsess. We’ll take a deep dive into the characteristics of words and how we can use those characteristics to create patterns of sound, making it a good way to investigate the medium from which we all make our art, the English language. We’ll come away with a solid sense of, in Theodore Roethke’s words, “What shapes a bright container can contain.”