MFA Screenswriting

Overview of our MFA in Screenwriting

The Academy makes the accelerated two-year schedule possible by creating an extended academic year, allowing students to complete three full-length semesters in each calendar year.




The New York Film Academy recognizes the critical role writers play in the creation of every film and television show. Yet writing talent alone is not enough to create successful work in these mediums. Screenwriting is a learned craft, and a writer must write every day to train for the demands of this field, and to truly understand the elements that make a screenplay or teleplay functional as well as engaging.

In addition to learning the conventions of the writing craft, students are given the support and structure to write and meet deadlines. Students write intensively throughout the program and complete several projects with the assistance of constructive critique from instructors, as well as peers.

WHAT MAKES OUR SCREENWRITING PROGRAMS UNIQUE?

Students in the New York Film Academy’s Screenwriting programs generate a lot of written material, building a portfolio of writings that span several mediums. There is a focus on film and television, but MFA students will also study comics, web series and games. Upon completion of the program, students not only understand story structure, character, conflict and dialogue, but also leave the Academy with finished products that they can pitch, produce, and try to sell.

In the MFA Screenwriting program, students are taught the art of screenwriting through workshop courses that have them learn by writing, but also in skill-building courses that focus on film history, film genres, and specific skills, like scene construction, adaptation, and character building.

Students also study filmmaking, acting and editing, to get a complete sense of how cinematic stories are told. In addition to stories, treatments and scripts, students will also create, direct and edit their own short film and their own web series pilot.

NYFA’s degree programs in Screenwriting have business classes that teach students the reality of the industry; how to find work as a writer, how to work in the industry to support yourself, how to find an agent or manager, and how to pitch your stories and story ideas. These classes require students to get an internship in the industry.

The MFA Program culminates in a Pitch Fest, where students get to pitch their thesis script to agents, managers, executives, and/or producers.

SEMESTER ONE OBJECTIVES

During semester one, students will be introduced to the tools and skills necessary for writing successful screenplays for both film and television. Students are encouraged to be creative, but are also taught to think of the screenplay as the definitive industry tool for articulating ideas or concepts to a production team, including producers, financiers, directors, and actors. Clarity can be as important as creativity. Standard formatting and industry expectations will be studied and analyzed during writing workshops and lectures. Students will study what makes for a good story, and learn to seek stories in the world around them. Students will write a short film screenplay and their first feature-length screenplay, and develop story ideas for spec episodes of existing television series. Cinema Studies will also provide students with a theoretical and historical perspective on the film industry and screenwriting over the past 100 years.

CLASSES AND LEARNING GOALS

In semester one, students take:

• Elements of Screenwriting, where they learn the tools of writing, from format, to pacing, to dialogue, to theme, and put that all together to write a script for a short film.
• Introduction to Television, where they study the history of television and learn television pacing and structure, and study existing TV shows and plot sample episodes of those shows.
• Master’s Story Generation, where they learn where to find inspiration for stories and how to develop a story idea into a detailed treatment for a feature film.
• Master’s Feature Film Workshop I, where they loosely plot and write a screenplay for a feature-length film.
• Cinema Studies, where they study the history of film as a medium and an art form.

PORTFOLIO OF WRITINGS FOR SEMESTER ONE

At the end of Semester One, students will have produced:

• A feature-length film screenplay.
• A beat sheet for a one-hour television drama spec script.
• A beat sheet for a half-hour television comedy spec script.
• A short treatments for three possible feature-length films.
• A script for a short film (3-5 minutes).

SEMESTER TWO OBJECTIVES

The second semester challenges students to develop their craft artistically and technically, and to progress beyond their first film project and their foundational studies of television. In an advanced workshop, students will take a treatment for a feature film written in semester one and build a detailed beat sheet before writing this as their second feature film screenplay. They will also take their television beat sheets and write spec (or sample) episodes of existing half-hour and hour-long series.

Students are expected to share material in workshops. Students will rewrite the short script written last semester, and will also study acting techniques and direct and edit their own short film, in order to achieve a better understanding of how the written word translates to the screen. Students will also explore the conventions and expectations of genre storytelling, and the principles of adapting non-cinematic source material into feature film ideas.

CLASSES AND LEARNING GOALS

In semester two, students take:

• Adaptation I, where they learn the skills needed to adapt non-cinematic source material (books, comics, life rights, magazine articles, and more) into stories for feature films.
• Master’s Television Workshop I: Specs, where they write “spec” episodes of existing television series for both hour-long and half-hour formats.
• Master’s Genre Studies, where they learn the tropes and expectations that come with writing a feature film within several classic Hollywood genres.
• Master’s Feature Film Workshop II, where they plot a feature film story in great detail before writing the screenplay.
• Script to Screen, where they study acting, directing and editing, act in a scene shot on the Universal backlot, and direct and edit their own short film based off the short script they wrote in semester one.

PORTFOLIO OF WRITINGS AND PRODUCED WORK FOR SEMESTER TWO

At the end of semester two, students will have produced:

• A second original screenplay.
• A digital short film.
• A spec teleplay for an episode of an existing one-hour television series.
• A spec teleplay for an episode of a half-hour television series.

SEMESTER THREE OBJECTIVES

Semester three is where MFA candidates move their skills to a more advanced level. They learn the techniques and principles of rewriting, and put them to use on one of their feature screenplays. They broaden their understanding of the medium of television by developing material for an original TV series pilot script. They take their first business course, learning how to navigate the entertainment industry. They also begin taking classes in transmedia, learning about franchises, story worlds, and additional media that they will explore in-depth in later semesters.

The third semester is also a transitional semester, where any transfers from NYFA’s 1-Year Screenwriting Programs will be integrated into their new cohorts with curricula designed to get them on the same page as the MFA candidates in time for the final two semesters.*

CLASSES AND LEARNING GOALS

In semester three, students take:

• Master’s Television Workshop II: Pilot, where they create an idea for an original TV series, create a proposal for it, and write the script for the pilot episode.
• Rewriting Workshop, where they learn the skills involved in planning a rewrite based on feedback they’ve received, and then build a revision blueprint for one of their feature film screenplays, which they then rewrite.
• Transmedia I, where they create a franchise idea that can contain a web series, comic book, and game, then write and direct the pilot episode of the web series they’ve created.
• The Business Of Screenwriting I, where students learn about the entertainment industry and research possible internships for future semesters.

PORTFOLIO OF WRITINGS AND PRODUCED WORK FOR SEMESTER THREE

At the end of semester three, students will have produced:

• A pilot script and a series proposal/bible for an original television series.
• A short proposals for two additional television series.
• A concept for an original transmedia franchise.
• A footage for a web series pilot.

* Please note that semester three is different for any student who transfers into the MFA from the 1-Year Screenwriting Program.

THESIS OPTIONS:

In semesters four and five, MFA candidates begin working on their thesis. The thesis should represent the best work a student is capable of and, when complete, be of professional industry quality. Students will have a choice of medium between a feature film or a television pilot. They will choose their medium during class, so they will most likely have classmates working in both mediums, allowing them to focus their writing on one form while still honing their skills in the other form through workshopping.

During the thesis process, the students’ decisions -- from which medium they’ve chosen, to their plotting choices, to their revision plans -- will be explored in thesis committee meetings, where they will explain their reasons for the creative choices they have made. Students will also keep a thesis journal, chronicling their choices, their story, and their journey through the thesis process.

THESIS OPTION A: FEATURE FILM

Students may choose to write a feature-length film speculative ("spec") screenplay.

THESIS OPTION B: TELEVISION PILOT

Students may choose to write a pilot episode and bible (supporting materials) of an original comedy or drama television series.

SEMESTER FOUR OBJECTIVES

Early in semester four, students must choose a thesis advisor (a Screenwriting faculty member), who is central to their thesis committee, and works closely with the MFA candidate throughout the thesis process. Students will also work more in-depth with character development, building around their thesis idea’s cast of characters. Continuing with their transmedia studies, students will take a class in an additional medium which fits their franchise idea, taking either a class in comic books or games. The study of business will continue, and students will secure an internship to advance their understanding of the entertainment industry.

CLASSES AND LEARNING GOALS

In semester four, students take:

• Master’s Thesis Workshop, where they begin work on their thesis project (either a feature film screenplay or a television series idea and pilot script) that will be developed with a thesis committee.
• Advanced Character Development, where they learn about characters and character arcs in greater depth than was covered in year one.
• The Business Of Screenwriting II, where they get an internship, hear from industry professionals, and learn pitching skills.
• Transmedia II, where they edit their web series pilot, study comics, games, and other media, and build a presentation for their franchise.

One of the following classes:

Sequential Art, where they learn how to plot and write for comics, manga, and graphic novels.Interactive Narrative, where they learn how to explore story and story worlds through board games, card games, role-playing games, and video games.

PORTFOLIO OF WRITINGS AND PRODUCED WORK FOR SEMESTER FOUR

At the end of semester four, students will have produced:

• An outline for a feature screenplay OR a proposal for an original TV series and a beat sheet for the pilot episode, as well as half of the first draft of either script.
• A fully-edited web series pilot.
• A transmedia bible that includes one-sheet proposals for a game or comic book, and a web series bible.
• A presentation of their transmedia franchise and all its component parts, which includes one of the two items listed below:
• A proposal for an original comic book, graphic novel, or manga, and a script for the first issue or chapter of a comic book, graphic novel, or manga.
• A game proposal for a board, video, roleplaying, card, or other game.

SEMESTER FIVE OBJECTIVES

In semester five, students devote most of their time to their thesis requirements. An emphasis will be put on masterful scene writing, as students learn to bring scenes from their thesis projects alive at an even deeper level. This will include working directly with actors on scenes from their thesis. Students will also return to the process of adapting material into film ideas by creating a treatment for a feature film based on non-cinematic source material. Finally, in anticipation of the year-end industry Pitch Fest, students will perfect their pitches for their thesis projects and turn them into professional-grade selling tools.

CLASSES AND LEARNING GOALS

In semester five, students take:

• Master’s Thesis Workshop II, where they complete a draft and a rewrite of their thesis project, working with their thesis committees.
• Advanced Scene Study, where they learn about scene construction and scene beats in greater detail by taking scenes from their thesis apart and putting them back together, and then working with actors on the scenes.
• Adaptation II, where they develop two ideas for a story adapted from source material, then choose one and write a treatment or breakdown for the story.
• The Business Of Screenwriting III, where students continue in an internship or get a new one, and hone their pitching skills by developing a pitch for their thesis project.

PORTFOLIO OF WRITINGS FOR SEMESTER FIVE

At the end of semester five, students will have produced:

• A first draft and revision of their thesis feature or TV pilot.
• A treatment for an adaptation of an original source material.
• A list of loglines for the portfolio of writings they have built over their five semesters.

NYFA PITCH FEST

To celebrate the completion of the MFA Screenwriting program, New York Film Academy hosts a pitching event for graduating MFA writing students in good academic standing, whose pitch and script is deemed industry-ready. Representatives from top Hollywood agencies, management companies, studios and production companies attend the event to hear NYFA students pitch their thesis projects. While this event has opened industry doors to students in the past, the primary intent of the Pitch Fest is to provide students with pitching experience and feedback outside the classroom walls.

Qualified students have the option of completing course work at the New York Film Academy campuses in Los Angeles, New York City, or South Beach in a one-year, non-degree conservatory program, and then applying their coursework to be accepted for advanced standing in the MFA Screenwriting degree program. Students who complete a one-year program in Los Angeles, New York City, or South Beach will have a slightly different semester three of the MFA, before fully integrating with the MFA Program in semester four.



Until COVID restrictions on the Universal Studios backlot subside, not all cohorts or students will be able to attend production workshops on the backlot. The backlot is generally not used for production workshops for screenwriting, animation and game design departments.