As they say, “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere…with a five-script deal and an office on the studio lot.” And while taking one of the many screenwriting classes in NYC isn’t a guarantee that you’ll jump-start your professional writing career, it is a good way to boost your screenwriting IQ, not to give your industry networking some much-needed octane.
Though general screenwriting tips can be learned (almost) anywhere in the world, there is a cool emphasis for the would-be screenwriter interested in penning scripts that are less focused on big-budget mainstream pictures — there’s plenty of scribblers on the West Coast focused on that — but instead folks interested in the indie-film circuit or 1-hour TV drama route.
Here are 4 screenwriting classes in NYC worth adding to your to-do list:
4 Screenwriting Classes in NYC Worth Looking at
#1: Tisch School of the Arts (NYU)
Don’t have the grades, energy or 100k to enroll in NYU full-time? Why not grab a summer non-credit screenwriting certificate from this prestigious university? (Scorsese went there, for Godsakes!) Though you don’t have much flexibility in the types of classes you’ll take — pretty much need to follow the path they lay out for you — nobody rivals the breadth and real industry experience that Tisch instructors can offer.
- Pros: It’s frickin, NYU, dude! One of the best film schools in the USA
- Cons: Expensive; Not much flexibility in course path.
- More Info: Tisch School of the Arts
#2 – Gotham Writers
Though primarily known for their fiction — and robust online curriculum — Gotham Writers has an extensive collection of NYC-based screenwriting classes for you to check out.
Broken out by format — TV, feature-film, playwriting — their Scriptwriting department can add some serious juice to your screenwriting game. (Note: Having personally taken more than 5 Gotham Writers classes, I heartily recommend you choose the in-person option, if possible.
- Pros: Good material, well-presented; Broken out by format
- Cons: In-person instruction more effective; Not cheap
- More Info: Gotham Writers
#3 – New York Film Academy
With locations in both New York and Los Angeles, this acclaimed program — Variety named it one of its “stellar film school of 2017” — offers the ambitious screenwriter the chance to learn their craft, in a boot-camp, intensive setting.
Just know that this option ain’t cheap. At all. NYFA charges nearly as much as elite film schools such as UCLA or USC. Or Delaware State. (Just kidding; you know I love ya, Delaware State!)
But for the would-be screenwriter who’s got the funds for an elite film school experience, without the requisite portfolio, then NYFA might be a great choice.
- More Info: New York Film Academy
- Pros: Broad filmmaking education; Great for those who want to write and direct.
- Cons: Muy expensive.
#4 – Jacob Kreuger Studio
With a Writer’s Guild award under his belt, Kreuger brings real-life industry experience, along with an interesting 7-act structure, to the mix. Based primarily around a series of 4-week screenwriting classes, both online and offline, this program offers a slightly more organic approach to screenwriting that tries go beyond the usual formulas.
That said…a quick perusal of the website that supports the program tells you that this is an institution that has honed the art of the upsell. ($150 for a structural breakdown of Trainwrecked is…umm…an interesting option.)
But having had a few friends take the course, I can report that it offers a holistic screenwriting approach that tries to build you a storytelling foundation, not just help you crank out single script.
- More Info: Jacob Kreuger Studio
- Pros: Organic, non-trad approach to structure; Shorter than most classes
- Cons: You’ll be marketed to (which ain’t the end of the world)
If you’re based in the Big Apple, do you really HAVE TO take a NYC screenwriting class?
No. You don’t have to.
But sometimes it takes awhile for knowledge to sink in — years, in fact — and taking one of these screenwriting classes in NYC might be just what you need to reduce your learning curve.
What’s Your Screenwriter Take?
Have you taken any screenwriting classes in NYC? Any you’d recommend…or any that folks should avoid like the screenwriting plague? Let us know in the comments below.
