Writing for Film, Television & Games Curriculum

The concept of story is as old as human experience, language, and the desire to make sense of our existence. In this course, we’ll explore how to create and deliver causally progressive character driven feature length stories with strong, compelling themes.

One only has to try and imagine a story without characters to realize there can’t be one without the other. The more engaging the characters, the more interesting and compelling the story.  Through lectures, discussions, screenings, and individual and collaborative in-class assignments, students will come away with an arsenal of techniques useful for creating well-developed characters whose motives and actions are organic to the plot, relevant to the story’s thematic intentions, and a delight for actors and audiences alike. Students will apply these techniques and explore their created characters further within a specific dramatic context.

This course provides an overview of the narrative elements that define the dramatic genre and contemporary three-act screenplay structure. Students will read and study assigned screenplays to gain an understanding of how narrative elements combine to tell a story and make a screenplay readable. Students will also be introduced to three-act structure and learn how to deconstruct a screenplay into three acts. In addition, students will be introduced to the Hero’s Journey as an archetypal structure paradigm.

Students will be guided through the various preparatory stages required to write a feature length screenplay. With a pre-selection of one of the low budget story concepts workshopped in Story and Character, the student will be immersed in the process of beating out a clear, uncluttered, causal progression of events, developing the plot into a 26-point beat sheet.

In this hands-on course, students will become completely comfortable with screenwriting software and learn to write screenplays in the correct, up-to-date, industry standard format. The focus here is on writer's drafts, not on shooting scripts, but we will also discuss the differences between them, as well as both feature film and television formats.

The best idea is nothing, without the right pitch. This course is designed around structure and delivery of pitches. It is the “how” - how to present ideas dramatically and effectively. Using industry standard methods and practices, students will learn to actively pitch ideas with an eye to concept, theme and genre. This course will consist of lectures, discussions, in-class exercises, and out-of-class prep assignments.

In order to write successfully for television, a writer must have a core understanding of genre. Through exploring the various dramatic and comedic formats, students will learn how genre informs the industry in the context and their own writing choices.

This seven-week course explores the concepts writers need to be aware of and understand to make the choices that best tell their story. Whether directing a documentary or fiction film, students will produce more interesting, complex films when they are aware of, understand, or practice the following concepts: the evolution of cinema historically and globally, the significance and characteristics of film form, style, folklore and journey patterns, ideology, anti-narrative film and marginalized voices.

In this course, we explore the challenges of incorporating interactive narrative and archetypical folktale patterns through which we gain the secrets to creating powerful interactive worlds that prove irresistible to explore. How do we tell a story for a video game? How do we immerse the player into the game world? How do we make them care for the characters and, most importantly, make the player want to achieve a game’s ultimate goal? We also focus on understanding the techniques of developing a story in a game and giving a step-by-step guideline to creating gaming worlds with interesting problems.

Short films and videos are an important stepping stone for beginning screenwriters. By learning how to tell a tight story in a short time period, students gain the confidence needed to complete longer form screenplays.

In this course, students learn the different script formats for half-hour and one-hour television series. They also discover how to write a beat sheet, outline and the first draft of a script for an existing television series. This course consists of screenings, lectures, and workshops.

This Term 2 follow-up course to Story and Character is delivered in a workshop format and concentrates on further developing character and plotting their arc to fulfill expectations from the low-budget feature script assignment from Term 1.

Specifically tailored for film, this course will guide students through the steps of writing believable character-driven dialogue. With specific in-class writing exercises, students will be able to identify what makes dialogue interesting, believable, and workable. They will create short scenes, from one to three pages long, which they will edit in-between classes. At the end of the course, students are expected to hand in a finished collection of scenes that demonstrate their ability to produce effective film dialogue.

This genre studies course focuses on close textual analyses of seminal crime dramas, exploring themes and traversing the latitudes and limitations of the genre through a variety of its subgenres, noting how each fulfills specific conventions while still conforming to the classical three act structure and the Hero’s Journey.

Various television-writing techniques are explored to ignite the creative spark and encourage that screen muse. Students create a fresh concept for an existing TV series of their choice, go to first draft and develop skills in pitching, writing and selling their work. The course extends to Term 3.

Sketch comedy writing is one of the most popular forms of comedic writing and can lead to a successful career in television, radio or on stage. In this class students will learn how to create original ideas and concepts for sketches. They will learn how to kick-start their imaginations, identify their own style of humour and expand their comedic tools. In Part Two of Sketch Comedy students will see their sketches performed and produced by actors and witness the production aspect of writing for sketch comedy. This course extends to Term 3.

Professional screenwriters need the ability to work collaboratively and respectfully with filmmakers and vice versa. The purpose of this course is to enable writing students to work collaboratively and creatively towards the final execution of a film concept without needing to create or control every aspect of the process. By engaging in a professional working process with fellow students, participants in this course will engage in concept generation of viable cinematic material, accept world-building notes for individual stories, and (with workshop discussion and delivery of notes) lead in the writing of six short scripts for production in the next term of Film Production. The course is delivered through lectures, small group discussions, workshops, and pitch sessions. Major deliverables include the scripts and world building notes.

In this course, students will be introduced to the design document, the primary creative document used in the video game industry. Students will learn what goes into a design document, its role within the industry, and how to best use the format as a storyteller. By the end of the course, students will have a completed design document for a game of their own devising.

This course provides an overview of the narrative elements that define film genre and applies it to comedies by examining specific sub-genres such as Romantic, Teen, Gross-out, Dark, Family and Buddy/Road comedies. Students will study comedy screenplays to gain an understanding of how narrative elements combine to tell a story, make a screenplay readable, what creates laughter/and impact on the page and what inspires the reader.  

Once students have been given permission from the story board (as early as week 5 of the previous term) to move to feature pages, they will write their entire script.  It is then workshopped in its entirety with notes given by an instructor and their fellow students.

The best idea is nothing, without the right pitch. This course is designed around process, structure, and content. It is the “how” (how to present ideas dramatically and effectively), and the “what” (content). Using industry standard methods and practices, students will learn to actively pitch ideas with an eye to concept, marketplace, media, and genre. This course will consist of lectures, discussions, in-class exercises, and out-of-class prep assignments.

Everything old is new again. Discover how the programs of the past influence the programs we will be writing in the future. To understand the television of today, it’s important to understand its beginnings. Who were the pioneers of this relatively new medium? We examine how their creative contributions are still resonating in what the public views today. Through viewing and discussions, this course will focus on how television developed as a medium in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

The second act contains the body of a feature script and is also the place that can cause the most problems. In this course, students will learn how to construct a strong second act, identify places in their features that are weak and find solutions to make their script stronger, while avoiding similar problems in future scripts.

Sketch comedy writing is one of the most popular forms of comedic writing and can lead to a successful career in television, radio or on stage. In this class, students will continue to develop original ideas and concepts for writing their own comedic sketches. They will discover the basic tools and techniques required to rewrite their original comedic sketches as they are prepared for a live exhibition.

In Introduction to Dialogue Design, students will learn the basics of interactive storytelling through the exploration of examples in video games and interactive fiction. This theory will then be put into practice as students build upon the foundations of what they’ve learned in previous terms, by programming their own interactive narratives and dialogue trees using basic coding techniques.

Professional screenwriters need the ability to work collaboratively and respectfully with filmmakers and vice versa. The purpose of this course is to enable writing students to work collaboratively and creatively towards the final execution of a film concept without needing to create or control every aspect of the process. By engaging in a professional working process with fellow students, participants in this course will engage in concept generation of viable cinematic material, accept world-building notes for individual stories, and (with workshop discussion and delivery of notes) lead in the writing of six short scripts for production in the next term of Film Production. The course is delivered through lectures, small group discussions, workshops, and pitch sessions. Major deliverables include the scripts and world building notes.

In this course, students will pitch three ideas for a five-page webisode or short film script conforming to the production parameters set out in Producing for Writers: Production. One of those ideas will then be developed through first and second draft workshops. A third draft will be submitted to the class and after students read all the scripts, they will vote on their six favourites in order of preference. The voting preferences will serve as the basis for the selection and formation of the six production teams.

In this course, students will function as producers instead of writers. Working in teams of 5, the student producers will oversee the entire production process of the stories selected from Producing for Writers: Story Development. They will be charged with hiring crew, disbursing budget funds, scheduling production, securing locations, casting actors, supervising post-production, and assessing the marketability of their properties. Through learning basic management strategies, as well as leadership skills, the students will be placed at the forefront of the projects. During this micro-production, the students will also be instructed in the high-level concepts of each stage as it relates to larger, big-budget productions.

The sketches written in the third term are rehearsed by a sketch comedy troupe, culminating in a cabaret night where the sketches are performed in front of a live audience.

Writing for Animation is a unique screenwriting form which leaves room for experimentation and creativity. In this course, we’ll discuss the differences and similarities between writing for animation and writing for live action. Students will complete a series pitch, beat sheet, outline, and polished script for an 11-minute animation series which will be workshopped with their peers. We’ll discuss career building and pitch strategies, portfolio building and networking.

An examination of the history, conventions and styles of storytelling that make up the scientific and fantastical genres of film writing. This course will consist of reading five major screenplays that best integrate the major aspects of the genres, followed by lectures, film clips and student scripts.

Over the course of this term, students pitch two story ideas and then develop one of those ideas into a one-sheet and then a beat sheet. This course consists of 7 intensive workshops with an instructor and a small group of students providing valuable, informed feedback and discussion that will enable the writer to address issues relating to the completion of a first draft of a feature length screenplay.

Story editing feature films is the practice of coaching screenwriters one-on-one to bring a screenplay from an early draft into a complete, polished, producible draft. It is an iterative process which demands numerous reads and repeated script analysis. This course encourages critical thinking about films and screenplays and the breakdown/analysis of at least one unproduced screenplay. Story editing in scripted TV and Reality TV are two other types of work for writers which use similar skill sets in different genres with very different work parameters.

This course supports students in the creation of an original, sustainable premise for a television series. Using examples from existing TV series, students learn how to pitch, create series bibles, and write outlines for original pilot episodes and a second episode of their pilot concept. Students study pilot scripts and watch TV pilot screenings to identify key concepts and techniques that will assist them in the development of pilot episodes for their original TV series.

In this elective course, students learn the fundamentals of writing for animation projects by preparing and pitching episode springboards, and writing beat-sheets, outlines and an original screenplay for an animated television series..  Students gain a fundamental understanding of the principles of animation writing including genre, format, structure, character, story and humour. (Elective)

As the industry moves away from cinematics in games, much of the experience happens while players are in control. One of the techniques used to by narrative designers is to rely more and more on environmental storytelling. This means working intimately with the artists, game play and level designers to ensure each department has the same goals for the story. (Games stream only)

In this course, students will create an original game narrative that will form the backbone of their creative work for the rest of the year. Students will create the necessary high-level narrative design documents to lay the foundation for story, dialogue, cinematics, and environmental storytelling. The focus here will be on creating a design document for an independent game such as Life Is Strange, Edith Finch, or a game from the former Telltale Games Studio.

In many modern games there is not a single narrative for the player to experience, but rather a living, breathing, oftentimes evolving world for the player to experience. It is the game writer’s responsibility to bring this world to life. In Lore, Systems and Emergent Narrative, students will learn how lore and systems interact in modern game design to allow for emergent narrative. Topics covered include world building, codex/diary entries, common world building tropes, common world building pitfalls, and how world building and lore must accommodate mechanical systems. Students will then put this theory into practice by writing an industry standard game “module” for an existing game system.

Story editing feature films is the practice of coaching screenwriters one-on-one to bring a screenplay from an early draft into a complete, polished, producible draft. It is an iterative process which demands numerous reads and repeated script analysis. This course encourages critical thinking about films and screenplays and the breakdown/analysis of at least one unproduced screenplay. Story editing in scripted TV and Reality TV are two other types of work for writers which use similar skill sets in different genres with very different work parameters.

This course tracks the history and development of the Action/Adventure genre over 100 years of cinema. Students will examine Action/Adventure screenplays and films to learn the common patterns and themes of the genre and its subgenres. Students will study organic action techniques to develop antagonists and protagonists specific to this genre. Students will explore Action/Adventure writing techniques such as pacing, suspense, reversals, rug pulls, twists, action gags, and use of the chase, rescue, and escape themes.

Over the course of two terms, this course prepares students for the task of writing their first self-directed, feature length screenplay. In Term 5, students take their beat sheets completed in Term 4, and write a complete first draft meeting with their group every 20 pages. In Term 6, students will take notes given in Term 5 to write a second draft and meet one-on-one with their instructors before workshopping their script in the final half of the term. Combined, this course consists of 14 intensive workshops with an instructor and a small group of students providing valuable, informed feedback and discussion that will enable the writer to address issues relating to the completion of a first draft of a feature length screenplay.

Successful screenplays are the result of thoughtful rewriting and are dependent on a solid concept. In Term 5, the student begins by reviewing their dramatic intentions and the story’s structure to create a rewrite strategy. Our intention over the course is to ensure each story has a strong opening, features compelling characters, a clear inciting incident with a strong first act turning point, and develops rising conflict between a protagonist and antagonist that move the story up to the 2nd act mid-point. Students will receive feedback from the instructor and their peers in weekly workshops, and are expected to give thoughtful, constructive feedback to their peers in return. At the end of the course, students are expected to submit their evaluations of the quality and effort behind the feedback they have received from their peers. 

The course will develop the students' first draft of a television speculative (spec) script into a second draft, utilizing the process and structure of a real television story department. In order to become a successful candidate and valuable contributor to a story department, the student will acquire skills in story editing and rewriting their own and other students' television spec scripts.

Continuing with the outlines created in TV Pilot 1, this course will develop the outline through to the first draft of an original pilot episode for television. This course will further enhance students’ skills in structure, dialogue, and characterization, while also encouraging them to explore their creativity and discover their own style.

Story editing feature films is the practice of coaching screenwriters one-on-one to bring a screenplay from an early draft into a complete, polished, producible draft. It is an iterative process which demands numerous reads and repeated script analysis. This course encourages critical thinking about films and screenplays and the breakdown/analysis of at least one unproduced screenplay. Story editing in scripted TV and Reality TV are two other types of work for writers which use similar skill sets in different genres with very different work parameters.

Comics and graphic novels are fast becoming a well-respected part of the media industry. Their highly visual nature and relatively low cost of production allow creators to tell a wide variety of stories. These stories range from traditional “high-concept” superhero tales to smaller, more personal experimental fare – stories that would be prohibitively expensive or difficult to produce in any other medium. In Writing for Comics, students will learn the fundamentals of writing for comic books and graphic novels as well as the basics of online comic production. As part of the course, each student will write and produce, in conjunction with the VFS Foundation Program, a segment of an online comic anthology. Students will also write an industry-standard script for a mini-series or graphic novel. 

Let’s face it, most ads suck. They’re boring, forgettable, and annoyingly in the way of the content you want to consume. But there are a small percentage of ads that are entertaining, engaging, and beg to be shared with all your followers. So, how do you come up with one of those? This course gives students the knowledge to do just that. Through the examination of some of the world’s most successful ads, students will discover what makes an ad bad, what makes an ad good, and what makes an ad absolutely unforgettable. The course will introduce creative advertising then delve into strategizing, concepting, writing and presenting fully integrated ad campaigns—including copy-driven ads, online videos, television & radio ads, social content, activations and many other untraditional formats.

Using this industry-leading game design software, students will gain an understanding of how to implement scenes, actors and dialogue into the Unreal Engine. This course will cover one of the most essential skill sets of a narrative designer: using a game engine to translate the written word into a playable experience. Students will begin the course by learning the basic engine controls and interface, then progress through Blueprints, Sequence and scripted cameras to create narrative events within the game engine. Unreal also supplies free introductory software so students can work off their own computers.

Using the original narrative content created in Term 4’s courses, students will write a one-minute scene based on that narrative. Students will then cast the actors, create storyboards, rehearse and then shoot the scene on VFS’s MoCap stage. (Games stream only)

Modern game design must serve two masters, story and gameplay.  The relationship between these two elements is not always easy or straightforward. Depending on the specific requirements of a given game, story may have to take a backseat to design, at times being relegated to mere window dressing. At other times, story may be king, the driving factor of the design itself.

In Emergent Narrative students will learn what it is like to work as a narrative designer within an existing ludological system, gaining the basic skills necessary to work in a modern game studio.

This course will expand the design documents created in Narrative Design 1 to include a 30-page game script with gameplay, dialogue barks and cinematics. The design documents and game scripts will be workshopped and prepped for industry mentors. This process will mirror real life scenarios that narrative teams use to review narrative with senior management at game companies.

Many producers and screenwriters are inspired by stories from different mediums (short story, novel, play, or video game), and for many reasons (good story, compelling characters, built-in audience), they want to develop it into a screenplay. The process of adaptation, however, can be a difficult one. Often in trying to remain faithful to the specifics of the original work, the writer creates a technically proficient but often lifeless imitation. Students gain a fundamental understanding of the principles of adaptation including exposition, back-story, theme, point-of-view storytelling, screenplay structure, and the legalities of adapting other mediums and true-life stories. Key exercises include creating step outlines, adapting classic works to new genres, and creating new scenes in a screenplay medium.

If you've written FADE OUT at the end of a 110-page screenplay but find your mind wandering after the first paragraph of an option agreement, this is the course for you. Career Launch, in combination with After the First Draft: The Business Side of Screenwriting - TO GO, will tell you everything you need to know about the nuts and bolts of the screenwriting business.

This seven-week course explores the concepts writers need to be aware of and understand to make the choices that best tell their story in the horror or thriller genre. We will examine the history and conventions that make up the horror and thriller genres. This course will consist of reading major screenplays that best integrate the major aspects of the genres, followed by lectures, film clips and student presentations.

In this course, students will continue working on the pilot they’ve created in Terms 4 and 5, writing and workshopping a second draft of their teleplay. Students will also discuss marketing possibilities of their series.

In this course, students will write the first draft of the second episode of their TV Pilot idea, continuing from the outline they developed in Term 5.

In this course, students will break down episodes of an existing television series to understand the structure, plot, characters, tone, and central drive. The students will then collaboratively pitch, write, and re-write an episode in a simulated writers’ room.

In addition to cinematics, game storylines are often expressed in non-interactive sequences using a scripted camera and regular game assets. These NIS sequences are often accompanied with custom animations, locked camera angles or lighting used for dramatic effect. Using the content created on the MoCap stage in Term 5, students will implement these scenes into the Unreal Engine for their final project. (Game stream only)

This course will combine all of the original work that has been created by the students over the six-month process into one master document. All narrative beats, character bios, scripted scenes and environmental story beats will be given a rigorous roundtable stress test and final presentation review. All visual aspects such as art work and mood boards will also be presented. This process will mirror real life scenarios that narrative teams use to review narrative with senior management at game companies. (Game stream only)

As the industry moves away from cinematics in games, much of the experience happens while players are in control. One of the techniques used by game writers and narrative designers is Environmental Storytelling, i.e., gameplay scenarios that invite participation, curiosity, and observation. Environmental storytelling ensures the player remains constantly connected to the narrative through uninterrupted gameplay and immersive surroundings. The act of staging the environment to serve the narrative allows players to draw meaningful conclusions without resorting to cut-scenes or cinematics. This process means working intimately with designers and artists to ensure each department has the same goals for the story.

Using original narrative content, students will create a short cinematic scene using performance capture technology and the Unreal game engine. Students will write, pre-viz, cast the actors, rehearse, and then shoot the scene at the Beyond Capture stage. Following the shoot, students will do post-production using Premiere editing software.