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The Essential Screenwriting Course

Learn screenwriting, write a screenplay, and get it reviewed by an award-winning instructor

Stay Tuned!

New Course dates will be announced soon

Select a start date that fits your schedule.

Live sessions. Learn screenwriting. Finish a screenplay.

  • Live, interactive, on-line lessons with an award-winning screenwriting instructor

  • Apply what you learned by completing a short film screenplay that can be entered into one of our contests

  • Receive professional feedback on your screenplay, and a certificate of completion

Screenplay review

Our courses include a professional review of your screenplay from our award-winning industry professional instructors. You'll also receive a certificate of completion for the course.

Course Overview

When you start a screenplay some of the decisions you make on the early components can be some of the most fun but can also be deceptively tricky! This week’s lesson breaks down the initial building blocks and choices that will affect the screenplay's story, and includes tips on creating the most compelling choices for them.

Specific topics include:

  • How to write a Logline
  • How to choose the correct Genre and Subgenre(s)
  • How to brainstorm and choose a Title
  • Tips for creating a Theme - why this is both important and difficult, and different ways to approach it
  • Ways to choose Setting and Time Period

Course Details

  • Choice between 3-week or 1 week intensive courses covering the essentials of screenwriting
  • 5 live online lessons (75 min each)
  • Assignments and instructor feedback
  • Completion of a short film screenplay
  • Professional feedback on your short film screenplay
  • Certificate of completion

Plus 1-year membership to Open Screenplay, which includes:

  • Free access to all screenwriting contests
  • All features of our professional screenwriting software

See membership progam details.

Cost

$199 USD + taxes

Learn from experts & award winning instructors

Laura Sweeney

Accomplished Filmmaker and Screenwriting Instructor

Laura Sweeney is an award-winning screenwriter, director and actress with an impressive list films that found success across the international film festival circuit. Laura has taught screenwriting for Writers Boot Camp and is a highly demanded script consultant. A graduate of Georgetown University and studied acting with the Moscow Art Theatre.

Jason Bash

Emmy & Peabody Award Winning Screenwriter & Instructor

Jason Bash is an Emmy Award and Peabody Award-winning writer, director, and producer. At age 12 his play was in The Young Playwrights Festival in New York, was produced at the Public Theater, and then made into a primetime movie which subsequently won his awards. Jason worked for companies such as The Dramatists Guild, VH1, and MTV. He taught screenwriting for 14 years and instructed hundreds of writers on the craft of screenwriting. He also is a script doctor and consultant.

Laura Sweeney

Accomplished Filmmaker and Screenwriting Instructor

Laura Sweeney is an award-winning screenwriter, director and actress with an impressive list films that found success across the international film festival circuit. Laura has taught screenwriting for Writers Boot Camp and is a highly demanded script consultant. A graduate of Georgetown University and studied acting with the Moscow Art Theatre.

Jason Bash

Emmy & Peabody Award Winning Screenwriter & Instructor

Jason Bash is an Emmy Award and Peabody Award-winning writer, director, and producer. At age 12 his play was in The Young Playwrights Festival in New York, was produced at the Public Theater, and then made into a primetime movie which subsequently won his awards. Jason worked for companies such as The Dramatists Guild, VH1, and MTV. He taught screenwriting for 14 years and instructed hundreds of writers on the craft of screenwriting. He also is a script doctor and consultant.

Class dates

INSTRUCTOR
DURATION
FIRST CLASS
LAST CLASS
DAYS
CLASS TIMES
Jason Bash
3 Weeks
October 18
November 01
Every Tues & Thurs
07:00 PM - 08:30 PM(EST)
Laura Sweeney
3 Weeks
November 03
November 17
Every Tues & Thurs
07:00 PM - 08:30 PM(EST)
Jason Bash
1 Week
November 14
November 18
Monday to Friday
02:00 PM - 03:30 PM(EST)
Jason Bash
1 Week
December 12
December 16
Monday to Friday
02:00 PM - 03:30 PM(EST)
Jason Bash
1 Week
January 09
January 13
Monday to Friday
02:00 PM - 03:30 PM(EST)

Hear what writers are saying about our courses

Mike Roy

The course I took with Open Screenplay was exactly what I needed to rekindle my writing fire! My instructor, Jason Bash was in equal parts informative, inspiring and supportive. The platform helps to demystify the process of screenwriting and actually make it fun. I highly recommend this next-level writing platform

Mike Roy

The course I took with Open Screenplay was exactly what I needed to rekindle my writing fire! My instructor, Jason Bash was in equal parts informative, inspiring and supportive. The platform helps to demystify the process of screenwriting and actually make it fun. I highly recommend this next-level writing platform

Mike Roy

The course I took with Open Screenplay was exactly what I needed to rekindle my writing fire! My instructor, Jason Bash was in equal parts informative, inspiring and supportive. The platform helps to demystify the process of screenwriting and actually make it fun. I highly recommend this next-level writing platform

What educators are saying about us

Jon Kang

Director of Operations, Elite Prep

I can’t speak highly enough about Open Screenplay. The fact that our high school students not only learned from industry experts but also got to express their creativity and passion for writing in a state of the art web platform…I mean what more could we ask for? They literally did something that they couldn’t have done anywhere else. I can’t wait for our next cohort of students to experience Open Screenplay!