Transform your idea into a short film that is ready to be pitched. Throughout this four-week course, industry expert Gabe Sachs will offer insights and exercises from his own writing experience, as well as tips from his collaborators in the film industry. You’ll learn how to generate ideas and develop them into a script with a well-structured arc, memorable characters, visual storytelling and engaging dialogue.

At the end of this course, you will not only have a completed script for a short film — you’ll also be prepared to begin pitching your work and get it out into the world.

Featured Topics

• Story Ideas
• Building Memorable Characters
• Structuring Your Story
• Writing Realistic Dialogue
• Telling Your Story Visually
• Writing and Rewriting

Learning Outcomes

This course will guide students through the screenwriting process from the early stages of coming up with a winning idea to developing a script for a short film that is ready to be pitched. In the process of earning a certificate, students will learn tips, techniques and tools of the trade used by veterans of the film industry in order to hone their own craft.

The asynchronous course consists of recorded lectures, clips and case studies from film and television, industry connections and discussions. Each topic provides context for key elements of developing a script from start to finish. Students will engage with creative exercises to generate and revise work in order to complete the course with a screenplay for a short film.

Combined coursework of recorded lectures, readings and assignments is approximately 20-25 hours to be completed at the student’s own pace. Students are expected to complete the course in four weeks but will have 90 days of access if more time is needed.

Gabe Sachs

Coming up with an idea is something that writers struggle with all the time. But the truth is, ideas are all around you. Gabe Sachs has mastered the art of tapping into real life to bring authentic and captivating stories to the screen. As a writer on many TV shows and films, including Freaks & Geeks, Just Shoot Me, Diary Of A Wimpy Kid and many others, will share his craft to help aspiring screenwriters bring their ideas to fruition.

Gabe Sachs is a writer and producer known for television projects that include Freaks & Geeks, Just Shoot Me, Undeclared, Life as We Know It, 90210 and The Night Shift. He co-wrote the feature films Diary of A Wimpy Kid and Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, which topped the U.S. box office its opening weekend. He was also an executive producer on the movie Magic Camp. Sachs is an avid and accomplished photographer, known for compelling portraits. He co-hosts the podcast I Dream of Cameras, which reviews the most talked about camera equipment and explores camera choice and collecting. He is also a judge for the James Beard Awards, which celebrates American food culture. Sachs is an alumnus of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. His creative partner is writer/director Jeff Judah with whom he co-owns Sachs/Judah Productions.

Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis. Applicants who submit a completed application can expect an admission decision within 3 – 5 business days.

• Include basic contact information.
• Tell us why you want to take the course and a little about yourself through a short-answer essay.
• Share a piece of writing, video or social media content that reveals something about yourself (optional).
• Submit the $35 application fee.

INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS

In addition to the requirements listed above, international applicants are expected to be proficient in English. International students who successfully complete an online course will receive a digital Certificate of Completion and by request a USC Online Certificates Program transcript at no additional cost.

ELIGIBILITY

Participants must be at least 14 years old or older.

APPLICATION FEE: $35

SCREENWRITING TUITION: $1990
Access to online course and materials for (3) months.

SCREENWRITING + DIRECTING TUITION: $3880
Access to both online course and materials for (6) months.

Application fees are nonrefundable. All course cancellations requests must be made in writing to certificates@usc.edu. Any tuition paid to the university will be refunded, not including fees, if requested no more than three (3) days past the course start date. Requests to drop the course more than three (3) days after the start date will not be eligible for a refund.

The university will not refund tuition for USC Online courses for students who are removed from the program due to a violation of our Letter of Understanding for Online Participation and our Student Code of Conduct.