Writing for the Screen
Our world class MFA Writing for the Screen program trains and launches writers specializing in feature length storytelling that capture a global audience. Experienced, award winning faculty who are working writers in the industry guide students in developing a dynamic body of work that are reflective of their distinct voices that can garner professional representation by managers and agents. Writers will hone their pitching skills in preparation for selling projects to major studios, networks, and streaming platforms. The intimate and professional screenplays crafted during these three years can also serve as samples for Open Writing Assignments. Our students gain real-world experience through industry interpersonal connections and build a vibrant professional network that can provide access to the multitude of creative opportunities in Hollywood and beyond.
LMU School of Film and Television is an official partner of the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting and recommends writers to enter the Nicholl Fellowships. Learn more here.
Message from the Program Director
On my first day of graduate school, I walked in expecting to learn craft: structure, character and the architecture of a scene. I did learn all of those things. But what I found waiting in that room was something I hadn't expected: a community. The writers and filmmakers beside me became first classmates, then collaborators and, later, friends whom I still call to talk over script ideas or simply what happened in my day. Years later, those relationships remain some of the most important in my life.
That is what I invite you to find at LMU: not just a screenwriting M.F.A. at one of the top five film schools in the country. Not just professional-grade craft. But also, a vibrant community where we support each other as whole people and not only as writers, because here we believe the two are inseparable.
There has never been a better moment to find your own voice. As the industry shifts beneath our feet, the old rules loosen their grip. That leaves room for new forms, new perspectives and new ways of telling the truth. I welcome you to join our community and to help write what comes next.
– Liz Fania Werner, Graduate Director of Writing for the Screen
Course Requirements
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Fall Semester
- SCWR 510 - Production Fundamentals for Screenwriters
- SCWR 540 - Elements of Feature Screenwriting
- SCWR 635 - Advanced Motion Picture Script Analysis
Spring Semester
- SCWR 541 - Writing the Feature Screenplay
- SCWR 660 - Writing the Drama TV Spec Series or
SCWR 670 - Writing the Comedy TV Spec Series - Film, TV, and Media Studies (FTVS) Elective
Total: 18 semester hours
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Fall Semester
- SCWR 640 - Rewriting the Feature Screenplay
- SCWR 650 - Advanced Feature Screenwriting
- SCWR 685 - The Business of Entertainment
Spring Semester
- SCWR 641 - Feature Film and Television Adaptation
- SCWR 651 - Rewriting the Advanced Screenplay
- SCWR 598 / 698 - Writing Elective or
SCWR 661 - Writing an Original Drama Pilot or
SCWR 671 - Writing an Original Comedy Pilot
Total: 18 semester hours
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Fall Semester
- SCWR 690 -Thesis Screenplay Project
- SCRW 661 - Writing an Original Drama Pilot or 671 Writing an Original Comedy Pilot
- SCWR 598 698 - Writing Elective
Spring Semester
- SCWR 691 - Rewriting Thesis Screenplay Project
- SCWR 692 - Feature Film and Television Portfolio Workshop
Total: 18 semester hours
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Thesis Project
A feature length original screenplay that has been re-written in advanced workshop during the third year.
Portfolio
Upon completing the third year of the program, the portfolio will include three original feature length screenplays which are rewritten in workshops, one episodic teleplay, and at least one original pilot for television. Students may also generate additional writing samples for the industry through electives such as transmedia, video-game writing, podcast audio drama, or playwriting.