Learn the Craft in 2018!

From one-week online classes to six and ten-week workshops, Screenwriting Master Class celebrates its eighth year as a unique educational resource offering unparalleled hands-on teaching and mentoring.

In January 2010, Tom Benedek and I launched Screenwriting Master Class. We have taught and mentored writers who have set up projects at major studios including Paramount, Warner Bros., Screen Gems, and Legendary Pictures, TV networks including ABC, AMC, HBO, and USA, signed with top agencies including CAA, The Gersh Agency, Paradigm, UTA, Verve, and WME, and managers including Circle of Confusion, Grandview, Lee Stobby, Madhouse Entertainment, Mosaic, and MXN Entertainment, as well as winning the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting contest and writing scripts which have made the annual Black List.

What makes us unique:

• Tom and I have over 6 decades of combined experience as writers and producers in the field of movies and TV, have written projects at every major Hollywood studio and broadcast TV network, and have had several movies produced including Cocoon and K-9. We understand how the business operates and have extensive connections in it.
• We are award-winning educators with over 3 decades of teaching experience at renowned academic institutions including the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts, the University of Michigan, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the DePaul University School of Cinematic Arts, and the UCLA Extension Writers Program.
• We are active participants in each of our classes and workshops providing extensive detailed feedback on all writing exercises and assignments including weekly teleconferences and online discussion forums which are open 24/7.
• We offer a comprehensive curriculum of courses and workshops which cover virtually every essential aspect of the screenwriting craft.

Here is our schedule for 2018:

January 8, 2018 — Craft: The Coen Brothers and the Craft of Storytelling
presented by Scott Myers
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January 15, 2018 — Pages I: Writing the First Draft
presented by Tom Benedek
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January 22, 2018 — Craft: Story Summaries — Loglines to Beat Sheets
presented by Scott Myers
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January 29, 2018 — Pages II: Rewrite Your Script
presented by Tom Benedek
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January 29, 2018 — Craft: Writing the Character-Driven Script
presented by Tom Benedek
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February 5, 2018 — Craft: Handling Exposition
presented by Scott Myers
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February 12, 2018 — Pages TV: Write Your Original TV Pilot Script
presented by Tom Benedek
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February 12, 2018 — Craft: Scene Writing Intensive
presented by Tom Benedek
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February 19, 2018 — Craft: Scene Description Spotlight
presented by Scott Myers
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February 26, 2018 — Prep: From Concept to Outline
presented by Tom Benedek
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February 26, 2018 — Pages: Writing the Web Series
presented by Tom Benedek
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March 5, 2018 — Craft: Character Development Keys
presented by Scott Myers
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March 12, 2018 — Pages I: Writing the First Draft
presented by Tom Benedek
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March 12, 2018 — Craft: Low Budget Script Strategies
presented by Tom Benedek
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March 19, 2018 — Craft: Create a Compelling Protagonist
presented by Scott Myers
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March 26, 2018 — Pages II: Rewrite Your Script
presented by Tom Benedek
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March 26, 2018 — Craft: The First 15 Pages
presented by Tom Benedek
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April 2, 2018 — Craft: Write a Worthy Nemesis
presented by Scott Myers
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April 9, 2018 — Prep: From Concept to Outline
presented by Tom Benedek
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April 16, 2018 — Craft: Scene-Writing Workshop
presented by Scott Myers
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April 23, 2018 — Pages TV: Write Your Original TV Pilot Script
presented by Tom Benedek
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April 30, 2018 — Craft: Dialogue-Writing Workshop
presented by Scott Myers
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May 14, 2018 — Craft: Pixar and the Craft of Storytelling
presented by Scott Myers
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May 28, 2018 — Prep: From Concept to Outline
presented by Scott Myers
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June 11, 2018 — Pages I: Writing First Draft
presented by Scott Myers
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July 9, 2018 — Prep: From Concept to Outline
presented by Scott Myers
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August 27, 2018 — Core I: Plot
presented by Scott Myers
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September 10, 2018 — Core II: Concept
presented by Scott Myers
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September 24, 2018 — Core III: Character
presented by Scott Myers
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October 8, 2018 — Core IV: Style
presented by Scott Myers
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October 22, 2018 — Core V: Dialogue
presented by Scott Myers
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November 5, 2018 — Core VI: Scene
presented by Scott Myers
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November 19, 2018 — Core VII: Theme
presented by Scott Myers
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December 3, 2018 — Core VIII: Time
presented by Scott Myers
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Core Package — with Scott Myers
private workshop
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Craft Package — with Tom Benedek
private workshop
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Craft Package — with Scott Myers
private workshop
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The Process — with Tom Benedek
private workshop
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The Quest — with Scott Myers
private workshop
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“There’s a reason I wanted Scott to be the official screenwriting blogger of the Black List. He’s the best there is. Period.”

— Franklin Leonard, founder, The Black List

“Tom has an incisive understanding of all the ingredients that make a great screenplay. He’s also a first rate writer and a wonderful teacher.”

— Producer Michael Shamberg (Erin Brockovich, Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty)

“Scott is one of those rare finds as a teacher — someone whose tireless passion for instructing and helping others realize their potential never wanes and falters. It truly fulfills him to see his students do well — which is no doubt why he has so many avid fans and long-term relationships with his graduates in Hollywood. He has a knack for seeing a writer — and giving them feedback — even if the script needs a lot of work — that builds up the writer instead of breaking them down — allowing them to return to the page and begin again — getting better each time.”

 — Lisa Joy, screenwriter and TV writer-producer, Pushing Daisies (ABC), Burn Notice (USA), Westworld (HBO), 2014 Black List script “Reminiscence”

“No teacher has been more influential to my career than Tom Benedek, his classes have never failed to encourage, educate, and inspire. In addition to my graduate coursework at University of Southern California with Tom, I have greatly benefited from both ‘Network Hollywood’ and ‘Writing the Original Pilot Script’ at ScreenwritingMasterClass.com. I recommend Tom’s classes to every aspiring and developing screenwriter I meet.”

 — Adair Cole Screenwriter, Norco (Dir. Mark Romanek, Prod. MadRiver)

Learn more of what professionals and students have to say about us here.

As I always say, you can learn everything you need to know about the craft by doing this: Watch movies. Read scripts. Write pages.

However, if you want to expedite your learning process by working with experienced educators with extensive backgrounds as professional writers, consider Screenwriting Master Class.

To learn more, go here.