Online High School Screenwriters Workshop

Learn to write for film and television with an online course in screenwriting. Collaborate with high school students from around the world and transform your ideas into a short screenplay. Complete pre-recorded course modules and assignments and schedule live, one-on-one video meetings with the Tisch instructor. The online screenwriting workshop for high school students is for college credit and is offered every summer and fall.

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Video still image of an excerpt of a screenplay

Core Curriculum

Screenwriters Workshop

SPEC-UT 201
4 units
Summer 2025 Tuition: $7,664


Intensive screenwriting exercises will introduce students to the basic principles of writing for film and television. Students will develop story ideas and characters, and learn film language and script structure. There will be film story analysis sessions with screenings of important work. The workshop sessions with the instructor and students provide an opportunity for you to present your work, which opens dialogue for critiques and rewrites. The workshop culminates with submitted scenes, a short screenplay, and a synopsis of a feature film and television series. This is an asynchronous course with weekly assignments and video meetings.

Notes:

  • The fall workshop is a six-week course with daily deliverables. 
  • The summer workshop is a four-week course with daily deliverables.
  • Students must use a desktop or laptop computer with a webcam, microphone, and audio capability. 
  • This online course works best with a fast, reliable internet connection, and requires Chrome web browser.
  • Students should be prepared to dedicate 6-10 hours per week for this course.

Application and Program Dates:

Summer 2025

Sunday, July 6 - Saturday, August 2, 2025

Application Deadline: Friday, April 18, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET  

Meet the instructor.

Course Format and Schedule

This class will be delivered through an asynchronous model, which means you will not have to meet at a designated time each day. Instead, the program is offered through online lectures that are pre-recorded and released each week. You can view those modules at your own pace. However, there are daily deliverables and/or weekly assignments you will have to complete and upload onto the Smashcut platform by the deadline provided in your syllabus, and faculty/TA/classmates will be interacting/collaborating with your work on this timeline. The entirety of the class takes place on the Smashcut platform. Synchronous sessions will be scheduled during the term with your professor/TA/classmates. We understand you signed up for an online course to have the flexibility of online learning, so you will have the opportunity to choose the best meeting time for your schedule.

Attend a virtual information session for the Tisch Online High School Filmmakers and Screenwriters Workshops. RSVP here.

Read these articles about online high school workshop alumni on the Tisch Special Programs Blog:

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"The workshop stood out to me because it was online. It meant I would have freedom and be able to do things at my own pace while still being able to learn the fundamentals of screenwriting."

— Siobhan Lucey, summer 2023
Online High School Screenwriters Workshop

Maria Angelini making a note on a post-it stuck to a window as she looks outside

Summer 2021 Online High School Screenwriting alumna Maria Angelini

Program Dates

Summer 2025

Sunday, July 6 - Saturday, August 2, 2025

*Students should be prepared to dedicate 6-10 hours per week for this course.

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Tuition and Fees

Summer 2025 tuition is $7,664.

Please review the Tisch Special Programs cancellation policy.

Admissions

Summer 2025

Application Deadline: Friday, April 18, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET

Eligibility

Open to high school first-years, sophomores, juniors, and seniors.

  • Online application fee: $75

Please read through the Online High School Workshops Application Requirements.

Additional important dates are available on the Tisch Admissions Calendar.

Scholarships

Tisch has a limited number of scholarships for high school students to attend the Tisch summer online workshops. Scholarships are not available for the fall term. Scholarships are given to students who demonstrate the most financial need.

Review the Online High School Workshops Scholarships page for more information.

Student holding phone in front of an open laptop

Photo by Dylan Kenseth