Thanks for the reply. I’m taking courses at SCPS; there’s certificate to be had but that’s of secondary importance to me. (I’m the one who wrote the “DIY or Film School” post some months ago. ) I thought this was a more cost effective way to assess the viability of their 4 year program; some of my instructors/courses overlap there. I could give the specific instructors/courses offline if that is critical; but I’ll say that the track spans from the basics of the craft to classes specifically devoted to dialogue, scene structure, then some development workshops that culminate in one-on-one sessions (Master Class) with an instructor. I’ve also written, directed, shot and edited a couple of short films as projects for other courses since that first post. I havent had any problems learning and applying the concepts being taught. In fact, I’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback, but I’m only writing to suit the requirements of my classes -- and for that reason I’m not too attached to the work I’ve done thus far. From my understanding of the process, the screenplay is merely a blueprint that will be revised over and over again by others (or their suggestions) until it fits into a marketable template. Although criticism can be very helpful, the collaborative aspect is difficult for me to swallow at times. Unless you can produce and direct the project yourself, I cannot imagine the finished product resembling the original intention of you the writer. For that reason, and knowing how Rand handled editors and book publishers, I was always curious to know how she handled these issues during her screenwriting career. Anyway, I’m looking for quality resources in any form (book, course, teacher, etc) that might provide a different perspective -- or at least something more challenging than what seems to be a cookie cutter approach. p.s. I did read a book called “The Screenplay as Literature” by Douglas Garrett Winston that was interesting despite lauding some films and writers that I don’t like.
