Centennial College

This article looks at Centennial College's Advanced Television and Film – Script to Screen program, which is a graduate offering that consists of two semesters and is geared towards industry professionals who want to gain an understanding of what goes into developing and producing quality feature films and TV show.

Actors, writers, directors, producers, editors and other film and television craftspeople should continuously be looking to expand their credentials in the TV and film industries. That's where a script writing program in Toronto such as Centennial College's Advanced Film and Television – Script to Screen comes in.

This program is designed for those who have completed an advanced (three-year) college diploma or (three or four year) university degree in any discipline. The School will also consider applicants who present a combination of partial post-secondary and a verifiable portfolio of work representing at minimum two years production experience or work experience in a media-related (film or television) field. In addition, all applicants must submit a current resume and a letter of intent that will be used as a basis of discussion on program expectations as well as a portfolio of work, which includes a film produced or directed by the applicant, an on-camera audition; or a writing sample (preferably a script).

Because it is expected that all students in the program have some sort of TV or film industry experience, the offering is compressed into two semesters. As such, all courses are related directly to the industry. It is worth noting that this offering is different from similar programs in that it does not stream students into master classes immediately but instead concentrates the first semester on giving students a solid working knowledge of what tasks everyone performs in the creation of a film or television production (so students will be better able to collaborate, improvise, problem-solve and empathize with their fellow cast and crew members down the line).

During the first semester, the emphasis is on creating, pitching, developing, outlining, drafting and polishing four production-ready film scripts of 10 minutes or less in length. The second semester, meanwhile, is an opportunity to prepare, perform in, shoot and post these shows.

Most courses in this script writing Toronto-based program are offered in two advancing stages. Among them are: Directing (covers script and script development, character, scene analysis, casting, rehearsal, performance, design, visual style and assembling the final product); Acting (through lectures, acting exercises and take-home assignments, actors and non-actors alike learn the terminology of screen acting, the most effective ways for an actor to approach a piece of material and more); Screen Writing: Short Film Development (students learn how to develop viable show ideas, pitch those ideas and write the outlines, drafts and polishes necessary to complete a production-ready screenplay); and more.