Associate of Fine Arts in Screenwriting

The New York Film Academy recognizes the critical role writers play in the creation of every film and television show. Yet, writing talent alone is not enough to create successful work in these mediums. Screenwriting is a learned craft, and a writer must write every day to train for the demands of this field, and to truly understand the elements that make a screenplay or teleplay functional as well as engaging.

In addition to learning the conventions of the writing craft, students are given the support and structure to write and meet deadlines. Students write intensively throughout the course and complete several projects with the assistance of constructive critique from instructors, as well as peers.

WHAT MAKES OUR SCREENWRITING PROGRAMS UNIQUE?
Students in the New York Film Academy’s Screenwriting Programs generate a lot of written material, building a portfolio of writings that span several mediums. In the AFA degree program, the focus is on the two main fields available to writers in the industry today: feature films and television.

Upon completion of the program, students not only understand story structure, character, conflict, and dialogue, but also leave the Academy with finished products that they can pitch, produce, and try to sell.

In the AFA Screenwriting Program, students are taught the art of screenwriting through workshop courses that have them learn by writing, as well as through skill-building courses that focus on film history, film genres, and specific skills like adaptation and character building.

Students also study filmmaking, acting, and editing to get a complete sense of how cinematic stories are told. In addition to writing stories, treatments, and scripts, students will also create, direct, and edit their own short film.

Lastly, NYFA’s degree programs in Screenwriting feature business classes that teach students the reality of the current industry -- how to find work as a writer, how to work in the industry to support yourself, how to find an agent or manager, and how to pitch your stories and story ideas. These classes require students to get an internship in the industry.