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What if I don't want to go to college, can I still be successful?
I have read on various websites that I do not need to waste time and money on college if I want to start screenwriting so I cam curious to know is it fine to skip college and get started
#screenwriting #writer #writing #college
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Mel’s Answer
Hi, Dylan! The short answer is "yes" - you CAN be a successful screenwriter if you don't attend college.
BUT!
I tried holding down a marriage and a full-time job while learning screenwriting "on the side", and after ten years, I wasn't very good at it, or fast, and I hadn't met anyone I could make films with.
Trying to teach myself from books wasted a decade for me.
But eventually I was able to take Vancouver Film School's year-long Writing for Film and Television program. It cost me USD$28,000 in tuition (and I still had to pay for food, rent, utilities, and transportation), but I learned in one year what I never would have figured out on my own in a lifetime. It was INTENSE. But I had excellent teachers to ask questions, students to bounce ideas off of, and resources to make short films with. I'm so glad I went.
If you're blessed to be surrounded with screenwriters who can mentor you directly, you may be able to learn a lot quickly and for free. If not, I recommend finding a reputable one-year intensive writing program like what VFS offers, getting your scripts and play buttons together, and applying for a scholarship. Some places offer talented candidates a free ride. Look into it!
BUT!
I tried holding down a marriage and a full-time job while learning screenwriting "on the side", and after ten years, I wasn't very good at it, or fast, and I hadn't met anyone I could make films with.
Trying to teach myself from books wasted a decade for me.
But eventually I was able to take Vancouver Film School's year-long Writing for Film and Television program. It cost me USD$28,000 in tuition (and I still had to pay for food, rent, utilities, and transportation), but I learned in one year what I never would have figured out on my own in a lifetime. It was INTENSE. But I had excellent teachers to ask questions, students to bounce ideas off of, and resources to make short films with. I'm so glad I went.
If you're blessed to be surrounded with screenwriters who can mentor you directly, you may be able to learn a lot quickly and for free. If not, I recommend finding a reputable one-year intensive writing program like what VFS offers, getting your scripts and play buttons together, and applying for a scholarship. Some places offer talented candidates a free ride. Look into it!
Updated
Mark’s Answer
Hi Dylan,
Screenwriting requires an expertise of the basic format and rules. You could take a class or two to learn them. You might see if Amazon Books has "Formatting: The Fundamentals" and "Beyond Structure". Then read Joseph Campbell's "The Hero With a Thousand Faces". It could be boring, but he does a marvelous job to inform any writer how to write the legendary adventure. The challenge will be to impress a reader on page one with the protagonist's daily routines which are fresh and unique, and then the conflicts being shown by the antagonist. All genres should be studied by watching the movies and reading their screenplays. I would suggest subscribing to Studio 32, Deadline and Twitter for the market. Other writers will provide insights, especially Hal Crousman at Screenwriting U who will provide classes online based on all his interviews with producers, writers, agents and managers. Very informative. Start writing a memoir, allowing a flair of imagination to explain how you feel, what you see in the tree having fun. Take a walk, holding hands with your lover and listening to everything said, so you can return home to write the dialogue.
Action and behavior could be written from you watching your family, and then changing names. Of course, be honest that you did. They might be disturbed or they might be thrilled. But it does become a responsibility to reveal whatever we're doing could be correct or wrong. And do we solve our daily conflicts and maybe save the world. Good luck, Mark
Screenwriting requires an expertise of the basic format and rules. You could take a class or two to learn them. You might see if Amazon Books has "Formatting: The Fundamentals" and "Beyond Structure". Then read Joseph Campbell's "The Hero With a Thousand Faces". It could be boring, but he does a marvelous job to inform any writer how to write the legendary adventure. The challenge will be to impress a reader on page one with the protagonist's daily routines which are fresh and unique, and then the conflicts being shown by the antagonist. All genres should be studied by watching the movies and reading their screenplays. I would suggest subscribing to Studio 32, Deadline and Twitter for the market. Other writers will provide insights, especially Hal Crousman at Screenwriting U who will provide classes online based on all his interviews with producers, writers, agents and managers. Very informative. Start writing a memoir, allowing a flair of imagination to explain how you feel, what you see in the tree having fun. Take a walk, holding hands with your lover and listening to everything said, so you can return home to write the dialogue.
Action and behavior could be written from you watching your family, and then changing names. Of course, be honest that you did. They might be disturbed or they might be thrilled. But it does become a responsibility to reveal whatever we're doing could be correct or wrong. And do we solve our daily conflicts and maybe save the world. Good luck, Mark
Updated
Mario D.’s Answer
There are no shortcuts in life. If you go to college for screenwriting then you will be able to do it better than the novice that bought 20 books from Barnes & Noble. Having a piece of paper with your name on it called a degree will open up doors only if you have the drive and the persistence to use it to open up doors. Another words I know tons of people with degrees that have done nothing with them. So it is all based on what you do with your degree and what you don’t. The ones that have degrees get more jobs that’s the reality.
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