Please: We will be moving The Craft Course to a new platform - through the Int'l Screenwriter's Association's website, and a new community Circle.

For the devoted screenwriter, a full development online guide, course, and virtual coach! The most comprehensive online course on screenwriting you will find in the industry. For beginners, or veterans, this course is designed to help you develop and finish a script in 12 weeks.         

Plus you keep the course for life! No expiration date.
An all-in-one, one-stop-shop screenwriting course and development tool.

NEW! Video lectures, pro tips, plus an active online community and social forum that allows you to connect with fellow classmates any time (on desktop or on the Circle.so app).


What You Get
A full development screenwriting course you can take from home. What does full development mean? From concept, to character development, to structure, and to page writing - you will fully develop your script and/or rewrite with this course

Detailed lessons, video, and downloadable audio lectures, and specific weekly assignments

Develop your concept into a quality first draft quickly and effectively

Work at your own pace, and receive support and answers to questions by way of the ISA Community Circle

Monthly live (on Zoom) Q&A meetings and lectures with the course creator, Max Timm.



Receive immediate access to all lessons, assignments, lectures, audio and video. The material provided within this full development screenwriting course will help you build your script, one step at a time. It will allow you to work at your own pace and finish a script in less than 12 weeks if you stay disciplined to the schedule. You can start and finish whenever you like.

It's like hiring a personal screenwriting coach who is available any time you are...and at a fraction of the cost.

Inspired by Max Timm's live Los Angeles workshops, and his Story Farm coaching, your personal online course offers exclusive verbal and written lectures, video wrap-ups with Max, and industry advice and guidance.

So jump in and get ready to write!

With the amount of material and support that is covered and offered, you will not find a course that offers as much as The Craft Course. The International Screenwriters' Association takes pride in offering services to writers without breaking the bank. Take advantage of what is offered here and we promise you will come away with a stronger draft of your script than had you tried to go this route alone. 


Looking for feedback? Interested in being evaluated for the ISA Development Slate? Check out ISA's Development Slate Evaluation here.




BROWSER ISSUES, CLICK HERE
Please see our FAQ page here: Course Questions

Reviews

5 star rating

The Craft Course Online

Enrico Falzetti

Excellent course! Max Timm has a real gift for explaining key script-writing concepts in an original and effective way. There is a ton of stuff online about ...

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Excellent course! Max Timm has a real gift for explaining key script-writing concepts in an original and effective way. There is a ton of stuff online about screenwriting, but this is the course everyone should take. Max’s approach is so fresh and the clarity with which he explains things is nothing short of enlightening. Thank you!

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5 star rating

Master the 1st Draft - Online Only

Robert W. Daniel

This has been a REAL PLEASURE! This course has been one of the best values for the money I have ever taken. Thankz a million! Robert W. Daniel

This has been a REAL PLEASURE! This course has been one of the best values for the money I have ever taken. Thankz a million! Robert W. Daniel

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5 star rating

Gratitude

Carrie Spellman

Useful, informative courses, taught by people who are actually, truly concerned about you, as a human, and your success as a writer. Not to mention affordabl...

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Useful, informative courses, taught by people who are actually, truly concerned about you, as a human, and your success as a writer. Not to mention affordable. The ISA courses are invaluable.

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5 star rating

Hands-down the most helpful online material I've found.

Beth Geyer

This course came at the perfect time for me. I'd just started a new script and hit a wall with it every other day. Whenever that happened, I would sit down a...

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This course came at the perfect time for me. I'd just started a new script and hit a wall with it every other day. Whenever that happened, I would sit down and continue the course where I left off; instantly sparking new and better ideas. I sort of zoomed through this 8 week course but it helped me start and finish my script in under 5 weeks. You can't ask for more than that. Thank you, Max!

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5 star rating

Excellent advice and training!

Lindsay Waite

Although I've been writing for, well, forever, and have several screenplays under my belt, this class provided me with great insight into writing a marketabl...

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Although I've been writing for, well, forever, and have several screenplays under my belt, this class provided me with great insight into writing a marketable product. It also gives me information on the industry as a whole and points to other avenues of learning and networking. I started the class without knowing that a goal was a completed first draft. I'm not yet through with my research on my new screenplay idea, so I was pleased to learn that when I am ready in a few months to draft the new screenplay, I can review the class again. Thanks Max and all at ISA who contributed to this material!

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5 star rating

The Craft Course

Neil Werenskjold Sr

This class is my breakthrough class. I have been taking many classes for the last few years, but Timm's instruction clicked for me. I immediately rewrote my ...

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This class is my breakthrough class. I have been taking many classes for the last few years, but Timm's instruction clicked for me. I immediately rewrote my first screenplay with a focus I've never had before. A few more changes from professional critics and my screenplay is now a fast read for producer's, focused on what they are looking for in a screenplay. Thanks Max. I'm off and running now...

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4 star rating

Great course

Melissa Birks

Using relevant examples and in-depth knowledge of the form and function of a screenplay, Max Timm takes a writer from the germ of an idea to a full script. E...

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Using relevant examples and in-depth knowledge of the form and function of a screenplay, Max Timm takes a writer from the germ of an idea to a full script. Especially powerful is the way he breaks down a screenplay into organizational sequences. Overall, the course is accessible, understandable, and practical. I would encourage writers to try it.

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Lead Mentor and Instructor Max Timm

Max Timm is the Director of Education with International Screenwriters’ Association, and the President of The Story Farm Development and Coaching service, with 17 years of experience in developing written material and writers’ careers. His focus with the ISA is to shepherd writers to industry professionals, offering exposure alongside career-long education. His personal coaching, consulting, and development service, The Story Farm, develops writers and their material much like a studio executive or literary manager would, walking a writer through the development process one draft at a time. His online class, The Craft Course in Screenwriting, offers writers an in-depth yet easy to understand approach to professional full development. In order to connect with as many aspiring writers as possible, he also helped create and launch the ISA’s popular podcast network - an interview-focused podcast, as well as his solo podcast, The Craft. Aside from focusing on education, Max has joined forces with his ISA cohorts to launch a production and development shingle called Creative Screenwriter where they develop and produce low to mid-range budgeted films written by ISA’s top members. Max is also a screenwriter and author. His debut novel, a young adult fantasy adventure titled The WishKeeper, about a teenage fairy with broken wings, won the YA category of the 2015 Los Angeles Book Festival and released nationwide in the Summer of 2016. Max has also served as a part-time instructor at UCLA, and travels nationally speaking at various industry events such as the Sundance Film Festival, Nashville Writers Conference, and the Napa Valley Film Festival. Most recently Max released his debut book on screenwriting titled, "(Not Just) Another Book on The Craft of Screenwriting."

Course curriculum

    1. Welcome Video From Max Timm

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Class Introduction - Getting Started

      FREE PREVIEW

    3. Voice, and Voice Pressure Points

      FREE PREVIEW

    4. Audio: Voice - Finding It, Evolving It, Embracing It

      FREE PREVIEW

    5. Assignment: Voice Pressure Points

    6. Brainstorming a New Project - Video

    7. The Logline - Yes, It's Extremely Important

    8. Logline Breakdown Process

    9. Audio: Logline Breakdown Process

    10. Assignment: Write Your Loglines

    11. Pro Tip Videos of the Week

    12. Until Next Time & an Extra Assignment

    13. Week 1 Story Farm Group Lecture - Loglines and Pitches as Development Tools

    14. Week 1 Video Wrap-Up with Max and www.TheStoryFarm.org

    1. The Four Levels of Development - Video

    2. Your Logline As A Loaded (Nerf) Gun

    3. Your Hero and The Emotional Flaw

    4. Audio: Your Hero & Emotional Flaw

    5. The Secondary Helper (Supporting Character, Supporting the Hero’s Arc)

    6. Audio: The Secondary Character

    7. The Opponent, Rival, and/or Villain

    8. Audio: The Opponent/Rival/Villain

    9. 2nd Act Series of Obstacles

    10. Sequence Writing and Prepping the 1st Act

    11. Audio: Sequence Writing and Prepping The 1st Act

    12. A Full Review of Character Development - Video

    13. Assignments: 1st Act, and Character Set-Up

    14. Pro Tip Videos of the Week

    15. NEW: Free Access to Max Timm's Book on Screenwriting

    16. Download: Max Timm's Book on Screenwriting

    1. Where To Begin

    2. The Villain, Rival, Opponent - Whatever He's Called! How is this Character Related to the Secondary Character?

    3. An Easy Assignment...Just Listen!

    4. Sequence 1 Breakdown - "It's All About Character, Emotion, Tone, and First Impressions"

    5. Sequence 2 Breakdown - "Setting It All Up"

    6. Sequence 3 Breakdown - Secondary Character Intro, The End of the 2nd Act, and The Unsung Hero

    7. Utilizing the Sequences when Writing for Television

    8. Structural/Beat Breakdown and Outline

    9. The Outline, Sequences, and Why They're Important - Video

    10. Pro Tip Video of the Week

    11. Assignments: Sequence Statements

    1. The 2nd Act, Moment By Moment

    2. Audio: The 2nd Act, Moment By Moment

    3. The Difference Between "Adventure" & "Journey"

    4. Sequence 4 Breakdown - "The Promise of the Premise"

    5. Sequence 5 Breakdown - "Success, Failure & the Villain"

    6. Sequence 6 Breakdown - The Mid-Point Complication

    7. Moment Listing - Your Story Outline

    8. Sequence Titles

    9. Assignments: Writing Your Script in Outline Form

    10. For the TV Writers: Breaking Down Stranger Things

    11. Stranger Things - The Pilot

    12. How to Go From "Good Idea" to "Great Story!"

    1. A Couple Disclaimers Before We Start

    2. Leading Up To The Low Point

    3. Sequence 7 Breakdown - The Doomed Honeymoon

    4. Sequence 8 Breakdown - Love, Conflict, and Losing It

    5. Sequence 9 Breakdown - The Low Point

    6. The Point of A Scene

    7. Audio: The Point of A Scene

    8. Assignment: Continued Outline Writing

    9. Pro Tip Videos of the Week

    1. Stating Theme and Your 3rd Act

    2. Audio: Stating Theme and Your 3rd Act

    3. Sequences 10 & 11 Breakdown - "Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?"

    4. Sequence 12 Breakdown - The Climax, but It's Not About the Victory

    5. Scene #1 - Action/No Dialogue Example

    6. Scene Example #1 - Arthur and the Parachute

    7. Scene #2 - Reacting To The World

    8. Scene Example #2 - Arthur and The Woods

    9. Scene #3 - One Page Flaw Confrontation

    10. Scene Example #3 - Arthur and the Girl

    11. Answers: Where In The World Is Arthur?

    12. Assignment: Still Going!

About this course

  • $99.00
  • 107 lessons
  • 1 hour of video content