Go beyond the basics of screenwriting, forget all of the fancy vocabulary, and let's get your script finished!          

Whether you're brand new to screenwriting or a seasoned veteran, this course will help you finish your project no matter what stage it's in...and you keep the course for life! No expiration date.

An all-in-one, one-stop-shop screenwriting course and development tool.


NEW! Video lectures and Pro Tips!


What You Get

  • A full development screenwriting course you can take from home

  • Detailed lessons and downloadable audio lectures

  • Exclusive podcast episodes from Max Timm's The Craft

  • Develop your concept into a quality first draft quickly and effectively

  • Work at your own pace



Receive immediate access to all lessons, 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. 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 workshop and his popular writing podcast, The Craft, your personal online course offers exclusive podcast episodes, verbal and written lectures, video wrap-ups with Max, and Pro Tip videos from some of the industry's biggest names.

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 at the same price point. 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.




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Please see our FAQ page here: Course Questions

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 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

    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. Episode 1 of The Craft - Sequence 1 Breakdown - "We Need A Hero"

    5. Episode 2 of The Craft - Sequence 2 Breakdown - "Setting It All Up"

    6. Episode 3 of The Craft - Sequence 3 Breakdown - "The Unsung Hero"

    7. Episode 6 of The Craft - "A Sidenote for the TV Writer"

    8. Structural/Beat Breakdown and Outline

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

    10. Pro Tip Videos of the Week

    11. Assignments: Sequence Loglines

    1. The 2nd Act, Moment By Moment

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

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

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

    5. Episode 5 of The Craft - Sequence 5 Breakdown. "Success, Failure & the Villain"

    6. Episode 7 of The Craft - Sequence 6 Breakdown - "The Mid-Point"

    7. Moment Listing - Your Story Outline

    8. Sequence Titles

    9. Assignments: Writing Your Script in Outline Form

    10. Special Edition: Breaking Down Stranger Things

    11. Stranger Things - The Pilot

    12. Pro Tip Videos of the Week

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

    1. A Couple Disclaimers Before We Start

    2. Leading Up To The Low Point

    3. Episode 8 of The Craft - Sequence 7 Breakdown - "The Doomed Honeymoon"

    4. Episode 9 of The Craft - Sequence 8 Breakdown - "Love, Conflict, and Losing It"

    5. Episode 11 of The Craft - Sequence 9 Breakdown - "The Dark Night of The Soul"

    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. Episode 12 of The Craft - Sequences 10 & 11 Breakdown - "Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?"

    4. Episode 14 of The Craft - Sequence 12 Breakdown - "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

Reviews

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

M B

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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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