Vancouver, also known as Hollywood North, is a well-known location for film production. Being home to a booming film industry, the city undoubtedly has its share of aspiring screenwriters, for whom I write today’s blog! Keep reading to find out about some of the best screenwriting classes in Vancouver, Canada.
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The Pacific Screenwriting Program
The Pacific Screenwriting Program, based in Vancouver, aims to build an active screenwriting community in British Columbia and support career advancement opportunities for writers. It offers a 15-week scripted series lab that will prepare writers for an entry-level writing position on a scripted series. An ideal program for aspiring TV writers, the course will help to hone your craft, work on writers’ room collaboration, and gain an understanding of the television industry in British Columbia. The intensive program is pretty selective, only choosing up to six writers each term. The Pacific Screenwriting Program also offers screenwriting workshops and other events that you can check out here.
Raindance
Raindance might be a familiar name to you. It’s one of Europe’s largest independent film festivals! Beyond the festival, it also takes film education and training very seriously. It has hubs in major cities worldwide aiming to help emerging independent filmmakers bring their visions to life. The Vancouver branch offers courses and events in various film production areas. At the time of writing this, Raindance offers a screenwriting workshop that focuses on “deep characterization” and crafting engaging and believable characters. Check here to stay up to date with course offerings.
For the Screenwriting Collegiate
If you’re interested in learning about screenwriting through a college education, multiple schools in Vancouver provide screenwriting offerings of note.
University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia offers a joint Master of Fine Arts program in Film Production and Creative Writing. The joint program provides a focus on screenwriting in addition to the standard film production education.
Vancouver Film School
Vancouver Film School’s one-year degree program in writing for film, television, and games is unique. Students are taught the basics of writing for visual storytelling and then choose to specialize in either feature, television, or game writing.
InFocus Film School
InFocus Film School is an independent film school that aims to provide students with an accelerated, hands-on education in film. Its eight-month Writing for Film and Television Program will have students graduating with a diverse portfolio, including short scripts, a television pilot, and a feature script.
I hope this list is helpful for all the Vancouver screenwriters out there! Hopefully, this blog can introduce you to some of the interesting educational screenwriting opportunities in the city and maybe even encourage you to pursue one of them! Happy learning and writing!
