Screenwriters Storyboard Their Craft During Spring Filmmaker Series
As the cliché would have it, seemingly everyone in Hollywood has a screenplay or TV treatment in a drawer somewhere. This semester, students enrolled in Dr. George Larkin’s screenwriting course have had some up-close-and-personal encounters with professional writers in the flesh.
Film 200 Screenwriting explores the process of writing a narrative script through lectures, screenings, readings, in-class writing exercises, in-class workshops and an abundance of out-of-class writing.
As part of Film 200 Screenwriting, Dr. Larkin, Chair of the Filmmaking Department, hosted four film and television writers — David Grae, Keith Eisner, Valerie Mayhew and Matt Greenberg — with literally hundreds of credits among them. Grae and Greenberg are members of Woodbury’s Filmmaking Board of Advisors.
Grae served as a writer and executive producer on Madam Secretary. Prior to that, he worked as a writer/ co-executive producer on Castle. Grae was also co-producer and writer on The Gilmore Girls from 2006-2007. Other credits include Without a Trace, That ’70s Show and Joan of Arcadia.
Nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award as Outstanding Drama Series and a three-time Writers Guild of America Award nominee for The Good Wife, Keith Eisner has served in various producing and writing capacities on such series as Madam Secretary, Designated Survivor, NYPD Blue, Shark, Gilmore Girls and Law & Order.
Valerie Mayhew’s producing and writing credits include The X-Files, Charmed and The Fugitive. She served as executive story editor on Vengeance Unlimited, The Visitor, and Compromising Situations among other productions.
Matt Greenberg’s writing and producing credits encompass this year’s Pet Sematary, Seventh Son, Reign of Fire, Halloween H:20, Prophecy II, and Mercy.
“Woodbury’s location in the heart of the film and television industry is among those qualities that truly set us apart,” he says. “This ability to engage with leading artists is an everyday reality for our students. There’s no better way to learn at a school than to hear from skilled professionals in an academic setting.” Larkin himself has a PhD in Film & Media and also worked in the practical industry, starting his career developing the films of David O. Russell.
The Filmmaking program offers a B.F.A. degree that prepares graduates for careers in film and TV. Students learn narrative filmmaking through a comprehensive curriculum including film production, screenwriting, cinematography, directing, production, and film marketing and distribution.