Aspiring screenwriter having a different career background

RiddhiSharanya

New Member
Hey everyone, hope you all are doing well!

My name's Riddhi Sharanya (she/her) and I'll be turning 21 next month.
I'm actually a psychology undergrad student with economics & political science as minors (will graduate in spring'25) from India.
I really want to apply for USC MFA in Screenwriting next year i.e. 2025 fall. From the very beginning, I love and enjoy writing small stories, plotlines, travel blogs, etc. that are read by my close friends and sometimes parents. I always desired to do something in writing but never knew how to convert this passion into a full-fledged career until recently, when I stumbled upon an Instagram post related to screenwriting and it instantly felt to be a right career path for me where I can develop and hone my writing skills as well as showcase my stories to the entire world.
My family, friends, associates don't have the slightest clue about the film industry, so I have to navigate this path all by myself. I know it will be a tough one, but with this platform, I hope to find some great help.
It has already helped hundreds of students in their endeavors and I'm really looking forward in receiving guidance, tips, advices from former students, current students, teachers, etc.

Thank you!
 
Hey everyone, hope you all are doing well!

My name's Riddhi Sharanya (she/her) and I'll be turning 21 next month.
I'm actually a psychology undergrad student with economics & political science as minors (will graduate in spring'25) from India.
I really want to apply for USC MFA in Screenwriting next year i.e. 2025 fall. From the very beginning, I love and enjoy writing small stories, plotlines, travel blogs, etc. that are read by my close friends and sometimes parents. I always desired to do something in writing but never knew how to convert this passion into a full-fledged career until recently, when I stumbled upon an Instagram post related to screenwriting and it instantly felt to be a right career path for me where I can develop and hone my writing skills as well as showcase my stories to the entire world.
My family, friends, associates don't have the slightest clue about the film industry, so I have to navigate this path all by myself. I know it will be a tough one, but with this platform, I hope to find some great help.
It has already helped hundreds of students in their endeavors and I'm really looking forward in receiving guidance, tips, advices from former students, current students, teachers, etc.

Thank you!
USC is a great program! I’d also recommend AFI (biased as I’m currently in that program lol) I think both offer different things and if you’re wanting really small focused classes, a strong focus on writing and Hollywood story construction, and the opportunity to collaborate and make films as a means to learning (and making connections) it’s a really wonderful program. My best friend in it is also from India and studied psychology in undergrad before realizing she wanted to work in movies.

If you have any questions feel free to private message or respond here and I can give you info I have and my experience. Hopefully someone from USC can help you with your questions about them specifically.

Might I ask if you’re interested in working in the American film system or the Indian (Bollywood or Indie)?
 
USC is a great program! I’d also recommend AFI (biased as I’m currently in that program lol) I think both offer different things and if you’re wanting really small focused classes, a strong focus on writing and Hollywood story construction, and the opportunity to collaborate and make films as a means to learning (and making connections) it’s a really wonderful program. My best friend in it is also from India and studied psychology in undergrad before realizing she wanted to work in movies.

If you have any questions feel free to private message or respond here and I can give you info I have and my experience. Hopefully someone from USC can help you with your questions about them specifically.

Might I ask if you’re interested in working in the American film system or the Indian (Bollywood or Indie)?
Hello. I also want to consult about the AFI Screenwriting program. I heard someone else say this program focuses on collaboration and production more than writing in a deep way. It is not the same as writing programs on the East Coast, like Screenwriting programs in Columbia or NYU. These schools care more about the writing stills. I doubt that. Could you offer any info about this program? Thanks.
 
This is absolutely not true. Everything you do will be about writing. By the end of the program at a minimum you will have 6 full length works. The only thing that remotely makes sense that this person could have been talking about is a staple of first year is you pair up and make 3 cycle films. However you do so as the writer. It creates something similar to the real world writing process. It’s hard and it really pushes you, but it does prepare you for the real world. I’ve only completed Cycle 1, which was the writer led cycle, but I learned so much while doing it about the way other people work and how best to communicate with directors and producers to develop a work. Something you will be doing. As writers you’re rarely just writing at home. You have General meetings and pitches and when something is being made you will be asked a million questions. Not to mention the beast of tv where you’re in charge. You do learn some production skills which are necessary. There is a focus on making you a well rounded filmmaker while fully immersing you in writing. Outside of cycle your classes are all writing focused. I was a good writer when I applied to AFI and genuinely after 1 semester I feel truly like I’ve gotten better. I’ve actually heard that USC is a lot more general focused and less writing focused (not in that program so cannot confirm, but I’ve heard they’re more general). I think that your personal goals can help dictate what you should ultimately pursue, but AFI is definitely highly writing focused in the writing program. They just want you to be prepared for the Hollywood system.
 
This is absolutely not true. Everything you do will be about writing. By the end of the program at a minimum you will have 6 full length works. The only thing that remotely makes sense that this person could have been talking about is a staple of first year is you pair up and make 3 cycle films. However you do so as the writer. It creates something similar to the real world writing process. It’s hard and it really pushes you, but it does prepare you for the real world. I’ve only completed Cycle 1, which was the writer led cycle, but I learned so much while doing it about the way other people work and how best to communicate with directors and producers to develop a work. Something you will be doing. As writers you’re rarely just writing at home. You have General meetings and pitches and when something is being made you will be asked a million questions. Not to mention the beast of tv where you’re in charge. You do learn some production skills which are necessary. There is a focus on making you a well rounded filmmaker while fully immersing you in writing. Outside of cycle your classes are all writing focused. I was a good writer when I applied to AFI and genuinely after 1 semester I feel truly like I’ve gotten better. I’ve actually heard that USC is a lot more general focused and less writing focused (not in that program so cannot confirm, but I’ve heard they’re more general). I think that your personal goals can help dictate what you should ultimately pursue, but AFI is definitely highly writing focused in the writing program. They just want you to be prepared for the Hollywood system.
What I will say is this program is extremely demanding. I’ve maintained a job through my first semester and it’s been hell. The program itself truly is full time. It’s far more rigorous than any other grad program I’ve seen in terms of time. Writers get the most time away from campus a week so we have writing time and even then I’m on campus a minimum of 25 hours a week while then writing a minimum of 10 hours a week but easily up to 25 if I slack off.
 
What I will say is this program is extremely demanding. I’ve maintained a job through my first semester and it’s been hell. The program itself truly is full time. It’s far more rigorous than any other grad program I’ve seen in terms of time. Writers get the most time away from campus a week so we have writing time and even then I’m on campus a minimum of 25 hours a week while then writing a minimum of 10 hours a week but easily up to 25 if I slack off.
Wow, I heard something about the rigorous courses in AFI, and I saw people online saying AFI needs someone with some fundamentals in films. If you have limited experience in film, this would be harsh for you. But I think this process also can help a writer grow quickly. I hope I'm not too optimistic about this. About what you said about the USC, I also heard people say the same as you. They say USC is more general, but it's about the MFA in film production program. I'm curious about their screenwriting program too. I don't know if their courses are easier than the program in AFI since AFI treats students as professional staff as soon as possible when they enter school. And also, some think NYU and Cloubiam's screenwriting programs are More literary, while USC and AFI are more Hollywood. I don't know if is true.
 
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