Following the completion of the fall semester’s TV Production course that was offered here at LACES by LACC, a new LACC course has come into light for LACES students.
Beginning on Feb 12, 2025 of the spring semester and coming to a close on June 6, Film Writing I will be offered to students after school on Wednesdays from 4-6p.m in the library. The structure of the class will be half a lecture, and the other half a lab where students will work on their own writing—and the course is three units long.
“In this writing workshop, students study the structure of traditional feature films and TV episodes (both comedic and dramatic) and apply it to the development of their own feature film, TV episode, or TV pilot idea,” LACC website states. “At the completion of this course, students should have a complete and detailed treatment for an original screenplay or teleplay.”
Teaching this course will be Professor Shannon Fopeano, who is not only a professor at LACC, but a screenwriter and independent filmmaker herself, having worked on titles including, “Once Upon a Christmas Miracle” which is a movie and three TV series, “Crash & Bernstein,” “Baby Daddy” and “Early Edition” as a writer.
This course is not only great for students who take an interest in dramatic writing, but also for those looking into graduating early with college credits, as with the completion of the course, students will earn three college credits.
“The benefits [of taking part in this course] first and foremost are continuing your education, and a big part of that is the fact that it’s free,” said LACES intervention coordinator Mr. Brandy Alexander, whose role within organizing this course being at LACES is to be an intermediary and point person to go between students and the university professors. “If a student was to take, let’s say one class per semester for all four years, you could leave with, theoretically almost a whole year of classes done and you get credit for college.”
Alexander notes that this class is also beneficial for those who are not particularly passionate about writing, but other art forms.
“[I would recommend to take this class] anyone interested in writing, anyone interested in TV, certainly artistic students that are maybe not strong in writing or TV, but they’re talented in storytelling in a visual medium, as that often translates well into the film and TV world,” said Alexander.
“To all the LACES students… I always encourage students to step out of their comfort zone—to try something new, try something different—and this is one of those opportunities.”
