Learn How To Be A Screenwriter

Have you ever wondered about your favorite movie? The actors, the action or the writing? Fresno State has a professor who is a screenwriter and students can take a class from this award winning professional.

Edward Emanuel, not only is a screenwriter, but he’s also ghost writer, and director. Emanuel says, “I started working on an idea about a screenplay about little kids, a grandfather and martial-arts and I wrote it out.  It’s called ‘The Three Ninjas.’ I gave it to a friend of mine, who become an agent and sold it for me and that was my first big film.”

The Three Ninjas idea was pitched to Disney, Touchstone and though Emanuel thought it would only make a few millions, the film made over $100 million. Emanuel is currently working on a film that is in production this summer in Chicago.

In Emmanuel’s class, students can learn how to write films. They start with the basics of writing stories and learn how to write them in the format of screenwriting. Ruby De La O says, “What I really like about his teaching is he doesn’t just lecture us how to do things but he shows us movies on what he is teaching. If he is showing idiosyncrasy he specifically chooses movies where the main characters are completely opposites to each other.”

Emanuel encourages students to write in and out of class. He gives students valuable information like submitting and registering their work as well as a list of free agents – all information to help motivate students.

Emanuel says, “Because there is a real need for writers it’s amazing what the shortage there is now and that’s why you see things that have already been done.”

Anyone can take the class interested at Fresno State.

You can find it in the course catalog under 177T Film offered in the Spring semester.