Robert Widdowson

Review of New York Film Academy

I took the 1-year online screenwriting course. In ...

I took the 1-year online screenwriting course. In theory it sounded perfect for me, since I wasn't in a position to go to school full-time. I had high hopes.

On the positive side, I did learn the basic principles of screenwriting. Also, I finished a first draft of a film script, which was pretty cool. The discipline of meeting weekly to report on my progress helped me achieve my goal. I wish my review could end there, on a positive note.

But on the negative side, I found the instructor extremely rude to anyone who didn't agree with their opinions 100%. The person often ridiculed students and dismissed their contributions. The surly attitude shut down conversation more than once. I have a Masters degree, and have been a student in several schools as an adult - and I have encountered only a few instructors as abrasive as this person. (That's saying a lot, considering how arrogant many professors are!)

Also, the instructor was late to class more than once. To be fair, the person did make it up, by extending the classroom time. Still, when you've arranged for child-care, it's a drag to sit and wait in front of your computer, while your instructor fumbles around, making half-baked excuses why they were late. I have kids at home who play the same tricks in an attempt to evade their responsibilities, I don't need my screenwriting instructor doing the same!

Worse yet, the instructor once shared personal information about their family of origin that was unnecessary to the classroom context. (We paid a hefty tuition fee to learn screenwriting skills, not to hear sad facts about this person's childhood. Hey, we all have a few sad memories about childhood! Get over it! An online classroom is not the place for a paid instructor to share personal memories). I would have been more sympathetic to their plight if they had been a nice human being from the beginning. They weren't nice, so I'm not sympathetic.

Finally, the instructor went back on a promise they had made to me during a classroom session. Another student hadn't come to the online class, and we were scheduled to read their script. So I volunteered to submit my rough draft - with the understanding that I could re-submit my script once it was finished, for another classroom review. The instructor agreed to those terms - but went back on their agreement a few weeks later.

When I questioned the instructor about it, my concern was dismissed. So, I copied the transcribed conversation in which the instructor made the promise. They replied that they were way too busy to give each student individual attention! (Then why make the promise in the first place?).

My poor rating is entirely based on the habitually unprofessional conduct of the instructor. The actual course content was very, very good. Had someone else - with a good work ethic, a sense of punctuality, and a commitment to personal and professional integrity - taught the course, then I would have given NYFA a perfect score.

So, although I'm indebted to NYFA for helping me acquire basic screenwriting skills, and giving me the opportunity to complete a rough draft, I found the personal conduct of the instructor a very serious obstacle to the learning experience.

My suggestion to anyone who wants to enroll in an online screenwriting course:

- Make sure the educational institution has a professional code of conduct

- Make sure the school holds their instructors to that code

If you can't afford the cost of tuition:

- Buy a good book on screenwriting. It will give you the exact same info about skills that this course provided, at a fraction of the cost

- Enroll in a writing class at your local community center, where you can find like-minded people who will hold you accountable as you write your next project

-Keep writing! Don't give up.