Preparing a Screenwriting Sample for a Film Program Application

A screenwriting application usually turns on a small number of pages. Some programs want an excerpt from a finished screenplay, some want new scenes written to a prompt, and at least one well-known undergraduate program asks applicants not to use screenplay format at all. Because the rules differ so much, the most useful preparation is reading each program's instructions line by line and building a separate packet for each. This guide walks through the common requirements using three official application pages for the Fall 2027 cycle, then covers choosing, trimming and presenting your work.

What programs actually ask for

The three examples below show how far requirements can diverge. They are illustrations, not a template: confirm everything on the program's own admissions page before you write a word.

Beyond the sample itself, these packets include other writing that readers weigh together with it: AFI asks screenwriting applicants for a short self-recorded video introduction, and USC asks for an autobiographical character sketch, an essay about a challenging moment, a CV and a list of creative projects with your role in each. USC states that its faculty committee gives considerable weight to these written materials and does not hold admission interviews.

Choosing the script to send

Start with ownership. AFI requires that you be the only writer of the sample and excludes co-authored work and adaptations. USC accepts only original material and specifically rules out spec episodes of existing series. A script you co-wrote in a class, an adaptation of a novel, or a spec of a current show may be strong work, but under these rules it is the wrong choice.

Next, think about what the pages demonstrate. A reader with ten or twenty pages sees how you introduce a character, how quickly a scene finds its conflict and whether dialogue sounds like people rather than exposition. Pick the material where those skills are most visible, even if a different script has the more marketable concept.

Finally, check the genre and form a program wants. A school that asks for "creative writing" in any form, as USC does, leaves room for a short story or a play excerpt. A program that asks for a screenplay in professional format does not.

Excerpts, page limits and context notes

Page limits are hard limits. USC says it reads only the first 10 pages of the sample, so anything after page 10 is wasted. AFI warns applicants not to exceed page requirements and allows a 20-page excerpt from a longer script.

If you excerpt, you do not have to start on page one. AFI says the best portion may be the opening or another section, as long as you briefly explain where it falls in the story. USC also allows an excerpt with a note explaining its context. Keep that note short — a few sentences on who the characters are and what has just happened — so it orients the reader without replacing the scene.

When you cut a feature down, end on a page that feels like a deliberate stopping point: the close of a sequence or a turn that raises a question. A sample that stops mid-scene because the page count ran out reads as unfinished.

Format: screenplay, prose or both

Most graduate screenwriting programs ask for industry-standard screenplay format. AFI asks for professional format for both the sample and the assignment and wants a title page with your name, email address and a program code. USC asks for screenplay format in its two prompted scenes and requires PDF uploads.

Do not assume the same holds everywhere. Chapman's undergraduate writing major asks applicants to write their scene in short-story form — typed, single-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman, one-inch margins — and states that it wants to see storytelling ability rather than formatting. Sending a screenplay there ignores an explicit instruction.

Other small rules show up often: page-number headers, a specified file type, a file-size limit, or a required label on the title page. AFI, for example, asks that essays carry the applicant's name, discipline, intake and page number. These details are easy to miss and easy to get right.

Writing to a prompt

Prompted scenes test whether you can work inside constraints, which is much of what professional writing involves. AFI's assignment specifies a theme, a page ceiling and a cast of three, and asks for a main character, a turn and an ending that points toward more story. USC's two scenes each come with an assigned situation, and one asks writers to emphasize visual elements alongside dialogue.

A few practical habits help:

• Treat every stated requirement as a checklist item — character count, page range, theme, format.
• Read the prompt as a starting point, not a plot. Readers see many literal interpretations.
• Write new material for the prompt rather than forcing an existing scene to fit.
• Leave time for at least one full revision after a break.

Originality, AI and protecting your work

Programs increasingly address generative AI directly. USC's writing MFA instructions state that using AI-generated tools for any part of the written portions is not permitted and is treated as plagiarism. Other schools word their policies differently, so read each one; do not assume a rule from one application carries over to another.

Some writers register scripts before sending them out. The Writers Guild of America West Registry describes registration as a dated record of a claim of authorship, and states that it does not replace registration with the U.S. Copyright Office. The Copyright Office, for its part, notes that copyright protects the expression of a work but not the underlying idea, and that a work does not have to be published to be protected. Registration is a personal decision; no program in these examples requires it for admission.

Before you submit

• Confirm the cycle and deadline on the official page. For Fall 2027, AFI lists an application window of September 4 to December 1, 2026, and USC lists November 15 for its writing MFA. Dates change every year.
• Check page counts after exporting to PDF, not in your writing software.
• Proofread title pages, headers and file names.
• Make sure every piece is your own, solo-written and allowed under that program's rules.
• Keep a copy of exactly what you sent to each school.

For broader planning, see how to choose a screenwriting MFA, the screenwriting MFA overview and the general admissions guide.