UCLA
Sit Com Writing & Producing

Dates	July 8 - July 20, 2012
Grades	11 through Age 20
Tuition	$2600
Audition	No Audition Required

	Tuition includes room & meals Grade entering in Fall 2012

Program Directors: Lori Kirkland Baker

Sitcom Writing/Producing Camp Details

What do WILL AND GRACE, FRIENDS, EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND, THE OFFICE and 2 AND A HALF MEN, have in common? You guessed it! They are all situation comedies! US Performing Arts and UCLA are proud to offer the only Sitcom Writing/Producing Camp in the country.

The Sit Com Writing/Producing camp is one of the most popular workshops every summer. It focuses on the writing and producing of a situation comedy. Television is writer/producer driven and you will get an opportunity to learn about writing character and situation comedies that parallel the situation comedies that we have grown up with. You will learn what is funny and what is not...what works for a joke and what doesn't, and how a sketch is different from a story comedy while the entire time you are learning to develop character through situation and humor. Designed for the serious writer who also wants to understand producing, you will examine structures of situation comedies past and present and work side by side with the master writers of the current sitcom world. This workshop collaborates with the Sitcom Acting Workshop in the staging and performance of your original situation comedies under the guidance and experience of a seasoned professional director in a real studio environment.

You will learn the fundamentals of sitcom character development, front story, and back story and what makes a story not only funny but also humanistic. In the second week, the workshop becomes patterned after the real life experiences of a creative sitcom television show which follows an episode from a table read to a taping of the show. By show time, you will have gone through the experience of writing and re-writing as you see new jokes and develop new ideas that work for the story and the actors once the project gets on its feet. Finally you will be taping the show on a real set in a real television studio. This workshop is very popular and usually fills quickly. It is a workshop that is high energy, fun and exciting with a lot of laughs. Guests may drop in from time to time who will give you further understanding of sitcom writing and producing and maybe even show you some things about sitcom acting which will help your work as a writer.

Earn College Credit at UCLA this summer! Click here for more information.

** Check-In and Travel Information

Students check-in between 1pm and 2:30pm on the first day of camp.
Flights should arrive into Los Angeles International (LAX) on the first day of camp between 10am and 12pm.
Flights should depart from Los Angeles International (LAX) on the day after camp ends (Saturday) between 9am and 12pm.
Transportation is available to and from Los Angeles International(LAX) for $30 EACH WAY + Additional $125 for overnight stay.
UCLA Travel Forms

Directors and Faculty

Lori Kirkland Baker

Program Director

The UCLA Arts Camp Workshop for is pleased to have Emmy Winning Producer Screenwriter Lori Kirkland Baker heading up Workshop in Sitcom Writing and Producing. Beginning her career as a writer and executive story editor for three years on the hit series Wings, Lori quickly became the hottest writer/producer in situation comedy. She was the Executive Producer and Writer for five years on the Emmy winning series Frasier for which she was nominated three times and received the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. In 2003 she received the Writers Guild of America award for an episode of this series before moving on as Co-Executive Producer and Writer of the TV series Freddie in 2005 and 2006. From 2007 - 2009 Lori was the Executive Producer and writer of Desperate Housewives which garnered critical acclaim for its unique story telling as a combination of sitcom and narrative/soap. It led the way to other such formats in television. Ever prolific, Lori Kirkland Baker currently has a pilot she is making with Lifetime and looks forward to working with our young writers and producers in this years workshop. The combination of Conchata Ferrell in our Sitcom Acting Workshop and Lori Kirkland Baker in our Sitcom Writing and Producing Workshop brings this UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television program to new heights.

Location Information

Regarded as one of America's most prestigious universities, UCLA is home to the number one ranked theater department in North America. Bordered on the north by protected wilderness and on the south by Westwood Village, UCLA has long been known as an entertainment magnet for the entire Los Angeles area. Selected for their artistic and professional achievements, UCLA 's exceptional faculty from the School of Theater, Film and Television lead these inspiring workshops.

The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT) is the only university in the country where the study of theater, film, television and digital media is integrated within a single professional school.

Click HERE for UCLA Campus Map.

_{*Tuition does not include one-time registration fee($150), weekend stays, or airport transportation.}

If you have questions or need help registering, please call 888-497-3553

Dates, Directors, and Faculty subject to change without notice. The faculty is comprised of college professors representing their schools and professional industry artists. Images are of USPA programs, but may not represent actual program or location. Photos by Tito Deverya (UCLA TFT), Lauren di Matteo, and Chris Vanderhorst.

** USPA highly recommends that students secure travel insurance to cover trip cancellation, interruption, and/or medical emergency.
For more on travel insurance, please visit: Assurance Solutions.

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