The course will explore how a screenplay is conceptualized and developed, the role of agency relationships in the film business, and - casting as wide a net as possible - the financing, production, direction, distribution, exhibition and marketing of both independent and studio films. A combination of lectures by instructors and practitioners, case studies, film screenings, and consulting projects with independent and Hollywood creators, packagers, financiers, exhibitors, distributors and publicists will illustrate the relationship between the art of film and the business of film. Guests will include screenwriters, agents, producers, directors, distributors, film festival curators and film critics. In short, we will try to cover all aspects of making a film, and explore that often-tricky intersection of art and commerce.