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Meet the Teaching Artist: Introduction to Screenwriting with Kyle Rankin
by Writing Workshops Staff
16 hours ago
It’s a rare privilege to learn the art of screenwriting from someone who has not only mastered the craft but lived every twist and turn of the Hollywood script. Enter Kyle Rankin: a director whose creative journey spans Venice Film Festival premieres, viral sensations, and collaborations with industry titans like Mel Gibson and Michael Eisner. With a filmography that showcases everything from cult-favorite zombie comedies to genre-defying thrillers, Rankin’s work exemplifies the grit and ingenuity needed to succeed in the competitive world of filmmaking.
Rankin sits down with WritingWorkshops.com to discuss his upcoming class, Scr!pt Happens: An Introduction to Screenwriting. For aspiring screenwriters, this is more than a class—it’s a six-week immersive experience. Guided by Rankin, students will not only dissect the DNA of iconic screenplays but also watch a master at work as he drafts an original script in real-time. Through his weekly updates, candid insights, and personal problem-solving, Rankin promises to bring the screenwriting process to life in ways that are both practical and inspiring.
Whether you’re scribbling your first scene or polishing a draft you’ve nurtured for years, this class is your chance to learn directly from an artist who knows how to turn creative sparks into cinematic reality. With every session packed with actionable advice, live Q&As, and opportunities to receive professional feedback, Scr!pt Happens is designed to leave students with not just a deeper understanding of screenwriting—but the confidence to write their own stories.
Before Kyle Rankin’s latest feature, The Roughneck, makes its highly anticipated debut in 2025, take this chance to learn from a filmmaker whose journey proves that great scripts aren’t just written—they’re built, refined, and fought for. Join us as we delve into Rankin’s creative process, Hollywood anecdotes, and what you can expect from his one-of-a-kind screenwriting class.
Hi Kyle, Please introduce yourself to our audience.
I've been a writer/director of movies since the age of twelve. I consider myself a 'blue-collar' filmmaker, meaning: I've yet to have earth-shattering success... but I've managed to survive as an independent artist (while supporting a family) for many years.
What made you want to teach this specific class? Is it something you are focusing on in your own writing practice? Have you noticed a need to focus on this element of craft?
The art of screenwriting is not only something I'm focused on, but something I talk about all the time with my wife. It's a topic I've enjoyed for decades because, like the 'practice' of medicine or law... it needs to be viewed as a craft, one that will never reach perfection. There are many folks out there in the 'screenplay guru' lane, but they approach it from a negative perspective (e.g. the top 7 mistakes you're making!). I personally believe screenwriting can be supported in a straight-forward, positive, community-based way.
Give us a breakdown of how the course is going to go. What can the students expect? What is your favorite part about this class you've dreamed up?
The course will begin with the assumption that each student is intelligent. Perhaps that sounds silly, but having taken part in many screenwriting courses as a student... I can assure you this is a fresh approach. If you find yourself interested in and excited by the notion of my course, and then, if you decide to pull the trigger and pay the fee, etc... I'm going to assume you're smart and ready to hit the ground running. I'm going to tell you everything I know and why I believe it to be true. You can expect to be treated as an equal by me, and be prepared for me to have expectations of YOU. We will work hard and, at the end of our time together, I'll expect from you the level of work you were hoping to achieve for yourself at the beginning!
What was your first literary crush?
This might seem lame, but Choose Your Own Adventure books got me into reading. I can now see that their truncated nature is perfect to spark a young screenwriter (not necessarily a prose author) so it all makes sense! They showed me how many story possibilities can come from one character's choices, and taught me not to limit myself to the first idea that springs to mind. I still own several of the originals I purchased back then, 40+ years ago, and they still are exciting to me.
What are you currently reading?
I just finished Algernon, Charlie, and I by Daniel Keys. Because I'm a film geek irl... I tend to read things that ALSO have a cinematic bent. I read Flowers for Algernon with the idea of then watching the 1968 movie staring Cliff Robertson. Because I enjoyed both, I went down the rabbit-hole of author Daniel Keys and wanted to read his autobiography. It was fascinating to learn that the late great screenwriter William Goldman had actually done a screenplay draft of the original short story -- a draft Keys rejected without knowing Goldman (whom he idolized) had written it!
How do you choose what you're working on? When do you know it is the next thing you want to write all the way to THE END?
I get my best ideas while in the middle of writing a screenplay. Those ideas always beg me to abandon whatever I'm working on and switch over to them. I used to... but this was a path to ruin! So now I simply grab a pad, write down the new thought, and continue with whatever idea I've begun. I now stick with EVERYTHING to the end (or to FADE OUT) because it's the only way to see if the story truly works.
Where do you find inspiration?
Life. My children. My wife. Food. Travel. Old movies. Old books.
What is the best piece of writing wisdom you've received that you can pass along to our readers? How did it impact your work? Why has this advice stuck with you?
To think of screenwriting as 'sitting in a movie theater describing the movie to a blind friend.' This has stuck with me because there are a TON of lessons within it -- it asks us to choose our words well, to be efficient with them, and to not spend any time with useless details (lest we get left behind by the very movie we're describing!).
What is your favorite book to recommend on the craft of writing? Why this book?
Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott. She implores us to write 'shitty first drafts' and that has stuck with me since college. I think it's a great idea to just get it down, see what you have, and THEN let yourself edit.
Bonus question: What’s your teaching vibe?
Friendly task-master.
Here is Kyle's upcoming seminar, Scr!pt Happens: an Introduction to Screenwriting. You can sign up now to avoid the waitlist!
