Workshops
All workshops are limited in size and are offered on two tracks: new and advanced screenwriters. For writers new to the screenplay form who hope to develop a first script, workshops will cover intensively all aspects of craft: Story, Structure, Character, and Dialogue. Advanced screenwriters will have an opportunity to rethink a work in progress with the guidance of a professional writer and teacher.
Workshops include: How to Write Better Scenes
Instructor: Andrew Bienen
In this workshop, students will learn how to become better scene writers. The class will look at great and not-so-great scenes from films to explore what works and why. Emphasis will be on the scene's function in the larger story and the moment to moment life of a scene. Students will spend the last hour of each class writing scenes; each will have the option of writing a new scene each day (based on an idea of their own or an assigned topic) or choosing a scene they've already written to make it stronger. Suitable for novice screenwriters. Limited to 10.
Understanding Film Structure
Instructor: Christina Lazaridi
For those students who have a screenplay to rewrite or a new idea to outline, this workshop will demystify the process of writing a script from concept to scene writing. Brief in-class writing exercises, discussion of film clips, analysis of excerpts from produced scripts will be applied and related to students work with on-going critique and development of the scripts presented in the workshop. Attendees should leave the conference with a revamped sense of how to structure their scripts, a better grasp of the nuances of scene structure and re-worked opening of their film and line-up of their first act. This class is suitable for advanced students. Limited to 10.
Conceptualizing a Screenplay
Instructor: Ken Friedman
How to start. When are you ready to write? Treatments. Outlines. Beat Sheets. Characters. World. Theme. Story.Do you have enough? How long will it take? Ken Friedman
will take you through the process of developing a screenplay, step by step. Students must submit
a written story concept, character briefs and statement of purpose for him prior to class. You
will have a clear idea of your screenplay when you leave. Suitable for beginning students. Limited
to 10.
Developing Story Through Character
Instructor: Susan B. Landau
Characters define themselves through large and small actions, through their words and their deeds. As in real life, movie characters have both a private and public side, the face they see in the mirror and the one they present to the world. They might say one thing and do another. Their needs might be contradictory. Villains might be likable and heroes, difficult. The behavior of fictional characters should be based on your knowledge of human psychology and your own experiences. Every character you create will be a reflection of some aspect of yourself. This goal of this class is to explore the development of story through character. Suitable for beginning screenwriters. Limited to 10.
Mastering Scene Writing
Instructor: Peter Reigert
John Huston said: “There should be five great scenes in a screenplay and the rest shouldn’t embarrass me.” Working with your screenplay, Peter Reigert will address scene work through
reading, class discussion and analysis of films including his: BY COURIER and KING OF THE
CORNER, as well as classics, such as SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS, PATHS OF GLORY, 400
BLOWS and ANNIE HALL. The main idea is that the screenplay is a living organ that must be
constantly fed, i.e. rewriting and editing until opening night. Advanced. Limited to 10.
Capturing Your Story
Instructor: Paula Brancato
A screenplay begins with the creation of a story. But not all stories deserve to be told. You’ve heard it said a million ways: “We’re looking for a premise that’s unique and unusual.” “…a high concept screenplay.” “Something new that knocks our socks off...” “A story with
remarkable insight… never done before.” So how do you get the remarkable insight that
generates the unusual premise that creates the screenplay that’s a winner? And once you have
that insight how do you turn it into a screenplay? How exactly do you break the back of a story
and make it yours? This workshop will take you through the step by step creation of story from
finding story to fleshing out characters and story arcs to structuring story and the techniques of
sequencing plot.
Suitable for beginning to advanced writers. Limited to 10.
The Art & Craft of Film Adaptation
Instructor: Stephen Molton
Adaptation is the means by which stories travel from form to form. How does the adapter decide what to preserve and what to discard in transforming a literary work to a visual one? What is the difference between strict adaptation and more fanciful retellings? This workshop is geared to writers who have specific texts they’re setting out to adapt to the screen. Before addressing the issues raised to adapt your own issue, one of three texts will be used to explore the adaptation process in general: The Quiet American, A Clockwork Orange, or The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, t.b.d. Student texts will be distributed to the other members of the class, in advance, and workshop time will be spent discussing and creating film treatments that will prepare you to write the actual script. By the third day, you may even be ready with script pages, which will be explored, aloud, in table readings. Suitable for all levels. Limited to 10.
Finding Your Story
Instructor: Frank Pugliese
For novice screenwriters who wish to explore the fundamentals of screenwriting while finding,
developing and securing the story that will eventually evolve into your full-length screenplay.
Understanding the required elements of a screenplay will be the focus of this workshop as well
as exploring the obstacles and opportunities of telling and sustaining a story within the
screenplay form. Simultaneously this exploration of form will require participants to analyze and
commit to the story-telling aspects of their story for no matter how great the inspiration-for or
idea-behind a screenplay may be,what all great films share is a compelling and well-told story.
Additional work includes examinations and analysis of successful screenplays, well established
films, and the role of the writer in the medium. Suitable for beginning students. Limited to 10.
Editing and Rewriting
Instructor: Carol Dysinger
You can do it on the page or you can do it in the editing room. Editing is the last draft of a
script. Audience screenings are merciless. Anything that is not solid, or tight, or worth it's time
on screen is gone. Carol Dysinger has years of experience rewriting s a writer and an editor and
she will share some of her insight and experience in a short lecture and screenings. Suitable for
beginning and advanced students.
A Sequence Based Approach to Screenwriting
Instructor: Malia Scotch Marmo
This course provides an approach to writing screenplays based on a structure composed of sequences. The sequences themselves all contain the fundamental aspects of screenplay writing: a main character, main tension, emotional arcs, events and conflict in every scene. So simple but not too easy! For beginners.