SATURDAY

10am-1pm: WRITING EMOTIONALLY POWERFUL STORIES
Learn how to choose the most compelling, exciting, and meaningful story possible. If you're already wedded to a specific project, this class will help you identify the strongest elements in your story so that you can fully exploit them. Maximize the emotional impact of your work, and discover common threads that makes certain stories unforgettable.

1-2pm lunch

2-4pm: THE FOUNDATION
Dissolve writing blocks while learning to conceive your story structurally. Rather than resorting to plot points, you will identify the "DNA" of your story, from which you can extrapolate the rest of the script. Rather than sticking flowers into the ground, learn how to sow the seeds from which the flowers will naturally grow.

4:30-6:30pm: PRE-WRITING: THE ONE-PAGE OUTLINE
Too much planning and plotting leads to contrived writing. But lack of planning often leads to unfinished scripts or drastic and arduous rewrites. Learn how to create a one-page outline that will contain all the information you need to write a structurally solid draft, while giving your characters the room they need to take a life of their own.

SUNDAY

10-1pm: HUMAN CONNECTION
Whether it's When Harry Met Sally, Lost in Translation, or Die Hard, as the key relationship evolves, so do the characters. In this class, you will learn to approach plot and character by focusing on relationships. As you evolve the relationships in your story, plot and character will emerge organically, adding both meaning and entertainment.

1-2pm: Lunch

2-4pm THE COMPLETE TOOL KIT
Learn how to become your own best script consultant by using specific story analysis tools that will help improve your story and protect you from the great amounts of inaccurate and discouraging feedback that writers often endure.

4:30-6:30pm THE REVISION PROCESS
Have you spent years working on a script that isn't done yet? This class offers a map to making the revision process finite and effective. Learn how to break down the process into small, manageable tasks, applying skill and inspiration every step of the way, from reworking the first draft, to the final polish of a professional script. Class includes talks on the business of screenwriting and tips on navigating the industry and marketing your work.

Please watch WHALE RIDER and SHREK (I) before attending the seminar.

Workshop Application Form