LINDA SEGER – COURSE OUTLINE

“Every film is about meaning, and conveys meaning through its story and through its characters. In Part One, we'll look at how to connect the ideas in your script with your audience to make your film more commercial.” – Linda Seger

Part One: Deepening your Story through Theme and Ideas

• Making your story more commercial through a universal theme.

• Discussing universal themes found in many great films.

• Fitting the theme to the demographics of your audience.

• 4 ways to express the theme: through the dialogue, story, characters, and images. 

“Film is meant to be cinematic, not talky. In Part Two, we'll look at ways to use images to better express the theme and to bring the story to life cinematically.” – Linda Seger

Making your Story more Cinematic through Images and Image Systems.

• What is an image?

• How to think in images to become a better screenwriter.

• Creating metaphoric images that help express the theme.

• Creating image systems that travel throughout the entire film.

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JOHN TRUBY- COURSE OUTLINE

“Hollywood respects and pays for somebody who stands out from the crowd. In other words, anyone who is an original storyteller. If you have something unique, and if you tell your story in an original way, you are the only place that they can go to get what you have. And that’s why [studios] will pay you a lot of money to do that. That’s why I always say it is absolutely essential that you maintain control over your originality. That is what is unique to you, that is what you have to sell. If you can do that, and then learn the structure techniques for expressing what is original, you will be very successful.” – John Truby

• The variations of deep structure

• 7 steps to a great premise 

• Plot techniques

• How to beak scenes down

• The secret to creating a strong middle  

• Determining the key theme and central moral choice of your hero

• Creating Your Opponent

• Genres: Action, Comedy, Crime, Detective, Fantasy, Horror, Love, Masterpiece, Myth, Science Fiction, Thriller

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MICHAEL HAUGE – COURSE OUTLINE

For our opening session, Hollywood script consultant and screenwriting coach Michael Hauge, best-selling author of Writing Screenplays That Sell and Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds: The Guaranteed Way to Get Your Screenplay or Novel Read, will present his unique approach to creating compelling, commercial screenplays. Michael will show you how to entertain, enlighten and move your audience through story concept, plot structure, character development and theme. He will then reveal his proven method for getting the people in power to read your screenplay. Selected participants will also get direct feedback on their story concepts and pitches.

Topics covered will include:

• The primary goal of all story

• The power of desire, need, longing and destiny

• The essential conflict all characters must face

• Turning plot structure from a complicated concept into a simple, powerful tool you can easily apply to every story

• The six stages of a properly structured screenplay

• The single key to creating character arc and theme

• Creating believable and fulfilling love stories

• The eight steps to a powerful pitch

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SYD FIELD – COURSE OUTLINE

“It is an inspiring and innovative time to be a screenwriter. All of us embody that future. We have the imagination, the tools, the skills, and we know the craft -- but do we have the courage and the strength to bring our own personal vision into the world? I feel the screenwriter should take responsibility for stimulating the audience into action; to think -- to feel -- to passionately inspire others.” – Syd Field 

Topics covered will include:

• Setting up character and story

• Film is behavior – introducing character AS story

• When and why to use Voice Over (VO) narration

• The Inciting Incident and its impact on character

• Setting up the Non-linear story

• Writing effective dialogue

• The Nature of Conflict

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