SCRIPT SECRETS SEMINAR *
CLASS SCHEDULE
* Formerly Naked Screenwriting
Refocused for 2005! More step-by-step information!
More *unique* information!
Plus: we're using the movie GHOST as our primary script example!DAY 1, 9am - 6pm - FOUNDATIONS
Who wants to read a well written script with a boring idea? How to use magnification to create stories that are high concept yet personal. The connection between plot and character. Pacing your script - do you have enough story? Backstory and foreshadowing. How theme connects all of the elements in your script. Examples will include LIAR LIAR, THE MATRIX, MEMENTO and GHOST.
INTRO: What is a Movie? - Why the movie experience is a shared dream.
1) Ideas - Movie ideas, novel ideas, stage play ideas - can you tell the difference? Where do you get your ideas? 15 fresh places to find great script ideas. Brainstorming - Methods for creatiung original ideas from nothing. Finding the RIGHT idea for your script. High Concept is MY concept - a story you are passionate about that producers will be passionate about.
2) Developing Ideas - Finding your personal connection to an idea, or growing a high concept idea from your personal experiences. Magnification, finding the core idea. How your idea creates the story, characters, subplots, theme, scenes and everything else!
3) Story - The 10 critical elements of any story. Growing story from character... or character from story. How story works. The connection between story and character. Internal and external conflicts.
4) Theme - Creating story and character from concept - how to find and use theme. Why theme is the most important element in a screenplay. Theme and nexus. Theme and dialogue.
5) Structure & Pacing - Structure: traditional 3 Acts to Structural Freaks. 7 alternate structures for your screenplay. How the traditional 3 Act structure REALLY works - why it's been used for over 2,400 years. Using 3 Act structure to tell non-traditional stories like MEMENTO and RUN, LOLA, RUN. 5 techniques to improve pacing... and why pacing is critical to every screenplay. "Genre juice" and pacing.
6) Creating Your Protagonist - 12 ways to make your lead character likeable. 20 character building techniques for protagonists. Why *you* are your protagonist.
7) Bringing Your Protagonist To Life - The 3 best techniques to make your protagonists three-dimensional.Emotional and physical conflict - why you need both!
8) Emotion Pictures - A good script emotionally involves the reader. How to involve the audience by using reversals, suspense, and plot twists. How to create audience participation through choices.
DAY 2, 9am - 6pm - ADVANCED TECHNIQUES
Now that we have our story, characters, and theme... it's time to put them to work! Proven techniques use by professional writers to make their scripts *great*! You'll learn how to heighten drama by using contrast. How to use slang, jargon, subtext, banter and non-verbal dialog. Demonstration, symbolism, leitmotifs, and other ways to tell stories with pictures. How to sell your script - the difference between agents and managers. Finding the right producer for your screenplay. Examples will include ROAD WARRIOR, FANTASIA 2000, VERTIGO, and THE GODFATHER PART 2.
1) Your First Ten Pages - Hooks, lures, kickers, string theory. Six basic ways to start your screenplay - the opening scene. The 12 critical elements of your first ten pages - do you have them all?
2) Creating Your Supporting Cast - Creating distinctive speech patterns for each character. Over 10 character building techniques for supporting characters - how to make them individual and memorable.
3) Suplots & Instant Identifiers for Characters - Vivid supporting characters and the subplot prism.
4) Advanced Dialogue - 5 ways to create original dialogue... by making up your own words! Over 20 techniques to make your dialogue sing. 5 ways to remove OTN (on the nose) dialogue.
5) Thinking In Pictures - Visual characterization and visual story telling - 12 tools you can use today!
6) Creating Satisfying Endings - 14 types of endings for your screenplay - which is best for YOUR script? 5 critical elements that ALL screenplay endings need.
7) Rewriting Your Script - 4 techniques for exploding cliches. Polishing and preparing your script for market - 30 rewrite tips!
8) Marketing Your Screenplay - 25 methods to build your career... things you can do TODAY! What does Hollywood want? Writing scripts that sell. How to sell even without an agent or manager.
FADE OUT: How YOU can live in the dream world - writing movies that actually get made!
NEXT YEAR: We'll start with character instead of ideas, add eight new subjects and skip eight of the subjects from this year... plus we will use a new primary example film (probably ROMANCING THE STONE). It'll be a whole new class! If you take this year's class, you'll get an automatic discount for next year's class! So don't miss THIS YEAR'S class! This year's material won't be repeated until 2007!
SCHEDULE REGISTER PAYMENT METHODS GETTING THERE STUDENT FEEDBACK WHO SHOULD ATTEND INSTRUCTOR
I got more from your class than any other.
- R. SharpVery practical information presented in an easygoing, approachable manner. With his no-nonsense presentation and nuts-and-bolts approach, Bill Martell demystifies the often obfuscated process of screenwriting. Using concrete examples from classic movies and recent blockbusters, Bill takes the "woo-woo" out of the art of writing for film and replaces it with solid craft.
- K. SandlerWant a brochure and registration form? E-mail me your postal address: Send Me A Registration Form!
WRITING A BIG SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER? Do you want to write the next LORD OF THE RINGS or SPIDER-MAN? The WRITE A BLOCKBUSTER Blue Book contains dozens of techniques for creating a big script to fill the big screen! Using examples like GLADIATOR, PLANET OF THE APES, THE MUMMY RETURNS, and RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK you'll learn how to choose the perfect lead character, how to create spectacle scenes, why the unfamiliar NEEDS the familiar, plus techniques to avoid the big problems often found in big movies. If you're writing a big summer film, this is the Blue Book for you!
For more information about BLUE BOOKS - ACT TWO SECRETS is Ready To Ship!
The book Pro Screenwriters recommend:
SECRETS OF ACTION SCREENWRITINGTo discuss this Script Tip or ask a question, check out the Message Boards.
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