Fortnightly modules.
A Masterclass and a Workshop.
For the course dates, check the calendar.
Start
999 Story Ideas
Create a new story concept to develop during The Story Series.
Effective idea generation
Screen concept essentials
Build event/action loglines
Finding Nemo = Taken
Objective: A logline for your project in the EVENT/ACTION format.
1 – Concept
2 – Structure
Fun With Shapes
The origins and application of popular story structure models.
Picking the right chart
Observation to convention
Structure and creativity
Barbenheimer & Bollywood
Objective: 8 – 12 highly dramatic scenes in your story.
The Disagreeables
A fresh perspective on writing irresistible, focused characters.
Before Character
The I.D.E.A.S. cycle
You tell them what to do
Character equals plot
Objective: A revised character introduction scene.
Emotional Logic
Discover the perfect marriage of inspiration and structural efficiency.
Archetypes and archebeats
What Vogler didn’t tell you
An Incredible(s) template
Nomadland: A heroine’s journey
Objective: A step outline for your project, in scenes and sequences.
A Kiss and a Slap
How Bollywood and ice cream come to the rescue of your story’s structure.
The two-act structure
Why grandpa died halfway
Reversal of fortune & action
Understanding Ex Machina
Objective: A two-act analysis of your favourite mainstream film.
Fade In
Overcome procrastination and punch out pages—fast.
How I broke writer’s block
Don’t get it right
Show don’t tell is dead
The step outline
Objective: 25 pages completed in 25 days, and a full draft in 8 weeks.
What Is It About?
Find out who you are before others read the theme of your story.
Dramatic/thematic subtext
Be a subtext detective
Sheridan’s secret sauce
Theme is not a word
Objective: A thematic question or statement for your project.
7 – Theme
8 – Dialogue
Fill In The Words
How to use dialogue effectively for drama, character, and plot.
Aaron Sorkin is a drummer
Cognitive dissonance
Three functions of dialogue
Is “show don’t tell” dead?
Objective: A dramatic verbal portrait of a/your main character.
Copy Your Masters
The writer’s future is in their voice on the page. Not on the screen.
Technical excellence
Content and form
Sharpen your voice
The devil in the detail
Objective: A scene in the voice of your favourite master/maestra.
9 – Voice
10 – Marketing
Before You Pitch
Gain a competitive edge through study of leading films and scripts.
Film and script analysis
A problem-solving model
Finding your voice—fast
A networking secret
Objective: Two comparables; one for structure and one for tone.
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