SATURDAY

Starting with a blank sheet of paper we’ll generate scores of film stories using a series of brainstorming exercises while reminding ourselves of the following:

• What is film?  Are we writing cinematically?
• Is our central character working?  Attitude shifting and how this is expressed.
• What are the goals of the characters?
• Are the character arcs powerful enough to carry a two-hour story?  How are the arcs reflected in the character's world?
• What are the powerful relationships in the film?
• What’s the ‘expertise’ of our film?
• What’s the genre?  What’s the market?  Is it feasible to get this movie made?
• By the end of the afternoon writers will go away and prepare three story outline pitches based on the ‘Euroscript Formula’.

SUNDAY

Writers will come prepared to pitch three ideas each, based on yesterday’s workshop.  We’ll help you choose which is the best (and why) and tell you which needs to be binned in a brutal but important exercise in making sure you’re writing a script which has a chance of being made.

Working with your chosen idea, we’ll hammer home some good structure techniques.

• The pegs on the clothesline of structure – what happens during each important story beat of the film and how can this be expressed on screen visually and dramatically?
• Where will the emotional highs and lows come from?
• Is there enough plot?  If not, how to generate more.
• The dos and don’ts of action writing.
• How to make your characters leap off the page.

You’ll leave with a rough bullet-point outline of your screenplay.

For writers who complete a two-page treatment - this may be entered for FREE into the Euroscript Screen Story Competition, deadline 31st March 2013 (usual cost £35).  Click here for details.

Writers will then be encouraged to complete the first draft of their script in one month (April) during SCRIPTFRENZY – a worldwide scriptwriting initiative.  Click here for details.