WRITE THAT SCRIPT! (PART I)
Why is it that many scripts fail to grab the reader in the first 10 pages and many writers abandon the script as soon as they get to Act 2?
Most of the time the reason is that they haven't outlined the story before starting and run out of gas. This online 5-week Wednesday evening (max 8 students) takes writers through the process of developing a 4-page outline and creating a First Act that will keep readers engaged and wanting to turn the page. This course can be done alone or in combination with Write That Script! - Part II (Act 2 and Act 3) as part of Write That Script Full! Package. The pre-requisite for this course is to write a two-page outline that you will bring to the first session. Who Should Take This Course:
The course is workshop oriented. The assignments will be due no later than noon the previous day. You will be expected to read at least three of the students’ work per week in order to give them notes in the class. In turn, you will benefit from the feedback and support of the tutor and peers to write your pages and revise them along the way. SYLLABUS SESSION 1 – It all starts with a 2-page Outline! Less is more - The starting point of this course is a two-page outline which will ensure you’re heading in the right direction. Writing is rewriting, so even students who already have a well-developed outline will benefit from this class which will allow them to go deeper into their story and characters. During this session you workshop your two-page outline and look into:
SESSION 2– Workshopping your 4-page Outline - Refining, refining, refining! - The problem with longer treatments and step-outlines is that writers and readers often can’t see the forest from the trees. Therefore, 4-pagers are a natural stepping stone toward the development of a script as they allow for meaningful feedback and leave room for change. During this session you finesse your four-page outline and zero-in on:
SESSION 3 – Set up your story world - the first 10 pages - Your first 10 pages are the most important as they set up characters, theme, and dramatic conflict before the inciting incident happens. They are make-or-break for industry gatekeepers. During the session you will workshop the first 10 pages of your script and look into:
SESSION 4 – Amp up the stakes - 2nd half of Act 1- You write the second building block of Act 1, from the “then something happens moment” (inciting incident) up until the point where the protagonist commits to the journey and the story starts in earnest. During the session, you will workshop the 2nd half of your script (around 15 pages). During this session we will focus on:
SESSION 5 – Revise Act 1 - Now you are on your way! - In the light of the feedback received you now revise Act 1. During session 5, you will workshop the updated draft. We will discuss:
By the end of this course, you will have:
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PRICES
STANDARD: £275
CONCESSION: £247
*We offer the concessionary rate to all Concessions as well as to members of these affiliated organisations. If you are a member of one of these organisations, please book at the concessionary rate and show your membership card to the course tutor at registration.
DATES & TIME
5 x Wednesday evening sessions: September 8, 15, 22, 29 October 6 7pm-10pm (With some prep work required, in-between dates) ONLINE PLATFORM The sessions will be run on Zoom. All attendees will be sent the Zoom login information upon registration. EVENT CAPACITY: 8 Book your place early to avoid disappointment. ![]() ABOUT STEPHANIE
Stéphanie is a writer-director. She runs Frenzy Films, a London-based production company which specialises in contained elevated genre films. Originally from France, she began her career in story development at TF1 International and Canal Plus. She then worked as a story editor and screenwriter for French TV, creating a Sci-Fi animated series for Luc Besson’s Europa Corp: VALERIAN & LAURELINE. After studying film at UCLA she wrote and directed her first feature film, THE QUIET HOUR, a sci-fi thriller starring Dakota Blue Richards. THE QUIET HOUR premiered at Galway Film Fleadh, vied for the Best British Film at Raindance and the Grand Prix at Sofia International Film Festival, won Best Film at Kansas City Film Fest, showcased at Newport Beach, premiered on Sky Cinema in the UK in 2016 and sold to Amazon Prime in the U.S. As a writer-director, Stéphanie is now developing ICE, a grounded sci-fi thriller which was selected for the 2020 Filmarket's UK Online Pitchbox, Sofia Meeting, BiFan's NAFF Project Event and Frontières co-production market at Fantasia. Her next project as a producer is THE LAST MOON which won the 2021 Irish Film London Fellowship to the Stowe Lab and was selected for this year's European Genre Forum, Frontières and NAFF. Stéphanie lectures on screenwriting at the London College of Communication, Central Film School and on the Raindance MA in Filmmaking with De Montfort University. She is an alumna of Berlinale Talent and IFP Emerging Narrative in NYC. |