WRITE YOUR SHORT FILM SCRIPT!  

Why are short film scripts a great way to learn one's craft as a screenwriter?

Because short film scripts are all about economical writing and making each second count, therefore they are challenging to get right. The lessons learnt while writing a short format piece are invaluable when starting out as a screenwriter and/or a writer-director.

Short film scripts can also be helpful for directors and/or writers-directors to showcase a feature film ("proof-of-concept" short films), which is what Damien Chazelle did to obtain funding for WHIPLASH.

This online 5-week workshop (limited to eight participants) takes writers through the process of developing a full short film script (under 15 minutes).

​The pre-requisite for this course is to bring an idea for a short film.


Who Should Take This Course?

  • New writers or writer/directors who want to learn the craft.
  • Experienced writers and writer-directors who seek like-minded creatives to develop their stories in a workshop environment.
  • Writers and writer/directors developing a proof-of-concept short film feature for their feature project.
  • Live-action or animation writers.

The course is workshop-oriented. 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 

WEEK 1 – Building the foundations.

During this session, you explore ten preliminary questions which you will use as stepping stones toward the development of your short film. The idea you brought to the class will be workshopped. During this session, we'll look into:

- What makes a great idea for a short film.
- Proof-of-concept shorts vs. stand-alone shorts.
- The importance of logline.

WEEK 2 – Plotting away

After week 1, you develop a logline and one-page treatment of your short film which you discuss in class. During this session, we will more closely into:

- Compressing the timeline.
- 3-act structure for short films.
- Sticking the landing. 

WEEK 3 – Developing your characters 

You turn your one-page treatment into a two-page treatment and receive feedback from peers and tutor with an emphasis on Character. We will explore:

- Archetypes, stereotypes and fully rounded characters.
- The arc of the protagonist.
- How characters and story message go hand-in-hand.

WEEK 4 – Visual Storytelling

In this class, you will workshop the 4-page step-outlines (beat-sheets) developed after Week 3. We will dig deeper into:

* The “Show, don’t tell” mantra.
* Evocative writing.
* Smooth transitions. 


WEEK 5 – Writing Dialogue

You bring a first draft of your short film script to the class and workshop it. We will look into:

* How to avoid on-the-nose dialogue.
* The importance of verbal and non-verbal subtext. 
* The script development process.


By the end of this course, you will have:

  • A well-developed draft of a short film script.
  • Practical tools that will support the development of your script and your writing practice in general.
  • A network of writers
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 3 hour Tuesday evening workshops
​15, 22, 29 November
6, 13 December 
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.
FOR FURTHER DETAILS
Email or phone:  07958 244656
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ABOUT STEPHANIE

Stéphanie Joalland a London-based writer-director with her own production company Frenzy Films. She also has extensive experience developing TV series for French TV and co-created the animated version of VALERIAN for Luc Besson's EuropaCorp. Her feature film THE QUIET HOUR starring Dakota Blue Richards premiered on Sky Cinema in the UK and was released on Netflix. Her feature projects have received the support of Sofia Meeting, Film London PFM, European Genre Forum, and Frontières International co-production Market. An alumna of Berlinale Talents, she is represented by Zero Gravity Management in the U.S. as a writer-director. She teaches screenwriting at U.A.L.’s London College of Communication, NFTS, on the Raindance MA in Filmmaking with De Montfort University and the MSt in Writing for Performance at the University of Cambridge. 
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