Monday, September 29th through Thursday, October 2nd, 2008.
Another unique feature of the Eugene International Film Festival, in this intensive 4-day course you will learn, one-on-one, from Hollywood professionals, how to
In this exciting course, Hollywood Literary Agent Ken Sherman and Screenwriter/TV Showrunner/Novelist Tom Sawyer will answer your questions, and share with you their firsthand knowledge of how the Movie/TV Business works, and how you can break into it!
Read what former attendees say about this remarkable course:
Novelist, screenwriter, playwright, Thomas B. Sawyer was Head Writer/Showrunner of the hit CBS series, Murder, She Wrote, for which he wrote 24 episodes. Tom has written 9 network TV pilots, 100 episodes, and has been Head Writer/Showrunner or Story Editor on 15 network TV series. He wrote, directed and produced the cult film comedy, Alice Goodbody, is co-librettist/lyricist of Jack, an opera about John F. Kennedy, backed by the Shuberts, that has been performed to acclaim in the US and Europe. He is publisher of Storybase 2.0 and Storybase.net. The best-selling mystery/thriller, The Sixteenth Man, is his first novel. Both his book, Fiction Writing Demystified. and Storybase 2.0, are Writer's Digest Book Club Selections. His next thriller, No Place to Run, will be published in Winter 2008. He's taught writing at UCLA, at other colleges and universities, at numerous major writers conferences, and online at Writers University. Mr. Sawyer has been nominated for an Edgar and an Emmy. www.ThomasBSawyer.com
President of Ken Sherman and Associates, a Beverly Hills-based literary agency representing screen, TV and book writers. Ken's clients include, to name a few, John Updike, David Guterson, author of Snow Falling on Cedars, Tawni O'Dell, whose first novel, Back Roads, became an international best seller and Oprah Book Club selection, Starhawk, considered the best-known witch in the world, Anne Perry, the world's best Victorian murder mystery writer and author of 50 books, plus the estates of Luis Buñuel and John Hersey.
Ken teaches at major colleges and universities, and at numerous writers conferences, from Maui to Santa Fe and elsewhere. His course, "The Business of Writing for Screen, Television and Publishing," has been featured at both USC and UCLA for more than six years. He serves as an Arts and Cultural Affairs Commissioner in the City of West Hollywood, is a founding member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts/Los Angeles (BAFTA) and is a member of both the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences and the International Advisory Board of the Christopher Isherwood Foundation.
If you have a script worthy of a Hollywood agent, this is the Screenwriters' Retreat you must attend. Ken will be looking for exciting new talent at the festival.
Only $345! Register in advance for only $295 and save $50!
Students: $225! Discounted advance registration: only $195!
Available to students with current term school ID.
Advance Registration ends 11:59 PM 9-28-08.
Registration for this limited seating lead-in to the Eugene International Film Festival is open: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/36300
A. Introduction of students & instructors.
B. Student writing experience and expectations.
C. Course goals.
1. Learn basics. What does screenwriting share with other forms of fiction? How does it differ?
2. Learn the three C's: Conflict, Characterization & Construction.
3. Get a LOCK on your screenplay, on what it is you’re writing.
D. Hand out and discuss Syllabus and course assignments.
A. What constitutes a good premise or story idea?
B. Concept.
C. Theme.
D. Hooks and springboards.
E. Character vs. plot.
F. Story sources.
1. True stories.
2. Autobiography.
3. Existing fiction.
A. Current and classic films - concept and theme.
B. Loglines.
A. In class, students write one 1-3 sentence story idea/logline.
B. Students expand each into one paragraph.
C. Both the single sentence and paragraph will be discussed in this and/or next class meeting.
A. Students who have presented their assignments write a two-page treatment.
A. Basic three-act structure. Size, shape, length, pacing.
B. First act:
1. Setting up your story.
2. The importance of grabbing the audience.
3. Characterization - introduction - exposition - peeling the onion.
4. Conflict.
5. Where to start - don't begin too early.
6. The "what-is-it?"
C. Scene structure
1. Length.
2. Dynamic.
3. Button.
A. Students who have presented class assignments write a beat-sheet/scene outline of first act.
A. Creating step outlines.
B. Clocks & other plot devices.
C. Subplots.
1. Making use of all your characters.
2. Integration of subplots and main story.
D. Rising action.
E. Turning points.
F. Resolution.
1. Endings – surprising and satisfying your audience.
2. Getting out when it's over.
G. Pivotal scenes.
H. Questioning your own work:
1. Is there enough story?
2. Are scenes in best order possible?
3. Is this scene necessary?
4. Does the scene move the story?
a. What does it accomplish?
b. Does it contain conflict?
c. Do the characters have goals, attitudes, points-of-view?
d. Spotting and avoiding non-scenes and plot-conveniences.
A. Present and critique half of the student assignments.
A. Rework outlines/treatments.
A. Character creation.
1. Arc.
2. Goals/motivation.
a. What do they need?
b. What do they want?
3. Color.
4. Exposition.
5. Introduction.
B. Motivating the plot by building conflict into character mix.
C. Protagonist.
D. Antagonist.
E. Secondary characters.
F. Minor characters.
A. Present and critique 2nd half of student assignments, and revised outlines.
A. Write one-paragraph descriptions of each of your major characters.
B. Write 1-2-page description of your protagonist's backstory up to beginning point of your screenplay.
A. Film/TV dialogue versus dialogue for theater or novels.
B. Film/TV dialogue versus the way most people really talk.
C. Creating dialogue that uniquely delineates character.
E. Economical dialogue.
F. Subtext.
G. Avoiding "on-the-nose" (OTN) dialogue.
H. Don't "Tombstone."
I. Don't tell the audience what it already knows.
J. Where to start a scene - and where to end it.
A. Read and critique assignments.
A. Write 2-3-page love scene that contains conflict.
B. Write 2-3-page meet-cute scene.
A. Setting time, place and context.
B. Showing rather than telling.
C. Parallel action (meanwhiles and cross-cutting).
E. Building tension and suspense.
F. The "reading" script.
G. Texture.
1. Attitudes.
2. Condition.
3. Physical business.
4. Character consistency
H. Obligatory scenes – paying off.
A. Read and critique assignments.
A. Write 2-3-page non-dialogue scene.
A. Self-editing - the second-look.
B. Cutting dialogue.
C. Solving structural problems.
1. Combining scenes.
2. Eliminating unnecessary scenes.
3. Changing the order of scenes.
D. Getting rid of repetition.
A. Read and critique assignments.
A. Premise.
B. Structure.
C. Characterization.
D. Screenplay format and style.
E. Dialogue.
F. Scene description.
A. Breaking in.
B. The agent.
C. Pitching.
D. Development process.
E. The WGA.
F. Protecting your work.
G. Acquiring rights.
