THE WRITER’S BOOT CAMP

Week 1: Scriptwriting 101

What is Storytelling? Where did it originate? Brief history of film/TV. What is a Hollywood movie? What is a screenplay? Screenplay structure and format. Defining your movie. Log lines. The metric movie script.

Week 2: Building the Perfect Blueprint

What to write. How to write. Your screenwriting schedule and why it’s important. Initial concepts. Preparing your outline. The all-important first 10 pages. From scenario to script.

Week 3: Writing the Feature Film

Overcoming obstacles. Scene structure. Character arcs. Back story. Opening moments they won’t forget. Inciting incidents. Spielberg’s Act 2. The crucial third act. Star Trek endings. Tags/Denouement.

Week 4: Rewrites

What is a rewrite? Why your first draft is not a screenplay until you’ve done at least one rewrite. First drafts, rewrites, and polishes. Scene length. Notes – how to use them, what to use.

Week 5: Post Script Possibilities

Who buys scripts? Who’s opinion counts? WGA info. How do I sell it and to whom? Hollywood contacts? What happens after I sell it? Letting my child/script go. How scripts get changed. Star power. Same script/many versions. The real role of the screenwriter.

Week 6: From Page to Performance

Our advanced actors will perform a 5-10 page scene(s) from your script. You will get an idea of how well your script translates from the page to performance. Proactor’s Studio will also provide a complimentary full script backers table read at our studio location, and $200 for outstanding writing.