SYD FIELD'S "MASTERING THE CRAFT OF SCREENWRITING" NEW!
Join Syd Field for a special four-session workshop, entitled "Mastering The Craft of Screenwriting," at the Writers Store this September:
Day One (5/17/10): Setting Up Character and Story
What's the best way to set up your story? Through action or through character?
Does your character drive the action, or does the action drive the character?
In this session, you will examine the relationship between Story and Character by revealing some basic distinctions linking genres, story lines and character development. Various clips from: Little Miss Sunshine; American Beauty; Mr & Mrs Smith; The Departed, Rushmore and others, illustrate some very different styles in setting up your story and character.
-Two Incidents: The Inciting Incident/Key Incident:
-Action or Character – The Best Way to Begin
-Does Character Drive the Action or Action Drive the Character?
Day Two (5/18/10): Writing Great Scenes
The scene is the cell of dramatic action. Its function is simple: either to move the story forward or reveal information about the character. What's the best place to enter the scene? What is the character's dramatic need within the scene? What is the reveal? During this session you'll focus on the many different ways scenes can be written so they effectively move the story forward and achieve maximum dramatic value. Film clips from: Sideways, Magnolia, Shawshank Redemption, The Bucket List explore the different aspects of writing great scenes.
Day Three (5/19/10): Writing Effective Dialogue
What's the purpose of dialogue? To explain, or reveal certain elements of character or story? Is your dialogue is too "right on the nose," or "to direct,?" Do your characters all sound the same? Are minor characters more interesting than your main character? During this session, you'll examine the function of dialogue and illustrate different types of dialogue with movie clips from award winning films like: Juno, Mr & Mrs. Smith, Little Miss Sunshine, The Bucket List, American Beauty, The Shawshank Redemption and others. Writing Effective Dialogue gives you the tools to sharpen your story and illuminate your characters more simply and effectively.
Day Four (5/20/10): Writing the Action Sequence
Action sequences don't just happen; they need to be designed and written with maximum dramatic value. They require a strong sense of style and creativity as well as being able to use time, the surrounding elements and whatever's necessary to make the sequence work. In this session, you'll break down and watch some of the greatest action sequences of the last few decades and explore those stylistic elements that make great action sequences. Film clips from Pirates of the Caribbean, Terminator 2, The Matrix, Bullitt, The French Connection, The Bourne Ultimatum will be broken down in each sequence to illustrate the art and craft of writing a great action sequence.
Each session to be followed by a Q&A period.
COURSE DETAILS
Where: The Writer's Store,
2040 Westwood Blvd.,
310–441-5151
When: May 17-20, 2010 from 7:30pm-10:30pm
Tuition: $85.00 for Individual Sessions, $275.00 for All Four Sessions
Register for Individual Sessions
Register for All Four Sessions
SYD FIELD'S 7-WEEK
SCREENWRITING WORKSHOP II
(Limited Enrollment)
Los Angeles - April 10 - May 22, 2008
SOLD OUT!
Back by popular demand, Syd Field continues where the last workshop left off, guiding his students through Writing Act II and beyond.
COURSE DETAILS
Where: The Writer's Store,
2040 Westwood Blvd.,
310–441-5151
When: April 10 - May 22, 2008, 7:30pm
Tuition: $965.00
SYD FIELD'S 7-WEEK
SCREENWRITING WORKSHOP
(Limited Enrollment)
Los Angeles - February 12 – April 1, 2008
SOLD OUT!
Syd Field is back! For the first time in almost 10 years, the legendary "guru of all screenwriters," according to CNN, is conducting a brand new screenwriting workshop for a limited number of participants.
This intense 7-Week Screenwriting Workshop (to be held in Los Angeles) meets one night each week from 7:30PM to 10:30PM.
This individual, hands-on screenwriting workshop features interactive discussions, illustrations from Academy Award winning films, and personal one-on-one evaluations of the screenwriting assignments. The purpose of this course is to "expand, enlarge and broaden your knowledge, comprehension, and technique of the screenplay and the art and craft of screenwriting."
In the first class, each participant brings a three sentence idea story line which focuses on action and character. The first four weeks of the course are spent preparing this idea, and the last three sessions are spent completing Act I of the screenplay. Applicants must have written at least one screenplay.
- Week 1 – Structure or Character, Writing the four page treatment
Assignment: writing the four page treatment
- Week 2 - Creating the characters and the Circle of Being.
Assignment: writing character biographies including the Circle of Being
- Week 3 - Organizing the material: Structuring the First Act on cards and writing the Back Story.
Assignment: Preparing Act I on cards and writing up the back story.
- Week 4 - Designing the Inciting Incident - Setting up Story and Character.
Assignment: Writing the First Ten Pages
- Week 5 - Writing Effective Dialogue - Following focus on the main character: Writing the Second 10 Pages
Assignment: Writing the Second Ten Pages
- Week 6 - The Key Incident and Plot Point I – Completing Act I
Assignment: Writing Plot Point I
- Week 7 - Preparing Act II
COURSE DETAILS
Where: The Writer's Store,
2040 Westwood Blvd.,
310–441-5151
When: February 12 – April 1, 2008
Tuition: $965.00 SOLD OUT!
Syd Field is the internationally celebrated author of Screenplay, the Screenwriter's Workbook, Selling a Screenplay, Four Screenplays and the Screenwriter's Problem Solver.
Syd Field also conducts a variety of other screenwriting seminars and workshops around the world, including:
The Art of Visual Storytelling
Corporate Workshop
2-Day Seminar
Masterclass
Please check back for more information on each of these special events. |
