Filmmaking must begin with a solid screenplay. Many screenplays are rejected as unproducible or lackluster. Producers look for scripts which will make solid and award-winning films. In today's marketplace, good screenplays are eagerly sought by successful producers. This intensive one-week workshop is for writers who have a screenplay in progress and are seeking guidance, direction and focus from an accomplished screenwriter or mentor, or have a completed script and want to polish, revise, and develop it for an agent or the market. Class time is divided between lectures on the craft of screenwriting and discussion of student scripts. One-on-one sessions between the instructor and each student take place throughout the week. The class delves more deeply into concept, story structure, character arcs and development, plot and subplots, central themes, dialogue, and the process of revising a screenplay. The class gives suggestions for rewrites, alternative approaches, and solutions to problems in each script. Participants learn to look critically at their writing with special attention to the importance of economy in writing, visual storytelling, and how to heighten the emotional stakes of story and character. The class surveys the practical realities of the film industry in terms of getting material read and sold, finding an agent, deal-making options, and how Hollywood works. By the end of the week, each script has been reviewed, and reconstructed with a 'battle plan' that includes marketing strategies and the ability to take the script to the next level. All writers leave ready to prepare their scripts for an agent or optioning. Students must submit the first act, 20 to 30 pages, or ideally, a completed script for admission to this workshop.

Winter/Spring lodging & meal package available $425.