Explore the dynamics of developing a project and pitching it to producers and studios.

There are no available registration dates at this time.

How do you select the appropriate medium for your idea? Is it best realized as a short or feature-length screenplay, a series for the web or television, or a documentary? Where does your project fit in the marketplace? Is your concept sufficiently compelling to attract a producer and financing? This unit will explore the dynamics of developing and positioning a project, pitching it to producers and studios, and writing a treatment. The creative and legal aspects of adapting a book will also be discussed. Additionally, students will learn how to develop aids that can communicate their vision to collaborators, studios, and financiers.

In latter part of the week, we will focus on incubating and developing the projects to be produced.  Students will write a treatment and revise it. The projects will be workshopped and discussed from creative and practical perspectives. This will serve as an embryonic phase of development that will help students to test the strengths and weaknesses of their ideas. Regardless of whether a student subsequently elects to move forward with producing their concept or changes it, the process will be instructive as to what criteria should be applied in order to fully appraise a project in terms of its creative and practical viability.

In addition to being offered on an individual basis, this Workshop is also part of the Spring Semester of the Certificate in Collaborative Filmmaking

Winter/Spring lodging and meal package available for $525. Includes breakfast and lunch Monday – Friday. Dinner services are not available during our Winter/Spring session. Meal plan (mandatory) without lodging $150. Plan to arrive on Sunday afternoon/evening to be rested for your workshop which will begin Monday morning, following registration. Workshops will end late Friday afternoon. Lodging is booked for a Saturday departure.

Image Credit: Jen Hoffer, Header Image Credit: Hannah Drabin

Share This

Instructor: Wayne Beach

Wayne Beach has written screenplays for Warner Bros., Twentieth Century Fox, Disney, Sony, TNT, Village Roadshow Pictures, Wolf Films, and other studios and networks. His students have gone on to create box office hits and popular TV shows.

He recently created and wrote an original television pilot, American Dream, for Sony. His pitch for it inspired a bidding war between Showtime, FX, and WGN. He also recently finished an assignment adapting a novel for Identity Films, producers of The Old Man & the Gun.

His filmed screenplay credits include Murder at 1600 (Warner Bros.) starring Wesley Snipes, Diane Lane and Alan Alda; and The Art of War (Warner Bros.) starring Wesley Snipes. He wrote and directed Slow Burn (Lionsgate) starring Ray Liotta, LL Cool J, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mekhi Phifer, Jolene Blalock, and Taye Diggs. His directorial debut, Slow Burn premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was released in 1100 theaters by Lionsgate. He has written projects for the makers of Pirates of the Caribbean, Law & Order, House M.D., Ocean’s Eleven, The Perfect Storm, Total Recall, The Fugitive Platoon, and many others.