Guided by a professional screenwriter (HBO Max, Hulu, Amazon, Starz), gain a solid foundation in the essentials of screenwriting: concept, character, story, plot, dialogue, and structure.

Dates:
Oct 21, 2024 - Oct 25, 2024

Levels: Beginner, Intermediate,
Workshop Fee: $975
Workshop Duration: 1-week (Monday-Friday, 10:30am-3:30pm ET)
Workshop Location: Online
Class Size: 10

Note: This Course will be held in a live, Online Format using the Zoom Platform. (Also frequently offered in-person)
Class meets Monday-Friday, Oct 21-25 from 10:30am-3:30pm ET with a lunch break.

This unit provides a solid foundation in the essentials of screenwriting: concept, character, story, plot, dialogue, and structure. Guided by a professional screenwriter, students will examine format, the importance of visual storytelling, developing an economical writing style, the process of shaping a story, creating compelling character arcs, constructing scenes and sequences, writing effective dialogue, the fundamentals of suspense and tension, and how to outline. The realities of the marketplace will also be discussed. Through writing exercises, students will implement the dynamics discussed in class. Scenes will be workshopped.

Instructor Francine Volpe's credits include Tokyo Vice (HBO Max)
Instructor Francine Volpe’s credits include Tokyo Vice (HBO Max)
Instructor Francine Volpe's credits include The First (Hulu)
Instructor Francine Volpe’s credits include The First (Hulu)
Instructor Wayne Beach teaching screenwriting on-campus.
Instructor Wayne Beach teaches screenwriting on-campus.
Seducing the Audience with Wayne Beach
Instructor Wayne Beach teaching the Story Structure & Character Development on-campus workshop.

While the unit’s primary focus is on developing scripts for film, television, and the web, many of the lessons will also resonate for novelists, playwrights, game designers, and filmmakers working in non-fiction. Producers and directors are also encouraged to attend.

Note: Depending on the streaming services currently used by participants (Netflix, Amazon, etc.), students may incur additional costs ($10-20) to stream assigned films at home.

Student Testimonials

“After the retreat, I am a step ahead in having my final draft.” (Luiza Rangel Marques da Costa – 2024)

“Leaving the screenwriting retreat reinvigorated and ready to tackle the next challenge to finishing my script. Laura was a brilliant, sensitive, and knowledgeable pro sharing killer critiques that made each of our stories better.” (Ray Flores – 2024)

I signed up for Story Structure and Character Development with Wayne Beach because I felt like I didn’t have a clue about either of these things. By the end of the workshop, I felt like I’d gotten exactly what I came for. In addition, studying with Wayne Beach was a real treat. Wayne was unfailingly kind, low-key, eloquent, and generous in his sharing from his vast knowledge, even regarding his own process. He made it OK for each participant to be exactly where they were. While I can’t speak for others, the mutual creative space he created with his presence sparked genuine growth and curiosity for the medium. He even left us with concrete ideas for how we could continue the journey, after the workshop ended. This was one of the best workshops I ever had the privilege of taking; I learned so much.” – Online student, 2023

Image Credits:  Jasmine Quiñones,  Header Image:  Aidan Bliss

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Instructor: Francine Volpe

Francine Volpe is a Brooklyn-based screenwriter and playwright.  Her writing credits include TOKYO VICE (HBO), THEM: Covenant (Amazon), THE FIRST (Hulu) and P-VALLEY (Starz). Her original series, TARA LYNCH is in development with Topic Studios. She is also a producer on the HBO series TOKYO VICE.

Francine received her B.F.A. from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She was later the recipient of a two-year Lila Acheson Wallace American Playwriting Fellowship at The Juilliard School where she studied with Marsha Norman and Christopher Durang. 

She has taught screenwriting, playwriting and television writing at NYU and Sarah Lawrence College.

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