Short Film Screenwriting Development Workshop

Transcription

1 Short Film Screenwriting Development Workshop ELIGIBILITY FOR ENROLMENT This course is open to individuals who are currently working in film and/or video production at a professional level. Retired film and/or video professionals are also welcome to enroll in the program. *Emerging writers (particularly recent post secondary graduates) and professional writers working in mediums other than film will be considered for enrolment. Acceptance for such individuals will be at the instructor s discretion and will be based on the submission of writing samples and / or an interview. OUTLINE The focus of this intensive writing workshop is on accessing each student s unique voice and vision in the screenwriting medium. The course is tailored to film professionals and designed to compliment and re enforce the filmmaker s inherent understanding of visual story telling. Through creative writing exercises and intuitive story exploration, each student will learn and apply effective techniques to overcome the personal obstacles which emerging writers face. Participants will learn to address and work through writer s block while gaining a thorough understanding of how dramatic structure, effective story telling and clarity underpin a screenplay. The importance of process and subjectivity in story creation is a recurrent theme throughout the workshop. Drawing from the strengths of film as well as theatre, students will be challenged to explore, develop and create in a highly focused, handson environment. Throughout the weeklong experience, each participant will begin, develop and complete a short (15 20 page) screenplay. SCHEDULE Although the nature of this program is based on intuitive writing techniques and organic story development, the students will be introduced to the classic components of a well structured screenplay. Rather than focusing on the rules and benchmarks of a well written film, this course is intended to allow students to discover the strength and validity of said rules by applying their time and energy where it matters most, which is on their innate ability to create a story. Participants in the program can rest assured that while developing their stories through instinctual approaches, the instructor will provide an academic overview of the various elements of screenwriting. Essentially, this course is designed with the belief that content creates context, allowing each student to bypass the confusion and limiting nature of

2 academic screenwriting courses. Each day s exercises and assignments will be complimented and re enforced by the instructor s focus on the following: Day One Dramatic Structure, Character and Story Development. Emphasis is placed on authenticity, clarity and intention in one act short film creation. Day Two The Writer s Role in Film Production. Emphasis is placed on the student s ability to navigate between subjective and objective modes of discovery and communication. Day Three The Nuts and Bolts of Formatting. Emphasis is placed on the function of a screenplay as a blueprint intended to inform and guide a cast and crew. Day Four Outlines, Multiple Drafts, Re Writes and Production Drafts. Emphasis is placed on the importance of multiple drafts in relation to story development. Day Five First Readings. Emphasis is placed on the writer s ability to allow feedback and criticism to enhance the writing process.

3 PROGRAM RULES AND STUDENT REQUIREMENTS Participants in the program should be prepared for an intensive and exhaustive week. Scheduled to run on (3) weekday evenings and (2) weekend days, class time will amount to 20 hours with up to 10 hours of additional homework being assigned throughout the week. The fast paced and demanding nature of the program is intentionally geared towards having students begin, develop and complete a preproduction draft of a screenplay by the end of the week. In Class Etiquette and Rules: All in class writing will be pen to paper. Laptops are not permitted in class. *Students will be required to type and format their work at home. Access to Final Draft or a similar formatting program is recommended but not necessary. Students are not permitted to bring existing text to the workshop. *Although students may currently be working on scripts, existing projects will not be discussed or developed in this course. Students are required to dress in plain, comfortable clothing. Logos and /or writing on clothing; make up; jewelry; watches; hats and coats are not permitted. *Due to the intuitive aspects of the workshop as well as physical exploration exercises, this dress code will be strictly enforced. Homework assignments will be submitted at the beginning of the following class. Failure to complete an assignment will result in dismissal from the program. Food and drink (with the exception of water) are not permitted in the classroom. Students are required to bring (3) legal pads; (20) sheets of printer paper; pens and pencils to class. Bound books and binders are not permitted. Cell phones and any other electronic devices are not permitted in class.

4 INSTRUCTOR BIO German Saravanja is a writer, director and visual artist from Yellowknife. A graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada, he has worked in theatre and film as a writer, actor, director, dramaturge and teacher. His plays and screenplays include Chicken Hearts and Baby Onions; Big River Essence; Jo Went to the Fountain and Boundary Creek. Currently based in Ontario, he continues to develop stories of the North by mentoring and collaborating with emerging Northern talent. ARTIST STATEMENT It is my belief that the creative impulse in an emerging writer is the most powerful and yet most fragile element in his or her development as a life long creative and productive being. No amount of training, academia or intellectual input can replace or substitute the writer s original, indefinable impulse to create. My interest and passion in delivering writing workshops is rooted in my instinctual belief that form and structure s sole purpose in writing should be to preserve, push and guide impulse towards authentic fruition. Dramatic Writing Resume Writer: Within / Without (Stage Play. Produced by Akpik Theatre, Yellowknife 2013), Chicken Hearts and Baby Onions (Stage Play. Premiered at New Words Festival, Montreal, Second production Next Folding Theatre Company, Fredericton, 2012), The Man with The Wolf in His Belly (Stage Play. Maboroshi Orchestra. Ontario/Newfoundland tour, ), Boundary Creek (Screenplay production. Unreleased), Big River Essence (Stage Play. Workshop presentation, Montreal, 2005), Jo Went to the Fountain (Stage Play. Workshop presentation, Montreal, 2005). Dramaturge: Just Think (Stage Play. Kevin Kennedy. Premiere NACC, Yellowknife, 2010), Brother s Keeper (Stage Play. Diana Mathison. Premiere NACC, Yellowknife, 2010), Tumit (Stage Play. Reneltta Arluk. Premiere Akpik Theatre, Yellowknife, 2009), Trip (Stage Play. Jordan Mandlowitz. Premiere Canstage Raw Festival, Toronto, 2008).

5 Workshop Facilitator / Teacher: Next Folding Theatre (Authentic Story Creation for Actors 2013/2014), Northern Arts and Cultural Centre (Northern Playwright Development Workshop Series ), Akpik Theatre (New Work Production Workshop 2009). Related Education: National Theatre School of Canada (Playwright Program) University of Toronto (Drama Minor) Various screenwriting courses through Vancouver Film School, New York Film Academy and The National Theatre School of Canada.