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Film Crowdfunding Workshop
- Region:
- Start dates:
- 20th May 2024
- Course:
- GET TICKETS
Have you ever considered crowdfunding your film project but are unsure where to begin? Are you looking for ways to raise significant funds without overwhelming
Have you ever considered crowdfunding your film project but are unsure where to begin? Are you looking for ways to raise significant funds without overwhelming your personal network with requests? Or maybe you're currently in the middle of a campaign that isn't meeting your expectations?
If so, we invite you to join our empowering and interactive workshop designed specifically for indie filmmakers like you. Whether you have a specific project in mind that needs funding or you're simply curious about the crowdfunding process, this workshop will help you develop the skills you need to succeed.
ABOUT THE WORKSHOP
- Course Type:
- short
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Pushkin House
5a Bloomsbury Square
London
Short Film Story Design
- Region:
- London
- Start dates:
- 21st Sep 2024
- Course:
- Short Film Story Design
As all shooters know, short films are an essential building block in your film-making career. This is increasingly true for screenwriters as well as writer/dire
As all shooters know, short films are an essential building block in your film-making career. This is increasingly true for screenwriters as well as writer/directors.
A tantalising dive into another world. An intimate revelation of human truth. A seductive tale with a twist. The best short films leave an imprint far beyond their final frame and are often more powerfully resonant because of their brevity.
Having worked extensively developing shorts in recent years, we found that many writers approach the design of their short films by adapting feature film principles rather than working from an understanding of how the short dramatic narrative works as its own form. (To be honest, for a long time it was how we worked too!)
This one day workshop gives the short film form the proper attention it deserves. The teaching programme will illuminate both the unique challenges and exciting possibilities of the short narrative screenplay. We will inject confidence into your understanding of dramatic conflict and story structure and empower you to hone and develop your screenwriting skills for this exciting medium.
WORKSHOP CONTENT
The Dramatic Concept - We will explore what makes a strong story idea for a short and tackle the challenge of creating a simple but satisfying dramatic conflict. We will give you the development tools to examine and shape your core story choices so that your film delivers the most compelling characters and meaningful stakes.
Story Structure – With less time to set up your story world we’ll look at how to dive right in from your opening image and we’ll rethink the three-act structure for the short. We’ll think about how to seed and plot the turning points that will propel your story to its climax and examine the most effective use of ‘twists’ at the end of the film.
Character Journeys - Whether your character is faced with saving the planet or mending a friendship we will consider the range of character arcs a short film can effectively explore, unpicking how to convincingly chart that change through such a fleeting encounter. We’ll also give special attention to stories which champion protagonists who don’t change and we’ll consider the intended (and sometimes unintended) meanings that your character choices will deliver.
The course is taught by The Script Factory’s Charlotte Macleod and Justine Hart. Charlotte previously served on the BAFTA Short Film Jury for five years. Justine is currently script consultant to the Pitch Short Film Fund.
WHO IS THE COURSE FOR?
This course is for anyone who wants to invest in their understanding of how to write a short film and we welcome writers, directors, script editors and producers. These workshops have been attended by filmmakers with award-winning films under their belt as well as those just starting out.
COURSE PREPARATION
There will be some preparatory viewing recommended before the programme starts to ensure that everyone has shared examples of successful short films. The sessions are designed to be fully interactive, including creative group exercises and discussions to ensure that all your questions are answered.
WHERE AND WHEN WILL THE COURSE TAKE PLACE?
This one-day workshop will take place at Pushkin House, Bloomsbury Square on Saturday 21 September 2024.
The teaching will run from 11 – 5 with a 45-minute lunch break. There will also be the option of heading to the pub afterwards to maximise the opportunity of meeting your fellow filmmakers.
WHAT DOES THE COURSE COST?
Attendance on the course costs £115.
- Course Type:
- short
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Pushkin House
5a Bloomsbury Square
London
Raising The Stakes
- Region:
- London
- Start dates:
- 8th Jun 2024
- Course:
- Raising The Stakes
The most frequently asked question in the development process is ‘what’s at stake?’.
This one-day workshop offers a concentrated examination of how to
The most frequently asked question in the development process is ‘what’s at stake?’.
This one-day workshop offers a concentrated examination of how to maximise the stakes across every element of your screenplay.
The impetus to write is unique and precious to each writer and our personal connection with the material is often what keeps us going through the long dark months of drafting and redrafting. But from the earliest idea stage through to the final polish, it’s essential to keep evaluating how to invite the audience to share that passion for your story. Even if your story is not literally a matter of life and death, learning how to frame your characters’ stakes as critical is the foundation to shaping a story that audiences can emotionally invest in.
We will explore how to elevate the stakes within your premise, interrogate the dramatic tension within your scenes and sequences, and sharpen the motivations of your characters.
Whether you are a writer embarking on a new project, or a producer making the case for funding, our training gives you the tools to analyse why your story demands to be told and the skills to translate your excitement about the material into on-screen action infused with jeopardy.
WORKSHOP CONTENT
1. A Reason to Watch
This session will examine how to identify the most compelling stakes within a film idea and ensure that the story you develop lives up to the full potential within the premise. Does the conflict demand an urgent response? Is the character grappling with a challenge or dilemma that is universal to the human experience? Is the story dealing with an age-old conflict but in a fascinating new world? Or shedding light on a familiar story in an original way?
2. And Reasons To Keep Watching
Is your protagonist’s problem hard enough to solve that it genuinely takes ninety minutes of screen time for them to do so? This session explores how you ensure that your character’s predicament is embedded with enough layers of conflict to sustain tension, deliver satisfying turning points, and keep the audience hooked for the length of a feature film.
3. The Dramatic Question
The single most important ‘key’ to unlocking your story structure is knowing what dramatic question is driving your narrative. What precisely are we watching to find out? This session illustrates how to organize your story around a clear dramatic question: how to pose it at the end of your first act, restate it throughout, and finally answer it with an ending that has real impact and meaning.
This one-day workshop takes place at Pushkin House, 5a Bloomsbury Square, London WC1A 2TA and runs from 11am - 5.30pm with the opportunity to stay on for networking drinks with your fellow course attendees. The course costs £115.
- Course Type:
- short
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On Zoom in your house where you live...
Or...
The Lord Stanley
51 Camden Park Rd,
London
Find Your Voice in TV and Film
- Region:
- London
- Course:
- Full Info and Booking Her...
Impactful screenplays have a clear and personal authorial voice, yet most screenwriting advice tends to bend your ideas to fit someone else's shape. This 8
Impactful screenplays have a clear and personal authorial voice, yet most screenwriting advice tends to bend your ideas to fit someone else's shape. This 8 week course will seek to demystify the screenwriting process both creatively and commercially and will show you how genre rules, structural constraint and even a producer’s mad and inconsistent notes can all be used not just to improve your writing but to better capture what makes your writing unique.
Any level of experience is welcomed, whether you are a newcomer with a passion or a pro stuck in a rut, this course will provide you with a set of tools that will help you more quickly understand what your story is and how best to frame it for the producers, directors, actors and audiences you want to fall in love with it.
Takes place in London but also available to participants via Zoom.
"After this course, I am far closer to the heart of what I want to write than I ever have been (and I’ve done A LOT of courses).”
“Ben’s course was the best investment I’ve made in the writing of my screenplay”
“Ben is astounding and a master of his craft. Working with him is both a joy and a transformative learning experience”
“Insightful, actionable feedback, to get you over your most sticky of writer’s block. I can’t recommend the course enough.”
"Your writing. Serving your vision. Remember that? Ben Blaine and this course can help you achieve that. So get on and Do it”
“Fantastic, I learned so much about story structure and characters, but most importantly I learned how to find my voice as a writer”
- Course Type:
- long
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The Lord Stanley
51 Camden Park Rd,
London
How to Have An Idea (Screenwriting Taster)
- Region:
- London
- Course:
- Full Details and Booking ...
Wanting to write is not the same as knowing what to write about. This three hour session will guide you through practical methods for having ideas.
Filmmake
Wanting to write is not the same as knowing what to write about. This three hour session will guide you through practical methods for having ideas.
Filmmaker Ben Blaine will help you catch your thoughts and show you how to turn inspiration into story. Intended as a taster for Ben’s 8 week course demystifying storytelling, this session will draw on all the fundamentals of screenwriting including character, genre and structure to teach you how to generate ideas, see what they need to become stories and will also help you tell if they’re actually any good or not.
“A true masterclass in screenwriting”
"I would highly recommend this for anyone who is just starting their writing journey or those who are looking to hone the work they have already begun.”
"Taking the course with Ben and the incredible group of people who also joined is one of the best things I've ever done and gave me a huge appetite for understanding stories and writing my own.”
- Course Type:
- short
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64 Hemingford Road, London
NW1 1DB
Intro to: Writing Animation
- Region:
- Start dates:
- 30th May 2024
- Course:
- More info and booking
THURS. MAY 30th
(6.00pm—8.00pm BST)
Ever dreamed of writing for Walt Disney or Pixar?
This live webinar gives you an introduction into the world of ani
THURS. MAY 30th
(6.00pm—8.00pm BST)
Ever dreamed of writing for Walt Disney or Pixar?
This live webinar gives you an introduction into the world of animation. From 2D to 3D, and stop-motion, discover how to tell animated stories!
Aimed at screenwriters, animators, and filmmakers interested in writing for animation.
YOU WILL LEARN
- The basics of the animation production process for different types of animation (ex: 2D, 3D, stop-motion).
- Visual Storytelling: What kind of stories can you tell in animation?
- Essential elements to consider when writing for animation (ex: characters, visual designs, story structure).
- What do animation producers look for?
- How to pitch an animated project.
FORMAT
A 1h30 live webinar with a 1h talk followed by a 30min Q&A session. As part of the talk, participants will be invited to complete a series of short exercises—the aim is for each participant to start developing an animated film or series idea by the end of the webinar.
TUTOR
Alizée Musson is a script & development consultant, writer, and translator. Working internationally in French and English, she develops films and TV projects with emerging and established talents in live-action and animation.
Alizée previously worked with independent production companies and studios such as Ardimages, Entertainment One, Amazon Studio, Ubisoft, and Walt Disney as a freelancer. She also worked as a web series screenwriter with Wildbrain Spark, where she wrote 100+ short animated episodes for YouTube.
- Course Type:
- short
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64 Hemingford Road, London
NW1 1DB
Intro to: Writing for Children
- Region:
- Start dates:
- 29th May 2024
- Course:
- More info and booking
WED. MAY 29th
(6.00pm—8.00pm BST)
Interested in writing films or series for children?
This live webinar gives you all the basics.
Discover how to
WED. MAY 29th
(6.00pm—8.00pm BST)
Interested in writing films or series for children?
This live webinar gives you all the basics.
Discover how to tell stories for a younger audience!
Aimed at screenwriters, and filmmakers interested in writing for young audiences.
YOU WILL LEARN
- How to write for different age groups (from pre-school to teenagers).
- How to write children's content for different formats and media (TV, film, web series).
- The latest trends in children's content.
- Dos and don'ts of writing for children.
- How to write diverse and inclusive characters for children's content.
FORMAT
A 1h30 live webinar with a 1h talk followed by a 30min Q&A session. As part of the talk, participants will be invited to complete a series of short exercises—the aim is for each participant to develop an idea for a children's film or series by the end of the webinar.
TUTOR
Alizée Musson is a script & development consultant, writer, and translator. Working internationally in French and English, she develops films and TV projects with emerging and established talents in live-action and animation.
Alizée previously worked with independent production companies and studios such as Ardimages, Entertainment One, Amazon Studio, Ubisoft, and Walt Disney as a freelancer. She also worked as a web series screenwriter with Wildbrain Spark, where she wrote 100+ short animated YouTube episodes for children. In 2019, she was a jury member for the BAFTA Children's Awards.
- Course Type:
- short
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Film Festival Masterclass
- Region:
- Start dates:
- 13th May 2024
- Course:
- REGISTER HERE
- Course Type:
- short
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Cunard House
SW1Y 4SP
Writing TV Drama
- Region:
- London
- Course:
- Writing TV Drama
Learn the essentials of screenwriting and get to work on your own TV drama pilot. Join this six-week online course for just £220.
Do you have ambitions to wri
Learn the essentials of screenwriting and get to work on your own TV drama pilot. Join this six-week online course for just £220.
Do you have ambitions to write TV drama? Whether you’re gearing up to start work, or if you’re already writing, this course will teach you the fundamentals for writing a pilot. Learn the language of TV drama – how it’s constructed and how to talk about it to the industry, with expert advice from screenwriter and showrunner, Colin Teevan (Das Boot, Rebellion).
Drawing on his substantial experience as a TV dramatist and showrunner, Colin teaches a professional approach to screenwriting that will mark you out as someone who understands what producers and commissioners want. Discover how to use an established genre to turn the story that you want to write. Establish the world of your drama on the page so that a production team will get everything they need to know – but crucially no more than that. Put your protagonist in a hostile situation and figure out what they must do to overcome it. And learn how everything on the screen talks – not just dialogue.
By the end of this course, you should have written at least the first 10-12 pages of your script and have the confidence to be able to deliver your pilot to an industry standard.
What does this course give you?
Video modules: Work through six modules comprising pre-recorded teaching videos and substantial notes by Colin Teevan. You’ll learn the fundamentals of screenwriting, including an understanding of what should definitely go in your script and what should be left out, how to write compelling action and zingy dialogue, and how to pitch your work to the industry.
Writing tasks: Weekly screenwriting tasks to help you explore and understand the teaching topics and progress your TV drama.
Scene studies: Read five short scenes from Colin’s own screenplays and hear him discuss his own script decisions in-depth in five videos demonstrating how his teaching works in practice.
Resources & notes: You’ll get additional resources and teaching notes and a list of recommended watching.
Professional feedback: An expert CBC editor will give brief written feedback on several of the students' practical assignments every week, with all students receiving feedback on one of their screenwriting tasks. Students are also given the option to purchase additional end-of-course feedback from our expert editors.
Student forum: Find your writing community on our private student forums. Upload your completed screenwriting tasks, give and receive peer-to-peer feedback, and discuss the week’s topics with your fellow students.
- Course Type:
- short