Film Writing (Plus)
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Chapter 1: What is a story?
Welcome to Film Writing
Introducing the first exercise
Exercise: Exploring the reasons you connect to characters
A look at storytelling for the screen
A story is...
Introducing "Tango Goes for Chips" assignment
Assignment: Your "Tango Goes for Chips" story
Quiz: What is a story?
Chapter 2: Heroes, goals, and obstacles
Reviewing your "Tango Goes for Chips" story
How and why to read scripts
Reading assignment: "Bergman Manor"
More about heroes
More about goals
More about obstacles
Quiz: Heroes, goals, and obstacles
Making us care
Introducing the "hero–goal" exercise
Exercise: Brainstorming five original hero–goal pairs
Chapter 3: Digging deeper into character
The Hero Questions
Exercise: Answering the Hero Questions for Clem
Exercise: Answering the Hero Questions for an original character
Dr. Showers' Eight Character Traits
Exercise: Finding Dr. Showers' Eight Character Traits for your original character
Character defining moments
Exercise: Discovering your character's defining moments
Chapter 4: Brainstorming original stories
Brainstorming part 1: Introduction to the creative discipline of brainstorming
Brainstorming part 2: Unleashing your inner mad scientist
Exercise: Brainstorming from a prompt
Brainstorming part 3: Unleashing your inner critic
Exercise: Selecting your best ideas
Brainstorming part 4: Lego time
Exercise: Playing with your Legos
Writing log lines
Exercise: Write a log line
Brainstorming mad ideas
Exercise: Brainstorming mad ideas
Assignment: Write a "hero changes" story
Chapter 5: Structuring films to grab and hang onto your audience
Introduction to movie structure
Short Film: "The Raft"
Tools for structuring movies
The structure of the short "The Raft"
How to structure a feature-length film
Exercise: Locating the first 5 of the Eight Essential Story Points for "Bergman Manor"
Chapter 6: Building your movie from the log line up
Understanding the story you're looking for part 1
Short Film: "Black Hole"
Short Film: "Spin"
Short Film: "Table 7"
Short Film: "Father And Daughter"
Understanding the story you're looking for part 2
Exercise: Brainstorm an idea for your short movie
Panning for gold
Exercise: Pan for gold
Bulking up your hero
Exercise: Bulk up your hero
Building your obstacle
Exercise: Build up your obstacle
Making it personal
Who else is in the room?
Find your ending
Find your beginning
Your movie in three sentences
Assignment: Telling your story in three sentences
Chapter 7: Imagining the scenes
Finding your scenes
Exercise: Break your movie into scenes
Imagining your scenes part 1
Exercise: Imagine each of your scenes
Imagining your scenes part 2
Exercise: Fill out your vision of your scenes
Imagining your scenes part 3
Assignment: Outline your script
Reading assignment: Read the conclusion of "Bergman Manor"
Chapter 8: Putting your movie on the page part 1
Describing a setting
Exercise: Write a description of a setting for one of your scenes
Introducing characters
Exercise: Introduce one of your characters
Describing actions
Exercise: Describe yourself as a character in action
Describing sounds
Exercise: Describe a sound
Formatting your script like a pro
Using screenwriting software to help you write your script
Review of the best free screenwriting software
Chapter 9: Putting your movie on the page part 2
Writing dialogue
Exercise: Writing a dialogue scene
Creating unique character voices
Exercise: Polishing your dialogue scene
Mixing direction with dialogue
Mixing direction with dialogue and emotion
Formatting dialogue
Exercise: Polishing your scene
Chapter 10: Finishing your first draft
Writing your first draft
Making sure your work doesn't disappear
Some tips while you're writing part 1
Some tips while you're writing part 2
Doing deep work
Assignment: Finishing the first draft of your script
Chapter 11: Getting notes and planning your next draft
Why we need notes
Quiz: Why we need notes
The trouble with notes -- and how to survive them
How to gather notes
Exercise: Gathering three sets of notes
Review the notes
Make a rewrite plan
Exercise: Making a rewrite plan
Chapter 12: Emotion and connection: making the audience laugh and cry and scream and cheer
Shaping an emotional experience for the audience
Connecting and disconnecting on "The Raft"
Expanding our emotional vocabulary
Crafting an emotional experience for the audience
Assignment: Writing your second draft
Chapter 13: Learning to speak the language of cinema
Putting the sparkle in your movie
Setups and payoffs
Rewriting
Reading assignment: Read the first act of "The Detective's Secretary"
Exercise: Gathering notes on your second draft
Chapter 14: Exploring meaning in film
Exercise: Making a rewrite plan for your polish
What do stories mean... and how do they mean it?
Short Film: "The Raft"
How "The Raft" explores and communicates meaning
Exercise: List your favorite films
Finding your own key themes
Exploring meaning with Johnny Cash part 1
Exploring meaning with Johnny Cash part 2
Exploring meaning with Johnny Cash part 3
Exploring meaning with Johnny Cash part 4
Charging symbols with meaning
Reading assignment: Read the second act of "The Detective's Secretary"
Chapter 15: Polishing your script and next steps toward writing for film
Formatting your title page
Reading assignment: Read to the end of "The Detective's Secretary"
Reviewing all we've learned about writing for film
Exercise: Delivering your polish draft
What's next? The writer's road ahead
Products
Course
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Making sure your work doesn't disappear
Making sure your work doesn't disappear
Film Writing (Plus)
Buy now
Learn more
Chapter 1: What is a story?
Welcome to Film Writing
Introducing the first exercise
Exercise: Exploring the reasons you connect to characters
A look at storytelling for the screen
A story is...
Introducing "Tango Goes for Chips" assignment
Assignment: Your "Tango Goes for Chips" story
Quiz: What is a story?
Chapter 2: Heroes, goals, and obstacles
Reviewing your "Tango Goes for Chips" story
How and why to read scripts
Reading assignment: "Bergman Manor"
More about heroes
More about goals
More about obstacles
Quiz: Heroes, goals, and obstacles
Making us care
Introducing the "hero–goal" exercise
Exercise: Brainstorming five original hero–goal pairs
Chapter 3: Digging deeper into character
The Hero Questions
Exercise: Answering the Hero Questions for Clem
Exercise: Answering the Hero Questions for an original character
Dr. Showers' Eight Character Traits
Exercise: Finding Dr. Showers' Eight Character Traits for your original character
Character defining moments
Exercise: Discovering your character's defining moments
Chapter 4: Brainstorming original stories
Brainstorming part 1: Introduction to the creative discipline of brainstorming
Brainstorming part 2: Unleashing your inner mad scientist
Exercise: Brainstorming from a prompt
Brainstorming part 3: Unleashing your inner critic
Exercise: Selecting your best ideas
Brainstorming part 4: Lego time
Exercise: Playing with your Legos
Writing log lines
Exercise: Write a log line
Brainstorming mad ideas
Exercise: Brainstorming mad ideas
Assignment: Write a "hero changes" story
Chapter 5: Structuring films to grab and hang onto your audience
Introduction to movie structure
Short Film: "The Raft"
Tools for structuring movies
The structure of the short "The Raft"
How to structure a feature-length film
Exercise: Locating the first 5 of the Eight Essential Story Points for "Bergman Manor"
Chapter 6: Building your movie from the log line up
Understanding the story you're looking for part 1
Short Film: "Black Hole"
Short Film: "Spin"
Short Film: "Table 7"
Short Film: "Father And Daughter"
Understanding the story you're looking for part 2
Exercise: Brainstorm an idea for your short movie
Panning for gold
Exercise: Pan for gold
Bulking up your hero
Exercise: Bulk up your hero
Building your obstacle
Exercise: Build up your obstacle
Making it personal
Who else is in the room?
Find your ending
Find your beginning
Your movie in three sentences
Assignment: Telling your story in three sentences
Chapter 7: Imagining the scenes
Finding your scenes
Exercise: Break your movie into scenes
Imagining your scenes part 1
Exercise: Imagine each of your scenes
Imagining your scenes part 2
Exercise: Fill out your vision of your scenes
Imagining your scenes part 3
Assignment: Outline your script
Reading assignment: Read the conclusion of "Bergman Manor"
Chapter 8: Putting your movie on the page part 1
Describing a setting
Exercise: Write a description of a setting for one of your scenes
Introducing characters
Exercise: Introduce one of your characters
Describing actions
Exercise: Describe yourself as a character in action
Describing sounds
Exercise: Describe a sound
Formatting your script like a pro
Using screenwriting software to help you write your script
Review of the best free screenwriting software
Chapter 9: Putting your movie on the page part 2
Writing dialogue
Exercise: Writing a dialogue scene
Creating unique character voices
Exercise: Polishing your dialogue scene
Mixing direction with dialogue
Mixing direction with dialogue and emotion
Formatting dialogue
Exercise: Polishing your scene
Chapter 10: Finishing your first draft
Writing your first draft
Making sure your work doesn't disappear
Some tips while you're writing part 1
Some tips while you're writing part 2
Doing deep work
Assignment: Finishing the first draft of your script
Chapter 11: Getting notes and planning your next draft
Why we need notes
Quiz: Why we need notes
The trouble with notes -- and how to survive them
How to gather notes
Exercise: Gathering three sets of notes
Review the notes
Make a rewrite plan
Exercise: Making a rewrite plan
Chapter 12: Emotion and connection: making the audience laugh and cry and scream and cheer
Shaping an emotional experience for the audience
Connecting and disconnecting on "The Raft"
Expanding our emotional vocabulary
Crafting an emotional experience for the audience
Assignment: Writing your second draft
Chapter 13: Learning to speak the language of cinema
Putting the sparkle in your movie
Setups and payoffs
Rewriting
Reading assignment: Read the first act of "The Detective's Secretary"
Exercise: Gathering notes on your second draft
Chapter 14: Exploring meaning in film
Exercise: Making a rewrite plan for your polish
What do stories mean... and how do they mean it?
Short Film: "The Raft"
How "The Raft" explores and communicates meaning
Exercise: List your favorite films
Finding your own key themes
Exploring meaning with Johnny Cash part 1
Exploring meaning with Johnny Cash part 2
Exploring meaning with Johnny Cash part 3
Exploring meaning with Johnny Cash part 4
Charging symbols with meaning
Reading assignment: Read the second act of "The Detective's Secretary"
Chapter 15: Polishing your script and next steps toward writing for film
Formatting your title page
Reading assignment: Read to the end of "The Detective's Secretary"
Reviewing all we've learned about writing for film
Exercise: Delivering your polish draft
What's next? The writer's road ahead
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