Time: 10:00-11:00am
Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Getting Your Script Started
You want to write, and you think you might have a great concept for a movie or television show. But how do you know for sure? This session teaches you how to get ideas, take the first steps in crafting your script’s structure, plot, scenes, characters, and dialogue, and create an outline.
Andrew Guerdat, chair, feature film and TV writer-producer; Claudia Grazioso (Are We There Yet?); Abdi Nazemian (co-writer, The Quiet); Ron Suppa, feature film writer-producer and author
Time: 11:15-12:15
Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Writing Your First Screenplay and the Habits You Need to Do It
Discover how to plow through your first draft, tweak the premise so it can carry an entire script, refine the story outline, flesh out main and secondary characters, and develop the writing habits you need to do the sustained work of writing screenplays.
Chrys Balis, chair (Asylum); Ernie Contreras, screenwriter (Fairy Tale: A True Story); William Rabkin (Monk); Chris Webb, (Toy Story II)
Time: 1:15-2:15pm
Room: Boelter Hall 5249
Taking Your Script to the Next Level
Congratulations! You’ve finished your first script. Now the phase which separates the amateur from the pro kicks in as you take your screenplay to its fullest potential. Explore how to hone all areas of your script.
Billy Mernit, chair, (Writing the Romantic Comedy); Greg Elliot (Star Trek: Voyager); Quinton Peeples (Joyride); Jule Selbo (Walt Disney Studio animated features)
Time: 2:30-3:30pm
Room: Boelter Hall 5249
The Business of Being a Screenwriter
You've done the hard work of writing and rewriting. The final step is to get a firm grip on the "business" of the "entertainment business." This session offers advice on how to move from "writer" to "working writer."
Keith Giglio, chair (A Cinderella Story); Wendi Niad, Owner, CEO, Niad Management; Phil Kellard, veteran TV writer-director-executive producer; Laurence Rosenthal, independent producer