Screenplay.com—Resources

For the first time ever, Armando Saldaña Mora leads a twelve-week workshop based on his book, "Dramatica for Screenwriters."

DESCRIPTION: Based on the "Dramatica For Screenwriters" book, this is an active workshop in twelve sessions of 3 hours each. The workshop is is limited to a minimum of five (5) and a maximum of twelve (12) students.

METHODOLOGY: Let's write a movie together. The whole group will go through the stages of elaborating a logline, storyforming, storyencoding, writing synopsis and short treatments, rewriting, and all the steps described in the book--ending up with the first ten pages of the script.

REQUIREMENTS: Each student is required to bring a logline to the workshop. A logline is is a brief description of a story, such as a short blurb for a television listing.

PRECONDITION: Since the writing process demands that the loglines will be judged, criticized and transformed beyond recognition, it's very important that such loglines are NOT the writer's pet ideas or part of a worthy personal project.

DIVIDEND: At the end of the workshop each student will take home a copy of the DPro file containing the complete story, from logline to treatment, to add to his"Example Stories" files. Also a copy of the first ten pages of the script. Printed and in a Movie-Magic Screenwriter file.

Bonus: Attendees will receive a signed copy of the book, “Dramatica for Screenwriters.”

The workshop will be held on 12 Thursdays (Aprint 6 to June 22) at the offices of Write Brothers in Glendale, CA (location information).

Call 1-800-84-STORY or 818-843-6557, f
ax 818-843-8364, or send an email to sales@screenplay.com.

WORKSHOP OUTLINE

WEEK 1: IDEA

Choose a logline by analyzing each of those proposed ideas, criticizing them and voting to find the one with most potential.
Work on it to make it better.
Find the genre in which it would work best.

WEEK 2:. STRUCTURE

Develop the subjective characters according to genre.
Choose Domains according to genre.
Define a premise for that logline.
Find an initial Storyform.

WEEK 3: STORY EXPLORATION

Get the storyencoding process started with the "Dramatica in Thirty Seconds" technique.
Tweak the initial Storyform to make it better.
Go through the Instant Dramatica process to know the storyform.

WEEK 4: THREE-PAGE TREATMENT

Find the signpost order according to genre and desired effect.
Tweak the signpost order in order to achieve act climaxes and other plot points.
Write a three page treatment of the whole story.

WEEK 5: FIRST REWRITE

Evaluate the treatment's first draft and decide how it can be improved.
Determine if the desired changes lie in the storyform, storyencoding or weaving of the treatment.
Make those changes to write a second draft.

WEEK 6: CHARACTERS

Create a cast of characters for the story.
Build those characters according to the chosen Storyform.
Create character relationships according to their quads.
Start their characterization.

WEEK 7: PLOT

Make a scene chart from the Plot Sequence Report.
Divide it into 48 (+/-) scenes with the z-pattern.
Expand variations into concepts and concepts into concrete actions.
Describe each scene.

WEEK 8: THEME

According to the Story's Spine, develop the appreciations into concrete actions that'll go into determinate scenes.

WEEK 9: CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

Encode the character relationships and develop the interactions into actions for the scenes.

WEEK 10: COMPLETE STORY, BEAT BY BEAT

Arrange the appreciations and character interactions into each of their corresponding scenes.
Choose a preliminary order of beats for each of the scenes.
Bonus: Armando's "No More Fudging" Very Secret Formula.

WEEK 11: SCRIPT

Rethink the beat order of the first scene.
Write the first scene in proper script format.
Write the first three scenes, until completing the first ten pages of the script.

WEEK 12: POLISHING AND FUTURE DRAFTS

Polish the first ten pages.
Insert Foreshadowing where needed.
Contemplate possibilities for future drafts.