Screenwriting Master Class
What’s Included
25 Hours of Workshop Time
Ten 2 1/2 hour class sessions, each one filled with Jill Chamberlain’s unique lectures, skill-building exercises, group discussions, and individual story consultation.
Script Notes and Feedback
Get feedback on your story “nutshell,” your beat sheet, and your final script from Jill Chamberlain and your fellow classmates.
Worksheets
Handouts of key story concepts and professional screenplay examples make convenient references in and outside the workshop.
Film Analysis
Each week the class analyzes a film assigned for outside viewing and deconstructs its underlying structure.
Syllabus
The 10 week Master Class curriculum was developed for seasoned and beginning screenwriters alike — complete beginners to Emmy-winner writers take our classes. Most of class time will be spent going through students’ stories. In addition, each week there is a focus on mastering a different area of the screenwriting craft, and Jill will cover the following material.
Week 1
The Nutshell Technique and Story Structure
Lecture on the Nutshell Technique and the underlying structure of a feature film screenplay. A film viewing assigned pre-workshop will be analyzed to illustrate the lesson.
Week 2
Review of Students’ Story Nutshells
First round reviews of your initial story nutshell by Jill and the class.
Week 3
Plot Development and the Eight Sequence Method
Delving deeper into how to structure your screenplay, you’ll learn the eight sequence method for a three-act story. Once your nutshell has been cleared, you can turn in a beat sheet for your story.
Week 4
Character Development
Learn the secrets to creating compelling on-screen characters.
Week 5
Writing in Screenplay Format
Learn how to write in industry format, describe scenes, and effectively create action. We’ll go over all the rules — and when you can break them.
Week 6
Dialogue
Writing natural yet concise dialogue is an art form, and this is when we go over the principles to get you on your way to mastery.
Week 7
Review of Scene Assignment
Everyone in the workshop turns in a critical scene from their script. The class will do cold table reads of all the scenes, and Jill will offer script doctoring suggestions and address formatting and structural issues.
Week 8
Mini-Slug Action Writing
Writing gripping action that mimics real time is one of the great challenges of screenwriting, and mini-slugs are an essential tool for achieving this.
Week 9
Advanced Topics
Advanced topics (such as tone, theme, subplots, and subtext) will be addressed this week. This is the last class you can turn in a complete screenplay for class critique.
Week 10
The Business of Screenwriting
You have a script. How does it become a movie? We’ll talk about the business side of screenwriting, and do final in-class critiques of screenplays submitted by class participants.