Course: Writing the Screenplay Treatment
Another opportunity from the Writers Store:
The treatment is the most vital selling tool in your screenwriting arsenal. Without a dynamite treatment, even the most well-written script won’t stand a chance in the Hollywood fray.
Through Writing the Screenplay Treatment we will show you, step-by-step, how to create an electrifying treatment that is sure to spark a Hollywood bidding war on your script! We have made the anxiety-producing process of treatment writing simple with our ground-breaking approach to the form.
You’ll learn:
- What a treatment is and what it isn’t
- The proper format for a treatment
- How to choose what scenes go in your treatment
- What to do with your treatment
- And much, much more
Included with your course is a 36-page sample treatment pack featuring: The Exorcist,Inception, Pulp Fiction, The Social Network and Pixar’s Up.
Course Options
Students have three options for taking the Writing the Screenplay Treatment course.
1. Online Course
The 4-week online instructor-led Writing the Screenplay Treatment course takes place through our online course management system, and begins at a predetermined start date.
2. One-on-One Course
Can’t commit to a specific 4-week time period? Enjoy the flexibility of the one-on-one course option, which lets you choose when to start your course at ANY DATE following your purchase.
3. On Demand Course
Are you the independent type? The budget-friendly On-Demand option gives you the option to work with the same great Writing the Screenplay Treatment materials as the Online and One-on-One options, only without instructor feedback.
Never sweat through writing a treatment again. Writing the Screenplay Treatment will make you a master treatment writer!
Learn How To Write Your Screenplay Treatment Today For As Low As $99
Writing the Screenplay Treatment is one of the many professional courses offered by The Writers Store at a fraction of the cost you would pay at a major university. It’s just another way we work to support the creative community. Here are a few of our most popular courses. See the complete listing of our current courses on WritersStore.com.
Writers Store Event: “Writing a Great Horror Film”
This could be fun for all you LA LA genre mavens:
One of the best ways to break into the film business as a first-time screenwriter is to pen a horror film. Because they’re inexpensive to make and can potentially generate substantial rewards at the box office, these fright flicks are extremely attractive to Hollywood producers.
Discover the little-known tricks of the trade that are vital to writing and marketing this money-making genre with Writing a Great Horror Film. In this live workshop taking place at The Writers Store onJanuary 21, 2012, award-winning screenwriter Glenn M. Benest will cover the unique methods for writing commercial horror scripts and creating scares for your audience.
Through analysis of scenes from well-known horror films along with student examples from past classes, you’ll learn the techniques they employed to make their projects truly memorable, including:
- Using more than just fear and terror to create the right mood
- Breaking tension with humor, wit, relief and fake jumps
- Creating relatable characters in compromising, scary situations
- How horror is all about dark secrets and “the tease”
- The importance of a truly horrible villain
- Horror sub genres, including The Creature Feature, Slasher, Teen Horror , Zombie/Vampire, Horror/Comedy, Horror/Romance, Torture and Supernatural
You’ll also work your writing muscles with exercises that elucidate key points discussed in the workshop. Plus, you’re encouraged to bring in copies of horror scenes you’re working on to be read out loud in the class in the style of a staged reading. Extensive handouts will also be provided, so you can continue your horror writing education at home.
Location: The Writers Store – Burbank
Date: January 21, 2012
Time: 10:30am
Tuition: $49
Deconstructing the Protagonist
A nice piece from Martha Alderson over at the Writers’ Store. Useful for those in my CINE 353 class in preparation for your next exercise (hint).
More Fun Filled Writers Store Events
Once Upon A Time… there was a strange Land of Two La’s somewhere beyond the fog. The inhabitants of that region looked to the mystical Writers Store to help them tell the Great Stories… OK, the Writers Store has announced some more workshops down south. Check it:
To kick things off, Corey Mandell lets us in on what should be a writer’s main intent in his article, The Real Objective. Join Corey for his first appearance at The Writers Store on October 8, when he will conduct an informative lab on How the Pros Structure Their Scripts.
Peek in on a day in the life of one of the pros in an exclusive excerpt from Hire Me, Hollywood! Your Behind-the-Scenes Guide to the Most Exciting – and Unexpected – Jobs in Show Business. David Janollari shares insight into how he rose to be the Head of Programming for MTV, and his (humble) beginnings on a little show called Friends.
Take things one step further and learn how a script makes it from the page to the screen in Ellen Sandler’s debut Webinar, Anatomy of a Television Show: From Idea to On Air where she breaks down one of her scripts from Everybody Loves Raymond scene-by-scene as you watch the episode that eventually aired.
Making it in Hollywood
Another Writers Store Shindig:
The best way to learn about the writing and filmmaking process is directly from the people who make the magic happen on the silver screen. Now, you have the opportunity to join these power players in an intimate setting!
In Making It in Hollywood: Screenwriters, Directors & Producers Speak, presented by Sherwood Oaks College, some of the top names in show business will share their insights on how screenplays are created, sold and produced.
Day 1: Top Screenwriters Panel
Enjoy the rare opportunity to interact with the screenwriters who wrote some of the biggest films in the world.
Writers scheduled to attend include:
- Mark Fergus (Iron Man, Cowboys and Aliens, Tomb Raider) Paul Guay (Liar, Liar, Little Rascals)
- Laeta Kalorgridis (Shutter Island, Avatar)
- Bonnie MacBird (Tron)
- Quinn Redeker (The Deer Hunter)
- Wesley Strick (True Believer, Cape Fear)
- Paul Tamasy (The Fighter)
- Chris Webb (Toy Story 2)
- Gina Wendkos (Princess Diaries) Schedule permitting
Day 2: Top Directors and Producers Panel
Participate in a discussion with top Hollywood producers, both from large companies and from independents, who are open to meeting with new writers and possibly helping them launch their careers.
Directors and producers scheduled to attend include:
- David Foster (Mask of Zorro, Collateral Damage, the Getaway)
- Todd Garner (The Zoo Keeper, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Paul Blart: Mall Cop)
- Howard Rosenman (Gross Anatomy, The Family Man, Father of the Bride)
- Shane Black (Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, Iron Man)
- Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek, Time After Time, The Human Stain)
- Rick Rosenthal (Bad Boys, Halloween, American Dreamer)
- Mark Rydell (On Golden Pond, The Rose, James Dean)
- James L. Brooks (As Good As It Gets, The Simpsons) Schedule permitting
This event takes place in Santa Monica on September 19 & 20. You can choose to attend just one of the days, or maximize your learning opportunity by enrolling for both panels.
Attendees are invited to share their one-sheet or logling with each guest, so be sure to bring plenty of copies!
Date: September 19–20, 2011
Time: 9:00AM – 5:00PM
Location: Santa Monica Playhouse – 1211 Fourth Street Santa Monica, CA 90401-1391Sign up before September 10, 2011 for just $99 (reg.$150) each day!
Sign up for Making It in Hollywood now!
Write What You Don’t Know now available at the Writers Store
For those of you who know the wonderful Writers Store in Burbank or online you can now buy the book there. “Hoorah!” You yell. For those of you who have yet to make the Writers Store’s acquaintance, allow me to introduce you:
“Random Reader, Writers Store – Writers Store, Random Reader”
There now, who wants an amuse bouche? Have you tried the roasted garlic dipping sauce with ginger and tamari?
Publishing A Graphic Novel
Another Writers Store event for the La La Landers. I know it’s not strictly film related but students keep asking me and showing me their graphic projects. So enjoy – here’s the blurb:
So, you’ve written and produced your graphic novel. You have a good story and high quality artwork. What’s the next step?
Creating the book is only half the battle. Once you have a finished product, it’s time to distribute and market it. And to do that, you need to understand how the publishing game works today and the best ways to market your product to customers and movie producers.
In Publishing and Marketing your Graphic Novel, you’ll find out how to separate yourself from the pack and become an Internet marketing master! This advanced-level 5-hour crash course will show you how to sell comic books in both printed and digital formats.
Writer Martin Shapiro (Chopper, Lair of the Fox) will take you inside the industry and teach you everything you need to know, including:
- Publishing deals, traditional printing and print-on-demand
- Self-publishing on a tight budget
- Retail store distribution and selling your book through Amazon
- Building your website, adding eCommerce, and attracting traffic
- Motion comics with voiceover, music, and sound effects
- Book reviews and creator interviews in magazines and Internet news sites
- Using podcasts and YouTube video trailers to generate buzz
- And much more!
Most of this insider information is NOT available in books or online.
Industry Pro Guest Speakers: For both the live class and the online webinar, the instructor will bring in a guest speaker for Q&A, typically a high-level writer or a senior editor from a publishing company. Prior guest speakers have included Scott Rosenberg (CEO of Platinum Studios and producer of Cowboys and Aliens, Men in Black).
Live outside of Los Angeles? This seminar is offered as a three session Webinar accessible to anyone with an Internet connection as well as an in-person seminar at The Writers Store in Burbank.
Webinar:
Location: On a computer screen near you, wherever internet is available.
Date: September Wednesday 14, 21, 28, 2011
Time: 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Live Seminar:
Location: The Writers Store – 3510 W. Magnolia Blvd. Burbank, CA 91505
Date: Saturday September 24
Time: 12:30pm – 5:30pm
Enroll before August 31 for Only $99!
Wait – Reality TV is… not the Devil?
There’s a piece over at The Writer’s Store by Troy deVolld about how writers should embrace Reality TV for reasons as diverse as career opportunity and… the fact that it’s still kind of… writing. OK I’m being a little unfair but when it comes to Reality TV in almost any of its forms, color me: eww. For those of you with more catholic tastes, it’s an interesting read.
Novel Writing Workshop
OK the Writers Store have sent me notice of this workshop so many times that I’m posting it here in the hope that somehow the Gods of the internets will recognize I have done my duty and not send it anymore. Once again it takes place in a world where ‘ooh look, La meets La’.
Ask any agent or editor what they’re looking for in a novel and you’ll hear the same thing: a story that grabs them and doesn’t let go, long after they’ve read the last page. Easier said than done, right?
Wrong.
Regardless of the genre you write in or the length of your novel, you can learn and apply the techniques used by successful authors to reel in buyers (and readers!).
In Writing a Novel They Can’t Put Down, writing teacher and bestselling thriller author James Scott Bell reveals the essentials you need to sell in today’s competitive marketplace. Over the course of this 2 ½-hour workshop, you’ll learn:
- The secret to a high-stakes objective
- How to create the strongest confrontation possible
- What it means to knock out the reader at the end
- Crafting unforgettable characters and great scenes
- Exercises for coaxing out the extras in your characters
- How to write a novel with no dull parts
- And much more!
Ready to get your novel out of the slush pile and on to the bestseller charts? Sign up for Writing a Novel They Can’t Put Down today.
Location: The Writers Store Burbank
Date: Saturday, August 6, 2011
Time: 10am – 12:30pm
Enrollment: $49 ($59 after July 15, 2011)
William Akers freebee!
Here’s a nice free opportunity from the good folks over at the Writers Store way down in the Land of Lala to have a workshop with the always entertaining and informative William Akers, author of one of my favorite screenwriting books: Your Screenplay Sucks. Did I mention it was free?
Rubber Stamp Misery! Learn 12 Mistakes Every Writer Makes
with William Akers
At a Glance
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“I’d read your book twice. I thought I’d fixed all this stuff. Thank you for saving my ass.”
- Austin seminar participant
When a reader reads your first page, they have no idea if you can tell a story. They can’t tell how fabulous you are at structure or character. But they sure know if you can write a clean, clear, concise sentence.
I’ve been critiquing screenplays for twenty years. I found that most writers make the same mistakes — any of which will give a reader pause. I see these writing gaffes so often, I had rubber stamps made to save time.
Rubber Stamp Misery! will eliminate these ultra-common mistakes from your action description and dialogue, saving the reader agony and heartache and keep her from wishing you’d done a tad more rewriting.
Where:
The Writers Store
3510 W. Magnolia Blvd.
Burbank, CA 91505
Product Details
- Date available: 07/05/2011
