Stage 32 4-Session Class: How You Can Develop Memorable Characters and World-Class Dialogue
Other education that may be of interest to you:
Outlining Your Feature Screenplay
Join veteran screenwriter Brian Herskowitz and receive sample feature script outlines and scenes while learning how and why professional outlining can set your work above the rest! Are you ready to learn how to write a professional outline for your feature screenplay? A professional outline for your script is the roadmap you follow to write your first draft and it will save you time, effort and some unnecessary rewriting. It helps you work out the kinks early and feel confident about where you’re headed. And the outline isn't just for you. An outline helps any reps, producers, and executives your working with see what you’re going to do with a story before giving you the go-ahead to write the feature film. In this exclusive Stage 32 webinar, you’ll learn how you can increase your earning power by knowing how to craft a strong outline so your work stands out from the competition. Along the way, you’ll receive sample scenes and outlines from the feature films discussed in class that you can take with you for future reference. Taking you through this vital skill is acclaimed screenwriter Brian Herskowitz, who has completed over a dozen feature films and has been staffed on popular shows like HERCULES and TOUR OF DUTY. He’s worked with top-tier talent, including Academy Award winner Jason Alexander, with whom Brian co-wrote the FOX pilot MANTIC. He’s also the author of the essential screenwriting resource PROCESS TO PRODUCT: A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR THE SCREENWRITER. Brian will teach you the 12 guideposts he developed that you can use to keep from getting lost as you write which ultimately allows you more creative freedom. You’ll cover premise, theme, concept, characters, and structure. All of the elements you need to pen a successful feature screenplay. And he’ll also show you the many real-world uses that your outline will deliver for you. Don’t miss out on this chance to work with an accomplished screenwriter with decades of experience and walk away with a practical process that you can use to up your screenwriting game today. Testimonials for Brian's Teaching and Stage 32 Education “As a collaborator with Brian and a guest in his class, I am hugely impressed with his screenwriting knowledge. I heartily recommend him and his course.” - Jason Alexander (Seinfeld, Pretty Woman, Listen Up) "I have a master's degree and a doctorate, Brian is by far the most caring and best teacher I have ever had." "The course was everything I needed and then some. An excellent course." "Mr. Herskowitz is very knowledgeable, patient, and superb at discerning problems and helping us solve them." "A solid course in which I felt I had learned a LOT by the time it was over."
The Art of Dialogue: How to Nail Your Character's Voice
“As a collaborator with Brian and a guest in his class, I am hugely impressed with his screenwriting knowledge. I heartily recommend him and his course.” - Jason Alexander (Seinfeld, Pretty Woman, Listen Up) Filmed entertainment is visual, and though everyone loves a catchy line, it’s really an exceptional dialogue exchange framed by a character’s choice of action that we remember. Dialogue is one of the clearest ways of exploring your character’s agenda, frame of mind, and emotional state. The best dialogue is able to do even more - and succinctly, sometimes in just a few lines. It lets us know something about the overall theme of your script, as well as unresolved areas ripe for conflict between your protagonist and the other characters: friend, frenemy, and foe… In this Stage 32 Next Level Webinar, screenwriter/producer/director Brian Herskowitz will walk you through what professional dialogue looks and sounds like. He will guide you through understanding the link between your character and dialogue, how to develop a strong character voice, the art of subtext and making sure you have the right amount of dialogue to move your story forward. Brian is a veteran film and television writer and producer who has worked on over 2 dozen films and television shows (HBO, FOX, CBS, NBC, UNIVERSAL and more) and he's bringing his experience across all the formats to the Stage 32 community! PLUS! To help you with your own writing exercises you will receive: Character Voice handout Strong Dialogue Voice Handout Brainstorm Dialogue Handout Tranformative Dialogue Handout Good Will Hunting Call Back Script The Fabelmans Script The Empire Strikes Back Script The Banshees Of Inisherin Script You do not want to miss out on this chance to learn how to write effective dialogue! Testimonials for Brian's Teaching and Stage 32 Education “As a collaborator with Brian and a guest in his class, I am hugely impressed with his screenwriting knowledge. I heartily recommend him and his course.” - Jason Alexander (Seinfeld, Pretty Woman, Listen Up) "I have a master's degree and a doctorate, Brian is by far the most caring and best teacher I have ever had." - Alan J. "The course was everything I needed and then some. An excellent course." - Katie R. "Mr. Herskowitz is very knowledgeable, patient, and superb at discerning problems and helping us solve them." - Sandra O. "A solid course in which I felt I had learned a LOT by the time it was over." - Peter L.
The Fundamentals of Story and Screenwriting Structure
4-PART IN-DEPTH CLASS (OVER 8 HOURS OF EDUCATION) Payment plans available - contact edu@stage32.com for details Join veteran screenwriter Brian Herskowitz and receive sample feature script outlines and scenes while learning how and why professional outlining can set your work above the rest! Includes Exclusive Handouts Only Available For Those In Brian's Class! You may have heard the screenwriting phrase “story is structure.” Many writers reject the idea as they feel it’s too rigid or restrictive, holding you back from being your creative self. But it’s actually the opposite - the structure if your friend! In this exclusive Stage 32 class, you’ll learn how to formulate your idea, concept, and theme, using the principles of structure that will allow you to be your most creative self and create the best story. Over four sessions, you’ll learn how to develop your script using story as your guide as you build from concept to beat sheet and, ultimately, an outline for your feature script. Outlines aren’t just documents that help you blueprint your script for when you start writing. They’re also documents that many development executives require as they work on projects with writers and something managers use to asses their clients’ progress. Taking you through this vital process is writer and producer Brian Herskowitz. Brian has completed over a dozen feature films, including the low-budget slasher film DARKROOM. He’s also worked with top-tier Hollywood talent, such as Academy Award-winner Jason Alexander and RUSHMORE’S Jason Schwartzman. For the past 30 years, Brian has shared his screenwriting knowledge with students through the WRITERS’ BOOT CAMP at UCLA Extention and Boston University in Los Angeles. He’s also the author of the essential screenwriting resource PROCESS TO PRODUCT: A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR THE SCREENWRITER. Now, he brings his decades of hands-on experience to you in this Stage 32 class. Brian will provide you with sample script breakdowns, including SHREK, a cheat sheet of his 12 Guideposts for a great screenplay, and more. Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to learn from an industry veteran with a proven process for screenwriting success. You’ll finish these sessions with a professionally crafted story and the structure to strengthen every script you write in the future. Testimonials for Brian's Teaching and Stage 32 Education “As a collaborator with Brian and a guest in his class, I am hugely impressed with his screenwriting knowledge. I heartily recommend him and his course.” - Jason Alexander (Seinfeld, Pretty Woman, Listen Up) "I have a master's degree and a doctorate, Brian is by far the most caring and best teacher I have ever had." "The course was everything I needed and then some. An excellent course." "Mr. Herskowitz is very knowledgeable, patient, and superb at discerning problems and helping us solve them." "A solid course in which I felt I had learned a LOT by the time it was over."
How to Develop, Pitch and Sell Your True Crime Docuseries
Learn what it takes to get your true crime series sold from a long-time true crime producer with over 100 episodes of true crime TV under his belt. Includes a Case Study of a Real Pitch Deck for a True Crime Show There is no denying that true crime has become HUGE presence in the television landscape. From TIGER KING, THE JINX and MAKING A MURDERER to more recent limited series like HEAVEN’S GATE and MURDER AMONG THE MORMONS, true crime docuseries have become wildly popular and show no sign of slowing down. Even beyond the banner networks and streamers like Netflix, HBO and Hulu, many smaller networks like Investigation Discovery, Reelz, Oxygen and True Crime Network devote a large portion—if not all—of their slate to unscripted, true crime series and specials. This has led to a very recent explosion in true crime content and an incredible opportunity for content creators interested in this space to find opportunities and get their content sold. To find a place in the true crime space, you not only have to find and have access to a great story, but also build a fantastic pitch deck, and a strategic and effective pitch to get buyers on board. And all of these elements don’t need to just be good; they all need to lend themselves to the format and industry that is true crime TV. But if you can ace all of these elements, you may have just found your way in and the piece of material that will fire you off the launch pad. Your instructor is Phil Claroni, who has worked for over 10 years in the true crime television space and produced countless projects for networks such as CNN, Investigation Discovery, Discovery UK, Reelz, and ZDF. After starting on the hit show FORENSIC FILES, where he served as producer, Phil has been a director and lead writer for true crime shows airing throughout the world. More recently Phil served as showrunner for the Reelz series COPYCAT KILLERS and now serves as an executive producer for the company Story House Production. Phil’s decade-plus in the true crime TV world, pitching and selling countless shows to various networks has made him an expert in this space and has given him a keen eye into what makes a murder show sell. Phil will lay out how to best develop your own true crime docuseries and pitch and sell it to a streamer or other network. He’ll first explain what kind of story sells today and how you should tailor your pitch to reflect the current market you’re selling to. He’ll give you tips on how to research your story, what info is most important, how to obtain talent, and the legal elements to be aware of. Next, Phil will explain how to build the perfect pitch deck to sell your true crime series and go through one-pagers, treatments and sizzles. He will then explain how to find a production partner for your series, including who’s currently buying and how to know which partners would make t host sense for you. He’ll also tell you what materials can aid a sale and how you can take a meaningful meeting. Finally Phil will explain how to close, including initiating a bidding war and what to do to follow through. Phil will even share a real pitch deck he put together and explain why he made the choices he made in assembling it. “No one goes to college and majors in true crime production. It’s something you have to learn from others, but it’s one of the most attainable genres to produce in show business, and I’ll show you how.” -Phil Claroni
How to Find and Work With a Script Supervisor to Make Your Film Better
One of the most critical and underappreciated roles necessary to make a film work is the script supervisor. This person is vital to helping a director achieve his or her vision and is one of the most important positions a director must choose for his or her team. A good script supervisor not only keeps track of script progress and continuity, but serves as the director’s trusted confidante. They save time, money, and are instrumental in helping a director achieve his or her creative goals. But for this to work, the relationship between these two roles needs to be solid. A director and script supervisor have an interesting and complex relationship. You can have a great script, a spectacular cast, the most talented cinematographer, production designer, and gorgeous costumes, but if your film doesn’t edit well, it will be a disappointment. A good, experienced script supervisor helps a director avoid missteps, gives them cinematic choices in the editing room, and becomes their narrative storytelling accomplice. A bad script supervisor can be a real nuisance, interrupt the creativity on a set, and fail to protect a director’s vision. It all comes down to understanding and communication. Forming the vital and promising relationship between a director and the right script supervisor will have a lasting, positive impact on the film. No matter the size of your film, mastering this complex relationship can make all the difference. Let’s explore how to make this work. Brenda Wachel is an accomplished and sought after script supervisor with over 30 years of experience and credits on some of the biggest films of all time, including JURASSIC PARK 3, OCTOBER SKY, BRIGHT, COLLATERAL, FURIOUS 7, and CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER. She has worked with countless directors like Paul Haggis, Joe Johnston, Michael Mann, David Ayer, Tim Robbins, and Terry Gilliam and continues to serve as script supervisor for upcoming projects like Netflix’s just released mockumentary feature DEATH TO 2020, written and directed by BLACK MIRROR’s Charlie Brooker and starring Hugh Grant, Samuel L. Jackson, and Lisa Kudrow. No one knows the role of script supervisor and how to find success through this position better than Brenda, and she’s prepared to share what she knows exclusively with the Stage 32 community. Brenda will break down the importance of a script supervisor throughout the process of making a film and demonstrate how to make the vital relationship between a director and script supervisor work. She will begin by delving into the job of a script supervisor and why they’re especially important to directors. She’ll also explain their duties during prep, filming, and post production. She’ll also explain why a script supervisor is necessary for films of all levels, from low budget features and shorts to big budget blockbusters. She’ll give tips on how to find the right script supervisor for your project as well. Next, Brenda will look at how to shape the relationship between a director and script supervisor including how to establish one and how to grow and maintain it. She will then teach you how best to communicate between these two roles and then go into how a script supervisor can help with the relationship between directors and actors. Finally Brenda will share the biggest lessons she’s learned in her storied career as a script supervisor. If you are a director preparing to start a new project in the new year, no matter the size, it’s imperative you have a good script supervisor on your side and a good relationship with them. Brenda will show you how to do this. “The role of a Script Supervisor is vital for any film production, but also often a misunderstood, under-utilized, and underappreciated one. Doing it well sometimes means being invisible. I’ve been on enough films and worked with enough different directors to know how much a good relationship between a director and script supervisor can elevate a film, and how much a film suffers when the relationship isn’t there. I am very excited to share my experiences with you and teach you what I know about being an invaluable script supervisor.” -Brenda Wachel
Budgeting Lab: Build a Budget for Your Low Budget Feature in 8 Weeks
Payment plans available - contact edu@stage32.com for details Limited to 10 People - 2 Spots Remain With so many platforms and distributors looking for new projects to fill their libraries, now is the perfect time to make your low-budget feature. But before you can take a single shot, you need to know what it costs. A bad budget can break a production before it even starts, but an expertly made budget can lead to investors and opportunities. Before you go out to investors to finance your low-budget feature, you must know how much money you need and, more importantly, how you’re spending that money. This ensures you don’t undervalue your project, which sets up production to run out of money before you finish. To get the right sum for your project, you either have to spend money you don’t have yet to hire a line producer and schedule or build one yourself without any experience. But, what if you could not only have a budget and schedule ready for everything investors expect to see but also have an expert look it through to make sure you’ve got everything you need? What if a professional line producer who’s worked on hundreds of budgets could show you the ins and outs of budgets so that you know how to do it yourself for all of your projects? In this Stage 32 exclusive lab, you’ll go directly through your low-budget feature script with Chris Smith, a line producer, producer, and production manager with over a decade of experience. He’s also built over a hundred budgets for projects of every level and format. Over eight weeks, you’ll learn how to comb through your script to determine every line item you’ll need from pre-production through post. Chris has made over ten indie features, been an Executive in Charge of Production, created content for MTV, Cartoon Network, NatGeo, and NatGeo, and has overseen countless commercials, music videos, shorts, and more. Having worked his way up through production, Chris knows every crew role, rental and item in budget, as well as how important they each are. Over the course of his career, Chris has built over a hundred budgets for projects of every level and format. Chris will show you how to budget for: The schedule Above-the-line talent Every crewmember needed Rentals Locations Contingencies Production and accounting fees And so much more Using a limited class size, you’ll have the ability to work on your own budget and receive Chris’s invaluable experience, plus, see how these lessons adapt to each of your classmates’ projects. After every session, you’ll have an assignment to build on the information you’ve just learned and to practice while setting you up for the next session. You’ll also have access to handouts from Chris, featuring the budgets and schedules from professional productions to see exactly how the pros get it done. You’ll walk away with a budget, schedule, and the knowledge behind the choices you’ve made so that investors see you as a credible filmmaker and producer that they want to work with.
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