Throughout the Retreat there will be Major Stream Specific Workshops, and Group workshops emphasising different aspects of the business!
There will be a chance for Actors, Directors and Writers to work with each other at certain times throughout the Retreat.
Workshop Descriptions:
MAJOR STREAM A: ACTING: The most common tendency for the inexperienced and poorly trained actor is working from the head. “Being in your head” is an experience which only you can have, the audience cannot participate. The goal of an actor is to affect the audience on an emotional level, to move them and that is only possible when you are out of your head and in your body. These workshops focus on helping the actor in creating complete and compelling characters who own the stage or screen!!
Valerie McCaffrey: Understanding Casting in Hollywood – the ultimate audition How to get yourself to Hollywood Marketing yourself Why someone gets cast Mock auditions Learning how to audition Putting yourself in the hot seat
Milton Justice: Connecting to your text with MEANING! Lies Like Truth Giving the text size. Understand the ideas.
Visualization for massive effect! Experiencing the text Getting away from the dialogue and understand the sequence of thoughts
Using the circumstance to make you SHINE! Living in the place Actions from the circumstances
Finding the TRUE essence of a character - wake the character UP!!! Making kick-butt choices Choices that feed the character
Choosing the dynamic past of a character and making it worthwhile!
REAL Actions and Objectives Playing what's going on with the character
Playing actions with a partner - and seeing them come alive!
Analyse your text with passion and focus
Rehearse with PURPOSE Preparing your monologue
Performing your monologue and winning the stage
Creative Text analysis for mind blowing scenes
Kick- arse Performance time!
MAJOR STREAM S: SCREENWRITING: Heather Hale: The Idea High Concept: Marketable Ideas, Loglines and Genres What is high concept? What makes a movie premise commercial and mainstream? Specific yet universal? Fresh and contemporary yet familiar and evergreen? In our modern world of decisions based on sound bytes, it all comes down to your "logline": the “25 words or less” sentence or two summation that “sells” your script or project - your most important marketing tool. What makes a great logline? This interesting lecture and interactive writing workshop helps you understand the distinctions of the genre continuum - and where the projects you’re working on fit in while you have fun playing games with partners and teams to come up with increasingly marketable ideas.
Beating Out the Beat Outline (and Mining the Diamond Mines) Let’s take it all a step further. Applying your new understandings of the finite differences -- and the overlap -- between genres, we’ll dive right into bringing your idea to life as a story. How to collide your characters in conflict and braid those subplots with a unifying theme. All from a high level before doing the heavy lifting of writing a single page. After a brief Cliff note story structure review and an overview of all the major analysts’ terminology and approaches, we’ll have a ball brainstorming verbally and collaboratively as teams to think your stories through on paper and get it up on the walls in color-coded 3” x 5” post it’s and butcher blocked timelines. Learn truly helpful mind mapping and diamond mining character development strategies and story structure techniques. Find your tone. Honor your voice. Figure out your style. Leave the class with a whole new set of tools to replicate this process over and over on each and every new and existing project at home.
The Development Process [A joint-workshop merging both the Writers’ and the Directors’ tracts and tutors.] Film and television are collaborative arts. If you’re not already working with a producer or a writer/director (or even a writing partner) - with any luck: you will be soon. Learn how to “give good meeting.” Discover key tools and techniques to articulate and execute, deliver and receive (when to keep your mouth shut, when to defend, what battles are worth fighting – and how to make others think they came up with your ideas - or sometimes even let them take the credit so you actually get your way). It’s all about effective communication - and clarity of vision – and truly listening – and a lot of psychology. Your ability to sift through sometimes wildly conflicting takes, goals and hidden agendas to honor what’s right for the story and the characters will be a measure of your success in this business.
Your First Impression: Hooking the Reader on Page One The opening of your screenplay is your single most powerful weapon for acquiring an agent or securing a deal. Most Hollywood executives will toss a script before they even reach page 10 if they're not immediately grabbed by the story. They’ll forgive weaknesses later in the script if you engage them emotionally early on – and keep them intrigued. Using clips from popular or Oscar-nominated films and pages from as-of-yet unproduced but up and coming “Black List” screenplays, this seminar will show you how the greats reveal their tone and genre through style, write great establishing visuals and opening lines to draw their readers into the worlds they create and compel their readers to keep turning those pages. Then, we’ll look at your first pages – and constructively critique and improve them.
The Art of Exposition Pruning your narration and killing your babies are some of the most critical skills for a screenwriter to learn. Learn where and how to bury back story, deftly lay pipe, subtly set-up for later pay-offs and use exposition as ammunition as conflict in motion. Don't just learn tips and tricks -- learn the trade. You have to master the craft before you can excel at the art.
Pruning and Polishing Dialogue We’ll look at some clips and pages of some of the best and worst out there – then take the rake to your pages after some reader’s theater so you can hear your work aloud and re-evaluate what can be said with less – or a look. Learn to trust your Director (and the whole filmmaking team) and leave white space for your Actors to act.
Unifying Your Character Arc with Theme Plot is what your script’s “about” - theme is what it’s really about. Each and every decision your Hero makes should not only drive your story forward – but it should reveal theme. You should know what your theme is – and every line of dialogue, every character motivation, should riff of that unifying force. Your subplots should be melodies to the symphony you orchestrate. Give your audience a satisfying, resonate ending so that the whole experience has meaning. We will breakdown and analyze (and refine) as many volunteers’ projects as we can get through.
Writing for the Camera Learn the subtle, effective way to “direct on the page” so that not only do you not piss off your Director but that you don’t lose your Reader in camera directions. Make everyone who reads your script envision the movie you see in your head in their mind’s eye. Discover clever, subliminal literary ways of emulating the viewing experience on the page. In order to get what you mean out of your head and onto that screen, it’s gotta get translated clearly onto the page. Become adept at cutting-edge, professional techniques to blueprint your vision clearly to everyone on the filmmaking team. Key scenes will be shared from attendees’ projects.
The Treatment and Pitch Learn how to sell the sizzle (rather than cut up the steak). The goal is to get to “Yes!” That’s it. “Yes, we’ll read it!” “Yes, he’ll attach.” “Yes, we’ll buy/produce/distribute your project.” Whether on the phone or in an elevator, at a pitch fest or in a casual “meet and greet,” tongue-tied screenwriters have to face the same challenge that advertisers do - having seconds to convince people to buy. And they can’t do it without you as you have to hand the ball off so they can pitch it all the way up the ladder to one sheet billboards and trailers. Practice your pitches verbally with partners and in front of the class. Get direct, kind and helpful feedback from a working Hollywood pro! Learn from the strengths and weaknesses of others how to master your own. And find out what should really be in the written version of your pitch - those marketing leave behinds.
MAJOR STREAM D: DIRECTING:
Valerie McCaffrey: Working and talking to actors Recognizing good material that will attract financing and actors Picking your DP, Production Designer (reels) and recognizing the right ones for your project Setting your shots and working with your DP Moving the camera The editing process and how it works Working with your Executive Producer, Producers and how not to how hate each other after it is all over-understanding their objectives.
Milton Justice: The tools of an actor Analyzing the script from the actor's perspective The vocabulary for getting the most out of an actor Working with an actor
More detailed content to be confirmed
GROUP WORKSHOPS: There will be a group workshop each evening
Orientation: Meet your three Coaches and greet all the attendees from each of the streams as we share our exciting plans for the weekend and review all the housekeeping issues. We will play some fun, interactive ice breaking exercises to get everyone networking (and playing together) from the very start.
PowerNetworking: Heather Hale, a veteran Hollywood Insider, will deliver her world-popular multimedia lecture on the power of networking, empowering YOU to use the six degrees of separation –and modern tools and techniques - to launch your career to the next level. Hit the ground running or reboot your enthusiasm. Learn networking secrets that can supercharge your career. Learn how to break the ice and build rapport, team-network and work a room with your wingman, mine organizations from the inside out through events and volunteering, mind map your web of relationships, diversify your sphere of influence, expand your constellations of connections and refine your hit lists. Discover how to time and contact manage to stay on top of it all and move mountains proactively towards your dreams.
PowerNetworking: Putting it All Together - Where Do You Go From Here? Heather will book-end her opening session with advanced techniques of how you can network with film and television professionals and communities around the globe. What to look for in the trades to get a sense of who’s who and what’s really happening – and what’s just spin. How to use social media and online resources to find out about, get the jump on and pursue opportunities at home and abroad. How to read between the lines – and people - to tell the difference between a vapor project and one that’s legit, who’s a mover and shaker player - and who’s full of it. And how to capitalize on all the resources at your disposal and generate momentum on the ones you need to rally support on to make your dreams come true.
(The other Group workshops are to be confirmed)
Although it is not our intention, please be aware that the class content and/or Coaches/ Tutors may change in unforseen circumstances.
