06.11.18 | Feature Film Screenwriting with John Dawson (5 Tuesday evenings)

This 5-part, intensive, intermediate level course will delve deeply into how to craft a powerful and highly professional quality feature length screenplay for either an animated or live action film.

Weeks One & Two:

Story: its function in society and its components

Structure: the architecture of a story: analysis of 3 Act and 5 Act

The Character Roadmap: the importance of change

Plot: scenes, acts, turning points, pacing

Week Three:

Proper Screenplay Language and Form – part one: dialogue writing, character development, tone, visual grammar

Genre: the components and themes of each

Working against Genre: the ‘break-able’ rules and combining genres

Week Four:

Proper Screenplay Language and Form – part two: writing outlines and treatments

The Process of Writing: inspiration, conceptual thinking, the core idea, 3D thinking

Create your Logline: Assignment – part one

Week Five:

Animation vs Live Action: the differences and similarities 

Proper development process

The business of being a writer

Pitch your Logline: Assignment – part two

Participant Profile:

This workshop is aimed at those interested in writing feature length screenplays including experienced writers who want to hone their existing skills and those from other disciplines who want to develop new ones.

Tutor Info:

Screenwriter/story consultant/script editor John Dawson has written feature and short scripts in both animation and live action for clients in Ireland, Britain, Canada, and Korea. He has studied, written, and acted with numerous troupes including N. America’s famous Second City Theatre, the inspiration and casting pool for hit TV show ‘Saturday Night Live’. He lectured on screenwriting at Trinity College Dublin and has taught acting and improvisation for over 21 years in three countries including facilitating for Animation Skillnet and Screen Training Ireland, well as for employees of Ireland’s Academy Award nominated animation companies Brown Bag Films and Cartoon Saloon

Testimonial:

“John Dawson’s knowledge in the areas of storytelling and the craft of screenwriting is enormous. He has a deep understanding of structure, theme, characterization, and plotting and is able to convey these extremely effectively when working as both a facilitator and story/script editor. His brilliant advice on my own screenplay ‘A Terrible Beauty‘ – the story of Irish poet W.B. Yeats (with support from Bord Scannan/Irish Film Board) made an incredible difference and helped to hone it to the highest and most professional level.”

— Robert Monroe, PhD – Screenwriter/Novelist, Ohio, USA