• 6 months / 24 weeks in person course in Tbilisi, Georgia. 

  Throughout the course students will study the art of storytelling and understand what makes a good narrative and what is visual storytelling.

  This course is designed for students with no experience of writing as well as writers who have written scripts but didn’t get their scripts produced yet. 

   

  01

  COURSE DESCRIPTION AND COURSE GOALS

  This script writing course is aimed to develop a student’s skills to analyze every type of story in regards to applying those stories into a motion picture. Differentiating a protagonist from other characters when it’s unclear, defining conflicts, developing character arcs and character development, and other crucial factors that make a great story.

  While inventing and structuring new stories in the class, students will get a full understanding of what is it take to develop a compelling story and what is the writing process.

  Besides that, throughout the course, all the attendants will learn the skill of pitching their projects to production companies or producers so they know how to sell their story and how to finance their idea.

  Overall students will acquire knowledge and will develop skills of pre-structuring and outlining stories and finding quick and effective solutions for any obstacles in their creative process of screenwriting.

   

  02

  LEARNING RESOURCES

  The films of David Fincher, Quentin Tarantino, Denis Villeneuve, Ridley Scott, Cohen brothers, Kim Ki-Duk, Lee Chang-dong and others.

  Books: The Anatomy of Story: 22 Steps to Becoming a Master Storyteller, By John Truby; Hero with Thousand Faces, by Joseph Campbell.

   

  03

  TEXTS, MATERIALS, AND SUPPLIES

  Students can access online resources to find material to be used in class. Instructor has a collection of material available. Students are encouraged to put their attention on films, that deal with challenging subject matter.

   

  04

  GRADING

  • Grading is Pass/Fail
  • Students who’s attendance is greater than 75% and who actively participate in every class they attend will receive a passing grade.
  • Students with inadequate attendance will be graded on a case by case basis.
  • Students are expected to participate in class discussions.
  
  

  05

  ASSIGNMENTS & HOMEWORK

  • Students who are working on a scene together are expected to meet and rehearse in the days between class meetings in order to make progress based on the lessons learned during each class meeting. Due to the pandemic, virtual meetings are encouraged.

   

  06

  PARTICIPATION, AND CLASSROOM CLIMATE

  • 100% attendance is the idea that every student ought to strive for. 75% is the minimum acceptable attendance rate.
  

  • Discussion and participation are a major emphasis in this course. This means that it is the student’s responsibility to come to class ready and willing to take part in group knowledge building through scrutiny and analysis of each other's work.

  • Because many modern plays, films and television shows feature rough language, such language will not be avoided in class. We all must be prepared to speak using the vocabulary of the writers and characters we are studying.

  • Students are required to power down all communication devices before entering the classroom.
  • The scene study classroom is, in effect, a rehearsal stage. Therefore there will be no applause at the completion of scene work.
  • During scene work, the instructor will often solicit the students who are observing to discuss their observations and make an analysis of the work based on what they witnessed. At all times, and in keeping with the theatrical custom of eschewing critiques of colleagues, all comments will be directed to the instructor who will closely moderate the discussion.
  • This class is a safe place for open discussion of ideas and the frank appraisal of human behaviors. If, at any time, a student feels uncomfortable or is encountering an episode of “triggering” they are invited to speak directly to the instructor and voice their concerns without hesitation or fear of judgement.

  WEEK 1

  Introduction. Discussion on basics of reaching the right concepts. Understanding ideas and their potential.

  Analyzing why motion picture is unique and such an overwhelming discipline.

  Defining the main beats of a story, hero, desire and preventing factor.

   

  WEEK 2

  Explaining the narrative universe. Discussing over setting and trying to understand what makes it work and how it relates with hero and other characters.

  What are the principles of story world-building for different genres?

   

  WEEK 3

  Understanding the details that may define a real protagonist, what makes character a hero?

   

  WEEK 4 

  Opponents and subjects for conflicts with opponents. Personalized antagonists and universal mystery, and how those can be made up.

  WEEK 5

  Allies and fake allies – who are those characters and why do we need them. How they influence on hero and course of a storyline.

   

  WEEK 6

  Meeting an oracle. One of the most often used characters in all genres. Who is an oracle? When they appear and why? What is the wisdom they possess and how they handle it to leading characters?

   

  WEEK 7 

  Inciting event and adventure: we’ll learn why inciting event is the most important beat for every single story ever told. 

  What are the red lines of characters’ universe and how crossing the lines make things irreversible.

   

  WEEK 8 

  Endings: open ending, classic, twisted ending and more. 

  Endings are where we put our approach, were we try to explain audience why we brought them to a cinema or their notebook screens. 

  We’ll discuss all the well known endings, see the examples in movies and will try to go as deep as possible to understand how they reach specific emotions. 

  Exam

   

  WEEK 9

  Genres and typology: drama, comedy, speculative manner. What makes a movie of particular genre? Learning how genre universes are created and developed along with protagonists.

   

  WEEK 10

  Conventional, indie.

   

  WEEK 11

  Long-form, short-form:  are there any diverse between their story structuring?

   

  WEEK 12

  TV shows and series: how can be multiple plots created and what are the specifics of TV business?

  WEEK 13

  Coverage: tagline, logline, synopsis – things that is necessary to know how to create. Learning how to make a movie project attractive to producers.

   

  WEEK 14

  Treatment, outline and first draft: the path that every writer goes through.

   

  WEEK 15

  Formatting manuscript: software, page numbers, scene durations and more.

   

  WEEK 16

  Now what? – finding personal story to work on, or making all stories personal.

   

  WEEK 17

  We watch any film and analyze it in class through the knowledge that we already have.

   

  WEEK 18

  Students create a coverage letter for the chosen project, at home. Projects are discussed in the class and given critics and feedback in between them.

   

  WEEK 19

  Art of pitching: how do we tell film concepts to industry pros?

   

  Week 20

  Modelling a pitching competition in the class: students will have 4 minutes for pitching the project and 4 minutes for Q.A.

  Analyzing the pitch texts and learning how to make it sound appropriate.

   

  WEEK 21

  Modelling of pitching competition 2.

   

  WEEK 22

  What do movie critics love in films? And what films are usually taken by film festivals and why? All about the intellectual journey of features.

   

  WEEK 23

  Exam

   

  WEEK 24

  Farewell, creating a little story of our class and fun.

Meet Your Teachers

• 

  Zaza

  Screenwriting: Structuring Dramatic Representation: In Person Classes

  Zaza Won More Than 20 prizes at International Film Festivals For Various Projects. He Is Best Known For The Oscar Qualified Short Film 8 Minutes, That...

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