9 Tuesdays, September 27 – November 22, 7-9:30pm
$445 members/$475 non-members
Testimonials for Kate
Are you ready to start and actually finish a screenplay? That’s the goal of this 9-week course. You’ll learn all about screenplay structure, character development, story arcs & archetypes, dialogue, theme, genre, conflict, pacing, visualization, and WGA formatting while crafting the first draft of your own original screenplay.
This is a “learn by doing” approach to screenwriting. It’s fun and genuinely inspiring, but it’s also a lot of work. Writing a 90-120 page screenplay takes passion, self-discipline and commitment, but the process is more easily achieved when it’s broken down into clearly articulated goals and deadlines, and divided into manageable weekly assignments.
“It’s great to have the support of the group,” says instructor Kate Montgomery. “We’re all taking on the same challenge – and will be hitting many of the same obstacles. This includes me. Leading a hands-on workshop is a great time for me to get another spec script written. It keeps me in the same creative mode and on the same deadline schedule, which is always a benefit. No matter how seasoned a writer you are, it helps to have a deadline.”
Students do not need to have any previous screenwriting experience but each should come to the class with a story idea that can serve as a starting point for their screenplay. Access to a PC or Mac is highly recommended.
Kate Montgomery wrote, directed and produced the Sundance indie feature Christmas in the Clouds, which won top honors at festivals in Austin, Santa Fe, Vancouver, Philadelphia and Ft. Lauderdale, and endorsements from Oprah Winfrey & Roger Ebert. She executive produced the micro-indie, Ever Since the World Ended, which won at the SF Indie Fest and the London Sci-Fi Film Festival. She has optioned & sold screenplays to producers and studios in the US, Canada and UK, and works for hire as a script editor and production consultant. Her current feature projects include the Italian romantic comedy Pane Vine, and the western Stealing Lily, for which she also wrote the adaptation.