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WOW! Women On Writing
Classes & Workshops
Spotlight Courses: Screenwriting & Playwriting
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Greetings!
If you've ever wanted to learn screenwriting or playwriting, I highly recommend Christina Hamlett as an instructor. Her credentials are fantastic, and she's someone you'll want to know personally and professionally. With over 30 years experience, including acting and directing, she's written 26 books (3 on the craft of screenwriting), 140 plays, 5 optioned feature films, and is the screenwriting editor of Writers Journal. If you're an avid WOW ! reader, you probably read her interview in the most recent issue, and you may remember her article on How to Format a Screenplay for our Book to Film issue.
In the article below, Christina shares some tips on writing a budget-friendly script. It's just one of the many things you'll learn how to do in her upcoming class, See You at the Movies: An Introduction to the Craft of Screenwriting. The class starts next Monday, October 3, and is limited to 10 students. Her class, All the World's a Stage: An Introduction to Playwriting, also starts on the same day (October 3). One of her playwriting students wrote a delightful and well polished one-act during her WOW ! class, and Christina made an introduction to one of her longstanding publishers, and the student's script was published in PLAYS Magazine. (Nice clip!) Also, be sure to check out our upcoming courses below. We have several starting soon, including Writing for Children (Today! You can still join in and receive the special fall discount), Personal Essay Writing (Oct 7), Memoir Writing (Oct 10), and Writing a Middle-Grade Novel (Oct 10). Happy writing! Angela & Marcia  Angela & Marcia Classroom Managers WOW! Classes & Workshops
classroom@wow-womenonwriting.com
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How to Write a Budget-Friendly Script
By Christina Hamlett
Back when I used to run a touring theater company, there was only one rule regarding the amount of furniture and props for any given performance: If it doesn't fit in the car, it's not going. (Fortunately, I was also penning all the plays the troupe performed so I had some control over the situation.) This sense of economy carried over into my lectures and classes for aspiring scriptwriters, reinforcing the philosophy that if no one is going to mention why there is a moosehead above the mantle, maybe that moosehead really doesn't need to be there. Little did I know at the time that I was laying the groundwork for my eventual segue into writing for film...and the necessity to craft a good story that can succeed on the strength of its plot, not the weightiness of its budget.
A case in point was the adaptation of my Scottish time travel, The Spellbox, to a feature-length script for an independent producer. Aside from the challenge of compressing 400+ pages to 120, there were scenes which I purposely omitted in deference to what it would ultimately cost to execute them (i.e., a banquet in which the Great Hall is set on fire). Anything which involves destruction of sets, utilization of stunt people, or more insurance is going to drive up the price tag of a movie. For writers who have yet to make their mark in the industry, such items can be a red flag to producers whose coffers are not quite Cameron-esque. While many a screenwriter may hunger to write a cast-of-thousands epic with a wealth of elaborate sets and technical glitz, the reality is that the lower he or she can keep the script's production costs, the higher the chances of a sale.
With this in mind, here are some creative ways to rethink your creative vision: - Contemporary storylines are generally less costly than period pieces.
- Fires, floods, earthquakes, volcanos, explosions--while many disasters can now be computer-generated, those that can't are going to cost money.
- Do you really need those swarming crowds? Even though they're paid scale for just taking up space, they're still an expense.
- Anything with animals--especially trained ones--could be a big-ticket item.
- Exterior scenes leave the crew at the mercy of time, season and weather, as opposed to interior shots which will look exactly the same whether it's 3 a.m. in the dead of winter or 7:30 on a summer night.
- Night scenes are more expensive to film than scenes in daylight.
- Are your car chases/crashes necessary or just gratuitous? Vehicular mayhem can put a sizable dent in the budget.
- Going on location is pricier than staying on a soundstage, especially the travel factor.
- Specifying that "Johnny Depp has to be in this movie or it won't work" probably isn't a compelling pitch.
- Every time the equipment gets moved, the cash register dings. Try to minimize your locations so multiple scenes can be shot at one time.
As you craft your story, keep in mind that it's easier for a director to add extra glitz once a script is actually slated for production than to have the crux of your plot contingent on too many pricey elements that may scare her off from even considering it.
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See You at the Movies: An  Introduction to the Craft of Screenwriting
Workshop Length: 6 Weeks
Price: $150
Start Date: October 3, 2011
Limit 10 Students
Course Description: This 6-week class provides an overview of the techniques and formatting requirements to develop an original screenplay. The lectures and assignments cover character development, dialogue, genre, structure, pacing, budget, and marketability. All materials submitted are critiqued by a professional screenplay consultant and learners are free to ask as many questions as they'd like about how to turn a story idea into a commercial, pitch-ready script.
Visit the Classroom Page for a complete listing and what you'll be learning week by week. 
About the instructor: Former actress/director Christina Hamlett is a professional script consultant and ghostwriter whose credits to date include 26 books (3 of which are on the craft of screenwriting), 140 plays, 5 optioned features, and hundreds of articles/interviews that appear in trade publications throughout the world. She is also the screenwriting editor of Writers Journal, and has conducted workshops on scripts and the performing arts for over 30 years.
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All the World's a Stage: Introduction to Playwriting
Instructor: Christina Hamlett
Workshop Length: 6 Weeks
Price: $170
Start Date: October 3, 2011
Limit 10 Students
Course Description: Since the time of the Ancient Greeks, the live theater experience has satisfied an audience's need for entertainment that is immediate, intimate and accessible to all ages and levels of society. Whether performed in an outdoor courtyard, on a vintage stage, in a school auditorium, or above the din of an urban coffeehouse, a play is an ever-evolving and timeless art form that derives its energy from both sides of the footlights. Unlike a novel or a film which is financed and produced only once, a theater script undergoes a new transformation with each change of cast and each change of venue. Even the passage of time itself impacts how a theatrical story will resonate with successive generations, giving new definition and perspective to old ideas or providing a yardstick of how far we've come from social mores that were once held as truth.
In this class, you'll be learning what makes a play successful...and how to write one yourself! Each module consists of a lecture and writing assignment, as well as interviews, websites and anecdotes. Ideally, it should only take one week to complete each exercise. The final assignment will be the writing and submission of an original 15-minute one-act play, which will be professionally critiqued for its adherence to all of the principles addressed in class.
Visit the Classroom Page for a complete listing and what you'll be learning week by week. |
Upcoming Classes & Workshops
All the classes operate online--whether through email, website, chat room, or group listserv, depending on the instructor's preferences--so you do not need to be present at any particular time (unless a phone chat is scheduled and arranged with your instructor). You can work at your own pace in the comfort of your own home. If you have any questions, please reply to this email or email us at: classroom@wow-womenonwriting.com Enjoy!
September 29
Writing for Children: Everything You Need to Know About Short Stories, Articles, and Fillers Today! You can still join in! | 7 Weeks | $175 (Fall Sale! Regular price: $200) | Limit: 15 Students
October 3
Introduction to the Craft of Screenwriting | 6 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 10 Students
Introduction to Playwriting | 6 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students
October 7
Translating a Life: The Art of Personal Essay Writing New! | 5 Weeks | $165 | Limit: 10 Students
October 10
Write From Your Soul: Memoir Workshop | 6 Weeks | $249 | Limit: 10 Students
Writing a Middle-Grade Novel | 6 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 20 Students
October 14
Get Paid to Write! Become a Freelance Writer | 8 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 15 Students
October 21
Blogging 101 | 5 Weeks | $125 | Limit: 20 Students
October 28
Intro to Book Reviewing | 4 Weeks | $100 | Limit: 16 Students
November 7
Introduction to the Craft of Screenwriting | 6 Weeks | $150 | Limit: 10 Students
Introduction to Playwriting | 6 Weeks | $175 | Limit: 10 Students
November 16
Social Networking for Writers | 4 Weeks | $100 | Limit: 20 Students
Bring Out the Story-Teller in You | 6 Weeks | $140 | Limit: 10 Students
November 30
The Unwilling Grammarian | 4 Weeks | $140 | Limit: 10 Students
Click here to see all of our upcoming workshops |
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Writer's Digest 101 Best Websites for Writers 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 |
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