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SEM_Immersive

Seminars

                    “Paul is simply one of the best I've worked with.”

                                                             Don Ranvaud, Executive Producer,                                                                                    CITY OF GOD and THE CONSTANT GARDNER

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Immersive

Upcoming Live Seminar 

Character & Dialogue

Learn how to construct compelling characters that grab and hold an audience's attention, leveraging elements such as backstory, motivation, relationships, personal idiosyncrasies and dialogue.  The section covers the following areas:

  • Protagonists

  • Antagonists

  • Backstory

  • Character Motivation

  • Character Arc

  • Petting the Dog

  • Sequence Writing

  • Conflict

  • Memorable Idiosycrasies

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May 5th. 2018

National Union Building

918 F Street NW

Washington, DC 20004

9:00 am - 6:00 pm

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Story & Structure

Paul teaches writers how to transform their original ideas into fully wrought stories that will appeal to audiences and producers alike.  He then delves into screenplay structure -- the all important framework upon which successful screenplays are constructed.  Writers walk away with a strong understanding of the following: 

  • Story

  • Opening Images

  • The Good News / Bad News Timeframe / Time clock

  • Inciting Incident

  • Protagonist goes from passive to active

  • Trajectory Shift

  • Cause and Effect; Point of No Return

  • The First False Epiphany

  • The Second False Epiphany

  • The Big Gloom

  • Third Act Finale

  • Satisfying Conclusion

The Business of Screenwriting

Paul teaches writers how to expertly navigate the business end of screenwriting, from choosing a marketable idea, understanding source material, obtaining rights from a novel, securing an agent and negotiating a deal.  Seminar attendees will learn the following:

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  • The Marketability of Your Screenplay

  • Premature to Market

  • Three Different Hats:  Producer, Director and Marketer

  • Preparing Your Screenplay for Market

  • Writing and Re-Writing

  • How to Workshop Your Screenplay

  • Logline and Title

  • Agents, Managers and Pitching

  • Discovering Your Organic Film Industry Resources

  • How to get a Movie Star Attached to Your Screenplay

  • How to get an Agent and Work with Him / Her

  • Do you Need a Manager

  • Reading a Room

  • The Business of the Business

  • 3-5 Scripts

  • What is the WGA

  • Options and Residuals

  • Writing Assignments

  • How to Read Industry Notes (and the Notes Behind the Notes)

  • Relationships

  • Contests and Competitions

  • Protecting Your Screenplay

  • Your Lifetime Achievement Speech

  • Final Thoughts and Life Experiences

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