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London 2010: The BlueCat Screenwriting Courses
Winner of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival for LOVE LIZA, Gordy is a former Adjunct Professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles, as well as having led workshops across the US and Canada, as well as the U.K. and Eastern Europe. Gordy Hoffman is now attached to direct a movie in 2010 in UK and France, written by Melissa Brandt. To read Gordy's articles on screenwriting, go here or watch his videos here. The two courses are aimed at writers of a variety of levels, with each workshop serving specific purposes: The Rewrite course will be conducted for those writers with an existing piece of work that they wish to develop further, with a goal of vastly improving a script to a more polished level. The New Screenplay course is for writers who wish to start a fresh script, whether you’ve written a screenplay before or not. In this workshop, writers will practice the development process of taking an idea and starting the writing of the screenplay, culminating in the completion of the First Act. Class size will be kept very small to insure proper attention and focus on each participant. The RewriteLimited to 6 writersDates: Thursdays, April 8 – May 20, 2010 (Seven Weeks) Location: Price: £325 Course ObjectiveThis workshop is geared towards those writers with an existing screenplay that they wish to further develop, taking it towards a polished, finished product. The workshop will give the writer the ideas and techniques necessary to properly rewrite their script. In developing an industrious attitude, the writer will understand what a rewrite is and what it is not. An industrious attitude can mean a lot of things…but it simply means you are open to work, and with a rewrite, the premise to work is the belief your script needs work. The workshop’s goal is to successfully develop a screenplay, while learning about the larger issues of the rewrite process. The ScheduleEach registered writer shall submit their screenplay to Gordy and their fellow members of the workshop by April 1, 2010. The members will read each other’s scripts in preparation for the first class on April 8, 2010. In addition, Gordy will provide written notes on each existing screenplay. Each script will be discussed and given specific direction for advancement. The discussions will include rewriting techniques, developing the currently existing material, troubleshooting problem areas, and problem-solving any issues that arise. Each week will include a one-hour discussion of each writer’s work. The scripts will be broken down into three acts. On the first day, the class will be divided into two groups: Group A and Group B. Every two weeks, each group’s new third will be discussed. Starting with the second week, the groups will alternate taking turns in submitting revisions for the class to read, starting with Act I. The final classes will consist of groups discussing their scripts from Act III to the end. For each class, the other writers will prepare ahead of time. Each writer must read each other’s revised work, so that there will be a healthy discussion of each piece. Class #1: The Introduction Class #2: Group A, Act I Class #3: Group B, Act I Class #4: Group A, Act II Class #5: Group B, Act II Class #6: Group A, Act III - Ending Class #7: Group B, Act III - Ending Final wrap up and discussion of future objectives. The New ScreenplayLimited to 8 writersDates: Wednesdays, April 14 – May 19, 2010 (Six Weeks) Location: Price: £275 Course ObjectiveLife is a story, and today we gather to tell this story at the movie theatre in very large numbers. When a person has a story idea for a movie, what’s the next thing to do? This workshop focuses on taking a story from an idea into a finished screenplay. What are the steps a writer takes in writing a screenplay? How does a person actually get started? How do they finish? Some writers have never written a script and have no idea how to get started. The veteran screenwriter might have a half dozen methods for writing their scripts, but can’t seem to satisfy their goals. Some screenwriters start several scripts and never finish. Novelists want to adapt their books into movies, or playwrights see screen writing close to home. Filmmakers want to write a no-budget script they can shoot in the living room or cafe down the street. Maybe you’ve never written anything, but know you have a great idea for a movie. This workshop will motivate and inspire each and every one of you. We will discuss and use writing exercises to explore the following crucial areas for beginning and completing a successful screenplay:
Not only will this workshop focus on writing a screenplay, but most importantly, writing an original, plausible, clear and compelling one, a movie an audience will love. Written homework will be assigned each week and successful completion of these assignments will insure a healthy, productive workshop for all. The ScheduleClass #1: Pitching Ideas Class #2: Character and Story Class #3: The Opening Pages Class #4: The First Ten Pages Class #5: The First Twenty Pages Class #6: The First Act |
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Gordy Hoffman, the Sundance award-winning writer/director (LOVE LIZA, A COAT OF SNOW) and founder of the BlueCat Screenplay Competition, returns to London to teach two, new screenwriting courses.