Los Angeles Or Bust » Structure http://www.losangelesorbust.com Blog dedicated to making it in LA Mon, 06 Sep 2010 22:27:31 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Full House http://www.losangelesorbust.com/2007/10/full-house/ http://www.losangelesorbust.com/2007/10/full-house/#comments Sat, 13 Oct 2007 22:57:44 +0000 Aadip http://nwsg.org/blog/?p=35 I just got home from tonight’s well-attended meeting starring the ovo-lacto Michael Hauge. After playing the opening clips from Brokeback Mountain and Wedding Crashers, he covered a lot of ground regarding openings, developing your hero, how to ask a question properly, and common mistakes that screenwriters make, including improper formatting and WAY too much dialogue.

By the way, I offered up some pages from my brand-new script (concept tested in the BSBS workshop), which will have some key mistakes in it, so you guys better have some examples of how I screwed up. Consider it payback for those of you whose scripts I’ve ripped with a red pen. 

My favorite Hauge gems of the night were, "Nobody likes to be grabbed, they want to be seduced in the first ten pages" and "When anyone in the industry reads your screenplay, they are doing it under duress." 

I’m pretty exhausted, but pleased that we now have 97 active NWSG members. NINETY-SEVEN. Go out and recruit three friends! Thanks to Diane for gatekeeping, Deb and Judy for bringing refreshments, Wally for getting Hauge up here, and Betty and Mark for being good company/good sports.  If I forgot anyone, forgive me.

Saturday’s workshop will have 46 attendees, with a tentative schedule as follows:

- Overall Structure
– Character arc and transformation
– Love stories
– Lunch break
- Pitching
– Exercises: Loglines
– Trash Mark and Aadip’s scripts
– Coach Pitches / Q&A

]]> http://www.losangelesorbust.com/2007/10/full-house/feed/ 0 Holy Sheet (with Blake Snyder) and The Story Master (Michael Hauge) http://www.losangelesorbust.com/2007/10/holy-sheet-and-the-story-master/ http://www.losangelesorbust.com/2007/10/holy-sheet-and-the-story-master/#comments Sun, 07 Oct 2007 22:59:09 +0000 Aadip http://nwsg.org/blog/?p=38 Just got back from Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet Workshop at the Freehold Theatre.
All twelve of us (9 NWSG Members, including a founding member/ex-Guild President) started with either a germ of in idea, a concept, or even a solid premise for three separate stories.
We pitched them to the group and together we chose the strongest piece for each writer.

Every one of us walked away with a completed BSBS with 15 major plot points, and the nerve-wracking experience of pitching our stories numerous times and having them broken down. Those of you who are attending Blake’s sold out workshop in two weeks, you are in for a real treat.  Those who missed out on both opportunities, Blake said he’s coming back to see us soon, possibly to do his 40 scene workshop and to buy a condo. The guy is crazy for Seattle and our rain! He was hopping up and down in the classroom while it poured outside.  Blake, I’ll trade you some Beverly Hills sunshine for our early winter and non-summer.  

What does the NWSG have next in store? Nobody should miss this opportunity -  an entire weekend with Story Master, Michael Hauge, uber consultant, celebrated author, and in-demand lecturer. I’ve been reading "Selling Your Story in 60 Seconds," which is a tight piece of writing with instant tips on getting your pitches into shape. I am eager to spend another weekend digging deep into the screenwriting craft with a guy who has worked with some of the best in Hollywood. Remember to bring your pitches and story ideas to the workshop. For those of you going to CS Screenwriting Expo (Oct. 24-28) to pitch, this will be nice preparation. Good luck to everyone who is going to the Austin Film Festival (Oct 11-18). Finally, Scriptapalooza will start taking applications November 1st.

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