Screenwriting workshop

1. Principles of Screenwriting

1) Know the story (logline) 2) Think about the audience … 3) Know your genre 4) Paint pictures with words. 5) Foreshadow. 6) Show! Don’t Tell. 7) If your hero has a weakness – attack it

2. Story Ideas

Think about your audience. Who is your audience?

Potential Sources:

Myths, legends, fairy tales, narrative poetry, religion, history…

o Gilgamesh – ancient epic story from the Middle East o Pygmalion – classic from Ovid’s Metamorphoses o The Arabian Nights o Local heroes and local folklore o Heroes from History, e.g. Joan of Arc, Mother Theresa

o The Classics: Pyramus and Thisbe o Shakespeare: ‘Romeo and Juliet’ o A song, e.g. ‘Last Christmas’ o Your Subconscious

3. Developing Ideas

Once you have the story, it is wise to go through the stages of development (usually collaborative) in order to get the story ready for the actual film.