Reflections on the 1st Black List Screenwriters Lab
On Monday, September 30th, six writers — Jan Arnold, Minnie Baig, Robin D. Fox, Gia Gordon, Nick Malick, and Casey Scharf gathered in downtown Las Vegas as participants in the inaugural Black List Screenwriters Lab (for background, read this). Joined by professional screenwriters Brian Koppelman (Oceans 13), Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married), Billy Ray (Captain Phillips), Kiwi Smith (Legally Blonde), and myself, as well as Black List founder Franklin Leonard, this select group of writers took part in an amazing, intensive experience, workshopping each of their stories, digging deeply into the craft of screenwriting, and in general having the creative time of their lives.
Here is a summary of the schedule [not including most meals and after hour sessions which were a combination of socializing and talking shop]:
Monday: Arrival, Welcome Dinner
Tuesday: Zappos Headquarters Tour, “The Psychology of Storytelling” with Lindsay Doran (Lunch), Rooftop Screening: The Spectacular Now with director James Ponsoldt
Wednesday: Session on Rewriting, Peer Workshops (Scott Myers, Moderator)
Thursday: One-On-One Mentor Sessions (Brian Koppelman, Billy Ray, Kiwi Smith, Scott Myers)
Friday: One-On-One Mentor Sessions (Brian Koppelman, Billy Ray, Kiwi Smith, Scott Myers)
Saturday: Departure
Here are some of the writers’ reflections:
My experience at the Black List Labs taught me more about screenwriting than any book or class. I came into the Labs expecting a gentle experience, but what I got was intense and much more rewarding. — Minnie Baig
Our mentors were not only interested in our scripts, but who we were as writers and where we were trying to go. They guided us through the process of dismantling our stories and rebuilding them even if that meant an entirely different script. That process was raw, intimate and ultimately exhausting. I am a better writer for it. — Jan Arnold
The Lab afforded this incredibly safe creative space to engage in deep explorations with peers and mentors (and myself) about the ways in which this draft of my script failed. And I’m not saying that with any self-loathing or self-deprecation. No at all. I mean the necessary failures a writer has to recognize, digest, problem solve, and ultimately transcend in order to get it right — to succeed. — Gia Gordon
Prior to my week in Vegas, everything I knew about screenwriting had come from the shelves of Barnes and Noble, so the opportunity to sit down with some of the most distinguished screenwriters and gurus in the industry was flat out invaluable. The feedback which I received from the lab provided me the confidence to move forward in the rewriting process knowing that I have properly identified the weakest elements of my script and the assurance that the changes I am making will profoundly strengthen my script and the prospects of having it eventually sold. — Casey Scharf
I guarantee that words will not be sufficient to tell you how life changing this experience was. A friend asked me how the event was. Going into I thought it would be around a 9 on a scale from 1 to 10. It was a probably a 35. — Nick Malik
LINDSAY DORAN’S PRESENTATION: Kiss the Girl or Save the World?
I realize this was intended as an intellectual exercise about storytelling to help prep us for our re-write. But I couldn’t help think about how grit, resilience, optimism et al applied to the life of a writer, or anyone really. It was amazing to meet her and get to revel in her knowledge and kindness. — Gia Gordon
Unbelievable. I felt like Lindsay’s speech that everything that was being made or written now was so dark. That the lighter films and comedies didn’t get the same attention. Hearing someone of her stature/experience champion comedies and feel good films made me feel so much more confident about what I want to write. Her knowledge and experience was overwhelming in such a good way. — Nick Malik
THE SPECTACULAR NOW screening
Anytime you can screen a film and have the director available to discuss it is amazing, but to have two days to spend with James — incredible. — Jan Arnold
I had a sort of out of body experience while watching this film where I took a moment to appreciate the fact that A. I was watching an incredible movie, B. The director was 7 yards away from me while I was watching it, and C. I was doing so with the Las Vegas strip in the background in 68 degree weather. — Casey Scharf
MENTORS OVERALL
First off, the generosity of the Mentors was staggering. I am forever grateful to every single one of them. The order in which my Mentor sessions unfolded could not have been any more perfect. I “stair-stepped” through: 1) emotional core (Kiwi); 2) excavation (Scott); 3) confrontation (Brian); and 4) problem-solving (Billy). I absolutely needed to process my script through each one of those prisms and in that exact order. It was like divine intervention. Seriously. — Gia Gordon
PEER WORKSHOP
Scott’s passion for screenwriting and teaching is as contagious as it is beneficial. His approach was very much in contrast with the style of feedback from the other mentors, and his efforts to help me understand writing at the most fundamental level through an explanation of theory and structure helped me view my own script in a whole new light. He also helped me build upon the suggestions I had received from the previous three mentors and synthesize the ideas in an attempt to build the foundation for the most effective rewrite possible. — Casey Scharf
The Black List Screenwriters Lab was an unqualified success. I leave it to one of the participants to have the final word on the event:
My experience began as: novice writer stepping off of plane. That week we were treated to a level of not only industry access, but community the likes of which I’m not too sure anyone involved expected (not even the amazing folks hosting it). It was an intimate and honest time of sharing and learning, where there were no social taboos; no punches pulled. We all cut to the heart of each other: peer and mentor respectively. We as peers, became family; those who were Mentors never once took their title lightly, stretching it well beyond its Merriam-Webster meaning (“Guru” would’ve perhaps been more fitting). Our treatment was no less than VIP each and every day, from the food to the private presentation by Lindsay Doran of her brilliant TED Talk and the classy rooftop screening of The Spectacular Now with director James Ponsoldt in attendance. When I stepped back on that plane, I was no longer a novice with promise: I was an integral piece of the future of the craft. — Robin Fox
Robin Fox, Jan Arnold, Nick Malik, Gia Gordon, Casey Scharf, Minnie Baig
Here’s looking to the next Black List Screenwriters Lab!
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