Update: “Go Into The Story: The Quest”
For an update on “Go Into The Story: The Quest,” click continue.
“The Quest”
I have contacted all 21 writers [including 1 writing team] and they all accepted the terms I had stated publicly about potentially participating in the 24-week workshop for free.
I have received the requested information and I am in a reading period which will extend through July 4 during which time I am reviewing all the material they forwarded to me.
On July 5–6, I will email those selected for the second round to arrange video calls with each to take place Saturday, July 7 and Sunday, July 8. [If need be, also Monday, July 9].
I will email the finalists on July 11.
I will make public those writers on July 13.
We begin “The Quest” on Monday, July 16.
“Go On Your Own Quest”
July 16 will also be the start date for “Go On Your Own Quest,” where anyone can choose to participate in their own learning and writing process using the structure of “The Quest” to guide them into and through a first draft of an original screenplay. Here is an overview of that schedule:
Monday, July 16: The Quest begins! Core [Theory]: 8 weeks.
Monday, September 10: Prep: 6 weeks.
Monday, October 22: Pages: 10 weeks.
Monday, December 31: The Quest ends!
More details on GOYOQ as we approach 7/16.
Note: The possibility of public and private online message boards which we have discussed? I think we will make that happen. We can handle the conversation during the first 8 weeks here on GITS. Once we get into the writing workshops [Prep and Pages], that’s when those boards will become really relevant. So we have until September 10 to get that particular act together. I will be posting more information on that by the end of July.
Free Screenwriting Master Class Core and Craft Courses
With 1500+ entrants, I am scrambling to make good on my pledge of a free Core or Craft course for everyone who submitted a logline. Here is my upcoming SMC schedule of Core and Craft classes:
Core I: Plot [July 23-July 29]
Craft: Pixar and the Craft of Storytelling [July 30-August 5]
Core II: Concept [August 6-August 12]
Craft: Create a Compelling Protagonist [August 13-August 19]
Core III: Character [August 20-August 26]
Craft: Create a Worthy Nemesis [August 27-September 2]
Core IV: Style [September 3-September 9]
Core V: Dialogue [September 24-September 30]
Craft: Handling Exposition [October 1-October 7]
Core VI: Scene [October 8-October 14]
Core VII: Theme [October 22-October 28]
Craft: Character Introductions [October 29-November 4]
Core VIII: Time [November 5-November 11]
Craft: Story Summaries [November 12-November 18]
Craft: Character Development Keys [December 3-December 9]
That’s all the 1-week classes from which “Quest” entrants can choose their free course this year [I will be offering these courses again in 2013, so if you can wait that long, there is an opportunity to take them then.]
As noted previously, there are three options for taking a free class with me:
1. I will be accepting 5 Quest qualifiers per 1-week class. That will be on a first come, first serve basis. I will announce a specific date and time when I will be accepting email requests for those courses, then it will be up to you to send an email right then to claim a spot.
2. As a course is offered, if you would prefer written lectures from that class in lieu of waiting around for the next time it’s offered, you may — at the time the class is offered — contact me and I will forward the lectures to you.
3. I am in the process of setting up 90-minute webinars for many of these courses. This will likely be the way most of you obtain your free course as I should be able to have class enrollments in the hundreds. More information on that soon as I finalize details.
But as I promised, everyone who submitted a logline to “The Quest” will have the opportunity to take a free Core or Craft course in one of the three formats noted above.
“The Quest” as guild
A writer in one of my recent SMC classes had an intriguing observation about “The Quest.” He said what it feels like is a kind of guild in the sense that it is about a craft and imparting knowledge about that craft to participants. That feels about right. And as I think about it, I’m beginning to see how “The Quest” can fill a void that appears to exist in the online screenwriting community.
On the one hand, there are various so-called ‘gurus’ who sell products [books, DVDs, seminars] that convey something of the theory of screenwriting, but the issue there is how do you learn about the practice of being a working screenwriter. There are educational resources which offer courses and even certificate programs taught by a variety of instructors, but the challenge there is how do you derive a coherent take on the craft? Then, of course, a big question: Shouldn’t you get training about screenwriting from someone who has actually worked as a professional screenwriter?
On the other hand, there are professional screenwriters whose position — and I grant you this is a generalization — is that the stuff that so-called ‘gurus’ sell is useless and has no relevancy to what professional screenwriting is about. Their typical advice seems to be pretty much like that mantra of mine: Read scripts. Watch movies. Write pages. The subtext appears to be that screenwriting is a mystery and you just have to do your best to find your way. But while the purely creative aspect of screenwriting is a mystery, the fact is it is a craft, and much of that can be learned by studying it.
So maybe what “The Quest” represents is something in the middle. It offers a combination of theory [Core] and practice [Prep and Pages] with a mentor [me] to help guide participants through an immersive learning experience. Like a guild.
By the way, did you know that guilds were the precursors of universities that began to develop in the 13th century?
Anyway it’s all very interesting. As I have said, I’m just following my gut with this, trying to figure out an alternate way for outsiders to find their way into Hollywood, create an opportunity for at least some people to work with me where cost is not an issue, and inspire people to learn more about the craft and write better screenplays.
Finally I will take some time over this holiday week to review the many, many “Quest” slogans you submitted — thank you! — and see if I can whittle it down to like 10 or so, and we can vote on them.
If you have no idea what “The Quest” is, you can go here to find out more.
Onward and upward!
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