Crush the second draft: The best writing courses on Stage 32
We here at Film Daily have challenged our readers to a monthly screenwriting competition in order to celebrate amateur & professional talent across the globe. Our goal is to focus on independent filmmaking talents, highlighting those artists who strive to break free from the mainstream conventions and disrupt the industry with maverick talent.
We’ve already covered a host of books, apps, and software for new writers & filmmakers to draw their knowledge from, but we think Stage 32 is worth a mention. The social networking site and educational hub provides premium content hosted by industry professionals offering the best tips and insight for breaking into the film & TV world.
The site’s upcoming session focuses on TV pilots and is hosted by Wes Ambrecht – a producer who has worked on a number of shows for HBO, Amazon, and FX. Promising to assist with the creation of characters and formatting scripts, the course also aims to familiarize the writer with TV protocol, such as ad breaks, camera set ups, and how to pitch a “fresh and relevant” pilot.
If TV’s not your style, we’ve collected a range of the site’s best current programs that will help you get the leg up you need to start working on your dream project.
Women in the Room – Breaking in as TV Writer! (Free)
Stage 32’s manifesto is all about diversity in media, and this free course aims to correct the gender imbalance still seen in television today. Hosted by staff writers, script coordinators, and showrunners’ assistants, this course aims to inject female writers the confidence they need to navigate a complicated and challenging industry. Featuring in-depth details on what you should expect and a helpful Q&A after the session, each panellist also provides the student a number of sources to check out if they’re hungry for more.
Make Your TV Script’s First Ten Pages Count ($49)
A vital resource for the comedy writer, this course pulls from hit shows such as Weeds, How I Met Your Mother, and Modern Family to offer tips in comedic timing, script beats, and character voice from the best in the business. A fantastic companion to Women in the Room, this program instructs how to stay in the industry once you’ve got there, teaching you how to promise a show with potential for hundreds of episodes. Overall, it’s a masterclass in sitcom wizardry.
Masterclass: Creating Compelling Characters ($59)
Who better to teach the ins-and-outs of characters than the BAFTA Award-winning screenwriter of Shrek? From Roger S.H. Schulman, this course provides in rich detail the perfect strategies for crafting compelling and memorable characters. Drawing analysis from Breaking Bad & Raiders of the Lost Ark, Schulman divulges insider secrets for motivation, action, and character voice to ensure your script stands out with wit, charm, and personality.
Robert McKee Presents: Storynomics – Exclusively for Stage 32 Masters of Craft ($49)
Robert McKee is one of the most sought after screenwriting scholars around, and his former students include over 60 Academy Award winners and 200 Emmy Award winners – let’s just say his track record can speak for itself. But if that’s not enough, his course promises to teach you, not only the basic & advanced techniques mastered by the best screenwriters, but also the fundamentals of why storytelling is important in the first place. It also teaches contemporary takes on the script’s place in the modern corporate world.
Writing a Network Pitch and Pilot That Sells ($49)
There’s no use writing a great script if you don’t know how to pitch it. Anna Henry – a Director of Development with clients who have worked with practically every major TV network – details how pitching a pilot is so much more than telling a room full of people what your show’s about. With specific focus on audience, content restrictions, network needs, and genre, this course will tell you how to prove your script is good and explain why television needs it.
The Dirty Secret of Story Structure ($49)
Don’t let the title fool you – there’s no cheating involved with this course. Under the tutelage of a renowned script reader, The Dirty Secret lets the student in on some sneaky tips for creating compelling narratives and dramatic tension. With almost twenty years of experience, Brian Smith has 23 film credits and has read & analyzed over 1,000 scripts, so you know you’re in safe hands.
Deconstructing the Oscar-Winning Script: Manchester by the Sea ($49)
Manchester by the Sea was completely driven by its morally complex and hard-hitting script, and any screenwriters hoping to emulate the melancholic and sensitively comedic mood of the film would do well to sign up to this course. Presenting each student with a copy, Creative Executive Patrick Raymond breaks down everything that made the Oscar Award-winning film so magnetic and offers up tips on how you can achieve similar results.
Understanding Film Noir and Applying the Art of Subtext in Your Script ($49)
This one’s Brian Smith again, this time with a particular focus on genre that covers more ground than an average college degree. From Golden Age masterpieces like Double Indemnity to modern neo-noir like L.A. Confidential, this course provides an in-depth history of the genre and its conventions, as well as useful methods to incorporate theme and subtext into your script.
Building Blocks: How to Write a Great Scene Every Time ($49)
With five years of TV experience – including writing for the CW’s The Vampire Diaries and its spinoff The Originals – Charlie Charbonneau is an expert on crafting scenes with character, setting, and tone that work to keep the viewer engaged. This course is crucial for understanding the element of surprise, the importance of atmosphere, and how you can follow the Bechdel Test for a diverse and enriching story.
The Writers’ Room: Let’s Talk Pitching! (Free)
Finally, learn from the crew at Stage 32 themselves with Nick & Allen, who present a free seminar on the art of pitching a script. As a great companion to Anna Henry’s lesson on how your script can fit within the TV landscape, this course teaches how to craft an exciting setting with believable characters that promises to attract a fresh and substantial new audience. Not only that, but they’ll also delve into how a logline can sell your show with one, short sentence.
