AARON MENDELSOHN — THREE DAY COURSE DESCRIPTION


DAY ONE

STORY
    • What is your story?
    • Themes
    • Writing within a genre
    • Beginning, middle and end
    • Source materials — obtaining rights and options

CHARACTER
    • Who is/are your central character(s)?
    • What is his/her world?
    • Conscious and Unconscious Desires
    • The Fatal Flaw
    • Stakes
    • The Bad Guy
    • Friends & family


DAY TWO

STRUCTURE
    • Beats, Scenes, Sequences and Acts

ACT ONE
    • Opening with a bang
    • The set-up
    • The inciting incident
    • Turning Point #1

ACT TWO
    • The Journey begins
    • The first half — adjustment and education
    • A word or two about subplots
    • Pinches
    • The Mid-Point
    • The second half — bigger challenges
    • Turning Point #2

ACT THREE
    • All seems lost
    • Digging down deep
    • The Story Climax
    • Resolution



DAY THREE

SCENE DESIGN
    • Settings
    • Types of Scenes
    • What is/are the goal(s) of the scene?
    • Conflict
    • Dialogue that jumps off the page
    • Transitions
    • Pacing and Tempo
    • Adding color — motifs, themes & symbols
    • Vibrant prose and action
    
PREPARATION
    • Why you should suck it up and write a treatment before you go to script
    • Adapting books
    • Establishing your writing time and space
    • Script software
    • Working with partners
    • The ever-important three act structure

REWRITING    
    • Ask the tough questions
    • Being your own editor
    • Letting someone else read your baby
    • Script readings