Screenwriting Bootcamp Week 1 (FREE Class with Conor Kyle)

Week 1: Why this story?

Now that you’ve narrowed down your high-concept idea, we will ask the simple questions: why this story? Why now? What is both timely and universal in your idea? We will begin to chisel away at the central dramatic question of your script, and design a plan to explore this theme from all angles. You’ll refine and polish your story’s premise, and begin the outlining process with your project sketchbook.

Bring up to 3 loglines or brand new movie ideas!

The bootcamp course meets every week for eight weeks. Conor takes you from a blank page to the first draft of a complete feature screenplay, walking you through the entire process of conceiving, outlining, and writing a 90-120 page script.

The intention behind the bootcamp is not for you to write a perfect script, but instead to teach you the organization skills, discipline, and craft techniques that will set you on the path to becoming a professional screenwriter.

About the Instructor:

Conor Kyle has written for Shudder's Creepshow (2019) and placed twice in the Nicholl Fellowship with his scripts “Peter and the Wolves” (quarterfinals, also Launchpad top 10) and The Tube (semifinals). His screenplays have also been featured on special sections of the annual Hit List, Young & Hungry List, Spec Book, and on Tracking Board’s “Best Writers of the Year” booklet. He writes everything from stage musicals to Westerns to horror movies. Watch Conor's previous classes on Twitter, YouTube and Twitch, and the Script Camp Video Library

How to join the free class:

• Hit the RSVP button
• Then join us on Discord: https://discord.gg/XmU54Ffynv

How to join Conor's 8-week Screenwriting Bootcamp:

• You can either purchase the full course “a la carte”: https://scriptcamp.net/classes/
• Or become a supporting member (starts from $19/month with yearly discount). You can start Unlimited Script Camp with over 70 hours of live classes, workshops and bootcamps every month, including the Writers Labs and Video Library: https://scriptcamp.net/membership/

8-Week Feature Bootcamp course schedule:

Week 2: Outlining I – Breaking the Story

Now that you’ve selected your feature idea, we’ll look at the key building blocks of your story. Chiefly: how to structure and place key scenes, and begin to establish connective tissue between them.

Week 3: Outlining II – Scene Cards

Time to organize your ideas into a much more detailed outline. These “scene cards” will each feature a key moment of your story, and you’ll organize your brainstormed sketches into a cohesive, page-by-page plan for your upcoming feature.

Week 4: Beginnings

It’s time to get going on your feature! This class will feature a both a FAQ / troubleshooting session (where we address and fill holes in your outlines before you begin) and a lecture on first acts: everything from opening image to the act break. From this class on, you’ll have to write a few pages a day to keep up with the benchmarks and get optimal feedback on your script.

Week 5: Transitions

You’ve finished the first 20-30 pages of your script, so this class focuses on your first act break. How do we diagnose whether we’ve done everything we need to do in act one? We’ll heavily emphasize a propulsive boost into the “fun and games” of your script’s second act, balancing B-stories, and more.

Week 6: Second Act

This class follows us into the deep dark woods of your script: the second act. We’ll go over the creation of sequences and setpieces, and review how to find the fun in your premise and mine its full potential.

Week 7: Escalation

Many newer writers begin to falter or repeat themselves in this section of a script, so we’ll focus on keeping up the energy and narrative push, as well as beginning to answer questions and pay off setups from earlier in the script. Danger and tension must ramp up significantly in this section, and we’ll make sure our scripts are doing just that.

Week 8: Endings

In our eighth and final week, we will work through the difficult final act of your script. How do we conclude subplots? How can we leave the reader feeling satisfied with the ideal “unexpected yet inevitable” conclusion? By the end of this week you will complete your 90-120 page first draft!