STORY AND PLOT I: STRUCTURE

Next Class TBA

The Story and Plot: Structure class has received rave reviews from its attendees. Its growing reputation for its unique and highly practical take on story instruction has made it increasingly popular through the years.

Structure is the Story and Plot introductory course. This class is unique in how it focuses on the difference between story and plot, and how each affects the most important aspect of feature-length storytelling: the structure. While the class is absolutely necessary for the screenwriter, directors and producers will find the information vital as well. The knowledge presented is instrumental for anyone interested in developing projects in the film industry whether they intend to develop a concept to first draft, or a first draft to production script. The class was designed to demystify structure, yet still take it well beyond the often misleading 3 act paradigm.

Story is the why, and structure is the how. Structure is the building block you start with, and it is the guide you rewrite with. Structure is not formula. Structure is your loyal assistant that helps you tell your story. It doesn’t limit you, it liberates you to focus on what rally matters. From this starting point, Story and Plot: Structure simplifies where other instruction tends to complicate.

Because so much of the screenwriting literature focuses on what Hollywood readers are allegedly looking for, structure is often poorly taught. A student may know what a First Act is, but they may not know what it's specifically for (it's not to "set-up" the story). They may think they know what a Third Act is, but they may not know it's actually the 4th act, or even how it directly relates to the First Act, or even what specifically defines a Third Act, or why Third Acts, by their nature, always move faster than any other act.

How should a sub-plot be structured out within the main story?

How does your plot affect your structure compared to how your story affects your structure?

Why is theme the most over-rated and useless concept in story telling?

How do you let go of your ego and just tell the story? (This is usually the biggest breakthrough with a writer, something they can often take back as their career progresses!)

MORE ABOUT THIS CLASS