|
January 24-26, 2003 in Richmond, Virginia The Story Dynamics Workshop for Screenwriters will be presented January 24-26, 2003 in Richmond, Virginia. This weekend screenwriting workshop expands on the free guidance offered through the Empire Screenwriting Resource. It gives course participants an opportunity to review the screenwriting exercises at the website with the instructor, who is both course and site creator. The workshop emphasizes screenwriting fundamentals and Story Dynamics (each with its own set of exercises). And it covers word use, presentability, readability (which have a combined set of exercises). The contemporary film assigned for the workshop can be viewed collectively at the Byrd Theatre (2908 W. Cary/804.353.9911) on Friday night, with a discussion to follow at nearby Rostov's Coffee (2902 W. Cary/804.355.6619). The workshop session Saturday, to review course material and exercises, and the Sunday session, a line-by-line review of participant's scripts in "pages" style, will be conducted at Java Outpost (2928 W. Cary/804.355.2040). Tuition for the Saturday session is $75; $50 for the Sunday session. The sessions can be taken individually. Registration occurs at the workshop itself. Payment may be made by personal check or cash, but credit card payment cannot be accepted at this time. All workshop payment will go directly to previous winners of the Empire Screenplay Contest until prize commitments are met. Where such designation is not specifically stated for an individual city, participants will be informed at the workshop how to make checks and money orders payable. All Empire Screenplay Contest semifinalists, finalists, winners, and Fifth Annual quarterfinalists may attend without charge. All participants, including those from the Contest, must pay for their own cinema tickets for the assigned movie at the box office. Prior to attending, interested workshop participants are urged to review the free course material available at Empire Screenwriting Resource, emphasizing the sections referenced above. They should also review carefully three classic U.S. films--GONE WITH THE WIND, CASABLANCA, and THE GODFATHER (Part I only), considering the course material and working the related exercises. Workshops are scheduled one-per-month throughout 2003. Upcoming cities include Virginia Beach, VA (February 21,22,23), Arlington, VA (March 28,29,30), and Washington, D.C. (April 25,26,27). The workshop schedule lays out the specifics for these cities (as available), and lists the remaining locations for the rest of 2003. The Story Dynamics Workshop for Screenwriters section of the Empire Screenwriting Resource presents all the necessary information related to workshop, i.e., schedule, agenda, prerequisites, and registration. All workshop particulars are subject to change, so participants are urged to check for the latest information at the site and join the EmpireUpdate e-mail list. The proceeds from the Richmond workshop go to Beth Szyperski, a winner of the 4th Annual Empire Screenplay Contest in the Hollywood or Bust category with her script GENEVA, an historical romance). Checks and money orders should be made payable directly to her, or to another winner from that year as individual participants see fit. Other Hollywood or Bust winners from that year, a category designed for scripts that would be relatively expensive to produce into movies, were BELLE CHARLOTTE by Bill Koch, a romantic comedy, and SCHOOL FOR LOVERS by Kal Wagenheim, a bio-drama. Winners in the High Value category, for scripts expected to be relatively inexpensive to produce, were LAGUNA MONSTERS by Larry Newnam, a comedy, SASHA SAYS by Daniel Louie, a drama, and WHEN HARRY TRIES TO MARRY by Ralph Stein and Nayan Padrai, a romantic comedy. Synopses for these projects are available at the site. The Empire Screenplay Contest ended with its fifth cycle. All related Contest commitments are expected to be met by the end of calendar year 2003. In keeping with the spirit and tradition of the competition, all winners are slated to receive goods and services in excess of what was originally promised. The Empire Screenplay Contest website has been converted to the Empire Screenwriting Resource, a free screenwriting course and resource for screenwriters. It now serves as the foundational vehicle for resolving Contest commitments, as revenue from weekend workshops and screenplay critiques goes to satisfying outstanding cash prizes. Due to administrative and other reasons, all information related to the Empire Screenwriting Resource, the Story Dynamics Workshop, and the Empire Screenplay Contest will continue to be relayed via the website and the EmpireUpdate e-letter. Queries may be addressed to empirecontact@yahoo.com. |