COURSE OVERVIEW: One-on-one tutoring will take place at David's home office in West Hollywood, scheduled according to your needs. Each of the eight 2-Hour sessions will be geared to give you insight into the screenwriting process overall, and the specific steps you'll need to take in order to complete a first draft. We'll discuss the reasons each step is necessary to the storytelling process, and then get into specifics of how each step directly relates to YOUR script. You'll end each session with a clear understanding of WHAT your homework is, and WHY you need to do it.

Session 1 - Overview of course, basic intro to storytelling and Three Act Structure, initial discussion of your story specifics. Suggested textbooks. Importance of Knowing Your Ending, and discussion of TWO MINUTE MOVIE. Your Homework - COMPLETE TWO MINUTE MOVIE DESCRIPTION Session 2 - Review of 2 Minute Movie assignment. Further exploration of story structure, Plot vs. Character. Basic archetypes of storytelling used in film, where your story fits. Beginning your Research and Character Development. Discussion of STEP OUTLINE. Your Homework - Begin STEP OUTLINE, RESEARCH, and LONG TRAIN RIDE EXERCISE. Session 3 - Review of Step Outline. Discussion of “Frankenstein” analogy and Notecards vs. Outline. Review of Long Train Ride assignment. Analysis of Research progress and Character Development. Suggestions for script-writing software. Your Homework - COMPLETE STEP OUTLINE, CONTINUE LONG TRAIN RIDE EXERCISE. Session 4 - Complete review of Step Outline, begin discussion of Dialogue and Action, proper script formatting. Review of Long Train Ride Exercise. Discussion of Beginning the Script, what must happen in the 1st Act. Benefits of Acting It Out. Your Homework - WRITE FIRST ACT OF SCRIPT. Session 5 (Balance of Tuition due) - Review of First Act, continue discussion of Dialogue, Action, Plot, and Character as it’s developing in your script, and in archetypes of storytelling. Importance of foreshadowing. Your Homework - BEGIN WRITING ACTS II & III. Session 6 - Review of script so far. Revisit Step Outline, absorbing Changes on the Fly, and a discussion of Backtracking and the Ripple Effect. What to do when your characters start to act & speak on their own. Your Homework - CONTINUE WRITING SCRIPT. Session 7 - Review of script so far. Discussion of Nearing the End and the Shifting Outcome. Bulk of session reserved for specifics of your story and script development. Your Homework - FINISH YOUR 1ST DRAFT. Session 8 - Final overall analysis of your script & story as you’ve realized it on the page. Discussion of any glaring faults or weaknesses. Final overall review of storytelling process from the other side you now stand on. Then, a vision of your future: a glimpse into the rewrite process, where to go from here, and a very basic discussion of standard industry procedures for submissions and the search for representation. GRADUATION DAY!

Please note that, while the course is divided into eight sessions, it is not necessarily eight weeks in length. If more (or less) time is needed between sessions for you to draw the full benefit and "finish your homework," the schedule is flexible enough to accomodate any reasonable interval. Ideally, you should have a completed first draft of your script somewhere within 7-10 weeks.

For more information or course registration, fill out the form on the bottom of the "Course Basics" page in the toolbar above.