SCREENWRITING CRITIQUE: STARTER WORKSHOP

Seeking entry into the screenwriting community; looking for feedback on your writing; and live in the Lekwungen territory (aka Victoria)? Join this TWO DAY workshop led by Tristin Morton.

Writing can be an isolating activity, especially outside the Industry's hubs; so, if you're interested in community, want to learn alongside your fellow screenwriters, but aren’t ready to share what you’ve been working on, give this starter workshop a go.

Who is Tristin Morton? She's a professional screenwriter and script consultant who's worked in the film and television industry for fifteen years. She's relocated to the unceded territory of the Lekwungen people (aka Victoria) and is excited to bring the screenwriters (established and aspiring) on Vancouver Island together. Many of her achievements as a writer have come through connections she formed with peers and mentors throughout her career and she'd like to be a part of creating new and innovative networks here.

 

Interested?

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Here’s how this workshop will go:

BEFORE Day One everyone must complete the following assignment and send it as a PDF to Tristin:

* An example will be provided.

* Don’t worry about formatting at this stage, just do your best with what you have.

THE ASSIGNMENT

PICK a popular fairytale.

PICK TWO characters from the fairytale (ex. Cinderella & Stepmother, Little Red Riding Hood & Big Bad Wolf, Hansel & The Witch). 

PICK a genre you’d like to write (drama, horror, sci-fi, comedy, etc.).

DECIDE what motivates each character. What do they want? 

DECIDE the time period and setting they are in.

DECIDE whether you want to write a short film with a beginning, middle, and end, or whether you’d prefer to imagine this exercise as part of a feature-length story.

WRITE a 5-8-page short or series of scenes making the TWO CHARACTERS of your choosing the focus and use one of the following PROMPTS:

  • Danger is coming. One character must convince the other to move, hide, or fight but faces resistance from the other character or an obstacle they face together.

  • One character has a secret and needs to decide whether or not they can trust the other. Do they share their secret? If yes, are there consequences for sharing? 

  • One character finally confronts the other about their behaviour. How is this received?

  • One of the characters lies to the other, which leads to consequences. Are they big or small consequences? Do they only affect the two characters or more?

By using fairytales, we are starting with characters and a framework that are familiar. This gives us room to play. Take your scene as far away from the original as you’d like, just try to keep elements that allow us to see the connective tissue to the source material.

Keep in mind, there are lots of problematic things in fairytales. It’s your turn to show ‘em who’s got the power of story now!

* Be sure to have fun with this!

DAY ONE

If you have any questions or are ready to participate, please fill out and submit the form below and Tristin will be in contact ASAP.

These are inclusive events. Those who are part of or allied with the BIPOC, 2SLGBTQIA+, and PWD communities are welcome. Perfection is not expected, but respect and an openness to learn is. For those seeking safety and accessibility, if you have concerns or want to make your host aware of how to make the event more accessible, PLEASE REACH OUT.