The "Concept" Script: How to Hook Your Reader in the First-Five Pages
ABOUT THE WEBINAR
There are over 70,000 screenplays written every year by aspiring scribes looking to break into the lucrative and voraciously competitive spec marketplace. To stand out, a script has to make a great first impression. Not only does it have to be an original concept that can fill 90 – 120 pages, but that promise has to be made in the first 5 pages for a reader to read on.
This OnDemand webinar will demystify the process of creating an exciting and utterly irresistible first five pages of screen time. Techniques for showcasing the heart of your concept and central conflict for your story’s main characters will be fully-explored through real-life examples of award-winning spec screenplays. Each page will be deconstructed to illustrate how principal action was moved to the head of the script – engaging the reader and making the script stand out from a packed crowd.
Jon has written several award-winning screenplays and assisted dozens of other screenwriters in getting to the action early in their scripts. He has also been a professional reader for studio executives, having read and written coverage for hundreds of submissions. Jon teaches fellow scribes how the all-important first 5-pages can mean the difference between your script being recommended to the studios, or thrown back into the slush pile.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:
- How to write an intoxicating, thoroughly engrossing opening scene
- Structure your script’s first 5 pages to fully-capture the essence of your story’s concept
- How to highlight the central conflict of your main character’s journey
- Successfully foreshadow your story’s climax without giving away the ending
- Create dramatic tension on the very first page that will make reader turn the page
- How to use screenplay formatting structure to your advantage
- How to maintain enough white-on-the-page in your first 5 pages
- How to keep forward momentum for a faster script read
WHO SHOULD LISTEN
- Writers who want their script to stand out in the overcrowded spec marketplace
- Writers who want to master their screenwriting craft
- Writers who have script ideas but unsure how to present them to best effect
- Writers who need help integrating their story and screenplay structure
- Writers looking to create a breakout spec script that will get attention
- Writers wanting to jumpstart their screenwriting career
- Writers who want to gain representation in the movie industry
- Writers wishing to have a lucrative script sale that will lead to a career