Playwriting for Movie and TV Writers

ABOUT THE WEBINAR

Film is a visual medium. Screenwriters primarily work in images. Theater is a verbal medium. Screenwriters need to “re” learn rules, everything from the differences in format to navigating the Two Dimensional world of the stage vs. the 3D “silver light” of a movie screen. Appropriate for both basic and advanced screenwriters, if you have an idea for a stage play and are looking for a primer in how-to transition over to the stage, this webinar is for you.

This OnDemand webinar will define if your original idea is appropriate for the stage and help with brainstorming techniques to help you write it. It will discuss adaptation techniques for writing a play based on a true story. It will clearly define the difference between writing for the visual medium of film and the verbal medium of a play. This course offers a breakdown on the three different types of adaptation you might write (original—faithful—and hybrid). It also challenges writers on their motivations for writing an original play, and gives some battle-tested strategy for how to approach your first play.

During this OnDemand webinar, students will…

• Discover the art of how to write a play
• Gain insight on the process of the playwright from idea to finished conception
• Review the rules of formatting stage plays
• Brainstorm themes appropriate for the stage
• Question traditional screenplay outlining as part of the stage writing process
• Compare and contrast the classic 3-act structure for plays vs. film
• Clarify when to attempt to write a true story play
• Prioritize when to write an adaptation vs. an original idea
• Define the difference between the visual medium of film and the verbal medium of the stage
• Learn when your story is better told for a film or novel vs. the stage
• Discover the differences in writing for the 2D stage vs. the 3D movie screen
• Learn tricks of the trade from playwrights who have “crossed over” like David Mamet, Tracey Letts, and Tennessee Williams

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

• How to gain a basic understanding of writing for the stage
• How to tell if your original idea should be a film or a play
• How to judge whether your writing talents are more tailored writing for film or stage
• How screenwriters have crossed over after writing for the stage
• How to take a personal story and adapt it for the 2D world of the stage
• How to find potential theater companies to produce your work

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

• Writers who are looking to write a stage play
• Writers who want basic A to Z tips on writing for the theater
• Writers who want help with the business end of the playwright: aka, what happens AFTER it’s written
• Writers who want to learn lessons from screenwriters who crossed over into the world of theater
• Writers who want to write a stage adaptation but are unsure how
• Writers who have a great original story they want to explore on the stage
• Writers who want to discover the excitement of having their work come alive in a new way every night
• Writers who think they might have an idea that could translate for the stage, and who need some guidance on making that happen

Paul Peditto is an award-winning screenwriter and director. His film Jane Doe starring Calista Flockhart won Best Feature at the New York Independent Film & Video Festival. Six of his screenplays have been optioned including Crossroaders to Haft Entertainment (Emma, Dead Poets Society). He recently wrote and produced the micro-budget feature Chat, currently distributed on iTunes, VUDU, YouTube, and Dish Network by Gravitas Ventures. He has produced and written for the web series Devolve and Pillow Talks.

Over the past decade, Mr. Peditto has consulted with over 1,000 screenwriting students around the world. He has been Featured Speaker at Chicago Screenwriters Network, #Script Chat, Meetup.com, Second City, and Chicago Filmmakers. He has appeared on National Public Radio and WGN radio, and reviewed in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, L.A. Times, and the New York Times.

Peditto is an adjunct professor of screenwriting at Columbia College and Second City. Under his guidance his students have written and produced films that have appeared in major film festivals, have semifinal placings at Nicholl Fellowship, and have won awards and screened at film festivals around the country. His new book, The D.I.Y. Filmmaker is available through Self-Counsel Press on Amazon.