Weekend scriptwriters workshop

Cape Town-based The Writing Studio will present an exclusive weekend workshop for aspirant scriptwriters and filmmakers at Screen Africa, Sasani Studios, Block D02, 2 Johannesburg, Highlands North, on Saturday, June 3 and Sunday, June 4.

Hosted by Screen Africa, the workshop explores the process of writing a screenplay for feature film and examines the world of contemporary filmmaking.

For eight years now the studio has been presenting workshops for scriptwriters and filmmakers throughout South Africa, aiming to prepare workable drafts for marketplaces such as the annual Sithengi Film and TV Market that takes place in Cape Town.

It is also the aim of The Writing Studio, an independent training body run by Daniel Dercksen, a qualified EDP Practitioner (Education, Training and Development) to get involved with outreach work: Some of the outreach work that The Writing Studio has been involved in and actively pursues, are voluntary workshops for pensioners of the University of the Third Age, students from the Newtown Film School, the vibrant Tau Tsa Seboka writers’ group in the township of Tembisa, and aspirant writers at the Kwa Mashu education Centre in Durban..

The weekend Workshop for scriptwriters is a hands-on-course , is designed for those who are interested in writing a screenplay for feature film, and also looks at how to write for TV, stage and fiction. The workshop is ideal for ANYONE with an idea for a story. If there is something or someone you want to write about this is your opportunity to turn thoughts into visual narrative that will be translated into film.

It is also ideal for novelists and playwrights who would like to adapt their work into a visual medium.
The Intensive two-day course guarantees to discipline rebellious creativity, turn theory into practise, turn ideas inside out, explore the full dramatic or comedic potential of the stories’ showcase the writer’s talent for writing a captivating story, sharpen storytelling skills, transform fanciful ideas into fascinating narrative, and empower writers to write a compelling story that will reflect the uniqueness of their culture, history and experience.

During the first day the writers will explore their ideas and learn how to write high concept, examines the synergy between the writing process and the film process, explore the world of copyright, learn how to develop and write exciting, three-dimensional characters, and master the art of dialogue.

On the second day the writers will explore the relationship between structure and the narrative, how to design the story to its full dramatic impact, and design scenes and sequences.

At the end of the workshop the writers will start working on the first draft of their screenplays at their own pace and in their own space to refine the screenplay and get it ready for the local and international marketplace and script development initiatives and competitions.

With strict adherence to the rituals of writing and learning, you will have the opportunity to develop a feature length screenplay of 90 – 120 pages. The extent to which each student takes his or her work will depend entirely on his or her own dedication and pace.

Published playwright, writer and movie journalist Daniel Dercksen, has been involved in film journalism for more than 20 years. As founder of The Writing Studio, he has been teaching workshops in scriptwriting and creative writing during the past seven years throughout South Africa and also teaches evening classes in scriptwriting at the City Varsity Film TV and Multimedia School in Cape Town. He aslo teaches workshops in Scriptwriting and Creative writing at the SABC in Cape Town and Durban.

The Weekend workshop for scriptwriters takes place at the Screen Africa Boardroom; Johannesburg, on Saturday, June 3 (from 9am until 6pm), Sunday, June 4 (from 09am until 6pm).

The cost of the weekend workshop is R900, with a discounted rate of R800 for students and scholars, as well as registered subscribers of Screen Africa. Bursaries are available on discretion to unemployed and disadvantaged writers.

For more information on the Weekend Workshop and how to sign up, visit the website: www.writingstudio.co.za, email info@writingstudio.co.za or call The Writing Studio on 021 425 5355 (during office hours) .. Registration closes on Friday, May 26.