Read Seven Scripts

• Module: Wonder [Passive Screenwriting]
• Objective: To intuitively understand what a great script looks like.
• Task: To read one script every 4 days, for four weeks.
  

This is the stage of Wonder, and it starts tomorrow.

You will likely have seen the movies. Now you are going to discover the writers and the scripts behind them.

Why?

I find it baffling how few beginning screenwriters read screenplays on a regular basis, or any at all. Really, it is critical that you are familiar with the form, and its current practices.

Reading just one script is not enough.

To develop intuition, you need practice. You also need to be familiar with the conventions of your chosen genre. In this module of Immersion, you will read seven scripts in seven main genres: Drama, Comedy, Action, SciFi, Romance, Thriller/Crime and Family/Animation.

Because you’re just reading, it may feel like you’re not doing much. Therefore, this stage I call Passive Screenwriting. 

But you won’t be entirely passive during the reading.

Your Tasks

Here are your daily tasks for the Wonder stage:
(You will get more detail in the Wonder module itself)

Read the script

You may have read scripts before, but reading 7 scripts in quick succession will open your eyes to things you had never noticed!

Write the synopsis

Writing a synopsis is a core skill for the pro screenwriter. Here you will learn it. The first one will be a bitch… the last one, a breeze.

Write the logline

Once you have the synopsis, it will be easier to write the logline. If you don’t already know how to do this, you’ll have 7 opportunities to learn!

Write the report

The report is like a personal diary of what you picked up from the script in terms of screenwriting technique.

Twenty-eight Days

You will have 28 days to complete the 7 screenplays. That gives you 4 days per script, on average.

If you feel that this 4-day turnaround goes against the flow of the 7-day week, it is entirely deliberate! In order to become a successful screenwriter, you need to organise your weekly habits around your writing, and not the other way around.

Now, we are going to have a look at the heart of this course.

Here comes the real workout: transcribe a feature film in Reverse Screenwriting!