The lab will include the foundations of screenwriting, and mentors will cover the ‘architecture’ of screenplays (storytelling, screenplay guidelines, non-verbal storytelling and characterization) and the ‘formatting’ of a screenplay (visual grammar and Celtx/Final Draft). The lab is to include: lectures, assignments and group discussions.

As this is a beginner’s lab, the aim is for participants to come out of this course with a minimum of one scene for their screenplay. They can continue to work with the development team after the lab and work towards applying for other labs or grants.

Application Deadline: 20 July 2019

Dates:
English Lab: 3-7 August 2019
Arabic Lab: 24-28 August 2019

Hours:
Daily sessions of 4 hours:
Weekdays from 5:00 to 9:00 PM
Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 2 PM

Lab Fee: 500.00 QAR*
*Qatar Museums Culture Pass members will receive a 10% discount on this lab's fee. To avail of the discount, simply include a copy of your Culture Pass when applying.

Location: DFI Production Villa, West Bay.
Group Size: 8- 12 participants will be selected for each lab.
Level: Beginners

Day-to-Day Breakdown of the Lab:

Day 1

• Lecture about ‘Storytelling’
• Screening of a feature film
• Discussion of the feature-length screenplay (sent to participants prior to the lab)

Day 2

• Screening of preselected short films
• Lecture about ‘Screenwriting Guidelines’ (theme, three-act structure, character arc, etc.)

Day 3

• Lecture about ‘Non-Verbal Storytelling’
• Exercise and discussion about Non-Verbal Storytelling
• *Exercise: take photos or select photos that tell a story (beginning, middle, and end) – then discuss them.
• Writers will then expand and perhaps revise their three-part image-driven stories into longer form and write about what their images convey.

Day 4

• Lecture about ‘Character-Building’ and ‘Media Literacy/Stereotyping’
• Exercise and discussion of each participants’ characters

Day 5

• Lecture about ‘Screenwriting Formatting and Visual Grammar’
• Exercise and discussion about scene-writing