How to Find the Best Screenwriting Workshops

Not long after I arrived in Los Angeles in the late seventies (I'm an old guy, so get over it), I was hit by show biz fever like many other tinsel town arrivals. One of the first things that I did was look for a reputable screenwriting workshop.

At the time, the school name that came up most often in my search was the Sherwood Oaks Experimental College on Hollywood Boulevard. This was before the American Film Institute set up shop.

Sherwood Oaks was the place to go for an inexpensive cutting-edge filmmaking education. One of the school's premier courses was Syd Field's screenwriting workshop.

It was his workshop that taught me how to write for Hollywood, for better or worse. The result was six of my screenplays went by way of that special showbiz destination known as "Development Hell" where producers throw development money at you, make lots of promises that they can't keep, and throw more development money at you. Of course, very few screenplays make it into this process and even fewer make it out of this process.

But then, there are those few screenwriters who make a better than decent living writing screenplays that never see the light of day, going into yet another Hollywood destination known as "turnaround", which also means "dead in the water." For these screenwriters, living from dead screenplay to dead screenplay is a mixed blessing.

If you have a thick skin and the talent to go with it, do whatever is necessary to hone your skills. Learn from the best teachers that Hollywood has to offer.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Thick Skin
• Talent
• Tuition Money
• Computer
• Internet Connection

How to Find the Best Screenwriting Workshops

1. A good start in your search for a good screenwriting workshop may be your local alternative weekly newspaper if you live in or near a big city.
   
   If you don't live near a big city, visit show business trade paper web sites like Variety, or film buff magazine web sites like Premiere as well as alternative film zines like FilmThreat and Filmmaker. Many of these sites offer extensive lists of entertainment business resource links. Go through these lists and start visiting recommended web sites aimed at the Hollywood creative community.

2. Above all, if you know anyone working or attempting to work in Hollywood or any other part of the entertainment business, ask for recommendations. This could be the start of a network of friends, which may assure you of longevity in the business.
   
   However, if you don't know even one person involved in showbiz, many of the above mentioned film buff sites include blogs and/or forums where you can ask questions and get recommendations from a network of mostly other aspirants.

3. Here are some of my workshop recommendations. I've already mentioned Syd Field. He's not only still going strong, his book "Screenwriting: The Foundations of Screenwriting" has been reprinted several times and remains an essential learning tool in many film schools.
   
   If you can't find a live workshop, some of Hollywood's most renowned screenwriting teachers also offer online courses or DVD versions of their workshops. Syd Field offers a five-week online course. Another popular teacher, John Truby, offers several versions of his screenwriting course on DVD or audio formats.

Tips & Warnings

• For over 15 years, Robert McKee has been Hollywood's screenplay story creation guru. If you can afford to travel to one of his seminar locations, do so. When crafting a screenplay, many professionals agree that story is the most essential element.

Resources

• Filmmaker Magazine's list of valuable links