Hey guys,
I wanted to put this out there for aspiring screenwriters: Every summer I work staff at the Squaw Valley Community of Writers Screenwriting program. It's a great program I went through myself in 2005, and I've been returning every year since as staff to help out.
Basically the gist of it is that you spend a week in Squaw Valley at Lake Tahoe, you get a cabin and room with 5 or 6 other screenwriters and spend a week working on your screenplay. There a re a number of mentors who will read your screenplay in advance and then work with you individually and in groups. Every morning until lunch there are courses taught by different screenwriters who talk about perspective, format, characters, plot arcs, themes, etc.
My first year I worked with Michael Lehmann (Heathers, Airheads) and I walked out of there a completely different writer. I've been placing in screenwriting competitions and winning short film competitions ever since.
Note: Although I'm staff, I get paid the same no matter how many people attend. The program is funded almost entirely by grants and the fees of a few individuals who choose to forgo financial aid. For many of the others, there's all sorts of financial aid packages and scholarships available, so the more people who show up and use this to get to the next level, the more grants the founder can get.
Here's the official information:
The deadline to apply is May 1 and the website is http://www.squawvalleywriters.org/swriter_ws.htm
If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.
I wanted to put this out there for aspiring screenwriters: Every summer I work staff at the Squaw Valley Community of Writers Screenwriting program. It's a great program I went through myself in 2005, and I've been returning every year since as staff to help out.
Basically the gist of it is that you spend a week in Squaw Valley at Lake Tahoe, you get a cabin and room with 5 or 6 other screenwriters and spend a week working on your screenplay. There a re a number of mentors who will read your screenplay in advance and then work with you individually and in groups. Every morning until lunch there are courses taught by different screenwriters who talk about perspective, format, characters, plot arcs, themes, etc.
My first year I worked with Michael Lehmann (Heathers, Airheads) and I walked out of there a completely different writer. I've been placing in screenwriting competitions and winning short film competitions ever since.
Note: Although I'm staff, I get paid the same no matter how many people attend. The program is funded almost entirely by grants and the fees of a few individuals who choose to forgo financial aid. For many of the others, there's all sorts of financial aid packages and scholarships available, so the more people who show up and use this to get to the next level, the more grants the founder can get.
Here's the official information:
The deadline to apply is May 1 and the website is http://www.squawvalleywriters.org/swriter_ws.htm
If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.