DATE: 8/26/23
TIME: 10:00am - 4:00pm
LOCATION: Online
INSTRUCTOR: Scott Myers
PRICE: STANDARD REGISTRATION: $95 NON MEMBERS — Now until August 26th (Day of event)

Save 20% if you register by August 18 with discount code: CHARACTERS20

ATLFS Member discounts applied at checkout

This one-day online class is aimed at students of the craft who want to go beyond formulaic approaches which reduce story structure to plot. Plot is essential, but it is only half the story. For it is the world of characters and their inner lives which gives meaning to the events they experience. Indeed, it is by engaging characters, getting curious about them, and following their lead that plot comes to life. The guiding principle is this: Begin with character. End with character. Find the story in between.

The class will have three presentations, each with a following Q&A session.

Part One: The Protagonist’s Journey and the Unity Arc. An exploration of the singular importance of the Protagonist to the story-crafting process and their role in the most common narrative archetype: the Unity arc.

Part Two: The Family of Characters. An examination of five archetypes seen with great frequency in movies and television series – Protagonist, Nemesis, Attractor, Mentor, Trickster – and how this assembly of a story’s characters exists to support the Protagonist’s physical and psychological journey.

Part Three: A Character-Driven Approach to Story Prep. A presentation of a proven professional approach to “breaking story” through a series of character development and plotting exercises resulting in a scene-by-scene outline.

Theories explored in the class are influenced by Aristotle, Joseph Campbell, and Carl Jung, but are also grounded in Scott Myers’ many years of experience as a working writer and teacher. The content has been road-tested in multiple workshops in the United States and Europe, as well as several feature writer labs under the auspices of the Black List in Los Angeles. In addition, the theories and practices explored here served as the inspiration for story development classes in the B.F.A. and M.F.A. programs in screenwriting at DePaul University, as well as The Protagonist’s Journey: An Introduction to Character-Driven Screenwriting and Storytelling, an Amazon #1-rated best seller in Film & Television.

Refund request must be emailed to boxoffice@atlantafilmsociety.org 7 days prior to the date of event unless specified in the event description.