PEI Writers’ Guide to offer Screenwriting 101 workshop
On November 23, the PEI Writers’ Guild will host a screenwriting workshop, the first of a new “Crossing Over” series the Guild is hosting this year. Entitled “Screenwriting 101,” the workshop will be facilitated by Louise Lalonde of Louise Lalonde Productions, a Prince Edward Island media company.
“The idea for a Crossing Over series came from the desire to explore genre transition,” explains PEI Writers’ Guild president Mo Duffy Cobb. “Over the next few months, the Guild will host workshops in screenwriting, playwriting, and songwriting—exploring the techniques of writing in each genre.”
Duffy Cobb said the workshops will appeal to those who wish to break into a particular genre, but who may not be familiar with genre-specific writing conventions. “There might be those who’ve written a novel or poetry and who have a desire to try screenwriting, but who aren’t familiar with the format or criteria required.” But Duffy Cobb also stresses that you do not need to be an experienced writer to participate in these workshops.
In Screenwriting 101, Lalonde will guide participants through the screenwriting process, from creating a draft to making it ready for market. Participants will learn the difference between novel writing and writing a screenplay; the criteria used to ensure an idea is strong enough to carry a whole movie, series, mini-series, short film or feature film; how to tell a visual, emotional, and surprising story for screens; an overview on various screenwriting programs and their functions; and the use of dialogue for exposition.
Participants will also learn about funding opportunities for screenwriters, something Lalonde knows all too well as a familiar face at FilmPEI. She is the program coordinator of the popular PEI Screenwriters’ Bootcamp, an annual series of workshops for emerging screenwriters since 2008. She has served on the Island Media Arts Co-op, Women in Film and Television—Atlantic, and the PEI Council of the Arts committees. She is also the president of the Charlottetown Film Society. She has written and directed several short films: Looking for Mr. Right, Hole in My Heart, C J Superstar, and, most recently, The Appointment/Le Rendez-vous.
Screenwriting 101 takes place on November 23, from 9am until 4pm, at the Haviland Club in Charlottetown. The cost is $85 for Guild members and $95 for non-members. Registration is available on the PEIWG’s website (peiwritersguild.com).
