The Dramatic Present - The scene-beat writing workshop

Screenwriting is always in the present. It is the scene that carries the absolute present tense of a movie: what is happening right now. The scene is the place where the writing is either working or not working. Here concepts are transformed into flesh and bones, where characters come alive. The dynamics of the scene are a miniature of the dynamics of the entire screenplay. The Dramatic Present! is five full days of scene development. The workshop focuses on enhancing the dramatic structure and dynamics of the scene material by working on the beats, the building blocks of the scene, as well as on the structure of conflict, action, dialogue, rhythm, text and subtext. Lively and engaging writing and improv exercises will bring out the full dramatic potential of the scenes. Actors will be on hand to illustrate how dramatic scenes are transformed through staging. Participants will work directly with the actors on their scenes. There will be space for a maximum of 6 to 8 scene projects. Participants may either bring/create a scene to develop, or elect to work in partnership on the development of another participant's scene. It is encouraged that teams of writer/director or writer/producer attached to a project will attend together. But the workshop is also open to those who wish to learn by participating in the scene development process through the written scenes of others in a collaborative atmosphere. All participants can expect to take part in improv exercises, scene readings and stagings.

Scene Material:
- interior scenes (2 pp. max.) with 2 to 3 characters for being staged in a studio space. Submit also the preceding and following scenes from the screenplay (5 pp. max.) total. Prose outlines for scenes (2 to 3 min. playing time) are also acceptable.
- Scenes in German with English translation.