AUTHOR: Daniel Manus

AT A GLANCE:

• Enjoy this webinar providing instruction on the elements necessary to grab a reader in the first 10 pages
• Discover the 14 elements needed to set up the world of your screenplay in your first 10 pages
• Learn the 10 most commonly-used openings in a feature film

ABOUT THE CRITIQUE:

All registrants are invited to submit the first five pages of their script (or first scene, whichever is greater) for written/e-mailed critique by instructor Danny Manus. You may only submit ONE script.

ABOUT THE WEBINAR:

Success in Hollywood is often about making great first impressions—and it’s the same with your script. Since some executives and agents will only read the first 10 pages of your script, it’s imperative you grab the reader immediately, engage them in the world of your story, and make them want to keep reading.

This webinar covers 14 different elements and steps you can follow to ensure your script makes a great first impression and immediately grabs the reader. You’ll learn how to create the world of your screenplay from your opening image to setting up the tone, genre, characters, eliciting emotion, stakes, structure, theme, and writer’s voice. You’ll also discover the 10 most commonly-used ways to open your script. Danny Manus will examine the opening pages of Hollywood’s hottest scripts–explaining why they worked.

As a development executive, script consultant, producer, and contest judge, Danny Manus has read thousands of scripts and knows what it takes for a script to stand out.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

• How to make a great first impression, on page one, and open your script with a bang
• The 14 elements your first 10 pages must have
• The 10 most effective ways to open your script
• How some of Hollywood’s hottest scripts start and why they work
• What your opening image needs to convey
• What “creating a world” truly involves
• How to immediately set up the genre, tone, mood, conflict, setting, and emotion of the story
• How to make your characters feel dynamic from the first page and effective ways to introduce them
• How to get your voice across on page one
• How these 14 elements will help you build to your inciting incident and what the inciting incident must accomplish
• The power of a great title and the pitfalls of bad titles

WHO SHOULD LISTEN?

• Writers planning on submitting their work to companies or contests
• Writers who want to make sure their opening scenes are dynamic and create an engaging world
• Writers who want to make sure they are setting up their stories in the strongest way possible
• Writers who struggle with how to start and open their stories
• Writers who want to learn how to make a great first impression on the page
• Writers looking to find out what executives are looking for
• Writers who are stumped on titles
• Writers who want to see examples of top Hollywood scripts