STORY TO SCRIPT: THE SHORT SCREENPLAY
Ages 16-29
Summer 2019, Morgan State University
This screenwriting workshop will take student fellows from concept to story to short script. Through analysis of screened films and discussion of produced feature screenplays, they'll learn about structure, visual storytelling, character and scene design, and effective dialogue. They'll consider what makes a good story with respect to genre and form, and what kinds of stories can best be told in short format on a small budget. Then through in-class and at-home writing exercises, group table readings, and constructive critiques of one another's work, each fellow will develop a complete screenplay for a short film (5-10 minutes). Some attention will also be given to preliminary production concerns and planning for how fellows might follow through independently to bring their visions to the screen. In addition, a fall workshop, Script to Film, will develop one or possibly two student fellow scripts as collaborative productions. Portions of videotaped readings from the writers table, as well as individual screenplays or outlines may be shared on the program website and at a public exhibition, according to each fellow's preference. Limited to 10 student fellows.
Story to Script: The Short Screenplay is a co-production of Baltimore Youth Film Arts and Morgan State University.
Keith Mehlinger is Director of the Digital Media Center and of the Screenwriting and Animation program (SWAN) at Morgan State University. A producer/writer/director, he produced episodes of the syndicated series, Story of a People, and recently completed a short documentary about parents of sons lost to street violence for the Morgan multimedia project, Mother's Lament.
David Warfield teaches filmmaking and screenwriting at Morgan State University. He has been an AFI Fellow, an advisor to the Sundance Screenwriters Lab in Prague, and a V.P. of Production at Propaganda Films in Hollywood. He has sold scripts to and done assignment work for Warner Brothers, MGM, Sony, and ABC. His films include Linewatch (Sony Pictures, 2008) and the independent feature Rows (2015).
Dezimond Fisher is an undergraduate at Morgan State University, where he’s studying film and screenwriting in order to create captivating visual narratives.
