A HUGE Annual Meeting on February 22nd from 1:00-3:00 PM
Yes, it’s a HUGE meeting, because it will be at the Huge Improv Theater (3037 Lyndale Ave. S, Minneapolis) on Saturday, February 22nd from 1:00-3:00PM, but it will also be AMAZING as well. Yeah, yeah, there will be the usual business and snacks and such, but there’s more…
Here’s the fun part… All participants are encouraged to bring a logline or synopsis of a screenplay (written or imagined). Improv actors will draw several from a hat (or large bowl or container of some kind, and… well, you get the idea). THEN, the actors will act them out for us, and the audience will try to guess the story. Once the actors read the actual logline or synopsis, they will give feedback to the writer about how well they were able to visualize a story from the description. Then the audience will vote on their smart phone for which writer had the best performance.
Everyone who enters a logline will get a small item of SWWag from our collection. Those whose loglines/synopsis are performed will get a book, and the winner will get one of our SWW t-shirts. But you must be present to win, so mark your calendar NOW!
Starting in March: “2nd Tuesday” Script Reading Will Now Be “2nd Sunday”…
Is it a warp in the space-time continuum? No, it’s just a scheduling and location change for one of our amazing programs. If you completed a script, we will now be reviewing these on the 2nd Sunday of each month at FilmNorth. Participants get to read and critique (and hear critiqued) amazing scripts written by our members.
Our reading on March 8th will be from member Joe Moses; David Buchanan will be featured on April 26th (rescheduled to the 4th Sunday due to Easter.); and Lucas Miller’s script will be read on May 10th. Don’t forget to show up to give Joe, David, and Lucas your support. If you have a feature-length screenplay, and it is ready for review, contact Karen Frank, our amazing, award-winning facilitator at frank007@umn.edu.
Are You Writing for Love or Money? Don’t Forget Our Shorts Contest!
In case you haven’t heard, Screenwriters’ Workshop is going to pay its members to write. You see, we really, really want you to write something new and fresh, so we will pay you $5 to enter our shorts contest this year. Here’s how it works:
- You write a script that fits the criteria on our website. It must be on this year’s theme: “For Love or Money.”
- Send it in according to the instructions on the website. NOTE: It must be in by midnight, March 15th, 2020.
- Our team of judges will review the scripts anonymously.
- The top five scripts (as rated by our judges) will be read at a free, professional public reading—and you can invite your friends to show them how talented you are.
- Everyone meeting the criteria gets paid $5 cash when they show up for the reading!
Note: Only one entry per member, and your membership must be paid in full by the time you enter.
Two, New Upcoming Program Events
As part of our effort to change things up a bit, Screenwriters’ Workshop is offering two new events:
“Where Do I Start?” is for members or non-members who are interested in screenwriting, but are starting from scratch. Led by SWW President Julie Meyer, this two hour session is designed to help people test the waters, ask questions, and talk about if screenwriting is something they would like to explore. We’ll talk about what support available to assist you in screenwriting through SWW and other Twin Cities organizations, online, or in other resources. This session will be on February 23rd at 6:30 PM at FilmNorth at 550 Vandalia in St. Paul.
“Feel the Beat” on March 29th at 6:30 PM compares and contrasts the beat structure of the American blockbuster with international films. Film aficionado and award-winning screenwriter Zach Jansen will guide participants through film clips that illustrate the principles of rhythm at play in various types of screenplays. This session will also be at FilmNorth.
Mini-Calendar of Events
Outside of regular script group meetings, here’s the short list of what Screenwriters’ Workshop has planned in the months to come
- February 9th—Academy Awards night, no script groups or readings (we’re off dreaming).
- February 22nd—Annual meeting at Huge Improve Theater (see above).
- February 23rd—”Where Do I Start?” screenwriting orientation for newbies at FilMNorth, for anyone who is interested in starting to write screenplays but doesn’t know where to begin.
- March 8th—2nd Sunday begins (see above) with a screenplay by Joe Moses. All are welcomed to a table reading of this feature length script.
- March 22nd—Pop-up Writers’ Café at FilmNorth, the ultimate excuse to break out of your rut and join fellow writers in a writing jam session.
- March 29th—“Feel the Beat” at FilmNorth as Zach Jansen compares the beat structure of American blockbuster movies with the rhythms of the movies in the rest of the world.
- April 12th –EASTER! Because you don’t want to miss out on those chocolate bunnies, 2nd Sunday is now moved to 4th Sunday.
- April 18th—Quarterly board and committee meetings at FilmNorth open to all who want to pitch in and plan some events with us.
- April 26th—David Buchanan’s script will be read for 2nd Sunday, disguising itself by posing on the 4th Sunday (April only).
- May 10th—2nd Sunday Script reading for Lucas Miller.
Yes, (Gasp!) Sunday Script Group Is Meeting on Super Bowl Sunday
Call us iconoclasts or simply nerds who just aren’t that into football, but the Sunday night Script Group will still be meeting at FilMNorth on Sunday, February 2nd. The Sunday group now meets on the first and third Sundays of each month, reading up to ten pages of a script at a time. Check here for a schedule and more information on all of our script groups.
Bragging Rights
Don’t forget, Screenwriters Workshop members get public shout outs for placing in major contests or production efforts. Keep us in the loop at: mnscreenwritersworkshop@gmail.com.
