The Rewrite Stuff: 12 Ways to a Stronger Screenplay
Spend an intensive week working on twelve key aspects of your story design while perfecting your pitch, get feedback from experienced peers through a series of group and individual meetings led by Emmanuel Oberg and be ready to take the market by storm within 12 weeks!
Re-interrogating, Re-defining, Re-imagining,
Spending 5 days in snowy seclusion with Emmanuel, eleven other talented screenwriting individuals and teams, and my own relatively newborn story has been energising and inspirational. As a filmmaker who never went to film school, I’ve read a lot of screenwriting theories and attended a lot of courses. This workshop, and the book / online tutorial required to be completed in advance of same, addresses the core issues of screen storytelling with a novel approach that is both radical and super-practical. For me, the use of the Maslow hierarchy of needs in analysing the likely audience appeal of one’s story is a deceptively simple but powerful example of how Emmanuel gives you new tools to crack open your story’s potential. In the one-to-one sessions, he asks astute and challenging questions. In the group sessions, he constantly facilitates discerning and supportive peer-to-peer feedback. I left with new ideas about how to improve my current screenplay, new strategies which I know will serve me on future projects, and a roomful of new friends. I would heartily recommend.
Give Your Screenplay a Total Makeover in 12 Weeks
Apply all the tools explored in the Advanced Development Workshop or Course to your own project, with feedback from a group of experienced peers led by Emmanuel Oberg
Workshop Profile
The Rewrite Stuff follows on from Emmanuel's acclaimed Advanced Script Development Workshop, which has been delivered successfully across the world over the last two decades and was recently adapted into an interactive online-course.
Based on Oberg’s innovative Story-Type Method®, this rewrite workshop builds on the flexible tools and principles explored during the advanced workshop/course (or in the book Screenwriting Unchained) and puts them into practice through an intensive process that tackles both the story design of an existing feature film or single HETV project (no series) and how to best pitch it and sell it. Note: For series projects, please see The Rewrite Stuff: 12 Ways to a Stronger Series. This rewrite workshop can also be adapted to follow a genre add-on module focusing specifically on thriller, comedy or animation projects.
This hybrid workshop (part online, part in-person) is aimed at experienced storytellers developing a feature-length screenplay (live action or animation) who are eager to kickstart, advance or revive their project and get it market-ready within six months. These screenplays can be intended for film, streaming or TV distribution.
The Rewrite Stuff is project-based, so up to twelve projects are selected at least a month before the beginning of the workshop. The initial week takes one of the final topics in the book/course/workshop — "12 Ways to a Stronger Screenplay" — as a framework to focus on twelve key areas of story design through project work. It ends with a series of individual meetings to define the aims of the rewrite. An optional follow-up meeting within the next 12-24 weeks can be offered to assess the revised project and provide final feedback.
The aim of the workshop is to give each project a complete makeover. By the end of the first four days, participants will have a clearer understanding of their feature film design, they’ll have received constructive feedback from their peers through group work led by Emmanuel and they’ll have refined their pitch (both written and verbal). After a first individual meeting with Emmanuel, they’ll have a clear action plan for a rewrite. Following that rewrite, after a final meeting with Emmanuel, they should have a project ready to go to market, whatever that market is according to the project’s development stage: attaching an agent or a producer, raising development or production finance, etc.
Video Testimonial
Denise Deegan is an Irish novelist & PAGE Award-winning screenwriter who did two TV Series workshops with us during 2021-2022 and whose career has since seen a meteoric rise! She took part in the previous edition of 'The Rewrite Stuff' (for TV Series) and she discusses her experience with Emmanuel in the interview below. After the video, you'll find links to the parts directly related to 'The Rewrite Stuff':
- 08'31'' - Why did you apply to 'The Rewrite Stuff - 12 Ways to a Stronger Series'?
- 11'22'' - How did 'The Rewrite Stuff' help you move your project and your career forward?
- 13'18'' - Was the training (TV Series workshop and 'The Rewrite Stuff') worth it and would you recommend it?
Workshop Creator
Emmanuel Oberg is a screenwriter, author and creative consultant. As a writer, he has worked for:
Participant Profile
The Rewrite Stuff is aimed at experienced creative professionals working in script development in the feature film or High-End TV sector:
- Development Teams (writer / director / producer / story editor developing the same project). A team cannot apply without a project and the associated writer. Min. 2, max. 4 applicants per team.
- Co-writers developing the same project together as a team, who haven't attached a producer yet.
- "Solo" writers developing a project on their own, as long as they are happy to be paired with another solo writer for the duration of the main workshop (4 days). When working as a team, both solo writers will have read each other’s project and will work on both projects during the project work sessions.
The ideal participant is experienced, has preferably done our Advanced Script Development Workshop or online course and is looking to develop a project with an international potential for a worldwide audience.
Note 1: Applicants must be available for the duration of the workshop (4 full days + 1.5 hours on day 5/6 or online the following week). They should be happy to read up to five projects from other participants (each project being 15 pages max.) and be happy for other participants to read their project. Confidentiality & non-disclosure agreements will be issued.
Note 2: Participants are expected to have attended our Advanced Development Workshop or online course, or to have read the book Screenwriting Unchained, so that everyone speaks a common language during the workshop. Access to the interactive online course can also be provided for selected participants (please see options in the Fees section). Ideally, this hands-on rewrite workshop immediately follows an Advanced Development Workshop.
Eligible Projects
Applicants should have a feature-length project project with a treatment / scene breakdown describing the whole story. This working document should be at least 8 pages and at most 15 pages long. The project can be intended for film, streaming or broadcast TV distribution. Applicants with a longer treatment / scene breakdown or with a full screenplay can submit a synopsis (at least 4 pages describing the whole story, including the ending) with their application. However, if they are pre-selected, they'll need to send a treatment (min. 8 pages, max. 15 pages) before onboarding. If participants prefer to send a pitch deck with their application, it should be max. 15 pages long. The part about the story should be at least 4 pages long and should describe the whole story, including the ending.
Once selected, participants can also submit a draft of the screenplay (max. 120 pages) before the workshop for feedback during individual meetings. However, having a screenplay ready isn't necessary to apply as long as you have at least a treatment / scene breakdown.
Any genre (live action or animation) is eligible, except non-fiction / documentaries. Only feature-length projects, no series.
Workshop Overview
The workshop starts with a 'meet and greet' and a short introduction, immediately followed by a pitching session so that everyone gets to know all the other participants and their projects.
Emmanuel then introduces the first of the “12 Ways to a Stronger Screenplay” (story-type and genre) to the full group so that participants can start working on their own projects, either as a development team or as a pair of solo writers, while meetings led by Emmanuel take place to discuss projects in smaller groups (4 to 6 projects per group). Project work on the first topic is then debriefed with the full group at the end of day 1.
Over the next three days, project work continues on the remaining eleven topics, each session starting with a short brief and ending with a debrief with Emmanuel, before a final pitching session and conclusion at the end of day 4. Emmanuel remains available at all times to answer questions arising during project work on days 2, 3 and 4.
A series of individual project meetings with Emmanuel will take place in-person on days 5/6 or online the following week, to wrap things up and define an action plan for the rewrite of each project. An optional follow-up meeting can be held within 12-24 weeks to provide final assessment and feedback before the project goes to market.
Like the Advanced Development Workshop, this hands-on workshop puts a strong emphasis on each project reaching the widest possible audience, both at home and abroad, without limiting the filmmakers' creative freedom.
This live, interactive workshop can be fine-tuned to the specific needs of a production company, regional / national funding body or studio. For example, the number of projects, participants and meetings can be adjusted as needed and optional access to the online course can be offered to participants before, during and after the workshop. Please see the fees and options below for more details.
It is delivered online as standard to closed groups of ten to forty-eight participants. Travel permitting, it can also be delivered in person.
The Rewrite Stuff - Fees on January 1st, 2025
Excl. 20% UK VAT where applicable
INDEPENDENT PRODUCTION COMPANY
From £9,995
for 4 projects (max. 6)
- Includes preparation and online delivery of one meeting per project
- £695 for each additional project
- Follow-up meeting within 12-24 weeks £595 per project
- Travel & accommodation, A/V equipment / Meeting room costs not included
- All individual meetings are Advanced Script Chats (up to 90 min.)
- Maximum 6 projects / 24 participants
This version of the workshop is aimed at independent production companies looking to give an accelerated boost to up to six projects in active development on their slate.
For more than six projects, producers are invited to select the film fund or group / studio option.
The main difference between the two options is that there are no split groups for independent producers. Participants read all the projects and we discuss them as one group.
OPTIONAL GROUP LICENSE
From £1,995
For up to 23 participants
- This group license includes 180-day access to the Advanced Development self-led course for up to twenty participants who have done the Advanced Development Workshop / Course before, and up to three who have not already done it.
- £199 for each additional participant (reduced to £99 if they have already done the Advanced Development Workshop / Course in the past).
If the "Rewrite Stuff" hands-on workshop doesn't immediately follow an Advanced Development Workshop, it can be beneficial to provide access to the Advanced Development Course to participants so that they can go through the content to prepare and access it for reference during or after the workshop.
If the "Rewrite Stuff" workshop follows an Advanced Script Development Workshop before the 90-day course window expires, then the course access is extended from 90 days to 180 days and there is no additional cost for those participants.
FILM FUND OR GROUP / STUDIO
From £12,995
for 8 projects (max. 12)
- Includes preparation and online delivery of one meeting per project
- £695 for each additional project
- Follow-up meeting within 12-24 weeks £595 per project
- Travel & accommodation, A/V equipment / Meeting room costs not included
- All individual meetings are Advanced Script Chats (up to 90 min.)
- Maximum 12 projects / 48 participants
This version of the workshop is aimed at regional / national funds or organisations who would like to invite a larger number of participants (up to 48, with a maximum of 12 projects).
It's also the option a media group or studio would go for to boost the development of up to 12 projects on their slate.
Participants are split into half-groups during group work so that they don't have to read more than five projects (each 15 pages max).
FAQs
What People Say About this Workshop
Re-interrogating, Re-defining, Re-imagining,
Spending 5 days in snowy seclusion with Emmanuel, eleven other talented screenwriting individuals and teams, and my own relatively newborn story has been energising and inspirational. As a filmmaker who never went to film school, I’ve read a lot of screenwriting theories and attended a lot of courses. This workshop, and the book / online tutorial required to be completed in advance of same, addresses the core issues of screen storytelling with a novel approach that is both radical and super-practical. For me, the use of the Maslow hierarchy of needs in analysing the likely audience appeal of one’s story is a deceptively simple but powerful example of how Emmanuel gives you new tools to crack open your story’s potential. In the one-to-one sessions, he asks astute and challenging questions. In the group sessions, he constantly facilitates discerning and supportive peer-to-peer feedback. I left with new ideas about how to improve my current screenplay, new strategies which I know will serve me on future projects, and a roomful of new friends. I would heartily recommend.
Emmanuel’s insight has totally re-energized my passion and enthusiasm for my project
I recently completed Emmanuel’s “Rewrite Stuff” workshop and I cannot praise it highly enough. Emmanuel’s insight has given me so much to think about and has totally re-energized my passion and enthusiasm for my project and now I can’t wait to get re-writing and pitching. In addition to his own insights Emmanuel also fostered a really warm and open environment in which all the writers and producers in the room felt completely at ease discussing each others projects openly and honestly. The workshop worked wonders for my own confidence in what my project can become. I would absolutely recommend any writer jump at the chance to take part in this workshop!
Amazing opportunity to focus
The time and guidance from Emmanuel over the four days was really helpful. It allowed us to focus and the feedback from the group was great too. Sometime it’s hard to see the wood from the trees on your own project, when you’re so close to it. So to get the opportunity to dive deep and relook at everything was invaluable.
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