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!

Give Your Film Project 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

This module is an extension of our acclaimed Advanced Development Workshop, which has been delivered successfully across the world over the last two decades and was recently adapted into a self-led online-course.

Based on Oberg’s innovative Story-Type Method®, this rewrite workshop builds on the tools and principles explored during the Advanced Development 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 project and how to best pitch it and sell it. Note: For TV 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.

“The Rewrite Stuff” is project-based, so five to twelve projects are selected at least four weeks before the beginning of the workshop. The initial week uses 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 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 Oberg and they’ll have refined their pitch (both written and verbal). After a first individual meetings 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.

Who can apply?

• 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. 5 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 (or story editor producer / development exec) 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.
• In some cases, when they have done a qualifying workshop with us previously, "solo" story editors / producers / development execs can apply without a project. If selected, they will be paired with a solo writer to help them on their project during the project work sessions.

Note 1: Applicants must be available for the entire duration of the workshop (4 full days + 1.5 hours on day 5 or 6). They should be happy to read 3-5 projects from other participants (each project being 15 pages max.) and willing to let their project be read by other participants. 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 self-led 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.

With Which Projects?

Applicants with a project (solo writers, co-writers or development teams) need to have a feature film project with a synopsis / step outline / treatment / scene breakdown describing the whole story. This working document should be at most 15 pages long.

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.

Any genre (live action or animation) is eligible, except non-fiction / documentaries.

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, as co-writers or as a pair of solo writers, while meetings led by Emmanuel take place to discuss projects in split groups (4-6 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 in small teams on the remaining eleven topics, each session starting with a short briefing 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 on days 5 and 6, to wrap things up and define a clear action plan for the rewrite of each project. An optional follow-up meeting can be held within 12 weeks to provide final assessment and feedback before the project goes to market.

Like the Advanced Development Workshop, this hands-on module 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, for an additional fee.

The Rewrite Stuff
12 Ways to a Stronger Screenplay
Fees on November 1st, 2023

Excl. 20% UK VAT where applicable

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