SCRIPT WRITING PROGRAM
Learn screenwriting with Orlow Seunke. How to become a professional scriptwriter. One year courses. 5 days a week. Mornings from 9am till 12.30pm. Max 10 students. Minimum enrollment of 5 students required.
The course is conducted in English and consists of Film history, Film Analysis, Character development, Making a script for a short film, Making a script for a feature film. Course includes teaching 3 Act and 8 sequence story structure.
MONDAY
In-class screening and analysis of classic films, progressing through international film history, 1900 - 2025.
40 films. Different countries, different genres. During and after the films we will analyze and discuss. Topics include: Story ideation (sources for stories), Character creation, development and arc; Story plot and structure, including 3 Act and “sequence” structure paradigms. Overall focus will be on craftmanship and technique.
TUESDAY and THURSDAY
Learning practical script-writing. Students will create characters, write scenes and complete short film scripts (beginning, middle, end). Assignments will be workshopped in class with feedback from instructor and the group. Students will learn from each other. 10 weeks devoted to short films. 30 weeks on a feature film screenplay.
WEDNESDAY
Learning the fundamentals of filmmaking. What is directing, what is acting, what is costume design, what is art-direction, what is cinematography, sound-recording, editing, special effects, sound mixing, color grading and producing (content guiding and financing).
Screenwriters should know about the process of filmmaking in order to be flexible while writing a script. (For example: try to avoid special effects because they are expensive, how expensive are mass scenes or night scenes, learn to limit your locations, costume films are expensive etc etc).
Scriptwriters should be aware what and how much something costs when they write it. Or how difficult it is to execute it when they write it. (For example: don’t use animals or kids often).
We will invite Indonesian crew members to explain their craft from first hand. The crew members will explain how they read a script when it is given to them and how they develop a concept of art-direction, costumes or sound with the director.
The class will visit film sets, editing rooms, mixing studios, special effect companies, but also visit the Sinematek and a film restoration company.
Students will visit Jakarta Film Week or Jaff film market to see what happens when a film is done. How do you market a film, how do you sell a film? How many films are successful, etc?
FRIDAY
Learn how to analyze a modern film (2000 – present day). Can be an international film (Once upon a time in Hollywood, Parasite) or a recent Indonesian film. Films will be studied from a screenwriting point of view.
Students will receive a diploma upon graduation at the end of the year.
Total educational duration: 43 weeks. 10 days holidays for Lebaran, 10 days for Christmas/New Year and 6 weeks in the summer.
