Filmbase will once again welcome Hollywood studio consultant Pilar Alessandra to give an intensive Scriptwriting Masterclass. The class will be on character and dialogue for film and TV, and follows Alessandra’s hugely popular On the Page Masterclass hosted in April 2013. Alessandra is best-known for being director of the Los Angeles writers’ studio, host of the ‘On the Page’ podcast and author of ‘The Coffee Break Scriptwriter’ book.
Over her career, Alessandra has trained writers at ABC/Disney, CBS, Nickelodeon and the Los Angeles Film School. Past roles have included senior story analyst for Dreamworks; reader liason between the studio and Robert Zemeckis’s company ImageMovers, and senior story analyst for Scott Kroopf’s production company Radar Pictures.
Her skills have been availed of by the Robert Evans Company, Cineville Entertainment, Handprint Entertainment and Saturday Night Live Studios among others. Some of her clients have included Warner Brother and Sony.
The upcoming scriptwriting masterclass, which takes place on Tuesday 17th June, will utilise film clips and writing tools to cover ways to build story from character flaw; tips on creating multi-dimensional characters; creating a language and voice for your character; building relationships through dynamic dialogue; and dialogue craft and editing, managing exposition and monologue.
Alessandra has expressed great anticipation towards returning to the class, saying, “I had a ball working with the Filmbase writers last year on the craft of their pages and I’m looking forward to working with them on character and dialogue this year.
“The character/dialogue class gets to the heart of the script, asking writers to focus on who their characters are and what they bring into each scene. We tackle the difficult issues of creating unique personalities and distant voices. We also focus on editing – making sure characters say what they need to, without saying too much. Film examples, writing tools and in-class feedback make this an interactive experience. Attendees should be prepared to have some fun, and do some writing!”
This class is primarily aimed at writers, but would also be suitable for directors and producers seeking a greater understanding of screenplay dynamics.
The Scriptwriting Masterclass (Character and Dialogue Intensive) with Pilar Alessandra takes place on Tuesday 17th June from 6.30pm to 10pm. Tickets cost €40 and are available from Filmbase by calling (01) 6796716 and dialling 0 for reception. More information is available on www.filmbase.ie.