Screenwriting
Intensives
With Graham Norris & Lee Arcuri
Presented by The Norris Studio
WRITE YOUR SHORT FILM (8 Weeks - $800*)
WRITE YOUR PILOT (12 Weeks - $1600*)
*Payment plans available.
**Discount for current and recent TNS ongoing clients.
Space is limited and by application only. Fill out the form below and we'll send you an application for our next session.
Meet Graham and Lee​
We’re working screenwriters and WGA members with a combined twenty years of professional experience.
Graham has been on television staffs for a decade, writing on shows for Warner Brothers and Universal Studios; most recently, he was a co-executive producer of NBC’s hit medical drama NEW AMSTERDAM, while developing films with Oscar-nominated producers.
Lee has worked on the hit CW show iZOMBIE, and has sold multiple shows to Amazon, Warner Bros., and ABC Studios. He's developed pilots with writers such as Max Borenstein (Winning Time) and Anthony Zuiker (CSI) .
Please note that as working writers, we can only take on a limited number of clients at a time. A waitlist and referrals to other coaches are available.
Week One
LOGLINES
Loglines aren’t just an ad for your idea. They’re an expression of your understanding of the nuts and bolts of how screenwriting works. We’ll dive into conflict, character, and a deeper understanding of story, screening successful shorts for context.
Week Two
BREAKING STORY + INDEX CARDS
After discussing your loglines, we turn to “breaking story,” aka the construction of your short’s plot, broken into scenes. This is the main activity of all TV writers rooms, and we’ll dig into how the pros do it, including how to “index card” each scene with its key information. We’ll dissect story structure and have you ready to build the plot of your own short.
Week Three
WRITING WEEK
Breaking story takes work. There’ll be no in-person class in Week 3. Instead, you’ll turn in your first draft of your Index Cards. We’ll give you detailed notes and guidance, with optional office hours for follow-ups.
Week Four
OUTLINE
Armed with the 2nd draft of your Index Cards, you have the basic x-ray of your short. The next step is to develop an outline, a key step in any for-hire writing project. We’ll discuss what an outline is, why it’s important, and how developing one can help you spot the elements of your script that need work.
Week Five
SCRIPT
At last, it’s your moment to take the leap: Time to write the script. We’ll delve into how to make a script “read professional,” along with a discussion of how to make character and dialogue come to life.
Week Six
WRITING WEEK
No in-person class. You’ll turn in the 1st draft of your script. We’ll give you notes and thoughts, bolstered by optional office hours, giving you what you need to achieve the famous “second draft jump.”
Week Seven
TABLE READ
Using actors from the studio’s professional classes, we’ll read aloud the second drafts in a closed-door workshop setting. You’ll leave with not just notes, but the irreplaceable experience of hearing your work read aloud by pros.
Week Eight
SHOWCASE
Your short will be presented with the studio’s professional actors. We’ll talk about some of the fun stuff – short film festivals, ways to make your short more “produce-able”. Then we’ll raise a glass to taking concrete steps to making dreams a reality.
THE DETAILS
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Tuesday's from 12-3pm
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Jan 16 - - Mar 12tth
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On Zoom
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THIS CLASS HAS HOMEWORK
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Limited Availability
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Enrollment By Application Only
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Cost: $800
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$700 for clients currently enrolled in TNS ongoing acting classes within last 3 months)
Week One
LOGLINES
Loglines aren’t just an ad for your idea. They’re an expression of your understanding of the nuts and bolts of how screenwriting works. We’ll dive into conflict, character, and a deeper understanding of story, screening successful shorts for context.
Week Two
STORY DOCUMENTS
After discussing and noting the loglines, we turn to “story documents”. This is the first step in professional development, a summary your pilot, a powerful vision of your script’s big picture. We’ll use real Story Docs alongside the pilots they inspired to grasp this crucial early step.
Week Three
STORY DOC WORKSHOP
Share your Story Doc and receive notes from Graham, Lee, and your classmates.
Week Four
CHARACTERS
There’s no story without character. All the explosions and car chases in the world won’t help you if the reader doesn’t care about your leads. We’ll get you ready to make sure your own characters are ready for prime time.
Week Five
STORY BEATS & ACT BREAKS
“Breaking story,” aka the scene-by-scene construction of your plot, is the main activity of all writers rooms. With screened examples, we’ll dig into how the pros do it, including how to “index card” each scene, and how to build strong and propulsive “act breaks”.
Week Six
ACT BREAK WORKSHOP, WRITERS ROOM INTRO
Workshop day. Each writer presents their act breaks, for notes from us and the class.
Week Seven
WRITING WEEK
Breaking story takes work. There’ll be no in-person class in Week #7. Instead, you’ll turn in your first draft of your Story Beats. We’ll give you detailed notes and guidance, with optional office hours for follow-ups
Week Eight
SCRIPT
At last, it’s your moment to take the leap: Time to write the script. We’ll delve into how to make a script “read professional,” along with a discussion of how to make character and dialogue come to life.
Week Nine
ACT ONE READINGS
Workshop. Act Ones are the hardest and most important in any pilot. We’ll read aloud each writer’s Act One, casting the roles amongst ourselves, and give notes.
Week Ten
WRITING WEEK
Use the week to implement notes and develop the 2nd draft of your script.
Week Eleven
OFFICE HOURS
Each writer gets one-on-one time with us. Use this as you see fit – email us your whole draft, or a problem area or two, and we’ll work with you on it.
WEEK 12
SCENE WORKSHOP
In our final meeting, we’ll work with the studio’s professional actors to put 10-15 minutes of your script up on its feet. We’ll talk about some of the fun stuff – contests, reps, how to use this script to break in. Then we’ll raise a glass to taking concrete steps to making dreams a reality.
POST-COURSE: RECEIVE FINAL NOTES ON 2ND DRAFT OF SCRIPT.