Workshops give students chance at screenwriting
Watching the latest comic-book blockbuster or action extravaganza, who doesn’t secretly imagine themselves a moviemaker? Most of us have at a certain age.
“Most kids have an interest in film,” said John Daugherty, the executive director of Film Columbus. “What kid, if you ask them if they want to make movies, is going to say no?”
Yet how many young people fully appreciate the effort, focus and skillset necessary to write a screenplay?
To give central Ohio middle- and high-school students a better idea of the work involved in writing for the screen — and to encourage them to think about whether they might one day want to enter the field — Film Columbus and the Columbus College of Art & Design will host a pair of free virtual screenwriting workshops in early March.
The fifth installment of the Film Columbus Teen Screenwriting Workshop and Competition is open to young people ages 13 to 18 in Franklin and neighboring counties. The workshops will take place from noon to 4 p.m. on
March 6 and 20 on Zoom. Both will be led by CCAD film and video faculty member Kingsley Nyarko.
“I think that most people just think,
‘Oh, you just set up a camera and you shoot and tell the actors what to do and that’s it,’” said Nella Citino, chair of film and video at CCAD “There’s a lot more to it than that.”
Nyarko will help fill in the blanks.
“He teaches the basics of a story arc and the basics of characters,” Daugherty said, as well as more practical but essential information, such as the proper way to format a script.
“He has a lecture portion, and then he teaches kids how to use specific software that you can use online for free,” Daugherty said.
Then comes the challenging part: After the first workshop, participating students are asked to begin mulling ideas for a 3- to 5-page screenplay of their own. During the second workshop, Nyarko will work with students to make their screenplays filmable.
In other words, kids shouldn’t set their story on a faraway planet, feature a large cast or include a part for Spider-man.
“They have to be doable,” Daugherty said. “Keep it simple, focus on the characters, focus on the story — not a lot of special effects.”
The reason for all of the practical advice? After the second workshop, the students will be asked to write and submit their own screenplays to a panel of judges, including both local and national film professionals. Although the judges use a scorecard to assess the submitted scripts, they are often looking for a certain “X” factor.
“A lot of the times when we get submissions, there are one or two where everybody is like, ‘Wow, this is a really good script,’” Daugherty said. “There’s a twist at the end or something like that.”
The screenplays judged the best will be filmed in the fall by students at CCAD, who will actively collaborate with the young writers on the resulting short films.
“Our students gain a lot from this,” Citino said. “Usually they’re writing their own stuff and then (filming) their own stuff, and it’s refreshing for them to be handed a script and (asked), ‘OK, how are you going to do this one?’”
In putting together this year’s workshop, Film Columbus and CCAD have stressed inclusivity, getting the word out to principals and educators at schools in underserved neighborhoods. The goal is for more diverse populations to enter the film industry.
“Unfortunately, a lot of the kids think it’s a rich white man’s business,” said Daugherty, adding that the virtual format might allow even more young people to sign up and learn about screenwriting. “We’ll help alleviate some of those barriers to entry.”
The winning screenwriters and their CCAD collaborators will see their films premiere in the spring of 2022 — possibly, if the pandemic cooperates, at a “red carpet” event at an area movie theater.
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“I think that most people just think, ‘Oh, you just set up a camera and you shoot and tell the actors what to do and that’s it.’”
Nella Citino
Chair of film and video at CCAD
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