Workshop: So You Want to be a Screenwriter? – June 23rd

SO YOU WANT TO BE A SCREENWRITER

Have you ever wanted to try out screenwriting but just weren’t sure where to start? Maybe you don’t want to move to Los Angeles, but don’t know how to break into the industry here in Texas. Or perhaps you are an author who wants to adapt their own work! Four MFA Screenwriters from the University of Texas at Austin will be hosting workshops this summer through Lark & Owl. Every other Thursday night, on June 23, July 7, and July 21, they’ll cover different topics and types of screenwriting to provide you with a solid starting place.

Summer is the best time to get started! Why now? In the spring, writing fellowships and script competitions are in full swing, so if you want a solid script in time to apply, there’s no time like the present to get going! Bring questions, ideas and enthusiasm, and this workshop series will set you up for success!

This Workshop:

Screenwriting and the Industry — June 23, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m., with Lindsay Howard and Nina Martinez.

This kick-off workshop will cover the basics of screenwriting: formatting, screenwriting rules, resources, and key industry information. For example, what are the different types of screenwriting? We’ll discuss features, teleplays, spec scripts and adaptations, along with pathways into the industry with each one. We’ll talk about how to determine what format your idea needs (feature versus television) and what pitching is like (and what documents you’ll need to be ready to pitch!). We encourage attendees to bring an idea or two they’d like to try writing so we can discuss them as part of the workshop.

INSTRUCTOR BIOS:

Lindsay Howard is an author and screenwriter from Georgetown, Texas. After earning her Bachelor of Arts in English from UT Austin, she completed a certificate in Publishing from the University of Denver. She worked in the publishing industry for about five years (and spent over two of those years as one of the first booksellers at Lark & Owl!). Her love of storytelling led to an interest in screenwriting, so in 2017 she completed a Certificate in Drama Writing for Television through UCLA.

Lindsay is about to graduate from UT once more, this time with a MFA in Screenwriting. While there she has worked as a teaching assistant, as the writing coach for RTF undergraduates, and helped organize the 1st Annual Student Screenwriting Festival. She is currently a script competition reader, has two projects in pre-production at UT, and will be moving to Los Angeles this fall. Her writing has been recognized by the Austin Film Festival, and typically explores sociology and different relationship dynamics, either through original works or adaptations of YA and non-fiction texts.

Nina Martinez is a Latina writer and producer, born and raised in the Rio Grande Valley. Nina’s feature screenplay CHALE won Best Dramatic Screenplay in the Fort Worth Indie Film Showcase and was a semi-finalist in the Finish Line Script Competition and the Chicago Screenplay Awards.

Her short films have been recognized by the Cinesol Film Festival where she was awarded Best Under 18 Film and Best Editing. Nina has also produced several humanitarian-aid-based documentaries for the RGK Center for Philanthropy and Community Service at UT Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs.

Nina works as a Contributing Writer for Downright Creepy, a horror entertainment news and podcast company, and is completing her MFA in Screenwriting at The University of Texas at Austin.