Screen Talk: How To Say It Cinematically (Summer 2021) (Online)

Screen Talk:  How To Say It Cinematically (Summer 2021) (Online)

July 15 - Aug. 19
6:00pm - 9:00pm Central Time

Instructor: Francine J. Sanders

Strong, effective dialogue is a critical component of great screenplays and the best films. A film’s dialogue can be the deal-breaker when it comes to the audience engaging with your story’s characters and their world. Through exercises and activities, we'll explore how dialogue functions as a dynamic storytelling tool—from building character, to revealing theme, to advancing story and plot. Learn when and where to use dialogue in harmony with strong actions and visuals, how to create a distinctive voice for each of your characters, and the power of subtext. Our workshop-based class will focus on process as you write and revise a dialogue-driven short script, while also honing your chops in giving constructive, meaningful feedback to fellow writers.

Francine J. Sanders is a Chicago-based screenwriter, journalist and educator.  She is an adjunct professor in Columbia College’s Cinema & Television Arts department, and also teaches film studies and humanities courses for lifelong learners in Oakton Community College’s Emeritus Program.  Francine’s essays and articles have been published in The Chicago Reader, TriQuarterly magazine, and Sherlock Holmes and Philosophy.  She is the recipient of a Driehaus Foundation writing grant and is a six-time recipient of a writer’s residency at the Ragdale Foundation.  “Behind the Wall,” the podcast she co-created for the non-profit Injustice Watch was named a 2017 finalist for the Peter Lisagor Award for Exemplary Journalism. Francine has a MA in film studies from Northwestern University. She is currently developing a series of shorts inspired by her many years as a CTA rider, and a TV project based on her work as an investigator of police brutality complaints for the Chicago Police Department.

20% Early Bird Registration Discount Available when students register by June 30, 2021

Classes will be held via Zoom. Instructors will send out Zoom invites one day before class begins. We encourage students to setup a Zoom account for themselves before class if they have not already to ensure when class begins you are able to jump straight into the art!