Services

MONDAY NIGHT CLASS

The art and business of traditional screenwriting is changing. Screens now come in many shapes and sizes; content is more accessible and immediate.

Despite these rapid changes one core element remains constant: a good story.

Monday nights I teach a small, informal class for the intermediate to advanced screenwriter. We meet in SE Portland and examine the elements of good cinematic storytelling with an eye and ear on the new media landscape.

We also laugh a lot.

I stress verbal and visual economy, telling a good story with simple, compelling, and dynamic images. I show lots of film clips (on my laptop), frequently comparing and contrasting them with their scripts.

Recent topics have included villainy as embodied by Mrs. Robinson in “The Graduate”; identifying your characters’ fears; creating subtext in a scene; the films of writer-director Terrence Malick; why most adaptations of good graphic novels fail on the screen.

And of course we do group reads and discussions of your own material, if desired. The drop-in fee is $30, but if you purchase a block of four or more classes (they don’t have to be in sequence), the cost is $25 per class.

BEGINNING CLASS

If you’re new to screenwriting or work in the graphic novel or
video game industries, I’m considering adding a class for you! This
class would teach the fundamentals of dramatic, visual storytelling in the same fun, low-key atmosphere. Contact me below, if interested.

CRITIQUES

I also consult on film projects (docs and features) and provide individual critiques of scripts. My fee to read a screenplay of 120 pages or less is $150, and that includes a subsequent face-to-face discussion or by phone, if that is preferred.

Questions? Details? Please give me a shout at 503-806-5197 or randall@randalljahnson.com.