The write journey

The Write Journey is a workshop for anyone who has a story to tell and ideal for novelists and short story writers who would like to transform their work into a tangible screenplay for film or television and learn the fundamentals of writing for a visual medium.

There's only one way to make a really great Oscar-worthy South African film: write a screenplay that will inspire investors and distributors to turn words into big screen action and bring local stories to film audiences worldwide.

The Writing Studio's The Write Journey workshop for aspirant scribes explores art of storytelling and the craft of writing a universal story that reflects the uniqueness, history and culture of South Africa and Africa.

The Write Journey workshop follows The Writing Studio's reputable tradition of 17-years of workshops throughout South Africa.

This inspirational and motivational journey from page to screen offers aspirant screenwriters an opportunity to sharpen their storytelling skills. It focuses on the art of writing visual narrative and turning inspiration into big screen action.

During the workshop aspirant scribes will learn the fundamentals of building and telling a compelling story, and how to effectively dramatise ideas, characters and plot.

Within four days writers will have the tools and resources to write a screenplay built on solid foundation that is ready for the development process of turning words into images.

Writers will learn how to turn ideas into marketable concepts, and concepts into profitable stories. The workshop also examines the process of writing a screenplay from inception to first draft, explores the differences between the writing process and filming process, looks at how to develop three-dimensional characters, and how to structure a story that delivers maximum dramatic or comedic impact.

The workshop turns theory into practice and ideas inside out. It explores the full dramatic or comedic potential of stories and empowers local storytellers with the write tools to tell their stories through pictures and dialogue.

The workshop is also an introduction into the world of film-making and teaches writers how to read and interpret the fascinating language of film, and how to evaluate and analyse film, television constructively.

The trainer is Daniel Dercksen, who has been a film and theatre journalist in South Africa the past 30 years and as a trainer and educator presents regular workshops in scriptwriting and creative writing, including a Master Class for Screenwriters for the Talent Campus at the Sithengi Film and TV Market in Cape Town, and facilitated a 'Directing Actors' workshop with acclaimed actor Eriq Ebouaney.

Following the workshop, the writers can sharpen their storytelling skills by signing up for The Write Voice workshop or tackle writing the first draft of their screenplay in The Write Draft advanced workshop.