While we have yet to workshop a screenplay during one of our sessions, Kill Your Darlings ATL recognizes the screenplay writing process as an important and vital art form within the writing community and arts at large.
But because most of us ? thus far ? have not worked on screenplays, but may be interested in the craft and process, I reached out to Atlanta Screenwriters Group Co-President Martin Kelley with some last minute questions about their free script workshop, held on the first and third Thursday of each month at Georgia State University?s Digital Arts Entertainment Lab.
The next ASG screenplay workshop is this Thu., Feb. 2, at 8 p.m. To keep track of this workshop, along with other writing workshops and readings around town, check out our monthly calendar or sign up for our weekly newsletter.
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The ASG is one is said to be one of the largest screenwriter groups in the Southeast. How many members does ASG Have?
It?s hard to say how many members we have since membership is very fluid. We have well over 500 people on our email list who have either attended or expressed interest in attending over the years. How many members are active or semi-active is fairly hard to gauge. Some members may only attend 1 meeting a year, while others attend all of them. However, the interest level has only grown over the years since we began.
How many attendees per workshop?
We average roughly 25 ? 30 attendees at each meeting. Our meetings occur twice each month on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays. The interest level remains fairly consistent and has risen in the past 3 years especially. At times, we might have as many as 50 people attending a meeting.
Can you describe the scene? What is the average age, if any, for attendees? Are most experienced screenwriters, or is there a fair share of newbies, so to speak? What genres do most people bring on average, if any?
The scene? Well, it?s mainly people who have an interest in movies; I don?t know if I could really say what the average age of our members would be. We?ve had members as young as 16 who drag their parents to the meetings with them to as old as maybe 70 or so (perhaps older but I wouldn?t want to guess at the ages of some of our senior members). There is a mix of newbies and people with experience. We have writers who have been produced or published as well as the aspiring writers who?ve yet to type ?FADE IN:?. In terms of genres, we see all the genres. Dramas tend to be popular with newcomers more so than those with more experience but the variety of genres is healthy.
What do you think are some of the benefits from attending a screenwriting workshop?
Well, the benefits are that you will learn something about screenwriting. Whether it is from a good writer who demonstrates good command of screenwriting or it?s a newcomer?s script who makes similar mistakes that we all make early in our writing efforts. The feedback is constructive and people who leave the area often contact me to tell me how much they miss coming to ASG. We also have what we call ?Craft Meetings? periodically where we change the format from a script reading to an open discussion forum where people ask questions from ?How do I get an Agent?? (You don?t by the way.) to ?What is the best Screenwriting Software to use??. So, every time we meet there is something valuable to take out of the meetings that will hopefully translate into making someone a better screenwriter.
What advice do you have for people who want to write screenplays but have no experience?
They should research the form, there are plenty of books aimed at beginners to teach them the rules and format they need to write, and then write. The thing to remember is that it is a process but you?re not going to get there by delaying the start of the journey. ?Writers write? so the only way you will know whether you really want to write scripts is to do it and see how the process treats you and how you treat the process. It certainly isn?t for everyone.
What do you think are some of the benefits of being a screenwriter or filmmaker in Atlanta?
It is said that you can write anywhere, and I believe that is accurate. However, writing in a vacuum can make progress difficult to measure. So, one advantage that Atlanta offers is that we do have a viable film community and organizations like ours that are dedicated to supporting those in our community. Also, the community isn?t so big that you?ll stay lost in anonymity like perhaps a New York or Los Angeles but it is big enough that you can gain experience if you?re persistent enough to pursue it. I also think that the Film community has a lot of talented and generous people that one can learn a lot from. However, that said, it doesn?t mean that you won?t still have to put in a lot of work yourself in order to benefit from being here.
Is there any sort of window at which point you think someone should throw in the towel if they haven?t reached their desired level of success within this industry?
Well, first of all, everyone needs to re-evaluate what ?success? means. If it means to sell a script for a million dollars then 99% of even the working writers ought to throw in the towel because it doesn?t happen very often and I suspect will happen less rather than more in the years to come.
I mentioned that screenwriting was a process previously. There are different levels of ?success? to be achieved during the entire process. So, a writer needs to strive for the moderate successes along the way or they might be easily dispirited.
I have said many times to aspiring writers to only become a screenwriter if the writing itself can satisfy them. If you will only be happy if you sell a script, then the odds are you will never be content as a screenwriter. Therefore, if the act of screenwriting is rewarding there is no point in ever throwing in the towel.
What do you think those interested in coming to a workshop should know ahead of time??Are there any books or local groups you would suggest to screenwriters looking to polish a craft?
There really isn?t a required knowledge when it comes to our group. However, a general knowledge of screenwriting would certainly enhance the experience. There are many books that would be a good introduction or refresher for those interested in screenwriting. (The Screenwriters Bible, Screenplay, The Writers Journey, and many more)
What?s your number one advice for writing a screenplay?
Tell a story, many times what beginning screenwriters forget to do is to tell a story. A lot of 1st scripts are a collection of scenes and situations involving various characters. The real art of not only screenwriting is to tell a compelling story. If you can do that, you can learn the specific rules of the form in order to write a good script.
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