GENERAL QUESTIONS
How do I register?
Go to the page of the workshop you’re interested in and click
on the “register” button. A new page will open on your browser, taking you through the registration process. You’ll
be able to register with a credit card or check. back to top
Do you accept payment plans?
You may register for any given workshop with a $100 deposit
and pay the balance when you arrive. back to top
What’s the pay-what-you-can program?
We know artists struggle financially
because every person who works for this school has been through or is going through the same struggle. We’re all in
the same boat. We don’t want money to keep you from what we think is the best training in town. And we don’t want
homogeneous classes that are made up only of people with money. By virtue of who you are, what you know, your talent, your
ideas, your ability to listen and support others, all these are just as valuable a contribution as paying for a class, if
not more so. If you want to study with us, then we want to work with you.
And so: ff you can’t afford our workshops, visit the pay-what-you-can page and apply for a discount. You’ll be asked all sorts of questions that will help us determine, in consultation with
you, what you should pay for the workshops, based on your income, or lack of.
Once you’ve taken at least one workshop with us and we know you better, you may qualify
to volunteer at one of our workshops and attend for free that way. back to top
Are there any other associated fees?
No. The registration fee listed on each page is
all that we’ll be charging you. back to top
Do you offer discounts to out-of-towners who will be spending money on flights?
Fill
out the pay-what-you-can form and we’ll give you a break to help meet you half-way. If you’re an out-of-towner, you don’t need to be
broke to apply; we know that travel is expensive. We can’t promise to help; our workshop fees are already super low
because we know our community. But give us the scoop as per the questions on that page and we’ll do what we can. back to top
Where do you recommend that out-of-towners stay while attending your weekend workshop?
If you need something more economical than the generic hotel room, a shared room at a youth hostel is $40 a night. We recommend
Hostelling International New York: www.hinewyork.org
In the near future, we’ll be
helping coordinate couch-surfing among our workshop participants. Out-of-towners will have an opportunity to stay with local
hosts. Stay tuned. back to top
Are registration fees refundable?
Registration fees are not refundable, but if you can’t
make a workshop that you signed up for and you let us know at least 24 hours in advance, we’ll credit your fee towards
a future workshop of your choice. back to top
How many participants at each workshop?
In the ballpark of 10-12. We like our workshops
small for the sake of individual attention. back to top
Do you offer group discounts?
Sure. We’d consider four or more people a group,
even if you're just a group of friends and not necessarily a formal organization. Use the contact form above to introduce your group or organization to us, and let us know how many you are. We’ll work with you. back to top
Do you offer other types of workshops?
Every once in a while we receive an email asking
us about other types of classes: everything from classes in Final Cut to special effects make-up and prosthetics. The answer
to all these questions are no.
The workshops
listed in the navigation bar are the only workshops we offer. Ela Thier’s workshops are geared towards writer-director-producer
types (or some combination thereof). back to top
Do you offer a certification program?
Not yet but we’re working on it. We predict
that by the fall of 2011 we will be offering a full-fledged certification program. back to top
SCREENWRITING
WORKSHOPS
I’m an experienced writer. Will the weekend intensive be too basic for me?
No.
The tools covered in Ela Thier’s screenwriting workshops will ease and enrich your writing life for years to come, no
matter how experienced you are. In fact, it’s been our experience that the more you know about screenwriting, the more
you’ll get out of this original, rigorous, and inspiring workshop. People take bigger and faster steps if they’re
already well grounded in the craft.
I’ve studied screenwriting and have experience. Do I have to fulfill the requisite of attending
the weekend workshop before taking the weekly class?
Yes. Every writer needs to attend the weekend workshop
before signing up for a weekly screenwriting class.
Over the weekend, Ela goes over her arsenal of original tools that you need to be familiar with in order to share
a common language with the other writers in the group. Writers in Ela’s weekly classes work on their scripts with an
overall approach and a set of specific tools that they share in common. back to top
I’m a beginner writer. Will the screenwriting weekend intensive be suitable?
If
you have little or no experience, you’re in for a treat. The weekend workshop will be a safe and encouraging place where
information is offered in an accessible manner. Just bring a pen and paper. That’s all you need.
If you know
absolutely nothing about screenwriting and would like to prepare, read David Trottier’s book “The Screenwriter’s
Bible”. It’s an excellent introduction. We’d also recommend that you read a script or two.
Go to: www.dailyscript.com and find a script you want to read. Beware of transcripts: these include dialogue only. Someone watched the film and typed
up everything that people say. That’s not a script. If you know nothing about screenwriting, you need to read an actual
script. back to top
Do you offer private consultations?
Yes, Ela Thier does offer private script consultations.
She’s also an excellent consulting producer if you’re going into production in NYC and need contacts, guidance,
advice. She’ll go over your schedule, budget, help you crew up, and/or advise you in whatever way you need.
Unfortunately, Ela is crazy busy, so rates aren’t pretty. Private script consultations begin at $3,000, and may be
higher depending on the stage of the project and what’s involved. Her work as a consulting producer begins at $3000
and up depending on the budget.
The
good news is that you can attend her workshops at affordable rates and benefit from her teaching as well as meeting other
filmmakers and networking. So you’re paying less and getting more.
Use the form above to write us if interested in private consultation. back to top
Do I need to already be working on a script or have a story idea to attend the screenwriting workshop?
Not at all. It’s fine to come without even an inkling of a story idea. It’s fine to come with some beginnings
of ideas. It’s also fine to come with a script that you already wrote and are revising. (You won’t need the actual
script with you.)
That said: we have
found that writers often end up preferring to work on a project from scratch over the course of the weekend, and then apply
what they’ve learned to a script in development after the workshop. back to top
What do I need to prepare or bring to the screenwriting workshop?
Watch Shrek (the first
one) and Whale Rider. Ela refers to these films for examples throughout the workshop. Watch them before the workshop if at
all possible.
Other than that, just
bring pen and paper. Laptops not advisable unless there’s a medical reason prohibiting you from writing long-hand. back to top
PRODUCING WORKSHOPS
What do I need to prepare or bring to the producing workshop?
Pen and paper is all you
need. If you’re coming with a producing partner, that’s even better. So much better, in fact, that your partner
may attend at half price.
You may come
with a particular project in mind that you plan to produce, or simply attend to find inspiration for a new project.
The production of a project doesn’t need
to begin with an existing script. You can put the pieces of the puzzle together and get your package ready for the right script.
back to top
I have production experience. Will I learn from this workshop?
This depends on your experience.
If your experience is mostly in phsycial production: you know how to budget, hire crew, make sure the truck’s on time,
what you may get from this workshop is guidance on being a capital “P” producer: how to package a film, raise
money, plan your distribution, etc. The course description on the workshop page should give you enough information on what
will be covered so that you can be the judge of whether the workshop is right for you. back to top
I have no production experience. Should I attend?
Sure. This workshop will give you a
realistic sense of your next steps as well as your long-term goals. Whether you're assembling a group of friends to shoot
an exercise short for no money, or you're gearing up for your first or second feature, the workshop will offer you an appropriate
road map. back to top
DIRECTING THE
CAMERA
What do I need to prepare or bring to the camera workshop?
You need to own or borrow
two items for this workshop: a stills camera (simple point-and-shoot will do), and a camcorder. Camcorder can be a simple,
consumer-type thingy. Nothing fancy needed; you’ll be using it to figure out shots. You do, however, want to have a
real zoom so you can experiment with the look of different focal lengths (not a digital zoom which simply crops the picture).
Other than that: remember to bring
cards or tapes (whatever your camera requires) and batteries that are fully charged. back to top
I’ve directed several films. Will this workshop be too basic?
This
workshop offers an overall approach to shot planning. The moving camera techniques covered in the course are easy
to execute, lead to more efficient shoots by cutting down on time and money, while raising production value immensely. Yet
most directors are not familiar with these techniques and often get less by trying to do more. If you’re
an experienced shooter, the first couple of hours may be a refresher, but from there on, the workshop will expand your tool
kit. back to top
I’ve never directed a film. Will this workshop be too advanced?
If you have no
experience shooting, this is your chance to begin the journey on the right foot and avoid adopting bad habits from the start.
The workshop is a space where no question is too basic. And some of the shooting exercises include beginner and advanced versions
of the same technique. back to top
DIRECTING ACTORS
What do I need to prepare or bring to the directing actors workshop?
Would be good to
choose in advance a scene that you want to direct as an exercise. The meat of the scene should be focused on actors' performances
and mostly dialogue driven (ie, no car chases, exploding buildings, and special effects). Scene should only include two roles
and be 3-7 pages in length. (You’ll get more out of a shorter scene.) It’s fine to bring a scene from a piece
that you wrote yourself.
If you don’t
have a scene prepared before the first class, don't sweat it. You’ll have at least a week after our first class to find
your scene, and we have a selection of scenes from popular films that you can look through as well. back to top
I’d like to offer myself as an actor for your workshop. Who do I contact?
Send a headshot and resume, with subject headline saying: actor. Address email to our casting director, Bettina Goolsby.
Thanks for your interest. back to top
