Online FilmHouse Talk: Storytelling with Ruth Atkinson

Please join the SFFILM Makers team for a workshop from expert story and script consultant Ruth Atkinson, who will unpack the process to establish the notoriously hard-to-pin-down “theme” by exploring the protagonist’s character arc and how these two critical elements of your script are inextricably linked. Writing a screenplay is like untangling a knotted necklace or solving a Rubik’s cube — it’s a puzzle with myriad ways to get to the last page. So how do you find the strongest narrative path and tell the best story possible?

Well, the only way out, is in. You have to go into the story and uncover the transformational arc and thematic through-line that gives you the spine of the story. One of the ways to do this is to clarify what your protagonist learns over the course of the story. This point of discovery, moment of awareness, or emotional pivot point is the heart and soul of your story. It tells us what the movie is about and points to the underlying theme.

The protagonist’s journey and how they change or grow (or not, in some cases) is the spine of your story. Knowing how to structure their journey and this all-important end of the second act turning point will help you craft a compelling character who undergoes a meaningful transformation that underscores the deeper themes your story explores. Ultimately audiences might come for the action, suspense, or comedy, but it’s this underlying emotional transformation that keeps the audience hooked through to the outcome and resonates with them long after they’ve left the theater.

This event is designed for filmmakers, and is open to current FilmHouse residents and grantees, and SFFILM members with the Filmmaker Add-On. Not yet a member? Join today!

Attendees who RSVP for this event will be sent a link via email one day in advance to register for the online session, which will be conducted with Zoom. We recommend that you download and install Zoom on your computer or mobile device in advance, and set yourself up with a free account. Attendees will have a chance to participate in the Q&A by sending in questions privately to our moderator. Registration closes around one hour before the start of the event — be sure to register early!

Learn more about how to use Zoom and attending our virtual events here.