Continuing Education

It's important to always be learning, to always be pushing ourselves to improve and think beyond what we have done before. It's also a way to keep energized in whatever industry you reside. I came across the ad for the Aaron Sorkin Masterclass on Screenwriting. This was something I knew I wanted to do. Building a story, whether short or long-form is always something we can improve upon and apply wise tips. 

Before I did my first session and paid for the class, I read a review. It was a good review, very positive towards the class. My heart started racing as I got even more excited to take it. So I began my first session and I was not disappointed, to say the least. 

Sorkin begins with a focus on "intention" and "obstacles" as the foundation of any story. Sorkin is focused on creating a drama, whether a play, feature or television series. But as I considered the foundation of "intention" and "obstacles", I thought how this could be applied in any story telling. 

When there is a story of a business and why they do what they do, are we not aiming to find the "intention"? And it must be a strong intention for the business to succeed. But what makes the story interesting and an "American Dream"? The obstacles. Perhaps they overcame obstacles to start the business, or to open their first location. Perhaps they are continuing to face obstacles, but as they persevere they are growing closer to their intention. 

Keeping such a concept and foundation in mind as we approach stories, can help us find the arch and draw to each person we encounter. It can help us write better interview questions, ones that lead us to a compelling story in the edit room. And the editors can assess the selected sound bites against such a foundation. 

I'm excited to continue in the course and consider how to always improve the art of storytelling.