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Ian Abrams
Faculty
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Biography
Since 1998 Professor Ian Abrams has been head of the Screenwriting & Playwriting Program at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Prior to that he worked in Hollywood for twenty years, ten of them writing and producing film and TV. He wrote the 1993 MGM film Undercover Blues starring Kathleen Turner, Dennis Quaid and Stanley Tucci, and was co-creator of the long-running CBS show Early Edition.
Ian has written for or sold screenplays to Warner Bros./CBS, TriStar, Universal, DeLaurentis Entertainment Group, Twentieth Century Fox, Paramount, and Spelling Films.
His titles reflect his wry sense of humor: "The Dust Devil In His Greatest Adventure," "House-O-Matic," "Murder Can Be Fun," "Weirdos," "Too Many Husbands," and "Presumed Impotent."
Screenwriting Symposium Events
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Mentor Lab
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THE IAN ABRAMS START WITH A BANG LAB
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Ian Abrams believes that the first secret to writing a salable screenplay is writing a great opening sequence, and that the secret to writing a great opening sequence is to meet five goals, ranging from the lofty to the mundane. This nine hour lab is for writers who already know what their story is, and now want to make sure that it starts in a way that makes studio readers eager to read more.
Part One: Discussion of what the first few pages of a script need to do, including analysis of several opening sequences and one story-to-screenplay adaptation (provided in advance via email to all registered participants).
Parts Two and Three: Workshopping (thirty minutes each) of opening sequences provided in advance by participants.
All participants should send Ian Abrams their opening sequences (ten page maximum) as PDF files no later than one week before the start of the conference. In-class use of laptops is encouraged.
NOTE: This Lab is limited to 20 writers.
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Panel Description:
Our Mentors convene for a lively discussion on the pros and cons, ins and outs, and ups and downs of showbiz as it relates to screenwriters. SCSFe Staff and Faculty member Darren Foster will moderate. The panel will discuss their POV about the art and craft of screenwriting and will take questions from the audience.
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Seminar
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MAKING PEOPLE OUT OF PAPER
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Seminar Description:
There are two aspects to creating great characters: how they're imagined and how they're built. "Imagined" means what they have to do in the story, how they'll grow and change, inner vs. outer goals, etc. "Built" is how you write the character to instantly communicate who she is, what she is, and most important, how the reader/viewer is supposed to feel about her. Ian Abrams will discuss some basics for making your characters pop off the page and into the reader's imaginations.
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