Learning Screenplay Story Structure - Eric Edson [Full Version - Screenwriting Masterclass]
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In the first two weeks of the Fall semester, California State University, Northridge screenwriting professor Eric Edson presents PowerPoint lessons to the entering first year grad MFA class. He begins with the Hero Goal Sequences story structure paradigm. Here is an inside look at the full first class of the lecture.
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#screenwriting #screenplay #writing
**WATCH** Eric Edson’s first class ‘Learning Screenplay Story Structure’ - kzhead.info/sun/nN2wprKBjn2Yg4E/bejne.html
Can you please mention movies in description which he quoted in lecture?
@@sanjithhm8111 Found this for you. Jagori Bhattacharya 5 months ago "Movies that you might like to watch (Eric Edson uses these movies as examples) before you listen to this amazing lecture: 1. Shrek 2. Collateral 3. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 4. The Matrix 5. Erin Brockovich 6. Gravity"
I been watching these they are great i been thinking i need some skills for writing a game story and im trying to code out a sort of program to generate a outline for a story and character interactions that make sense sort of tooling. Id like to give a suggestion. I and lots of people didn't like gravity. Cause the people making it don't know anything about space or science they maybe know about fiction well that was for sure. It was ridiculously dues ex machina unbelievable. I think you need to at least have some knowledge about the things your talking about. In the case of gravity pretty much nothing was believable about the actions in her environment. She woulda died like 5x over and too boot she was mental.
@@sanjithhm8111 ppa
@@will-ob7pr er
I spent like 5 years trying to write a screenplay and couldn't get it done because I underestimated the craft. Last year I saw this video and now I have finish two movies first draft. Thank you Film Courage, and of course thank you Eric Edson.
Send the link, wish you all the best 😍😍
@@mrrohitjadhav470 I have to translate it to English first but sure, as soon as I have them. :D
right on...or rather, write on.
@@hatedcritic8066 Will do!!
That's great, man. Hopefully we see them in streaming or in theaters someday. I can say "I talked to that dude on YT!"
I would pay for this full masterclass, but you're offering it for free. Man!
Cheers!
Thank you so much for providing the masterclass for free, I actually lost my job due to COVID and can’t afford to pay to educate myself, and your Chanel is literally a life saver, and this video is the clearest I’ve watched on the subject, a thousand thank you 🙏🏾
Cool
Handouts : Types of Sub-characters - 20:48 Order of Outline - 21:44 Three Worlds - 27:34 Tent Pole of Dramatic Structure - 34:16 Stunning Surprise One: 38:36 Stunning Surprise Two: 55:11 Stunning Surprise Two (Type B ): 1:10:28 To Make the Abstract Concrete: 1:13:16 Hero Goal Sequences: 1:13:36 Hero Goal Sequences II: 1:15:12 Hero Goal Sequence Example (Gravity): 1:15:43 Act I HGS: 1:20:04 Act II HGS: 1:20:06 Act III HGS: 1:21:23 Full HGS Graph: 1:22:55 What HGS Accomplish: 1:25:03
Thank you so much
You, sir, are the hero of this story
Thanks Dude !!!
:)
you forgot the real Stunning Surprise: 1:07:15 A bit off the timeline, but the profesor is so skilled it just adds to the story.
This guy is the Bob Ross of screenwriting. Love it.
who’s bob ross?
@@bondansatria its ok, you just made a happy accident.
You look beautiful like the sunrise in the blue ridge mountain ❤️
I would've stayed in college if I had a professor like this dude.
Love Film Courage...I am a Quarter Finalist screenplay writer, for Austin, due to this channel
Congrats Gary! We think it has a lot more to do with your creativity and the work that you put in. : )
I'm not in any way connected with the arts and literature, but I found this interesting. I work with computers (wait, hear me out). I find more similarities than you'd expect between writing movie or a book and a computer program. First one is that even though you can go wild with stories, they still have to be coherent and make sense. Breaking continuity between scenes is what you'd call a bug. That one is obvious, but there's another thing you can bring in from programming into here: no one writes a computer program from start to finish, you always have to go back and reorganize things, rewrite, delete parts that are not needed, over and over again on a loop. Good programmers do this, and I've heard that good writers do it too.
I would only disagree that computer programming is not an art and a craft :)
@@HobbyGradePhilosophy agreed. Math, Science, Engineering are Arts and Crafts. Sorry my double negative in prev comment was confusing. Think it was misread.
Thank you, God bless this man for freely sharing his wisdom and experience, & God bless you for your work. Not all philosophers wear cloaks!
"we feel too much and too deeply and we wound too easily we seek out a lot of time alone that we tend to enjoy and that makes other people think we're pretty weird and all of us are obsessive compulsives are we not or we wouldn't have chosen you know be drawn to the work that we do" Eric Edson
Ive always been a kind of a movie critic in my mind. A few days ago i got this idea about a movie, and with help of hyperfocus I wrote the screenplay. The thing is, I did things exactly like described here unconsciously. The how to outline the story, imagining the storyline but starting with what the end feeling should be, creating an emotional connection between X and the audience, stunning suprises and plot points that change X's life and so on, all came naturally! Maybe I finally found my passion
You are going to sprain your arm from patting yourself on the back so hard! 😂
@@mannysr67 Well I sold the screenplay so whos really laughing🤣🤣 Thanks for being making me a nice screenshot though📸
Can't believe this stuff is free. Thank you Film Courage and to youtube for allowing us to educate ourselves on pretty much anything, as freely as possible. Once my elementary school teacher told us; '' You lot are growing up during the internet age, you are the golden generation, no time to complain'' He was so true.
I was just about to write the same comment. So awesome this stuff is posted on here for all of us to learn from.
As the saying goes: the only things you can’t learn online is law and medicine. Cheers.
You pay with your data
Who's watching in lockdown? 2020
Revisiting Edson...although Christopher Volger and Michael Hague are good, Edson makes a lot more sense and puts the structure in terms of how the events effect the Protagonist. It’s a very helpful approach for many script writers. How did you find this lecture...there are others too by Edson.
Me. Cuz I wanna study Screen writing, Directing and Acting
Me... Have lately started writing screenplay
@@stephaniejayne5185 let's work together? What is your thoughts
@@jennypinkvalley4714 that's great..let me know, if you are keen to act, I have a story in mind
Writers are social people that like to talk to other people to learn to understand emotions. They have a broad range of interests. They are all over the place with their thoughts and refrain from “have to” kind of thinking. We don’t choose to write because we are obsessive compulsive, we just really enjoy the roller coaster ride.
This is the best structure explanation video on KZhead. I will be referring to this for the rest of my life
Thanks Camron, we just published the slideshow presentation of this lecture. Maybe you will like this version as well - kzhead.info/sun/ncWvhK6nh5GZrJs/bejne.html
Thank you for the great training.
@@filmcourage i love you more
You are great God bless you
Every teacher/professor should teach like this. Great lecture.
He's a good teacher... literally contemplating on moving too California to take his classes.
@1:00:00 "I wonder why they picked room 303" (re: the matrix) Error code 303 is a status code to redirect to another location because a web address has been moved.
There is a Chinese meaning of 303 which says "you will live". That could be.
And you both are right! Very nice
I like how the instructor takes his time to speak..it let's me know he's in the moment and conscious about what comes out of his mouth
Watched this like 3 times over now, every time I learn something new, Eric Edson is the gift that keeps on giving and this channel is Santa Claus. PLEASE do more with him, he's so talented and skilled in his craft. Feel like I'm listening to the Gandalf of screenwriting.
These full lectures, masterclasses and interviews in your channel are absolute gold! You should know that there are people in the far reaches of the world enjoying these. Thank you so much for sharing!
Cheers! We appreciate your support. Thanks for watching Gabriel!
we don’t know what will happen to movie industry in this 2020 situation but i doesn’t stop me to keep learning about storytelling. There must be a way
It's good
This is the way
errrr they will never stop making movies “there must be a way” lmao based on that phrase your stories will be so dramatic but in a exaggerated way 🤣
I'm supposed to be graduating from high school this year and it makes me sad to think I'm not used to a classroom environment anymore. But this is close enough, that guy seems so friendly and approachable, makes me feel like I've been in his class the whole year.
@Tino, Even in a classroom, many times you feel alone. There are dozens of people sitting quietly listening. The important thing is to keep doing and keep learning.
Movies that you might like to watch (Eric Edson uses these movies as examples) before you listen to this amazing lecture: 1. Shrek 2. Collateral 3. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 4. The Matrix 5. Erin Brockovich 6. Gravity
Thanks to Eric Edson I'm more flexible with my writing.
How did we go from “Oo this looks interesting…” to taking notes in Notion then buying the book excited to learn more. Completely ignoring the technical interview I should be studying for 😂 That intro got me hooked!
I've studied structure from Hague, Vogler, Save The Cat, and others. This has fresh ideas that are digestible and different enough to add to story structure dynamics and the impact on character/plot. Really enjoyed it. Well done.
I came here at just by random search at 12:38 I guess. Now it's 2:48 AM. The glued me to watch it in a single sitting. The mentor gives a inch details of screen play story writing. Thank you guys for uploading.
Thanks for the wonderful lecture 🙏
wasn't expecting to see you here haha
Holy fuck Karl. Imaging bumping into to you here. You working on a Bollywood blockbuster? lol
Namaste ji
Nahi chahiye ji
Wow, Eric Edson is the professor all screenwriters should have. Thanks for so much information to practice and use.
A truly fascinating lecture given by a fascinating and knowledgeable man. It was moving to see Eric become emotional when describing Sandra Bullock's Gravity character. All-round brilliant.
It is amazing to be able to watch such a lecture for free on the other side of the planet, thank you so much for putting it on the internet film courage and thank you Eric edson for your precious knowledge
If you've not heard of them already, Brandon Sanderson has entire lecture series of his creative writing classes at BYU on his KZhead channel. It's novel writing with a slant towards sci fi/fantasy, but it's still fantastic stuff and incredible that it's free.
@@ginge641 oh I indeed hadn't heard of those!! Thank you so much for your recommendation I will check it out right now
@@alix2032 You're welcome, and enjoy.
been trying to write a screenplay since 2019 and i couldn't finish because i underestimated what it takes to make a film. found this video today and i just know it's given me a very wide head start. thank you film courage!
Another example of stunning surprise is the big reveal on Jurassic Park when they see the dinosaurs for the first time. It was about 20 - 30 minutes into the film, it happened to the hero/heroes, and it laid the groundwork for the rest of the story. This is top level theatre folks. I studied theater in high school for 3 years, wrote a play with my fellow students, and had acting roles in several plays as well. I learned more in the hour and a half of this video than I did all of high school. Then again, my mind was on other things during that time, so maybe I missed the subtlety, but regardless this is top notch stuff. For free.
This lecture gave me the confidence and confirmed that I did a lot of things right in my very first novel. I look forward with less fear in making it a film.
I am home sick from work with a bad cold but am enjoying listening to this man. I love his spirit, he is so humble and mellow and nurturing in the way he teaches. He brakes it down so simple unlike most industry cats who try to sound so deep and cool when explaining stuff smh. Thank you so much film courage for this. 🙏🏾
Thank you, Anna. We hope you get well soon! We felt extremely honored to attend Professor Edson's class at CSUN for the two days that we filmed. Appreciate the feedback. :)
Your right, he breaks everything down. To many screenwriting on these videos, try to make it so complicated, but this teacher explain things and makes it plain..
You are right, some seem desperate to invent their own nomenclature but he just speaks plain English which is much better.
Writing a comic is a lot like writing a screenplay. I’ve been doing a lot of research about what it takes to write a good story and keep being met with ways to write dialogue in traditional writing styles and ways to show and not tell in a written story. However that’s not a problem I have since I am showing with art. I look at the way that I set up my panels like the way I would set up a camera for a scene or the way that I want a certain shot to provoke an emotion. All in all videos about storytelling in film have been immensely more helpful to me than anything else. This is fantastic, thank you.
This is the best channel on KZhead. It's not just for people who want to break into the film industry, but anyone who is in a creative field. Film Courage has been the best company during the quarantine. Thank you for posting these videos. You've kept me sane and a little less lonely.
“Stunning Suprises” and “Hero Goal Sequences” - two extremely enlightening terms/concepts! I am grateful to you, Eric, and to Film Courage. My writing path has just become that much clearer. Thank you!
Wow as a new up and coming content creator and Producer this was absolutely impressive 👏🏾 Mr. Eric kept my undivided attention. Awesome!
That's called pure gold which people claim money for and Film Courage gave us cost free, hands off. Finally found a rael Master class not a podcast or conversation a genuine Master class with intense research and structured
I finally watched this entire video, it was worth it.
Mr. Eric Edson has a heart of Gold who give away a lifetime of his knowledge,experience, and Screenplay craft of teaching Story Structure,all free, just by watching his Screenwriting Masterclass.He must a generous man in all affairs of his Life. Stay Blessed, and healthy, wherever you are,Mr Edson.Ameen
Is there a video where he speaks about the Midpoint, obligatory scene and Denouement? Amazing video btw, thank you so much Film Courage.
Thank you Eric, your words so honest and thoughtful. This is how I want my story expressed...ty❤
Would love to see a lecture from him on how the structure of tv screen plays differs from features
Hopefully that opportunity will present itself...
@@filmcourage do I detect some allusion?? 😏
@@filmcourage has the tv version come to fruition? 🤞🏽
I'd like him to do one better even. How to develop a t.v series.
What a fantastic teacher ,I wish I could be studying with him in college.
Thank you so much. Appreciate the learning. It’s worth every minute of it.
Loved this lecture and after studying some of his previous lectures he is partly to blame why I signed up for Film School! Thank you for all the great knowledge Eric Edson 🥰
Thank you to Mr. Eric Edson and @filmcourage for providing these valuable masterclasses for free this session really helped me as an amateur Screenwriter and Filmmaker to understand Screenplay writing .
You guys really are the best. I just found this.....another invaluable resource! Thanks so much!
Made my perspective clear for approaching things now. Highly recommended!!!
Found this video lecture EXTREMELY helpful. Thank You to all involved in making and sharing.
Thank you so much for ALL your content ! Made my quarantine life SO much easier and more fun!
What a terrific class. Thank you so much!
Professor Eric Edson, thank you SO much.
Answer to most important question: yes, there is a Shrek as an example right here 28:10
Always wanted to take one of his classes so a I'm glad I found this.
This is gold! Thank you everyone for this. Blessed
truly feel so blessed for this channel and eric edson himself. this knowledge is golden and i cant believe that youre so kind to share it for free. a lot of us in the comments cant afford this kind of education or its impossible to fit into a full time work schedule - and here it is in our hands like its a coffee cup full of change. ive always compulsively come back to writing because i dont feel whole without the effort, and lacking the education has been a huge roadblock personally. the least i can do is watch the ads through to the end, and that still doesnt feel like enough. thank you so much to everyone involved, it means so much to so many of us
Thank you for this lecture. I learned a lot gracefully.
I just happened to watch collateral the other day and it’s one of my favorite movies then I randomly stumble upon this gem. The world has a strange way of making things happen.
Thank you for the lecture. Glad I found this channel.Thank you!
" structure is your friend. Dance on fire as it intends. Until the end, until the end".
Amazing video and class! Thank you so much for sharing!
Amazing. I feel so lucky to have come across this knowledge. Thank you to the wonderful professor for sharing what you have learned with us.
I LOVE Collateral surprised me when he used it as an example. Thank you for this video!
A beautiful and concise lesson in story telling. Thank you.
This video is priceless! Thank you Film Courage for sharing this! Wish we could also be in the class for the midpoint breakdown of Collateral...
Thanks, we were there for Eric's second class of the semester. We just published the first 17 minutes of the lecture - kzhead.info/sun/h7ptfbycqaN_iHA/bejne.html
I wish i have this kind of teacher i will be greatful
Thank you so much, this is gold. What a charming, wise and wonderful teacher.
Came here to listen to something interesting. Not disappointed because you get the insight and the ASMR.
Just so much insight here. So grateful to stumble upon this video.
This is so incredibly informative. Thanks for posting the series.
Such a great lecture! Eric is really a wonderful professor. It really helped me understand the art of writing a lot better. I feel more confident to start writing screenplays. Thank you, Eric!
All of this is super insightful! Appreciate this talk.
I have rewatch it 3 times and its never boring for me . I have benefit a lot.
I am absolutely absorbing this in lockdown.
You seem very passionate about your craft. These students are lucky to have you as a teacher!
Amazing and so inspiring ✨ Thank you all so much 🙏🏻
insightful! after this long! i can't believe that am about to take and make this dream come true someday. thank you
Can't thank you enough for providing us this great knowledge by the most talented, experienced and a wonderful teacher. ☘️❤️☘️
most amazing story structure class ive had in a while. thanks film courage. thanks Eric Edson
Thank you Eric Edson. Thank you Film Courage.
this is an incredible lecture! thank you so much!
I have just found my Obi-Wan Kenobi! 🙏🙏🙏 I'll have to cut my Oscar in two. Other half belongs to Eric! 🎉😉🎯
Edson is the best of this channel. Thank you, really original and insightful
This video has been so extremely helpfyl to my script. During each step of of his descriptions to the acts I was able to visualize in even more high def my own screenplay. I would definitely recommend any writer (new or veteran) to watch this.
Most interestingly lectured. Thank you for this masterclass!
thoroughly enjoyed that lecture. The speaker is the teacher I've always wanted. I wish Rian Johnson would have taken your classes before doing any movie.
Ah, Samuel Pepys we had to cover his works at school as part of our curriculum back in the '90s in the UK. Really interesting, survived the plague and the great fire of London. I very much enjoyed this video. Thank you for creating it. Great channel and excellent presenter.
This is extremely useful and amazing. I get so much knowledge in a single video. Thank you Sir, and Film Courage!
I am simply blown away with this class. Kudos for posting this video and definitely subbed! Lot of introspection and observation to be made going ahead.
So sad to discover this 2 years later, it was as captivating as it was enlightening. Amazing content.
Really enjoyed this lecture, I haven't been in school in a while ; woke up early this morning to watch something useful
Amazingly informative talk and Mr Edson speaks beautifully
This guys awesome. Love his candor.
Just wow. Thank you for this.
Very informative and inspiring! Professor Eric is a great tutor... a magician...
With the lecture, I constructed a story and stunning surprise 1 and 2 got a spot on I think.
Edson is right, there were things I didn't know yet before watching (and taking notes of) this masterclass; Hero Goal Sequences. I know story structure from KM. Weiland and that there are a lot of points involved which have to happen at certain moments in the story to make that story work, but Edson's approach added some more clarity to this whole process with his Hero Goal Sequences. I'm looking forward to see the rest of this series that already is waiting for me in my Watch Later list.
I learned more from this short promo than I did from that half hour discussion he had with colleagues about his new film. Fair trade.