{"id":11770,"date":"2014-01-06T00:18:44","date_gmt":"2014-01-06T06:18:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=11770"},"modified":"2014-01-06T00:30:23","modified_gmt":"2014-01-06T06:30:23","slug":"jcc-to-offer-6-week-screenwriting-course","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/jcc-to-offer-6-week-screenwriting-course\/","title":{"rendered":"JCC to offer 6-week screenwriting course"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By DEAN M. SHAPIRO, <em>Special to the CCJN<\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_11771\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Horvitz.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11771\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11771 lazyload\" title=\"Horvitz\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Horvitz-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Horvitz-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Horvitz-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/225;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11771\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11771 \" title=\"Horvitz\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Horvitz-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Horvitz-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Horvitz-1024x768.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-11771\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lee Horvitz explains the fundamentals of screenwriting at the JCC. (Photo by Dean M. Shapiro)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Ever dreamed of writing a screenplay that becomes a blockbuster film? If so (and if you have a story you think could be a Hollywood box office hit), the Jewish Community Center is offering a class that may help transform your dream into reality.<\/p>\n<p>Lee Horvitz, a sold screenwriter and produced playwright, will be teaching \u201cWriting the Fundamentals of a Screenplay\u201d at the JCC, starting on January 13. The six-week class, which runs through February 17, will take students through the fundamentals of what it takes to create and market a successful film script.<\/p>\n<p>The 90-minute classes will meet from 7:00-8:30 p.m. on six successive Monday nights.<\/p>\n<p>Horvitz &#8211; an accomplished playwright and screenwriter &#8211; is also the writer\/editor of\u00a0<em>TravelHost of New Orleans<\/em>\u00a0magazine. A New Orleans resident since 2003, Horvitz spoke about the class and the curriculum it will\u00a0offer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI teach the basics of screenwriting from both the craft and business sides of it,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ll be explaining what the key elements are that go into a marketable commercial film script, as well as focusing on the skills necessary to bring those elements to life.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Horvitz went on to explain that the course will benefit not only those writing commercial scripts of all kinds &#8211; from \u201cCasablanca\u201d to \u201cRaiders of the Lost Ark\u201d\u00a0to &#8220;Barbershop&#8221; &#8211; but also those writing independent films (&#8220;indies&#8221;) and documentaries.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_11774\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Horvitz_closeup_edit.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11774\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11774 lazyload\" title=\"Horvitz_closeup_edit\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Horvitz_closeup_edit-300x239.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"239\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Horvitz_closeup_edit-300x239.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Horvitz_closeup_edit-1024x818.jpg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/239;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11774\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11774\" title=\"Horvitz_closeup_edit\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Horvitz_closeup_edit-300x239.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"239\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Horvitz_closeup_edit-300x239.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Horvitz_closeup_edit-1024x818.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-11774\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lee Horvitz<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cI emphasize story, how the actions of characters tell stories and how screenplays write those stories,\u201d Horvitz continued. \u201cThe course is organized around the five pillars that hold up any script: concept, theme, characterization, structure and plot.<\/p>\n<p>The main goals of the class are to enable students to write a marketable script and more easily acquire further knowledge about writing movies. \u00a0\u201cBy the end, participants will have the concepts and the tools to get their stories down on paper,\u201d Horvitz said.<\/p>\n<p>Among the tools Horvitz will be teaching how to write are treatments, outlines, beat sheets and loglines, all of which are summaries of the work in varying lengths that tell what the screenplay is about. Between the fourth and fifth weeks of the class, students will write a two-page scene. These will be discussed and critiqued by both Horvitz and the class members.<\/p>\n<p>At\u00a0the final meeting, students will learn how to pitch their screenplays to potential producers and how to get an agent to negotiate the deal for them. They also will be directed to resources from which they can get information on production companies and Writers Guild signatory agents who are qualified to present film scripts to producers.<\/p>\n<p>Horvitz graduated from The Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre in New York City, where he studied acting under Sanford Meisner, renowned mentor to dozens of Hollywood\u2019s top names. He also holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Northwestern University.<\/p>\n<p>This\u00a0onetime actor and former professor at Miami University (Ohio) wrote the book for the pop opera,\u00a0\u201cBlues Alley Cat\u201d<em> and sold the short script, &#8220;Tour Jete.&#8221; His co-written feature, &#8220;Walk Like a Man,&#8221; is under consideration by a Los Angeles and a Louisiana production company.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Since his arrival in New Orleans, Horvitz also has written for a number of local publications, including\u00a0<em>Arthur Hardy\u2019s Mardi Gras Guide<\/em><span class=\"apple-style-span\"><span style=\"font-size: 12.0pt; color: black;\">\u00a0and the literary magazine, <em>Scat<\/em>. He has been teaching screenwriting for the past two years at various locations in New Orleans, including The Healing Center and the Jewish Community Center.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Outside the classroom, Horvitz is available for script evaluation and consultation for a fee to be determined by the level of service offered. To contact him, visit <a title=\"Lee Horvitz website\" href=\"http:\/\/www.ifthenink.com\" target=\"_blank\">his website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The cost for \u201cThe Fundamentals of Writing a Screenplay\u201d is $150 for JCC members and $180 for non-members. Students must be 18 years of age or over. The Uptown JCC is located at 5342 St. Charles Avenue at the corner of Jefferson Avenue.<\/p>\n<p>For more information or to register for the class, call 504- 897-0143 or visit <a title=\"JCC website\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nojcc.org\" target=\"_blank\">the JCC website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"JCC%20to%20offer%206-week%20screenwriting%20course\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11771,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[4750,8804,8790,8797,8795,4748,8788,4749],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11770"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11770"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11770\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11779,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11770\/revisions\/11779"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11771"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11770"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11770"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11770"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}