JCC to offer 6-week screenwriting course
By DEAN M. SHAPIRO, Special to the CCJN
Lee Horvitz explains the fundamentals of screenwriting at the JCC. (Photo by Dean M. Shapiro)
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.
Lee Horvitz, a sold screenwriter and produced playwright, will be teaching “Writing the Fundamentals of a Screenplay” 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.
The 90-minute classes will meet from 7:00-8:30 p.m. on six successive Monday nights.
Horvitz – an accomplished playwright and screenwriter – is also the writer/editor of TravelHost of New Orleans magazine. A New Orleans resident since 2003, Horvitz spoke about the class and the curriculum it will offer.
“I teach the basics of screenwriting from both the craft and business sides of it,” he said. “I’ll 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.”
Horvitz went on to explain that the course will benefit not only those writing commercial scripts of all kinds – from “Casablanca” to “Raiders of the Lost Ark” to “Barbershop” – but also those writing independent films (“indies”) and documentaries.
Lee Horvitz
“I emphasize story, how the actions of characters tell stories and how screenplays write those stories,” Horvitz continued. “The course is organized around the five pillars that hold up any script: concept, theme, characterization, structure and plot.
The main goals of the class are to enable students to write a marketable script and more easily acquire further knowledge about writing movies. “By the end, participants will have the concepts and the tools to get their stories down on paper,” Horvitz said.
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.
At the 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.
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’s top names. He also holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from Northwestern University.
This onetime actor and former professor at Miami University (Ohio) wrote the book for the pop opera, “Blues Alley Cat” and sold the short script, “Tour Jete.” His co-written feature, “Walk Like a Man,” is under consideration by a Los Angeles and a Louisiana production company.
Since his arrival in New Orleans, Horvitz also has written for a number of local publications, including Arthur Hardy’s Mardi Gras Guide and the literary magazine, Scat. 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.
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 his website.
The cost for “The Fundamentals of Writing a Screenplay” 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.
For more information or to register for the class, call 504- 897-0143 or visit the JCC website.
