Ever wonder how to squeeze 300 pages of a novel into a 100-page script? In this workshop with Randall Jahnson, you’ll learn how to turn books into compelling movies or series. You’ll explore how to assess a book’s cinematic potential, extract the real story, and shape it into a pitch and script that grabs the audience’s attention. We’ll tackle the tough questions: what to cut, what to keep, and when it’s okay to combine characters or add new material. You’ll leave with practical strategies and the confidence to adapt any novel or IP for the screen, with real-world examples from Randall’s scripts: The Doors, The Mask of Zorro, and Flashbacks.
Faculty
- Randall Jahnson
Randall Jahnson has been a professional screenwriter since 1985. He’s worked with such amazing filmmaking talent as Stephen Spielberg, Penelope Spheeris, Spike Lee, and the late Jonathan Demme. His credits include the punk rock Western Dudes, The Doors, The Mask of Zorro, Sunset Strip, and episodes of the classic HBO comedy-horror series, Tales from the… Read more: Randall Jahnson