Workshops

Filmmaker Workshops

Friday, May 27, 2016, 9:45 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

“TELLING AND SELLING YOUR STORY”

Registration fee: Free

Jen believes that in order to go from a non-working writer to a working writer, you have to write a screenplay that hits it out of the ballpark.  She will teach you the tools that will elevate your game and increase your opportunities. She’ll help you dig into your “well,” to draw from your own emotional truth. From choosing a strong concept for your screenplay, to complex character dynamics, and structure, she’ll share how to link these important elements of writing. You’ll learn to create a “trigger” incident for your story, that leads your main character into a powerful dilemma.  The choice he or she makes in this dilemma create empathy and a rooting factor that will elevate the emotion in your story and set up pursuit of the clear goal that holds the story together.

Jen Gristanti

Jen Grisanti

International speaker Jen Grisanti is an acclaimed Story/Career Consultant at Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., Writing Instructor for Writers on the Verge at NBC, former 12-year studio executive, including VP of Current Programming at CBS/Paramount, blogger for The Huffington Post and author of three successful books. Grisanti started her career in 1992 as an assistant to Aaron Spelling, who served as her mentor for 12 years, and she quickly climbed the ranks and eventually ran Current Programs at Spelling Television Inc., covering all of Spelling’s shows including Beverly Hills, 90210, Melrose Place and Charmed. In 2004, Grisanti was promoted to Vice President of Current Programs at CBS/Paramount where she covered numerous shows, including Medium, Numbers, NCIS, 4400 and Girlfriends. In January 2008, Grisanti launched Jen Grisanti Consultancy Inc., a highly successful consulting firm dedicated to helping talented writers break into the industry. Due to her expertise and mentorship, 75 of her writers have staffed on television shows and forty have sold pilots, five that that went to series. Registration fee: Free


Friday, May 27, 2016, 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

“HARMONY OF MUSIC AND CINEMA: A TEMPLATE”

Registration Fee: Free

Raymond Rolak

Raymond Rolak

Raymond Rolak, veteran sports broadcaster and content provider, presents a one-hour multi-media workshop for emerging filmmakers, regarding the journey of establishing music with films—along with new trends of product placement, trans-media, and pop culture. Raymond will also take a look at how Jack Lord and “Hawaii Five-O” made industry history, and why the Hawaii-made music video, “Only Wanna Party” by Brian Kohne and the Barefoot Natives was significant and ground breaking.


Sunday, May 29, 2016, 8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

“10+10”

Registration Fee: $50

In “10 + 10,” Ron will talk about the “Ten Biggest Mistakes in Writing and Submitting Scripts,” as well as the “Ten Best Tips for Writing Comedy.”  Using proven methods, tried and true tactics, personal anecdotes and film clips, Ron shares his years of experience with writers and filmmakers at every level. Screenwriters who have worked with Ron before say his workshop is an important part of their Big Island Film Festival experience, not to be missed.

Ron Osborn

Ron Osborn

A writer/producer in television for 35 years, Ron began on Mork and Mindy, most recently wrote and produced Beauty and the Beast, and in between has been nominated for 7 Emmys, 3 Cable Ace Awards, and 2 Writers Guild Awards on shows like Moonlighting, The West Wing, and the adult animated Duckman.  He has written pilots for every primetime network, as well as for such cable networks as Showtime, FX, ABC Family, Lifetime, USA, and Disney; movies like Meet Joe Black; and has developed feature projects with Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, and George Lucas, among others.  He has taught advanced screenwriting at Art Center/College of Design since 1986, as well as at Dreamworks, and is a member of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the Writers Guild of America, and the Directors Guild of America.

 

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Download 2016 BIFF Workshop Registration Form (.pdf)

Download 2016 BIFF Workshop Registration Form (doc)