Filmmaking Lab Studios

PLOT JOURNEY: SETUP

LAUNCH YOUR STORY

Within minutes, you know.

The Godfather opens on a wedding. In one afternoon we meet a family, its power, and the son who swears he’s not part of it, and we already sense where he’s headed.

In Little Miss Sunshine, every member of the family is in motion before they ever share a dinner table. By the time they pile into the van, we can’t wait to go with them.

That’s a Setup: relationships in action, pulling you straight into the story.

We’ve all felt the opposite: pages of backstory, characters explaining themselves, an opening that sets up something that never pays off. By the time the story starts, the audience is gone.

This class shows you how to keep them in their seats.

WHAT HAPPENS
Learn the same tools used by the creators of Little Miss Sunshine, Beginners, Transparent and scores of other beloved hits. Whether or not you were at Journey, we start where your audience does: the launch of your story. Mid draft or in prep, your opening is the page everyone meets first.

This class opens a new series of Live Online Exclusives on the five key scenes of your story: Setup, Point of No Return, Crisis, Evolution and End.

IN THIS CLASS

• Find what your Setup needs, so the whole journey pays off
• Trade exposition for relationships in action
• Clarify the plot event and the actions that drive your opening
• Land your Setup in a shot, through blocking
• See scenes from the class worked live, and leave with your own opening stronger

BRING YOUR WORK
Joan may choose 1–2 scenes from the class to work on live. Have a scene ready.

WHO IT’S FOR
Writers, directors, actors, producers, and every artist shaping a story: a feature, a series, a novel, a vertical drama, a commercial, or something new. Open to everyone, and a natural next step after Journey.