Writing Intensive: Scriptwriting - Screen Time Well Spent

Join us for five days of online learning from September 14 to 18, 2026!

Writing Intensive: Script to Screen (Screenwriting)

Start: Monday, September 14, 9:30 a.m.

End: Friday, September 18, 2026, ~ 3:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Join us for five days of inspired instruction from working professionals, Monday, September 14 to Friday, September 18, 2026. An intro tech session will be held on Monday morning at 9:30 a.m. to cover the week’s expected events and to address any tech issues in the audience.

Guided writing sprints will be held Tuesday through Friday mornings from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

The first instructional and/or panel session begins at 11:30 a.m. on Monday. The second session of each day will begin at 2 p.m. The 2 p.m. session on Friday will be a panel Q&A discussion featuring guests from our week.

All the sessions are one hour long, except for the panel Q&A discussion which is 1.5 hours. 

ABOUT

Script to Screen is a week for writers curious about screenwriting—whether you’re starting from scratch or already have a script in a drawer. Unlike our other Intensives, this week leans into conversation: We’re bringing together a mix of panels and sessions with working industry professionals, rather than straight instruction, so you can hear directly from the people who turn words on the page into movie magic.

Over the week, we’ll cover:

• the basics of screenwriting: format, structure, and terminology (Screenwriting 101);
• how the film industry works, and where screenwriting fits inside it;
• what actually separates a screenplay, a script, and a novel as forms
• the hierarchy of screenwriting—once a writer’s draft is done, the project belongs to the director, and what that handoff means in practice;
• the role of the producer, and how producers shape a project from development onward;
• how screen adaptation works, from source material to shooting scripts;
• how a script is “broken down” from the points of view of the people who make it into a movie: director, cinematographer, producer, wardrobe, and construction/art department
• and MORE!

OPTIONAL PREP: SCREENWRITING SOFTWARE

If you’d like to follow along using dedicated screenwriting software, it’s recommended but not required. Options to consider ahead of the week include Fade In, Scrivener, WriterDuet (free plan available), Celtx (nominal monthly fee), Arc Studio, Final Draft, and Trelby. (Note: Trelby does not run on Mac OS).

The week of learning, activities, and connection will include FOUR hour-long guided writing sprint sessions each day and TEN 1-hour-long sessions and/or panels, including an end-of-week Q&A wrap-up event on Friday afternoon for participants to reflect on what they’ve learned and ask questions that haven’t yet been addressed.

Presentations will be recorded and available to registrants for 45 days after the intensive. The recordings will all be emailed at once, within a week of the end of the intensive. Sprint sessions will not be recorded.

SCHEDULE:

EVENT PRESENTERS AND TOPICS:

SCOOTER CORKLE: Screenwriting 101: Where We Start

Before FADE IN comes the question: where do we actually start? This introduction to screenwriting covers format, terminology, structure, style, and the practical demands of writing for production, then moves from the mechanics of the page to the humanity underneath it. With examples, we’ll explore how character and conflict shape dramatic structure, giving participants a practical foundation for where to start developing an idea into a screenplay. Students will leave with an understanding of the basic format, terminology, and conventions of a screenplay, plus a little of what makes one worth reading.

Bio: Scooter Corkle is a Canadian director, screenwriter, and producer known for the suspense feature Hollow in the Land (theatrical/Netflix), the cosmic horror film The Friendship Game (theatrical/Shudder), and Canadian Heritage Minutes on the Vancouver Asahi and Elsie MacGill. He was a screenwriter on the multi-award-winning feature Kayak to Klemtu, is co-author of The Comprehensive Dictionary of Cinema, and was named one of “25 Screenwriters to Watch” by the Austin Film Festival and MovieMaker Magazine. He has seen multiple projects through Telefilm Canada’s development pipeline, and his work has been featured in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Variety.

TONI GALLAGHER: What Is a Log Line and Why Are They So Frickin’ Important?

A log line is a one-to-two sentence distillation of your screenplay, which provides industry professionals with the essentials of your story. And creating them is harder than you might think!

In this workshop, you’ll learn the nuts and bolts of crafting a compelling log line. We’ll break down log lines of recognizable movies and determine how to improve them. Then you’ll have the opportunity to work on your own—receiving feedback, if you care to share.

By the end, you’ll have an understanding of a log line’s key elements, its importance in the industry and, ideally, an excellent log line of your own!

- An understanding of what a log line is, plus its importance in the industry

- Being able to discern a good log line from a bad one, based on examples

- The ability to craft a log line for your current and future projects

- Ideally, a great, finished log line

Bio: Toni Gallagher moved to Hollywood immediately after university, and has been there ever since. Her early jobs included running errands for director James L. Brooks as The Simpsons was being born and reading scripts for Steven Spielberg—which she’ll tell you more about soon. Toni spent 30 years as a producer, earning her the title “the godmother of reality TV,” but her proudest achievements are her two middle grade novels, published by Random House. She has spent the last four summers in the Comox Valley, the unceded traditional territory of the K’omoks First Nation, and is a proud member of the FBCW.

TYREL LOUGHEED, Character Psychology in Screenplays

Why do we do the things we do? Even a villain thinks they are doing what’s right. If we stick to knowing the “why” of our characters’ actions, we avoid one-dimensional, stale cartoonist characters (unless that’s the goal, for parody-type purposes). Using techniques to always question motives keeps our screenplays fresh and helps avoid plot holes. Students will learn how to question character motives, how to reread your drafts before submitting for further analysis, know your villains better, and develop a basic understanding of a first rewrite.

Bio: Tyrel Lougheed is a 2Spirit Indigenous filmmaker with their roots in the Sto:Lo Nation (Chawathil in Hope, BC) and the Tlaʼamin First Nation (in Powell River, BC). Tyrel was a graduate of the Indigenous Independent Digital Filmmaking Program (IIDF) at Capilano College in North Vancouver, BC, where they developed a love for screenwriting. Tyrel moved into the year-long intensive Screenwriting for Film and TV program at Vancouver Film School where they graduated with an extensive knowledge of storytelling, structure, and story editing.

After several years of writing as a hobby, Tyrel took the leap into full-time writing during the COVID pandemic. Tyrel wrote several screenplays that placed in the finals and semi-finals in several screenwriting competitions. Tyrel has been the recipient of two grants from the Canada Council for the Arts to write screenplays (2Spirits and Stolen Sisters). Tyrel has been funded twice by the Indigenous Screen Office to write, direct, and produce two short films (This Modern Love and Cross). Through their production company, WendyGoGo Productions, Tyrel likes to work within their communities and offer jobs to Indigenous folks who are interested in film but never had the courage or opportunity to pursue them.

Tyrel is currently enrolled in the prestigious Filmmakers in Indigenous Leadership & Management Business Affairs (FILMBA) at Capilano University, where they are studying to be a better producer.

Tyrel hopes to use their experiences to direct their first feature film, Stolen Sisters, a thriller about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women that highlights the themes of standing up for others. The film takes its basis from lived experiences of Tyrel and female members of their family (Tyrel’s mother was the victim of a brutal rape in her teens that sent her to court to fight it; almost all their female relatives have been victim to sexual assault; their mother’s cousin was a victim of Robert Pickton; and they have experienced sexual assault and harassment themself as a gay man).

BARRY W. LEVY, From Screen to Page: Adapting Your Screenplay into a Novel

Your screenplay tells a story visually—but some stories live better on the page. In this session, we'll explore when and why to adapt a script into a novel and work through the craft decisions that make the transition successful.

We’ll cover:

• Why adapt at all—and when a novel serves your story better than a script
• Rebuilding structure for prose (and what carries over from your screenplay)
• Choosing your narrative tense
• Managing point of view without head-hopping
• Punctuation that trips up prose writers (yes, commas are weird!)
• What publishers are looking for in your first sentence, first page, first chapter—and your first 25 pages

By the end, you'll have a clear plan for turning your existing script into a finished novel.

Bio: Barry Levy is a Vancouver-based filmmaker, actor, screenwriter, and novelist with over four decades of experience in film and television. A dual US/Canadian citizen, he has appeared in major series including The X-Files, Mad Men, Scandal, Supernatural, Arrow, and Hawaii Five-0, as well as numerous Hallmark productions. Through his company Mighty Pharaoh Films, Barry has written and directed two award-winning feature films and several shorts. His debut novel, The War Machine, won the Storytrade Award for Best Military Fiction and was a finalist for the Prodigy Award.

A graduate of the University of British Columbia, he balances filmmaking and writing with hobby tree-farming in rural BC.

CLAIRE MULLIGAN: Story Adaptation for the Screen

Adapting a short story or poem into a short screenplay is one of the best and most accessible ways to learn the craft of screenwriting (and help the prose writer understand story structure). In this one-hour workshop we will look at how to obtain rights, how to use and find public domain stories, the methods and considerations of adapting source material, and the types of adaptations. We will also try adapting an opening and brainstorm ideas for an adaptation of a story or poem from the public domain.

Bio: Claire Mulligan is an award-winning author of novels and short fiction with MFA in Screenwriting from UVic. For her first short film, she adapted her own short story The Still Life of Annika Meyers into a screenplay. Annika showed at international festivals including Seattle and Sedona, earning acting awards and audience choice awards. Her second short screenplay, Obscura (funded by the DGC and the Canada Council) won BC’s prestigious Leo Awards for Best Short and Best Screenplay, as well as Vancouver Asian Film Festival’s Best Canadian Short, and best screenplay & editing at the Short Circuit film festival amongst other accolades. She is working on an adapted feature-length script. She edits and story consults for screenwriters and prose writers and teaches online and for Uvic Continuing Education. See mulliganmethod.ca

CK LOVE: Dialogue Goodie Bag for Screenwriting

We know that dialogue can be the most important aspect of a screenplay—It is what attracts actors more than anything else. But dialogue is complex and can be the hardest thing to master.

In this session, we will examine the different elements of dialogue like character, genre, tone, emotional stakes, opposing agendas, time/place, etc., and apply some techniques so that participants are equipped to troubleshoot, and elevate their dialogue to strengthen their stories and make them sing.

• How to approach a scene where the dialogue does not detract from the thrust of the scene's purpose.

• How to focus the dialogue to get what you need from the scene.

• How to avoid pitfalls of dialogue: exposition, aimless, boring.

• Learn how to think about subtext.

• How to have fun with it.

Bio: CK Love is a multi-hyphenate artist, a published author and optioned screenwriter. Her focus for her writing has always been a feminist one. Through her writing, she strives to express the complicated reality of being a woman at any age. As a therapist, she works with women who want to deepen their connection to their creative selves and their work. CK’s writing, fiction and non-fiction, can be found in anthologies in print and online.

KYRA FEQUET: Let’s Talk About Sex (Scenes) - Writing Intimacy for the Screen

What happens to an intimacy scene after a screenwriter types “FADE OUT”?

Writing intimacy for the screen presents a unique challenge: Give too little information, and the intention of the scene can become unclear; go into too much graphic detail and your script is now considered adult entertainment rather than film.

Led by an experienced Intimacy Coordinator, this workshop takes writers behind the scenes to explore how scripted intimacy moves from the page into production. Participants will learn what happens once an intimacy scene reaches the actors, director, and Intimacy Coordinator; how boundaries and consent shape what ultimately appears on screen; and how tools such as nudity riders, closed-set protocols, and production planning factor into the process.

With that production context in mind, we'll return to the page and look at how writers can create intimacy scenes that are clear, purposeful, playable, and filmable. We'll examine the balance between being too vague and overly prescriptive, what details actually help the creative team, and the questions writers can ask themselves to determine what an intimate moment needs to accomplish.

Whether a scene contains a first kiss, implied sex, nudity, or a complicated sexual encounter, participants will leave with a better understanding of how to write intimacy that serves the characters and story while giving the eventual production the information—and flexibility—it needs to bring that intimacy safely and effectively to the screen.

Bio: Kyra Fequet (She/Her) is an Intimacy Coordinator and Intimacy Director working across film, television, theatre, and dance. She works with actors, directors, producers, and writers to create intimate content that supports both the creative vision of a project and the boundaries of its performers.

Her work spans the journey of an intimacy scene from page to performance, including script consultation and breakdowns, consent and boundary work, choreography, implementation of industry intimacy protocols and best practices, and on-set support. She also works with writers and directors during development to help shape intimacy scenes that are clear, intentional, character-driven, and physically achievable on screen, and has been brought in to rewrite scenes when what works on the page doesn't necessarily translate into physical action.

Beyond her work in intimacy coordination, Kyra has volunteered as a script reader for the Moonshot Initiative’s Pilot Accelerator Program, evaluating original pilot scripts and helping select projects for the program.

Her recent screen credits include A Shot at Love (2025), Lockbox (2026), and Dreamers (2026). Kyra is passionate about exploring intimacy and the human experience, championing diverse and authentic representations and creating stories that reflect the many ways people connect with one another. She loves demystifying intimacy for artists and creating space for more open, thoughtful conversations about how we tell intimate stories.

ROBYN MARSHALL, Senior VP at MRC Studios, teaching Through the Producer's Lens: Genre in Hollywood

PLEASE NOTE that Robyn's session begins at 1:45 p.m. on Tuesday, September 15.

In this session, Robyn will discuss how to use the power of genre to make your screenplay more commercial and more producible! Attendees will learn to understand how genre has worked historically and how it is applied today in cinematic storytelling. Robyn will also cover how anchoring a movie in a clear genre identity can compete with or beat IP as a value-add to your movie, as well as offer insight into how genre works as a framework of storytelling rules to both follow and break. 

Robyn Marshall is Executive Vice President of Film at MRC. She joined the company in 2019 and in that time has overseen more than a dozen films for the studio including PERSUASION, THE BLACKENING, G20, and the upcoming adaptation of ELOISE.

Previous to joining MRC, she was with Ace Entertainment where she produced the TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE franchise. Prior to that, she was on the film team at AwesomenessTV and produced for Blumhouse after starting her career at Lionsgate. 

Robyn graduated from USC’s School of Cinematic Arts in 2007 with an MFA in Production. She holds a BA (Hons) from the University of British Columbia. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children.

and last but never least,

TARA AVERY: Journeys of Heroes and Heroines: Archetypes and Storytelling

What if the Hero’s Journey isn’t the only journey worth taking? This session will put two influential archetype-driven storytelling models side by side: Christopher Vogler’s Hero’s Journey and Kim Hudson’s The Virgin’s Promise. We’ll look at how each approaches conflict, transformation, and belonging, and where their paths intersect and diverge.

Designed with screenwriters and screen-curious writers in mind, but applicable to all writers of fiction and creative non-fiction, this session will offer practical ways for using archetypal journeys to build richer characters and stronger arcs—without turning story structure into mere formula.

Bio: Tara Avery has worked as a writer, editor, and writing coach for over twenty years. She holds a BFA in Theatre, Film, and Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. In 2025, she was a finalist for the Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence. Tara is also the President of the Board of the Federation of BC Writers. She believes in the power of words to inspire, unite, and entertain. Mostly, she’s thrilled that she’s achieved her childhood dream of working with them for a living.

ZOOM LINK

• The Zoom link will be included in your registration confirmation and in follow-up reminders.

• We will be using the same zoom link for the duration of the event.

• Please watch your email for a confirmation of registration email.

• If you do not receive your confirmation within 24 hours of registration, please check your spam folders.

• Contact us at hello@bcwriters.ca if you have not received your confirmation by Wednesday, September 9, to ensure we can get you the needed information.

RECORDINGS

• Sessions (except social/discussion-based events) will be recorded and made available for 45 days after the last session.

WHAT TO EXPECT

• Sessions will be a combination of talks, activities, and workshops.

• The FBCW's statement of participant expectations applies in all settings. Please help us make this intensive a fun, safe experience for our presenters and community members by being respectful and considerate in your participation. 

• Most sessions will be 1 hour in length. Q&A may extend the session, but participants are not required to stay.

• Participants are encouraged to have a pen and paper handy for all sessions.

RATES

• FBCW MEMBERS: $69.50
• GUEST: $89
• SCHOLARSHIP: Limited scholarship-based discounts are available for those experiencing financial difficulties. Please email us at hello@bcwriters.ca to inquire.

POLICIES

RECORDINGS

• Our presenters are provided with contracts that stipulate the length of time that recordings are available. We are obligated to respect these contracts. No extensions are possible.

• Reach out if you have any tech challenges related to access of the recordings so that we can help you in the timeframe available.

REFUND POLICY

• Full refunds will be issued up to August 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.

• Refunds for half of registration fees will be issued until September 10, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.

• No refunds are possible after September 11, 2026, at 12:00 a.m., except in the case of severe illness, death, or other urgent situations determined on a case-by-case basis.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

• We are an organization that cherishes the work of writers and artists. To that end, we ask that all participants respect the intellectual property of our presenters, recordings, and material shared. Do not reproduce or distribute Writing Intensive materials without written permission.

• Similarly, if other participants share information or excerpts from their projects, please respect their intellectual property.

LIABILITY

• In registering, participants understand and agree that the Federation of BC Writers (FBCW), its board, staff, presenters, and members are not liable for any damages or losses arising and waive any of the above from any and all liability.

• The FBCW provides a space for presenters to share their experiences and insights with participants. The writing industry is a complex and ever-changing environment. As such, the FBCW does not endorse any specific information shared in our programming as being complete or accurate in all scenarios. Participants have a responsibility to research and make informed decisions on any information given or implied.

• Difficult and triggering topics can arise as part of artistic practices that are unforeseeable for staff, volunteers, and other participants. The FBCW is not liable for any damages or harms caused by participating in our programming.

PARTICIPANT EXPECTATIONS

• The FBCW is an organization that celebrates diversity and inclusion; taking part in the program means that participants are expected to be respectful, inclusive, and support the dignity of all people regardless of age, sex, gender, sexual orientation, ancestry, language, ability, nationality, ability, health status, religion, and socioeconomic status. All people have identities that intersect the categories above. Examples of behaviour that undermine the above are: crude jokes, unwanted communication, statements minimizing others’ experiences/histories, and threats.

• Participants are expected to arrive a few minutes before sessions start.  This allows for any technical issues to be resolved without the group being disrupted.

• If a participant is late, we ask that they refrain from asking “What did I miss” type questions so that the event can proceed smoothly.  Staff and facilitators will do the best they can to assist if vital information has been shared, but the recording should be able to resolve any questions of this nature.

• We ask that participants be mindful of the amount of time they speak at events. All participants should have the ability to join in. Participants are expected to keep comments on topic and under a minute so that as many people as possible can participate.

• Participants understand that if they are muted, it is not an intentional slight to them, but is needed to keep the session moving forward.  Participants can be muted at the discretion of the FBCW facilitators.

• Difficult topics can arise, and participants understand that we cannot always know or understand other people’s histories. To help make the space as welcoming and safe as possible, if a participant is to share information or read excerpts from works that contain certain themes (outlined below), they will identify this prior to reading it to the group. (e.g. sexual assault, extreme violence, self-harm/eating disorders/suicide ideation, abortion/miscarriage, mental illness, graphic adult content).

• Participants are expected to understand, be sensitive to, and respect the fact that the work of writers, and their opportunity to read their work may be triggering and/or therapeutic to them. Artistic works require vulnerability and the safety to be vulnerable, especially with sensitive topics. Participants agree to do their best to maintain a safe and supportive space for the sharing of the work, regardless of its nature.

ACCOMMODATIONS AND ACCESSIBILITY

• The Federation of BC Writers strives to make our events accessible to folks across ability and neurodivergence. We will do what we can to make our programming available to all people.

• Our programming is based on Zoom which means there are some limitations on what can be accomplished, but also advantages such as closed captioning and the ability to join from anywhere.

• Accommodations are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

• Accommodations that would significantly hinder the ability of other participants to be involved or participate are not possible.

• Some accommodations may be beyond our financial and administrative capabilities. In such cases, we will seek funding or alternatives if possible.

• Sessions normally last for an hour. Participants are welcome to step way from their computers if they need to while turning off their camera and microphone, but we will not be able to fill people in on what they missed. Participants are asked to return to the recording in such instances.