Joan Scheckel Filmmaking Labs

EXECUTE YOUR VISION!

You've got the actors in the room to rehearse for a week prior to shooting, or for 10 minutes on set while the clock is ticking!

Learn to dive in. 

Work quickly. 

Work deeply. 

Building on the work done in DIRECT THE FEELING, this Lab will unlock how to use your rehearsal time (however large or small) to dive even deeper into the exploration of your movie or episodic!

This one is all about ACTION!

In this Lab you will:

1. Crack open the question “What Do I Do?” in rehearsal
2. Discover how this question plays out through:
   1. The Overall Action of the “Series/Film”  
   2. The Overall Action of a scene
   3. Supporting actions 
   4. Beats and blocking
3. Observe Joan work with actors and directors in each rehearsal
4. Learn how to use these tools to have the clarity to manage your rehearsal time in the most productive way
5. Watch the rehearsal footage and learn how to identify Hot Coals, Scene Rhythms, and Feelings that you can use to bring your film or episodic to life

Day 1: Prep

On day one Joan will talk about the concept of Action and how it specifically can be applied in the rehearsal space. 

You will learn:

1. How to break down the 3 part question of "What do I do to get what I want?"
2. How action reveals: 
   1. Character
   2. Blocking
   3. Plot 
   4. Relationship
3. How to break down the 3 levels of Action:
   1. Plot Action
   2. Interpretive Action
   3. Director Action
4. To take all of these tools and apply them to the rehearsal space on Day 2

Day 2: Rehearse

The 4 Hands On Scene participants will conduct rehearsals using the concepts covered on Day 1. 

The day will be spent observing each rehearsal, with the unique opportunity of watching Joan coach (actors and directors of each scene) throughout. 

The goal of these rehearsals is to learn how to use embodied exercises to explore the levels of Action in a scene. 

By observing this process, you will:

1. See how exploring the levels of Action in the rehearsal space can reveal - Character, Blocking, Plot, and Relationship
2. Learn how to build on what you learned about Nugget, World, Character and Relationship in Part 1 by exploring and adding the layer of Overall Action for the Scene, Supporting Actions, Beats and Blocking

By the end of Day 2, you will have clarity on how to organize a rehearsal, so that no matter how little time you have, you can make real headway into the core issues of your film or episodic.

Day 3: View

The 4 Hands-On students will share select footage from their rehearsals, which will be viewed by all in attendance.  

You will learn:

1. How to identify Hot Coals that can be used to build the world of your movie
2. How the rehearsal work  lands on the screen
3. How to use this footage to bring clarity to the emotional truth of your story

Day 4: Online Q & A 

After the weekend intensive, a Monday night Q & A via Zoom allows you to slow down and integrate the learning. This lively night is always full of surprises as the students connect with each other and the work!

Recap all the new tools the Lab has delivered!

Watch the students ground as a group (both Live Hands On and Live Online students have a chance to meet in the Zoom Room!)