WHAT IS IT?

Part 3 of a 3 Part Series.

Now you're putting it all together - you're almost ready to shoot!

In this Lab you will: 

  • Take all the tools that you learned in DIRECTING FEELING & DIRECTING ACTION:
    • Nugget, World, Character (Nature/Backstory) & Relationship (Literal/Feeling)
    • Overall Actions
    • Supporting Actions
    • Beats & Blocking


  • Expand your Toolbox by exploring:
    • Camera Blocking
    • Costume
    • Location
    • Plot Point (Literal/Feeling)
    • Pace
    • Journey


  • Observe Joan work with actors and directors in each rehearsal; previously only available to those in a Master Class setting.


You will learn how:

  • To prepare rehearsals using the tools that you have learned, and execute a deep exploration in a short rehearsal time.
  • All the tools covered in DIRECTING FEELING & DIRECTING ACTION can be brought together to stage a scene.
  • How these tools give you the clarity to have a productive rehearsal no matter how much time you have!


Please note: The intention is not to end with a finished, "polished"  scene - This is about integration: having the clarity to put  all the levels of the Mise En Scene together to make a scene impactful and clear - make it fly!


Day 1: Prep

On day one Joan will talk about what you have learned in DIRECTING FEELING & DIRECTING ACTION, and how to add the last 6 layers of the Mise En Scene:


  • Camera Blocking
  • Costume
  • Location
  • Plot Point (Literal/Feeling)
  • Pace
  • Journey


You will learn:

  • How to take all of these tools, apply them to the rehearsal space on Day 2, and be ready to shoot your scene.


During the class, all students, whether live or online, engage with the lectures, the exercises and the Q & A's with Joan


Day 2: Rehearse/Shoot

On Day 2, the 4 Hands On participants will conduct rehearsals using the concepts covered on Day 1. They will also start shooting the scenes.

The day will be spent observing each rehearsal, with Joan coaching throughout.

By observing this process, you will:

  • Learn about the integration of all that was covered in DIRECTING FEELING & DIRECTING ACTION.
  • Break open the additional layers of:
    • Camera Blocking, Costume, Location, Plot Point, Pace and Journey and watch scenes start to take shape and come alive!


By the end of Day 2, you will begin to see scenes take shape; coming out of the realm of exploration and start to see how the rehearsal room can lead directly into shooting!

Day 3: View

On Day 3,  the 4 Hands-On students will share the footage of their scenes, which will be viewed by all in attendance. 

During the class, all students, whether live or online, engage with the lectures, the exercises and the Q & A's with Joan. 

You will learn:

  • How to identify Hot Coals that can be used to build the world of your movie. 

  • How the rehearsal work  lands on the screen. 

  • 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!)


WHEN:

DIRECTING JOURNEY - July 7-10, 2023

- Times TBD



WHERE:

Choose Your Option to Study: Live in Los Angeles and Online!

  • Live - Hands On Scene Work: Participate in Hands On scene work directly with Joan.
  • Live - Hands On: Join the Lab in Los Angeles for an In Person experience. 
  • Live - Online: Join the Lab via Zoom and participate remotely from all over the world! Find out more about the Live Online experience HERE.


Live - In Person location:

  • MiMoDa Studio
    5774 W. Pico Blvd
     Los Angeles, CA 90019
  • Maplink: Click here.


FLMS COVID Guidelines

  • . We look forward to having a safe and joyful embodied practice in the Lab. Please note that we are keeping a close eye on the CDC and LA County guidelines. You will be updated on our practices prior to the course


APPLY:

  1. Class size is limited.
  2. Email for information on how to register.
  3. You will be placed on a waitlist should the Lab be at capacity. 


PRE-REQUISITES:

Please note that if you are new to The Lab Series, there is a pre-requisite of Action before taking this Lab. Email Us for options on how to fulfill this requirement.


TUITION:

  1. Live - Hands On Scene Study: Joan working on your material in class: $3750
    1. Max of 4 slots available for this option. 
  2. Live - Hands On: $2660
  3. Live - Online: $1825


MEDIA LINK ACCESS:

  1. Participants benefit from extended access to the course via media links for two weeks after the Lab ends. This allows you to review and process the material at your own pace.

  2. Media links will be uploaded to Thinkific and available for two weeks. 


CLASS LEVEL:

  1. These are advanced classes for professional artists interested in exploring new practices, pushing their boundaries, and going deep.

  2. The Labs are physical.

  3. The work is feeling-based.

  4. Please note you may find the work to be uncomfortable. 

  5. There will be a mix of lecture and active exercises designed to investigate the meaning, structure and emotional core of your project.

  6. You are welcome to observe or participate according to your comfort level, whether you are in person, or online.


REFUND/CANCELLATION/MAKE-UP POLICY:

  1. There are no cancellations or refunds after booking.

  2. Students are responsible for payment in full whether or not they chose to attend all class sessions.

  3. Students who sign up for live online, or live in person and are unable to attend live, may make up the classes they miss via media links. Media links are available for two weeks after the lab. 

  4. Extender passes are available should you wish to access media links  longer than two weeks.



WHAT IS THE TECHNIQUE?

The Technique™ is the first, and only, entirely new approach to dramatic craft to be developed since The Method. A paradigm shifting approach to writing, directing and acting, The Technique throws out conflict as the source of story - and instead puts Meaning at the core.

The Technique is now the most influential craft utilized in Hollywood, impacting scores of groundbreaking films and tv shows, including Whale Rider, Little Miss Sunshine, Beginners and Transparent. Joan created the tools of The Technique through her own search for meaning in story, and evolved them by working closely on 84 features with first time or early career writer/directors. 83 of those features have been released. 74 came to Joan without finished scripts, stars, producers or financing. Altogether the projects have earned over 800 award nominations and 400 wins, including major category nods at the Oscars and Emmys.



ABOUT JOAN:

Writer/Director/Producer/Teacher Joan Scheckel is the internationally renowned creator of The Technique™, the most influential new approach to writing, directing and filmmaking craft in Hollywood today. Joan is known as the “director’s guru” and as a master teacher in the tradition of Stanislavski, Strasberg and Joseph Campbell. Joan’s groundbreaking work challenges our cultural addiction to conflict and calls for a new storytelling paradigm that embraces feeling and meaning. Her innovations inform every level of the mise en scène, from writing, acting, directing to visual style.


Joan trains and then teams with directors to develop, workshop, write, direct and produce material from the ground up. Including such iconic hits as: Niki Caro’s Oscar Nominee Whale Rider, Dayton/Faris’s Oscar Winner Little Miss Sunshine, Mike Mills’s Oscar Winner Beginners (Executive Producer), Joey Soloway’s Emmy Winner Transparent (Consulting Producer), Joey Soloway’s Golden Globe Nominee I Love Dick (Producer), Sarah Shapiro’s Peabody Award Winner UnREAL, Rupert Sanders’s Oscar Nominee Snow White and the Huntsman, Nick Jarecki’s Golden Globe Nominee Arbitrage, Sacha Gervasi’s Spirit Award Winner Anvil Story of Anvil, Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation, Mark Romanek’s One Hour Photo, Miranda July’s The Future, (New Yorker Magazine Best of the Decade List), Liz Feldman’s Emmy Award Winner, Dead To Me,  Anna Winger and Alexa Karolinski’s Unorthodox and many, many more.


Joan was also co-writer on The Vintner’s Luck, directed by Niki Caro (Mulan), starring Jeremie Renier and Vera Farmiga.


Overall, Joan has worked on 84 feature films and television shows. 74 came to her with unfinished drafts, no financing or cast, and with first time or early-career writer/directors at the helm. 83 have been released, earning over 800 nominations and 406 wins including major category nods at the Oscars, Spirits, Golden Globes, Sundance, Cannes, Bafta,  Emmys, PGA, DGA etc. 



Joan has been profiled and featured for her work and her influence on a generation of directors in many articles and publications such as: NYTimes, LA Times, Marie Claire, Deadline, Indiewire, Vox, IF Magazine, California Sunday, The New York Observer and more.


Now Joan is poised to create a slate of books, films, labs (live and online), podcasts, and apps.