MasterClass – Aaron Sorkin Teaches Screenwriting

01 INTRODUCTION

Meet Aaron. Hes an Oscar winner, a TV hitmaker, and the writer of the some of the smartest dramas ever to hit the screen. And now, hes your instructor.

02 INTENTION & OBSTACLE

Every great story is born from intentions and obstacles. Learn how to build the drive shaft that will set your script in motion.

03 STORY IDEAS

How do you know if your idea is good enough to turn into a script? Aaron walks you through the steps every writer should take to test an idea-and decide whether it will work best in TV or film.

04 DEVELOPING CHARACTERS PART 1

Aaron shares some of the decisions he made to develop some of his most unforgettable characters-like The Social Networks Mark Zuckerberg and The West Wings Toby and Leo.

05 DEVELOPING CHARACTERS PART 2

Your characters dont have to be like you-or even likeable. Drawing on examples from A Few Good Men and Steve Jobs, Aaron explains why he always empathizes with his characters even if he disagrees with them.

06 RESEARCH

Good research is the key to a great script. Bad research is a waste of time. How can you tell the difference? Aaron shares lessons from Malice and The Social Network to help you gather the information you really need.

07 INCORPORATING RESEARCH

You have pages of research-now what? Avoid clunky exposition and learn how to seamlessly weave research into your story.

08 THE AUDIENCE

Aaron knows that the audience isnt just watching his work. Theyre participating in it, too. Learn how to write stories that will keep them engaged and entertained.

09 RULES OF STORY

The rules of great drama arent new. Here, Aaron explains how most of them were laid out more than 2,000 years ago by Aristotle in his Poetics, and how to use those lessons to become a diagnostician for your own story ideas.

10 FILM STORY ARC

Page numbers dont sound exciting, but theyre a great tool for tracking the act-structure and pacing of your story.

11 WRITING HABITS

Even Aaron gets writers block. Learn how gets unstuck and what writing tools he uses to make sure hes ready when inspiration strikes.

12 GROUP WORKSHOP: UNTITLED BY JJ BRAIDER

While workshopping J.J.s script, Aaron shares his tips on writing action scenes that move
as fast on the page as they will on the screen.

13 GROUP WORKSHOP: E IS FOR EDIE BY JEANIE BERGEN

The offbeat characters in Jeanies script are a hit with Aaron, who warns about the dangers of getting feedback from close-minded studio execs. (Warning: explicit content).

14 GROUP WORKSHOP: CHRONIC BY ROLAND ZALESKI

Discussing Rolands script, Aaron reveals a simple trick that writers can use to justify improbable events in their stories.

15 GROUP WORKSHOP: THE MERC BY EVELYN YVES

Evelyns TV pilot kicks off a conversation about opening scenes and the importance of showing your audience something theyve never seen before.

16 GROUP WORKSHOP: FROM HERE TO ALLI BY COREY WRIGHT

After workshopping Coreys script and learning about his background, Aaron discusses the importance of having confidence as a writer, and shares his own origin story, starting with his days as a struggling New York actor.

17 WRITING SCENES PART 1

A great story is more than just a collection of great scenes. Learn how to give your script momentum from one beat to the next.

18 WRITING SCENES PART 2

Your script only has one opening scene. Make it memorable by introducing your theme, grabbing the audience, and setting up your characters intentions and obstacles.

19 SCENE CASE STUDY: STEVE JOBS

In a study of a scene from Steve Jobs, Aaron explains how high stakes, strong intentions & obstacles, and competing tactics make for an exciting scene to write.

20 SCENE CASE STUDY: THE WEST WING

Aaron analyzes a classic scene from The West Wing: the scathing confrontation between President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) and Governor Robert Ritchie (James Brolin).

21 WRITING CAPTIVATING DIALOGUE

If you want to write Aaron Sorkin-worthy dialogue, learn from the master himself on how to make music with your words and put them to the test by performing your own scenes out loud.

22 DIALOGUE CASE STUDY: THE WEST WING

Aaron does a deep dive into the musical nuances of dialogue in the BartletRitchie scene.

23 REWRITES: FIRST DRAFT

Rewrites arent a sign of a bad script; theyre a sign of a good writer. Hear how Aaron reworks and strengthens his screenplays during the rewriting process.

24 REWRITES: NOTES

Rewrites arent a sign of a bad script; theyre a sign of a good writer. Hear how Aaron reworks and strengthens his screenplays with help from trusted advisors.

25 THE WEST WING WRITERS ROOM PART 1

Aaron creates a virtual writers room to break part of the Season 5 premiere-an episode hes never seen.

26 THE WEST WING WRITERS ROOM PART 2

Aaron discusses what is needed in the teaser of the show and how to reverse engineer a plot.

27 THE WEST WING WRITERS ROOM PART 3

Aaron and the students continue to work together to break episode 501 of The West Wing.

28 THE WEST WING WRITERS ROOM PART 4

How can research drive the plot forward? Aaron and the students discuss the limitations of the 25th Amendment as a plot point.

29 THE WEST WING WRITERS ROOM PART 5

Take Aarons advice: When you have great characters, use them. Learn how to keep your protagonists active.

30 THE WEST WING WRITERS ROOM PART 6

Whos got a bad idea? Aaron and the students run through various plot ideas as the writers room continues.

31 THE WEST WING WRITERS ROOM PART 7

As Aaron says, You dont have to assault the audience with plot. The writers discuss the value of pacing-plus the limits of reality within fiction.

32 THE WEST WING WRITERS ROOM PART 8

Aaron and the students wrap up the virtual writers room and discuss lessons learned.

33 GROUP WORKSHOP: PITCH SESSION

Youve got a screenplay-now its time to pitch. Learn what questions Hollywoods decision makers will ask you during a pitch and how to effectively answer them.

34 GROUP WORKSHOP: AARON PITCHES MISSION TO MARS

Aaron turns the tables on his writers and pitches them his idea for a brand-new TV series called Mission to Mars.

35 CLOSING THOUGHTS

In the final lesson, Aaron offers his parting wisdom and leaves you with one more assignment that will last the rest of your life.

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