Script to Screen: DU Film’s screenwriting workshop

DU Film’s workshop series continues to introduce students to filmmaking

Trinity’s Film society has a long history of not just hosting films, but creating them too. Continuing that tradition is this year’s series of filmmaking workshops, welcoming new and continuing members of the society into the fold for presentations, collaborations and friendly advice.

Following Monday’s event (which centered around production),  Thursday’s screenwriting session resumed the series of workshops that aims to cover all aspects of filmmaking, with workshops planned in future weeks planned for directing, screen acting and more. The workshops, delivered by members of the DU Film committee, are relaxed and friendly in their presentation- those afraid of yet another stuffy lecture to add to the week need not worry here. They aim to cover the basics of filmmaking, giving freshers or new members a starting point to get involved in either the society’s productions, or productions of their own. The hope is that the workshop will inspire students to develop a new interest in film writing, and to encourage them to develop their own skills in the future.

The screenwriting workshop was presented by Savvy Hanna, DU Film’s training officer. She delivered a crash course in screenwriting, covering everything from general story structure to specific font and formatting choices. Video presentations and famous scripts which had been broken down to their basic elements helped put the workshop in context. This all made it easier to place the tips from the class into a real, practical setting. Keeping students in mind, tips for cheap screenwriting software and how to make a script efficient and economical were made a priority. Attendees were encouraged to bring their own work, and committee members were around after the relatively short presentation to provide individual advice for any aspiring screenwriters.

DU Film are hosting this series of workshops not only to impart knowledge on members for their own use, but also to encourage people to put their new lessons to use in the society’s own productions. Script submissions for society productions are open, and the workshops serve in part to bring up the standard of submissions, and to encourage more aspiring filmmakers to take part. Accompanied by a host of other events ranging from weekly film screenings to filmmaking competitions, DU Film’s workshops show the society’s continued commitment to not just appreciate film, but to encourage and actively create art of their own. 

Eoin O'Donnell

Eoin O'Donnell is the current Leader Writer of Trinity News. He is a Senior Sophister History student, and a former Deputy Comment Editor and Deputy Investigations Editor.