Storytelling structure
Absorb, understand and execute the fundamentals of the universal three-act structure and how they work in all genres.
Learn the core skills of screenwriting and build your story into a solid ready-to-pitch screenplay draft.
Absorb, understand and execute the fundamentals of the universal three-act structure and how they work in all genres.
Develop the central premise or theme of your film to unify story, characters and plot into an impactful whole.
Learn and deploy world-building techniques to create original and evocative settings for your characters.
Study and workshop the creation of three-dimensional, authentic characters with layered emotions, conflicts and complete character arcs.
Known as the - ‘lifeblood of the screenplay” dialogue is a crucial part of character development, giving each character a unique voice. Professional formatting and accepted global industry standards all affect the presentation of your script - make sure you get them right!
Discover how to keep your audience engaged by setting up and paying off twists, and developing plot and sub plots that deepen your story. Enhance dramatic conflict and learn how to use tension and timing in your story to propel your protagonist towards a great ending.
Writing is re-writing. Learn key re-writing techniques that will continue to advance your screenplay, moving forward from the Lab.
Practice this essential collaboration skill for script development with your peers, advisors and teachers.
Learn how to join the active and educated global community of screenwriting alumni and industry professionals
Know how to convey your story through a well presented written pitch, through impactful loglines and synopses and also by moving your audience’s attention towards a concise, original and well presented verbal pitch.
Who is it for?
This Lab is for you if you want to build a solid and practical foundation of screenwriting, get a global perspective, take practical inputs from industry professionals and get an opportunity to pitch your stories to producers, studios and other professionals from the industry.
Eligibility
Indian citizens above 18+ years of age
Filmmakers/screenwriters working on an original script, which can be in any stage of development
Filmmakers/screenwriters who have written and/or directed at least one short film in the narrative fiction space. (Not mandatory but preferable)
We are only accepting up to 30 participants.
The medium of instruction will be English.
This Lab will be conducted online over a period of 8-10 weeks between Dec 2022 to March 2023. We will organize 1-2 sessions per week and each session will be conducted for not more than 2-3 hours each. There will be academic sessions and guest speaker sessions along with a few one-on-one mentor sessions. The exact dates and timings of the Lab schedule will be emailed to you closer to the start of the Lab.
This Lab covers the foundations of screenwriting that are applicable globally. It will also provide participants with an opportunity to learn from the practical experiences of industry professionals. The participants will also get access to one on one mentorship by a global faculty, who will help them in developing their scripts. This Lab is for anyone looking to get formally trained in the art and science of storytelling and screenwriting and get a global perspective.
The Lab is open to all kinds of narrative fiction full-length feature film projects across genres and languages. We are not accepting documentary or short films for this Lab.
- Early bird deadline - Nov 5, 2022
- Late deadline - Nov 25, 2022
We will announce the finalists by Dec 10th, 2022.
The Lab will be conducted between Dec 2022 to March 2023. The exact schedule will be provided to the selected participants.
While we will share the exact dates and timings with the selected participants, the Lab sessions will either be conducted early mornings or in the evenings.
Approximately 4 hours of session and 2 hours of homework time, so you will be required to dedicate 6 hours per week to the Lab.
You will need a good internet connection and the Zoom website and mobile app plus the ability to read and view assignments online. If you don’t know how to operate Zoom, an assistant from our team will take you through it.
The pitch event will also be conducted online.
You will be required to shoot a 2-min video pitch for the industry pitching session that will take place at the end of the 10-week Lab, sometime between Feb - March 2023. This video pitch will be played during the pitch event. We will take you through sessions on how to make a good video pitch, to ensure that you make a good pitch video. You are required to arrange your own shooting and video recording equipment to shoot the pitch video.
Programmers, studios, producers, talent managers and other industry professionals will be attending the pitch event.
Since this will be an online event, there won’t be any networking. But you will be provided contacts of sum of the pitch event attendees, so that you can connect with them after the pitch. The attendees will also be provided a catalogue of all the participating projects with the contact details of the participants, so that they can directly reach out to the participants. We will also help facilitate connection in case an industry professional reaches out to us and shows interest in any of the scripts.
Yes, you and your co- team member can attend the Lab but the Lab participation fee of Rs. 55,000/- will be charged per participant.
The Lab recordings will be available to the participants for a period of 6 months after the end of the Lab
You will be provided the recordings of the sessions in case you cannot attend one. But we strongly recommend that to get the full benefit of the Lab, you should attend the live sessions, as they are going to be interactive and avoid skipping the sessions unless there is an emergency.
The full script does not have to be ready to pitch and can be in the development stage. However, if you don’t feel like you’re ready to pitch your project by the end of the Lab, you can choose to opt out of pitching. But we highly recommend you attend the Pitch event to hear the pitches of your fellow participants, for learning purposes.
You are eligible if you meet the following criteria:
- If you are an Indian citizen and above 18 years of age
- If you have written and/or directed at least one short film (not mandatory)
- If you are working on an original script currently that you would like to submit as a project to develop in this Lab (the script can be in any phase of development)
As long you have an Indian citizenship, you are eligible to apply
You do not need a completed script to apply to this Lab. You may apply with a logline, synopsis, screenwriter's/director's statement and first 5-10 pages of your script, but you must have those completed to apply.
Absolutely! Even if you have a finished draft of the script, you are still eligible to apply. The Lab sessions will help you chisel the script further with guided instructions and one on one mentorship.
Yes, your script must be registered with the Screenwriters Association or any other authorised entity to protect the ownership of the script.
You have to upload the following documents in the form. Please click on each document below to understand submission guidelines for each of them:
The script must be submitted in English language but the film can be in any Indian language
The Lab is open to all the languages of India. The script, however, must be submitted in English.
The Lab will be conducted in English.
The Lab is open to all kinds of projects across genres and languages.
No, we are only accepting one project at a time. But since this Lab covers the foundations of screenwriting, what you learn in the Lab can be applied to any number of scripts you may be working on. So you can choose to submit any one script to the Lab.
Absolutely, you can apply for the next Lab.
Yes, you can apply, as long as the dates of the Labs won’t clash, because you will be expected to devote time to both the Labs.
The application fee is a one-time, non refundable fee.
The Lab participation fee of Rs. 55,000 has to paid only by the selected participants. The payment will have to be made within 48 hours of the finalist announcements. We will get in touch with the finalists to explain the payment process of the Lab participation fee.
No, once paid, the Lab participation fee is non-refundable.
We only accept online payments, via netbanking, debit card and credit card.
Yes, limited scholarships are available. Please select the scholarships option in the form and we will reach out to you.
Please select the scholarships option in the form and we will reach out to you. We will then conduct an interview and/or require a written application for the same.
Please email us at writersink@inktalks.com and let us know the issue you faced during the payment stage.
Please email us at writersink@inktalks.com and we will check our records.
You can apply for the Lab by filling this form
You have to upload the following documents in the form. Please click on each document below to understand submission guidelines for each of them:
No, unfortunately you won’t be able to do that. So you have to fill the form in one go. Hence we suggest that you go through the questions of the sections and keep the answers ready so that you can submit all the information at once.
No, you won’t be able to edit the information after you have submitted the form.
Please email us your questions at writersink@inktalks.com
Please ensure that you don’t upload more than 1 MB per document and try again. If you are still facing problems, email us the screenshot of the problem you are facing at writersink@inktalks.com
No, please make sure you don’t upload the full script. We only need the first 10 pages of the script. We will disqualify applications with full scripts.
You will be asked to sign an Undertaking Statement before you submit the form. Please click on the statement and read it clearly.
Only for final participants Scholarships available
*Taxes extra. All fee are one-time and non-refundable
Application Closed
Executive Lab Director
Associate Lab Director
Lab Instructor
Lab Instructor
Associate Teacher
Associate Teacher
Screenwriter and Filmmaker
Festival Director - DFW South Asian Film Festival
Filmmaker, Writer, Activist and Festival Director