Journey

BRYCE DALLAS HOWARD - Actor: LADY IN THE WATER, THE HELP, JURASSIC WORLD, DIRECTOR: THE MANDALORIAN

"Joan Scheckel is one of those rare individuals who truly devotes her life's work to investigating the essence of Storytelling. She has designed a technique that is brilliant, powerful, organized, rigorous, and shockingly transformative. Working with her allowed for insight and clarity about concepts in storytelling that had previously never even occurred to me. She addresses the individual wholly, never allowing any separation between the person who is working and the work that is being created, therefore making the essential connection between our very humanity and the stories we tell. Simply put, her level of dedication paired with the true genius she possesses, creates unprecedented results in the creative lives of her students and the work they are generating.""
 

WHAT IS IT?

Story Arc. 

We are all familiar with the term, but the crafting of one can seem daunting. 

Join JOURNEY and learn the building blocks of screenplay structure, one step at a time. 

The Technique™ thinks of screenplay structure as a roller coaster ride through a truth. No story moves in a predictable straight line, it has rises and falls and loop de loops...unexplained stops and diversions, and where it ends up, might just be somewhere you never expected. 

In this Lab, you will learn how to:

  • Learn how to craft a story arc.
  • Find the structure that is unique and delivers on what you want to say in a creative, compelling, utterly authentic way. 
  • Discover what’s beyond the Hero’s Journey.

An understanding of the Transformative Journey has been central to Joan's work on films and television shows such as Transparent, Beginners, Arbitrage, Snow White and the Huntsman, Little Miss Sunshine and Whale Rider. Now you can experience The Technique™ to instantly connect you to the feeling, emotional depth, and rhythm of your work.

Whether you are Directing, Writing, Acting, or Producing, this 3 Day Lab will show you what’s beyond the Hero’s Journey. 
 

WHAT DOES IT COVER?

Day 1: The Map

This first class reveals Joan's proven techniques to clarify the thematic structure of your screenplay, film or character. Physical and written excercises allow you to embody the core structural journey of your project. 

  • Understand the building blocks of Journey 
  • Define the roadmap of your project
  • Learn how overall Action, Beats and Relationship combine to create structure
  • Connect to rhythm as the essential force in storytelling
     

Day 2: Emotional Logic

Learn the tools of Emotional Logic (aka the 5 Point Journey). You will never think of the “Hero’s Journey” as your only structural option again. 

  • Learn how to use the first and last line of a project to find the Emotional Journey
  • Learn how to define and hone the 5 key scenes essential to your story
  • Think outside the “Hero’s Journey” box
  • Make your structure sing in it’s own individual way
     

Day 3: Making It Move

Explore the practice of Emotional Logic. Put a 5 point journey on it’s feet. Case studies from projects Joan has developed allow you to delve deeper into how the Transformative Journey works.

  • Learn how Transparent and Whale Rider used Emotional Logic to craft their unique structures
  • Investigate the connection between rhythm and action 
  • Explore how Emotional Logic supports the key creative choices your project demands, from writing to rehearsal to shoot
     

WHO GOES?

JOURNEY is designed for Film, Episodic, Commercial and all content creators. It may be attended individually by the Writer, Director or Producer...or by the entire Team.

  • Directors
  • Writers
  • Actors
  • Producers
  • Executives
  • Financiers
  • Production
  • Designers
  • Cinematographers
  • Editors

Please See Films, Community and Quotes for Artists Joan has worked with and their thoughts.
 

WHEN / WHERE?

LIVE LAB DATE TBD

Join Joan in-person for a hands-on experience in Los Angeles (Limited class size), or join the Live Lab via Zoom and participate remotely from all over the world. Online participants have the opportunity to see Joan demonstrate the embodied work with in-person students.

or

NEW* ONLINE SELF GUIDED

Anytime Self-Guided Online via Thinkific!  For the first time ever, this course can be taken online at your own pace, for details check out the SELF-GUIDED!