PACE

JONATHAN DAYTON & VALERIE FARIS - DIRECTORS: LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, RUBY SPARKS, BATTLE OF THE SEXES, FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE

"Attending Joan Scheckel's lab was the single most valuable thing we did to prepare for making Little Miss Sunshine. She gave us a set of tools that made the daunting task of directing a feature very accessible (even enjoyable!) She has a unique ability to inspire each of the directors she works with to build on their strengths, and correct bad habits. Her candid approach whether in private sessions or workshops, wastes no time and gets right to the heart of the matter and produces real results."

WHAT IS IT?

What makes great entertainment?

It’s about rhythm, it’s about joy, it’s about get up and dance, boogie to the truth, feel all the feels, move it to the left, slide it to the right, make the loop de loop and GET DOWN to the beat:

It’s about PACE.

Pace and entertainment are connected through Rhythm. The Pace Lab is a once a year PARTY that teaches you how to hook your audience from go, keep ‘em on the ride, at the edge of their seat:  From vivid START to visceral MIDDLE to rock solid ENDING.

Leave your audience breathless, THINKING, and thrilled to be ALIVE in the most profound sense. That’s entertainment. That’s PACE.

So how do you bring Pace to your project?

Come to the Pace Lab and find out! This 3 day weekend intensive reveals the core tools of The Technique™ that make Transparent swing, Little Miss Sunshine drive, Beginners move and Whale Rider soar!  Now it's YOUR turn to learn the same game changing tools used by the creators of these award winning films and tv shows!

Pace is a bit of a lost art, so it’s easy to forget that the Pace must be on the page. You cannot fix it on the day, or in the edit, without compromising the beating heart of your story. Often the writing, acting and directing can flatline. Everything becomes equally fast or equally slow or equal to whatever it's equal to. Taught by Joan Scheckel, master teacher and creator of The Technique™,  The Pace Lab shows you how to leave the flatline behind and build a roller coaster ride through a Truth!

Come learn:

  • The 4 Essentials of Pace
  • The 7 Essentials of Rhythm
  • How to define the Architecture of your scene
  • How to connect Rhythm and Journey
  • How to make work that really SINGS!

A great director is a great conductor! The Pace Lab is pure musical fun. Come learn why Technique™ influenced films and tv shows have earned over 1000 nominations and 500 wins at the Oscars, Emmys, Sundance and more.  Crucial for writers, actors, directors, and producers wanting to make an impact and breakthrough!

WHAT DOES IT COVER?

Day 1:  Investigate

Mastering Pace is what marks a great storyteller, a visionary director and a thrilling actor. The first night breaks down the relationship between Action, Feeling, and Rhythm.

  • Learn the 4 Essentials of Pace
  • Connect to the emotional core of your work
  • Discover the musical principles behind The Technique™

Day 2:  Embody

A great director is a great conductor! Day 2 uses Movement and Music to reveal the architectural building blocks of Pace.

  • Learn the 7 Essentials of Rhythm
  • Embody the 7 Essentials and make them your own
  • Understand the connections between story, rhythm, music and arc
  • Practice the Tools of Pace needed to craft a masterful film or episodic

Day 3. Apply

Put Pace into Play!  Day 3 applies the principles you've learned to scene work so you can see how it all ticks!

  • Break a scene down into Beats
  • Add the 4 Essentials of Pace
  • Define Plot Points - and understand how Pace is used to bring them life
  • Learn how Pace relates with the Emotional Logic of your story (5 point Journey)
  • Understand how rhythm is used to craft the scene in specific and the story overall


WHO GOES?

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

WHEN / WHERE? 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 SELF-GUIDED!

 

TAKE PACE