Learn what executives look for in the first five pages of your script from a producer whose worked with HBO, Universal, Fox, CBS and more!

The first five pages of your script are perhaps the most important of your entire story. Those initial pages must hook your reader from the very first word and entice them to follow you into the world your story has created. No matter the genre, those first five pages are key.  Whether you’re submitting your script to a screenwriting contest, a manager, an agent, a producer, or director, your job as a writer it to craft those pages in such a way that the reader is compelled to keep reading.  Whether you are writing your first script or your fiftieth, learning to make those first five pages sing is a critical skill.

Your instructor teaching you how to make your first 5 pages really pop is Regina Lee. Regina is a film and TV series producer and former studio executive who has worked with writers and talent of all levels to get their projects sold to studios and networks like HBO, FOX, BET, Lifetime, Starz, Universal Pictures, The CW, CBS and more. She began her executive career at Universal Pictures, where she was the primary executive in charge of movies like X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE, THE FAST & THE FURIOUS 3, THE GOOD SHEPHERD, AMERICAN WEDDING, SEABISCUIT and more. Regina has a deep and accomplished history of elevating projects and helping writer's find success; because she's been both a producer and a studio executive, she understands what it takes for scripts to break through.

Over the course of three jam-packed on-demand sessions, Regina goes in depth on what NEEDS to happen in your script’s first five pages, what executives are looking for, the typical paradigms for a script’s opening, and how you can give executives what they want to see.

You will leave this class with a solid understanding of how to get your reader hooked in only 5 pages or less!

Praise for Regina’s Stage 32 Class

"Regina offers great insight. This class instantly made me a better writer.” -- David L.

"Thanks for a wonderful class! Your efforts have been amazing." --Heather F.

"Great class, very helpful and useful information."  --John R.

"I just re-wrote my first five pages based on this class and Regina's incredibly insightful feedback, and wow! What a difference it made. This class is a "must take" Stage 32'ers!" -- Shari F.

Part 1 - Introduction: Who is Your Reader & What Are They Thinking

Regina covers what readers are looking for when they read your material and what their considerations/criteria are as they evaluate the market viability of your project.

• Regina will introduce herself to the class and talk about her experience in Film and TV.
• She will go over who will be reading your script as you make your way into the major LA/NY studio and indie film systems and the Hollywood TV system.
• The discussion will range from screenwriting contest readers, to managers and agents, to producers to financiers, to the actors and directors who bring value to a project.
• You will learn what it’s like to sit on the other side of the table, which will help your own presentation and strategy.
• Q&A with Regina

Part 2 - Effective Paradigms of a Script’s Opening

Regina goes over effective paradigms typically used to open scripts, including teaser openings, openings which set up the protagonist, openings which convey the backstory and mythology of a new world, and openings which are set-pieces unto themselves.

• Regina will explain these paradigms by referencing popular movies and TV shows for clarity.
• She will discuss genre expectations, using the opening to fully set-up the protagonist, and using the opening to establish tone.
• She will also cover how to use the opening to set up protagonists that audiences can relate to and root for.
• Then she will offer tips on how to better execute the elements that have been discussed.
• Regina will also go over the previous week’s homework in class and analyze some projects that volunteers put forward for discussion.
• Q&A with Regina

Part 3 - Analyzing Well-Executed Openings

Regina leads the class in analyzing several well-executed openings in both Film and TV, ranging in genre and tone.

• Students will be given sample scripts of the first 5 pages of successful movies such as The 40 Year-Old Virgin, American Pie, American Beauty, and hit TV show pilots such as The Strain and Grey’s Anatomy.
• The class will discuss the first 5-10 minutes of movies/shows like Jaws, Jerry Maguire, and Friends.
• Students will also be given the first 5 pages of a few well-written scripts that have sold to studios, but have not yet been produced.
• Regina will go over the previous week’s homework in class, which will involve class members writing their own 5-page openings. 
• Q&A with Regina

WHAT TO EXPECT:

• This class is designed for beginner and intermediate students looking to learn how to hook your reader in the first 5 pages of your screenplay. This is an in-depth, practical, and detailed class with significantly more content than a standard 90-minute webinar.
• This class consists of three sessions, each roughly two hours in duration. In addition to the presentation-style lessons, you will have the opportunity to listen to the original Q&A.

All levels of screenwriters (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to write a compelling first five pages of your screenplay to hook readers.

All levels of screenwriters (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn what elements make the first five pages of a screenplay stand out.

All levels of screenwriters (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to learn the craft of screenwriting.

Producers who want to better understand how to engage audiences in the first five pages of a screenplay.

Actors who want to take control of their careers by writing a screenplay with an engaging first five pages.