Summary
Learn how to turn your story based on real life events into a successful film or television series with a producer behind Nat Geo's VALLEY OF THE BOOM, Columbia Picture's ALI starring Will Smith, HBO's BARBARIANS AT THE GATE, Warner Bros.' ROSEWOOD and more!
Plus! You will receive a copy of the pilot script for National Geographic's VALLEY OF THE BOOM!
You’ve found a great story based on an exciting period of history, or a real person who made history, and you know the story could make a hit series or film. However, like most creatives, you are wrestling with the best way to tell it and sell it. What are the next steps you need to take in order to bring the story to the screen? How do you choose which moments of the true story make it into your script? And apart from the creative aspects, how do you ensure you have the rights to tell this story in the first place?
Writers of all levels in the industry are drawn to true life stories so they can turn them into successful film and television projects. While history offers compelling characters and events that remain in the public zeitgeist, it’s not easy to know your entry point, which important moments to include in your script, how to sculpt truth into the most propulsive and thematically cohesive narrative and when to take creative license.
In this exclusive Stage 32 on-demand webinar, you will learn directly from Tracy Barone about her experience as a writer/producer on National Geographic’s series based the true events that launched Silicon Valley called VALLEY OF THE BOOM as well as her decades long successful career as a film executive and producer who developed numerous films based on true stories, including the Oscar-nominated biopic ALI (starring Will Smith, directed by Michael Mann) and the Emmy Award-winning BARBARIANS AT THE GATE for HBO.
Through a case study of the writing and production process of National Geographic's VALLEY OF THE BOOM, Tracy will teach you how to identify what true life stories make for emotionally satisfying, binge worthy television, how to create and work with interweaving stories while developing strong character arcs, and how to highlight aspects of the past that hit a nerve of what’s happening today. She’ll show you how to determine if your story is best developed as a limited or regular tv series or as a feature film including the pros and cons of each format.
From her extensive experience on both sides of the desk, Tracy will give you a how-to guide to navigate this landscape and avoid potential landmines. She’ll share with you lessons learned from making a docudrama series based on the true story of the culture of speculation, innovation and debauchery that led to the boom and bust of the 1990’s tech bubble and how you can apply those lessons to creating your own successful historical story.
You will walk away from this webinar knowing the steps you need to take to develop a true story based on real life events and turn it into a successful television or film project!
PLUS! You will receive a copy of the PILOT SCRIPT for Nat Geo's VALLEY OF THE BOOM to use as a guide to use when developing your true life story!
Praise For Tracy's Webinar:
"Tracy was very clear and direct and shared a lot of valuable information." -Chris L.
"She has the experience with writing and telling true stories in film and shared her knowledge well." -Deborah J.
What You'll Learn
- Case Studies
- VALLEY OF THE BOOM - docuseries
- ALI - feature film based on a true story
- BARBARIANS AT THE GATE - book to film adaptation
- ROSEWOOD - feature film based on a true story
- Where To Start To Create A Compelling Real-Life Story
- How to determine if it’s best as for tv or film
- Scope and creative considerations
- Creating a fresh angle and approach to hook audiences
- What Rights Do You Need?
- Determining what’s in the public domain
- How to get life rights
- When IP is helpful and how to secure it
- Developing Your Story
- How to effectively use research and interviews
- What to leave in and condense from history
- How to use multiple storylines
- How to best bring real life characters to the page
- Pacing to keep audiences interested
- Developing character arcs
- Lessons Learned From Case Studies
- Pros and cons of real life interviews
- Creating storylines that are true to life but fictionalized
- How to interface with the real people in your story
- Q&A With Tracy
Who Should Attend
All levels of filmmakers (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to explore the techniques used to write hit films based on true stories.
All levels of writers (advanced, intermediate and beginner) looking to explore the process of adapting true stories into engaging scripts can attend the class.
Producers who want to explore the techniques used to write hit films based on true stories.
Actors who want to explore the techniques used to write hit films based on true stories.
Executive
Tracy Barone is a storyteller who has honed her skills in her multi-faceted careers as a film executive and producer, writer and critically acclaimed novelist.
Tracy began her career in theatre as a playwright and director in New York City, her plays, including award winning “August Grace”, were performed Off-Broadway in venues including the Public Theatre, Playwrights Horizons and La Mama. Her desire to learn how to develop and produce the material she wrote propelled her into the studio system in Los Angeles. There her experience includes senior executive positions at film production companies at Columbia, TriStar and Warner Brothers. Tracy oversaw diverse slates of more than 80 projects as President of Peters Entertainment at WB, working with studio department heads in development, production, business affairs, casting and packaging, marketing, publicity, licensing and merchandising. She acquired and developed numerous films including: Benjamin Button, Guarding Tess, Men In Black and Ali. She was Executive Producer on the films Wild, Wild West; Rosewood; My Fellow Americans and Money Train.
Tracy segued from her executive and producer career to return to her roots as a writer. Her debut novel, Happy Family, garnered her a high six-figure advance and was met with critical acclaim. Published by Little Brown, Happy Family has been published in German by Diogenes Verlag. She is writing her next book series, Ziggurat and has written personal essays and articles for Oprah.com, the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times.
In television, Tracy merged her skills as a writer/co-producer on Nat Geo’s, series Valley of the Boom. She currently has original series in development as a US/French co-production with Asylum TV and Leonis and Legendary Global as well as a feature film for Janet Yang Productions.
An American raised in London, Tracy has traveled extensively and maintains a focus on stories with an international appeal. She holds a BA in English from NYU and an MFA in dramatic writing from Tisch School of the Arts Tracy is a member of PEN American and a passionate advocate for literacy and free speech. She has taught writing to convicts at Riker Island Prison in New York, is a mentor with Young Storytellers, and an advocate for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation.
She currently resides in Los Angeles and is a member of the WGA and PGA.
Credits
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