Screenplay Fundamentals: Build Story Structures

A course by Naomi Beaty , Screenplay Consultant

Screenplay Consultant. Los Angeles, United States.
Joined September 2021

Learn to develop compelling narratives by exploring a script’s structural elements and turning your ideas into audiovisual projects

100% positive reviews (84)
2,807 students
Audio: English
English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch

Learn to develop compelling narratives by exploring a script’s structural elements and turning your ideas into audiovisual projects

“I love tinkering with stories the way a mechanic might take an engine apart and put it back together again.”

Screenplay consultant Naomi Beaty specializes in collaborating with writers, directors, and producers, to find creative solutions for screenplays. She has worked on projects including Twilight, Percy Jackson, and The Stanford Prison Experiment, and also teaches group screenwriting workshops.

In this online course, Naomi shows you how to turn an idea into a screenplay by finding its organic structure and foundational elements. Create a synopsis of a story intended to become a script for a feature-length movie, and learn how to market it for success. Are you ready to find and tell your story?

Read more ↓

What will you learn in this online course?

16 lessons & 22 downloads

What Is a Story?
4 minutes, 53 seconds
The Protagonist
9 minutes, 25 seconds
The Goal
5 minutes, 54 seconds
The Opposition
3 minutes, 38 seconds
The Stakes
3 minutes, 46 seconds
  • 100% positive reviews (84)
  • 2,807 students
  • 16 lessons (1h 38m)
  • 22 additional resources (9 files)
  • Online and at your own pace
  • Available on the app
  • Audio: English
  • English · Spanish · Portuguese · German · French · Italian · Polish · Dutch
  • Level: Beginner
  • Unlimited access forever

What is this course's project?

Create a one to two-page synopsis of a story intended to become a screenplay for a feature-length movie.

Projects by course students

Who is this online course for?

This course is for screenwriters, producers, directors, or anyone who has an idea that they want to turn into a movie.

Requirements and materials

No previous experience is required.

In terms of materials, you’ll need something to write with, as well as access to word processing software like Microsoft Word for the final project.


Reviews

2,807 Students
84 Reviews
100% Positive ratings
  • More reviews

Naomi Beaty

A course by Naomi Beaty

Teacher Plus
Screenplay Consultant

Naomi Beaty is a screenwriting teacher, screenplay consultant, and former development executive with more than 10 years of experience in the entertainment industry. Growing up, she was always reading and was introduced to the world of movies while taking film appreciation classes in college. After graduating, she began her education in screenwriting through reading before going on to work for local directors and small productions, which motivated her to move to LA to pursue a career in the film industry.

There she worked in various roles from a producer, manager to a writer-for-hire, all of which deepened her knowledge and experience in the screenwriting industry. Naomi has worked on titles including Twilight, Percy Jackson, and The Stanford Prison Experiment and now is a consultant for writers, directors, and producers on their film and TV projects. She also teaches group screenwriting workshops via her company Write+Co.


Content

  • U1

    Introduction

    • About Me
    • Influences
  • U2

    The Basic Elements of a Story

    • What Is a Story?
    • The Protagonist
    • The Goal
    • The Opposition
    • The Stakes
    • The Three-Act Structure and Turning Points
  • U3

    Writing a Synopsis

    • The Logline
    • Defining the Structure and Plot Points
    • The Context
    • The Conflict and Escalation
    • The Resolution
  • U4

    From Synopsis to Screenplay

    • Tips on Polishing the Synopsis
    • How to Begin Writing the Screenplay
    • Marketing the Screenplay
  • FP

    Final project

    • Screenplay Fundamentals: Build Story Structures

What to expect from a Domestika course

  • Learn at your own pace

    Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.

  • Learn from the best professionals

    Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.

  • Meet expert teachers

    Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.

  • Certificates
    Plus

    If you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.

  • Get front-row seats

    Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.

  • Share knowledge and ideas

    Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.

  • Connect with a global creative community

    The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.

  • Watch professionally produced courses

    Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.


FAQs

Domestika's courses are online classes that provide you with the tools and skills you need to complete a specific project. Every step of the project combines video lessons with complementary instructional material, so you can learn by doing. Domestika's courses also allow you to share your own projects with the teacher and with other students, creating a dynamic course community.

All courses are 100% online, so once they're published, courses start and finish whenever you want. You set the pace of the class. You can go back to review what interests you most and skip what you already know, ask questions, answer questions, share your projects, and more.

The courses are divided into different units. Each one includes lessons, informational text, tasks, and practice exercises to help you carry out your project step by step, with additional complementary resources and downloads. You'll also have access to an exclusive forum where you can interact with the teacher and with other students, as well as share your work and your course project, creating a community around the course.

You can redeem the course you received by accessing the redeeming page and entering your gift code.

If you're a Plus member, when you complete a course you've purchased, you'll instantly get your personalized certificate. You can see all your certificates in the Certificates section of your profile. You can download your certificates as PDFs and share the link online. Learn more about certificates.
Screenplay Fundamentals: Build Story Structures. Photography, Video, and Writing course by Naomi Beaty

Screenplay Fundamentals: Build Story Structures

A course by Naomi Beaty
Screenplay Consultant. Los Angeles, United States.
Joined September 2021
  • 100% positive reviews (84)
  • 2,807 students