INDIVIDUAL WORKSHOPS
Lessons Are Designed To Be Easy To Learn And Use.
The Ford Studios® Workshops are open to all Filmmakers, regardless of background, level of education, training, or previous accomplishment. Our One-Day, 2-Hour Intensive Individual Workshops run Monday-Thursday, excluding holidays. Student Filmmakers will receive additional year-round support, including access to the Tipstor® Global Network, and more. Our Online and In-Person classes cover the Tipstor® technique of filmmaking for profit, from script to screen, where you can be confident your story’s structure is established to satisfy audiences and bank accounts. Online classes are conducted on Zoom.
CLASS SIZE
Not to exceed three (3) Student Filmmakers per Session.
WORKSHOPS
1.) THE DEVELOPMENT LAB: Development Lab is an in-depth, one-day, 2-hour intensive workshop designed to provide individualized story and professional commercial development for emerging filmmakers with a fiction feature screenplay.
2.) THE MARKETING LAB: Marketing Lab is an in-depth, one-day, 2-hour intensive workshop that provides a process of combining creativity and the science of marketing to speak to target audiences in an engaging way. It’s creating content that compels moviegoers to do something: visit a website, buy a movie ticket or purchase something off a retail shelf or online.
3.) THE FINANCE LAB: Finance Lab is an in-depth, one-day, 2-hour intensive workshop that helps further the careers of Filmmakers by introducing them to the craft and business of independent film finance and investments.
4.) THE DISTRIBUTION LAB: Distribution Lab is an in-depth, one-day, 2-hour intensive workshop that will teach Filmmakers the key to consistently obtaining distribution and the ability to generate profits on their film projects.
5.) THE LEGAL LAB: Legal Lab is an in-depth, one-day, 2-hour intensive workshop designed to help Filmmakers who require knowledge regarding contracts, forms, agreements, and intellectual property protection during the development, production, and distribution stages of the film project.
LOCATIONS
ONLINE
Our Tipstor® ONLINE workshops offer the same quality of instruction as our Lisbon classes, and, as much as possible, our Online classes replicate the experience of being together in a classroom. The classes take place in “real time.” and advance day-by-day, and certain things should be accomplished within that ten day time period.
You can take an Online writing class from anywhere in the world, as long as you have an Internet connection. The majority of our Online Filmmakers are located in Portugal. but we also draw Filmmakers from practically every country in the world, which is part of what makes the Online classes so interesting. No more than three (3) Filmmakers will participate in an online class at one time, so that all Filmmakers get personal attention.
IN-PERSON
All of Ford Studios® IN-PERSON workshops take place in Lisbon. The Lisbon writing classes meet on a daily basis (with the exception of one-session classes. You interact with the same teacher and Filmmakers each time, forming a storytelling group that grows in camaraderie, session by session. No more than three (3) Filmmakers will participate in a Lisbon class at one time, so that all Filmmakers get personal attention. While the majority of Lisbon Filmmakers live in or nearby Lisbon, you will also see Filmmakers from far and wide who are spending time in the area. This program frequently draws Filmmakers from all over the world.
If you’re visiting Lisbon, here is some info on affordable Lisbon hotels and the best new travel products for an enjoyable trip.
PRIVATE WORKSHOPS
Would you like to work ONE-ON-ONE, privately, with MARC FORD?
There is a time-honored tradition of writers giving each other advice on their work. It’s tough to catch a break in the Hollywood writing business. Editors, agents, and producers seldom grant you more than a first look, so you want your work to be in the best possible shape before sending it out into the world. Marc Ford can help strengthen your work and maximize your chances of success. And if your main goal is just to get better, he can help with that too.
WHO CAN APPLY
The Ford Studios® Workshops are open to any Filmmaker formally attached to a full-length fiction or documentary feature film with a completed script in place. Applicants must control the rights to the project with which they apply. Projects do not need financing in place at the time of application. However, each application must demonstrate serious attention to the film’s budget and articulate the reasoning behind the budget level. Short films, television projects, and new media projects are not eligible to apply for the Workshops program.
Note: Filmmaking partners are only welcome to apply as part of a team for Private Coaching sessions, and will need only to submit a single application.
HOW TO APPLY
Applicants must submit the following materials for consideration:
- Execute and Sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement
- A cover letter explaining your interest in the Producing Lab (500 words max)
- An artist statement detailing why you are attached to produce (500 words max)
- One complete, feature-length screenplay
- A logline and synopsis
- Project status and history (500 words max)
- Budget top sheet and finance plan
Applicants must be the original author and owner of the Project they submit. Applications submitted via email will not be considered.
WORKSHOP FEE
Group: Online, Zoom
Real-time video-conference
Tuition: €100 / Per 2-Hour Session
Group: Lisbon, Portugal
In-person
Tuition: €100 / Per 2-Hour Session
Private: Online or In-Person, Lisbon, Portugal
One-On-One
Tuition: €200 / Per 2-Hour Session
THE FINE PRINT
Tipstor® Network Membership is free when enrolling in the Individual Workshops program.
Applicants who are accepted to participate in any of the four (4) available Workshops should plan to be in Lisbon or accessible on Zoom. Ford Studios® is unable to subsidize any travel, lodging and/or visa expenses for any participants attending from outside of Lisbon. Participants are expected to attend all sessions.
This program will help you understand the process of the film business, from script to screen, so that your next film is a raging success for the audience and your bank account.
