Writer and director Guillermo Arriaga (Babel, 21 Grams, Amores Perros, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, The Burning Plain) has announced a 2 day screenwriting masterclass to take place in London on January 28 and 29th, 2012

Considered by many as one of today’s most original storytelling and screenwriting voices, Arriaga has received numerous honors, among them an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay (Babel) as well as Writers Guild of America, BAFTA and British Independent Film Awards.

Babel in particular, garnered a total of 7 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and was named among the 10 best of the year by The National Board of Review, American Film Institute, The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and received the Golden Globe Award for Best Dramatic Film.

If non-linear storytelling remains a challenge for you, register for this masterclass and learn from a writer and storyteller who has mastered this distinct craft.

Register online at The Screenwriter’s Store or by calling Rinaldo on 0845 094 6061 or on 0797 106 4548

Three Reasons Why Writers Study with Guillermo Arriaga

1. Non-Linear Storytelling Works

Arriaga’s distinctly nonlinear way of storytelling is always searching for the heart of human emotion:

* The challenges of communication
* The importance of love
* The consequences of our actions
* The contradictions of human nature
* The clashes between differing cultural points of view
* And the enigma of contemporary isolation, both physical and emotional.

2. Successful Writers Work in Other Mediums Too

Arriaga’s other works, rife with his trademark sense of humor and irony, include:
Guillotine Squad (1991)
A Sweet Smell of Death (1994)
The Night Buffalo (1999),
Retorno 201 (2003)
Arriaga’s books have been translated in 18 languages, and he has been cited by several critics as being among the most influential writers of our time.

In addition to his feature films and novels, Arriaga has also directed, produced and written short films, documentaries, television series, radio and television commercials.

3. Successful Writers Adapt From Real-Life Experiences

In 1985, Arriaga suffered a serious car accident, which he later used as the basis for the film trilogy that began with Amores Perros, the first of three collaborations with director Alejandro González Iñárritu. The film explores the radiating effects of a single automobile crash on its various participants: the injured, the guilty and the witness.

Amores Perros was hailed as an instant cinematic classic. It would also soon become regarded as one of the first Mexican films to cross over into the Hollywood spotlight, presaging a new generation of filmmakers who have energized international moviemaking.

With this film, Arriaga announced his ambitious intention, followed ever since, to explore screenplays as literary creations, using the same care for language, structure and character development as any novel.

Arriaga’s on-screen exploration of the nature of fate and coincidence continued with the second film of his trilogy with González Iñárritu: 21 Grams, starring Sean Penn, Naomi Watts and Benicio Del Toro. Arriaga constructed the three intertwining stories of 21 Grams around a freak accident which sets in motion an intricate emotional web among a group of intriguingly disparate characters: a critically ill mathematician, a grieving mother and a born-again ex-con.

Before completing his trilogy about the consequences of modern life, Arriaga took a detour. He next embarked on a piercing yet poetic journey into justice, loyalty and friendship with his screenplay for The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, directed by and starring Tommy Lee Jones.

A wholly unexpected take on the American Western, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada further demonstrated Arriaga’s capacity to develop spellbinding stories in vastly different genres yet rife with his very personal themes. It won Best Screenplay in Cannes (2005)

Masterclass Outline

Day 1
January 28, 2012 – 9:30am to 5:00pm
– Construction nonlinear
– Character
– Objective dramatic
– Questions
– 3-Act Structure
– Dialogue
– Narrative
– Psychology
– Coloring Scenes

Day 2
January 29, 2012 – 9:30am to 5:00pm
– Scene Structure
– Dramatic tension in scenes
– Questions
– Building Character
– Polymorphic and Endomorphic
– Creating Concepts
– Keys to Creating Narrative
– Q&A

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to study with a true legend, book your place online at The Screenwriter’s Store

Guillermo Arriaga returns to one of his first loves – teaching – as he presents his acclaimed 2-day scriptwriting master class in London the weekend of January 28-29, 2012 at Tuke Hall at Regent’s College.

GUILLERMO ARRIAGA – Live in London
What: Guillermo Arriaga – 2-Day Scriptwriting Master Class
When: January 28-29, 2012 (Saturday and Sunday)
Times: 9:30am to 5:00pm each day
Venue: Tuke Hall, Regent’s College, Inner Circle, Regent’s Park, London NW1 4NS