Mastering Structure

How to recognize the underlying structure in movies to give you the confidence to develop and write your own.

GET INSTANT ACCESS FOR $197

Screenwriting doesn't have to be intimidating

Do you have a story idea that you know would be a great movie but don't know where to start? Maybe you've written your first few screenplays, but you just know they don't fully reflect what you're capable of.

MASTERING STORY STRUCTURE is designed to deal with exactly those frustrations. 

When you finish the course, you will better understand the underlying structure in your favorite films in a way that -- far beyond just an academic exercise -- will actually help you structure your own stories.

You will see story structure for what it is: a liberating framework that releases your creativity and your individual voice. By making crucial decisions early on, each subsequent story decision gets easier and easier, allowing you to have fun writing again.

You will finally have a framework to lean on when you get lost, and indecisive, so you never have to carry those feelings for long.

The blank page will become an exciting rather than nerve-racking time, and you will see rewriting as simply another opportunity to make your screenplay even more awesome.

Your Instructor: Tom Vaughan

I started writing professionally twenty-five years ago. I've had eight movies made and two more in production this year. I am proud of all the ups and downs of my career, but if you really want to understand a subject, I recommend teaching it.

I have been teaching for 20 years now. It forced me to communicate the why behind so many of the decisions I made as a screenwriter. In doing so, these decisions became tools, accessible whenever I needed them.

As I became a better teacher, I became a better writer. As I became a better writer, I became a better teacher.
When I struggle with any of my own projects, these are the principles I fall back on.

Because of my teaching, I finally have what I lacked early in my career: a tangible and repeatable process to maximize the full potential of a story idea and tell the story I am trying to tell to the best of my abilities.

That's what these classes are about. And Go Coogs!

If you want to read more about my bona fides, you can click HERE.

WHY STORY AND PLOT?

Unlike other screenwriting classes, the Story and Plot workshops are taught by a working professional of over 25 years who has taught the subject for nearly as long.

This is not an academic theory. It is not a glamorized interview broken up into segments. These are tangible processes that have been refined and tested literally over decades. The courses are designed to communicate layered ideas simply and clearly, and to give specific, concrete steps to empower the student's writing and storytelling.

Start right now for $197.

What others are saying:

Who This Class Is For? The Usual Suspects...

  • You've never written a screenplay before, and you're not sure where to start.
  • You have a few feature-length screenplays under your belt, but you know your writing is not reaching its full potential.
  • You are a professional television writer, but you're not as comfortable structuring out a full-length feature film.
  • You're new to developing material on the production side, and you're looking for a competitive advantage through a more consistent process.
  • You're a novelist or anyone else who is interested in story structure.
Pop art of the film The Usual Suspects

The Same Experience

This is the same class I have taught for years in Hollywood and elsewhere. Only now, you get to keep the lectures and refer back to them whenever you want. The Mastering Structure class has been revised and refined over two decades, and many students have signed up for the class multiple times to discover new additions and concepts they may have missed. But now updates will always be free and waiting for you.

Putting It All Together

The Mastering Structure course is not designed for film criticism. None of what you learn would mean much if it didn't help you structure out your own project. That's the name of the game here. Want to know where to start? We got you. Why isn't your script working as you hoped? Yep, right here. You will become decisive with your choices because you will know what story you want to tell, and how you want to tell it.

FREE BONUS

PERFECTING THE LOGLINE

(A $97 Value)

For a limited time, enroll in Mastering Structure, and get Perfecting The Logline FREE.

The logline is the single most influential variable that you control to help get your screenplay read. Lean into the power of the logline and watch your career improve.

Perfecting The Logline is a Story and Plot mini-course designed to help you write concise, compelling loglines that get people excited to read your screenplay.

The Mastering Structure Curriculum.

01

Opening Concepts

02

What is Story anyway?

03

Great! Then What's Structure?

  • The purpose and definition of structure.
  • The Dramatic Question.
  • Three primary elements of drama.
  • 4 acts and 8 sequences.
  • Scenes, not information.
-- MORE CURRICULUM --

Pricing Plans

I know different people are more comfortable with different approaches, so I wanted to ensure you had options. Want to take the course on your own time and see how you feel about the next steps? Great! Just enroll in the course.

Want to take the course and have some individual help to structure out your idea? Maybe dive even deeper into a certain section? No problem. Grab the course, plus the coaching option.

Whatever your preference, we got you covered.

Mastering Structure: The Course

  • LIFETIME access to the Mastering Structure course. This includes any and all updates.
  • You'll get FREE enrollment in the Perfecting the Logline mini-course, normally $97.
  • 100% 30-day guarantee. Love the course, or get your money back, no questions asked.
  • Two (2) One-Hour Private Consultations to help guide your own material through the course principals (or any other subject matter you want)

$197

Mastering Structure + 2 Hours 1:1 Coaching

  • LIFETIME access to the Mastering Structure course. This includes any and all updates.
  • You'll get FREE enrollment in the Perfecting the Logline mini-course, normally $97.
  • 100% 30-day guarantee. Love the course, or get your money back, no questions asked.
  • Two (2) One-Hour Private Consultations to help guide your own material through the course principals (or any other subject matter you want).

$595

MORE TO KNOW:

  • The entire course is broken down into small lessons to make it easier to watch when and where you want. The short lessons are also perfect for rewatching specific sections later on.
  • The class covers the same processes I use for literally every project I have worked on and sold over the years, both as a writer and a producer.