Over the course of 3 decades, John Truby has taught his story classes to more than 20,000 students. Providing the knowledge and expertise he has applied as a consultant on over 1,000 movie scripts, Truby offers an approach to storytelling that has earned acclaim for his story classes and software from students and critics alike:
"If you're ready to graduate from the boy-meets-girl league of screenwriting, meet John Truby...(His course draws) epiphanies that make you see the contours of your psyche as sharply as your script."
LA Weekly
Story Class Software
Truby's Blockbuster story class software allows students to learn the art of developing ideas into fully realized, professionally structured scripts right at home. Based on a user interface that teaches as you write, Truby's Blockbuster story class software shows you the deep structural weaknesses that are likely to be in your script and takes you through the ideal order for fixing them.
Truby's Blockbuster software package is the only story class program of its kind to focus in on writing for specific genres. With add-ons for action, comedy, horror and every genre of story, Blockbuster can be tailored to fit exactly the style of movie youÍre working on.
Story Classes
From the writers, directors and producers of Shrek to Sleepless in Seattle to Star Wars, Truby's story classes have trained some of the top players in Hollywood today. Truby's audio and video story classes will teach you hundreds of story techniques that will allow you to compete with the best.
Truby's 14 hour audio class and 8 hour video class focus on the 22 building blocks of every script. These story classes will take you from beginning to end in the development process of your script idea.
"Truby's Story Structure Class is a totally new system.... a course that allows a writer to succeed in the fiercely competitive climate of Hollywood."
American Film Institute Magazine
Screenwriting Online Classes
In addition to story classes and software, Truby.com also offers screenwriting classes which include one-on-one interaction with a personal mentor. The Great Screenwriting Online Class is 12 weeks long and contains all the information from the Truby live seminar. Writing exercises at the end of each lesson help you apply the class information to your story.
For more information about story courses, view product details here.
Specialized Courses: Genres
The first rule of professional writing is: the entertainment industry buys and sells genres.
Genres are story types, and business has learned that you reach the greatest audience by taking a few of the most popular story types and constantly reworking them in new and creative ways.
The strategy for writers is clear: to succeed, you have to specialize in two or three of these popular forms and write something original.
The Writers Film School offers in-depth, professional-level courses in the most popular genres in the world. Once you have learned the techniques found in our flagship Great Screenwriting Course, pick those genre classes for the kind of writing you want to do.
This way, you're writing from strength, and you're writing the kinds of scripts the entertainment industry wants to buy.
Great Screenwriting: Truby's award-winning class on Story Structure, includes the 22 Building Blocks of Every Great Script. Essential for any screenwriter. (14 hour Audio CD or 8 hour DVD.)
Action: Hollywood's most popular genre, but also surprisingly tricky. (7 hour Audio CD.)
Advanced: Move beyond the mainstream techniques to craft the truly original, groundbreaking script. (7 hour Audio CD.)
Comedy: Learn all 7 of the major comedy structures, including buddy picture, traveling angel, black comedy and satire. (7 hour Audio CD.)
Crime Stories, Detective and Thrillers: Tricks, tools and techniques for writing this often convoluted, plot-heavy family of stories. (7 hour Audio CD.)
Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction: These "speculative" story forms have become increasingly popular with the movie-going public. Learn the characters, structures, and themes of these advanced forms. (7 hour Audio CD.)
Love Story: Hollywood is always looking for a love story. This course tells you all the tricks and story beats to write a winner. (7 hour Audio CD.)
Myth: With the rise of the international market, Hollywood is desperate for myth stories to create its blockbusters. Here's how to write them. (7 hour Audio CD.)
Sitcom: The source of more work for writers in Hollywood than any other form. But the sitcom is highly specialized and involves much more than writing jokes. (7 hour Audio CD.)
TV Drama: The 1-hour drama on television is a great way to break into Hollywood. Here are the keys to success. (7 hour Audio CD.)
