SCRIPT ESSENTIALS: Scene Structure, Dialogue & Style

Part of class Story & Script Essentials: A Masterclass on the fundamentals of screenwriting

Tips/Advice Storytelling Screenwriting ABCs Lesson

Summary

In the world of spec scripts, so often your script gets abandoned before the reader even knows what it’s about. Not because readers and producers are harsh—they are!—but because they don’t trust you. And every overwritten sentence, punctuation gaffe, or clumsy exchange erodes what little trust there is.

In this sharp, high-impact session, veteran story consultant and former film exec Karel Segers shares the tools that build and sustain trust, page by page. Learn to shape your pages not just as story, but as a reading experience to...

Control flow.

Sustain tension.

Keep the reader hooked, emotionally and visually.

Presented by

Karel Segers

Karel Segers is a veteran story consultant, writer, and producer with over 40 years in the international screen industry. He sold his first produced screenplay at 17, and later worked as Head of Programming and Acquisitions at the Digital Broadcasting Co. in London. He hosted a weekly movie segment on MTV Europe and negotiated film deals for Canal+, Europe’s largest pay-TV group.

After relocating to Australia in 2001, Karel produced and co-produced several shorts, documentaries, and features. He’s the founder of The Story Department, Logline It, and Immersion Screenwriting, and is known for his market-driven, hands-on approach to story development: blending Joseph Campbell's structure with contemporary screen models.

Karel has consulted for screen agencies, producers, and writers across five continents, with clients including the New Zealand Film Commission, Screen Canberra, ABS-CBN Star Cinema, and Deloitte. He has lectured at universities and film schools around the world.

Karel Segers's Website: https://www.thestorydepartment.com/

More about this webinar

A Masterclass on Scene Construction, Dialogue, and Supreme Style.

What You’ll Learn

- Why most scripts lose the reader before Act Two
- Why dialogue and description follow the same rules
- How to build purpose, pressure, and progress
- How to hold tension, even in the quiet moments
- The overlooked art of advanced formatting, whitespace, and visual pacing
- Why poor AI use leads to instant rejection and lasting damage

And yes, we’ll talk about AI.
Because if your work even vaguely smells artificial, it won’t just be your script that gets rejected. It’ll be you.