See below for special discount offers for members of select screenwriting and filmmaking groups, including the ISA, the International Screenwriters’ Association.  

Dear storytellers,

Whether you’re a screenwriter trying to get a manager or sell your first spec script, or you’re a filmmaker looking to make your breakthrough film, you will need a feature length screenplay that is MARKETABLE and in “submission-ready” shape. You need a script that a producer, exec, distributor, manager or agent reads and says “I can sell this.” A script that investors read and think “this will find an audience and make a profit.” It all begins with creating a concept in a commercially-proven genre that fits into today’s global marketplace and doesn’t feel dated, cliché or irrelevant. This concept must be expertly communicated in a compelling logline that has been field-tested with industry professionals who have written, produced and directed hit films.

In today’s market, the most in-demand projects are in the Horror and Thriller genres and begin with dynamic concepts that contain a clever “hook” and thematic resonance for a target audience. You don’t need movie stars and you don’t need to option a best-selling book and you don’t need a big presence on social media to deliver a hit in the Horror and Thriller genres. You can literally make a profitable film with a great idea and your phone.

Economics aside, here’s why these stories stand out: fear and tension are universal. Everyone harbors primal fears. The fear of the dark. The fear of the dangerous outlier. The fear of your kids being taken from you. The fear of having a curse put on you. The fear of being dismissed due to your age or looks. We’ve all had those nightmares.

You may not be a big fan of horror or thriller stories and you may not really know where to start, but that’s okay, because the modern market for horror and thrillers truly has something for everyone. There are so many subgenres and niche audiences for these stories, and since they consistently prove themselves to be the most reliable types of narratives to find an audience and turn a profit, whether driven by theatrical grosses or online distribution, I know there’s a place for you in this creative space and a story inside you that needs to come out. You just have to take the leap.

And you don’t have to do it alone.

I’ve put together a program that in four weeks, will guide you to come up with a great concept, put it into a killer logline and block out the basics of the story in a tight one-pager. You will learn from established professional writers, directors and producers who will interact directly with you in private zoom calls and give you written notes on your loglines. (And by the way, this is not exclusive to feature filmmakers. You can be developing a short film, a novel, a short story, a web series or a TV series and still benefit from this course. The techniques and principles we will discuss are universal to narrative stories in all forms.)

Our guest speakers have credits like the Final Destination and Cabin Fever franchises and the Blumhouse and Amazon co-production thriller The Manor, and they’ve made films for major platforms like Netflix, Lifetime and Showtime. They’ve turned short films into features, written novels with high-concept thriller premises and worked with top name talent. (Go here to see full bios for our Guest Speakers.)

As for me, your instructor, I’m a former top Story Analyst for major studios and a writing coach and teacher with over two decades of experience. I’ve written on assignment on features, television pilots and short films. I co-wrote a horror short film that was produced and is currently being submitted to film festivals, and already gotten into one. I’m also the author of the Story Maps series of screenwriting books (fyi the Updated Edition of my first book is now available in PDF, exclusively here). My clients and students have sold scripts, won contests and have credits that include HBO, Netflix, Disney, Hulu, Apple TV+ and Sony Pictures, to name a few. One of my clients even won an Oscar. I’ve taught writers of all ages and experience levels, from all walks of life and areas of the world. Writers seek me out to guide them to write their best work. And now, I’ve gathered a roster of great pros from the industry and we’re going to help you create a fantastic concept, logline and one-page synopsis/pitch for a thrilling story of high stakes and escalating suspense.

The Story Maps Horror & Thriller Seminar is a virtual class that runs from March 10 – April 04, 2025 and will be a series of weekly, live video calls with your instructor and several guest speakers with credits that include major franchises at legacy studios like New Line Cinema as well as streaming hits on platforms like Netflix and Amazon. (See their full bios and my endorsements from past students HERE.)

WHAT: THE STORY MAPS HORROR & THRILLER SEMINAR

WHEN: MARCH 10 – APRIL 4, 2025

WHAT YOU GET:

• 9 Live Calls with successful writers, producers and directors with major franchise experience! Ask questions, get answers.
• Workshop your concept and logline with notes from your instructor, your classmates and at least two of our professional speakers.
• 24/7 access to a private Google Classroom where you can create and reply to discussion threads, watch replays of each session and upload your work for feedback. Your instructor is very active in this forum — he personally coordinates the Classroom and posts replies on a daily basis.
• Learn how to mine your own experience as you craft a GREAT STORY using clear, easy-to-use worksheets.
• Finish with a rock-solid logline, full beat sheet and one page pitch/synopsis. At the end of the four weeks, you’ll be ready to write the script or pitch it!
• This is a course created for storytellers (screenwriters, novelists, comic book writers) and filmmakers of all levels and categories (movies, TV, shorts, proofs-of-concept) who are ready to create their breakthrough project!

Here is the SCHEDULE for the course. Live calls will take place on Monday and Friday evenings, Pacific time…

Click to see the Schedule for the class

Other courses with this much exposure to industry talent routinely cost over $600-$700, but the Early Bird price for this course is only $399, and I’ll drop that down to $349 until February 28 only with this link…

I hope we get a chance to work together. Good luck and happy writing,

Daniel Calvisi  

Daniel Calvisi

INSTRUCTOR: DANIEL P. CALVISI is a script doctor, writing coach and the author of Story Maps: How to Write a GREAT Screenplay and Story Maps: TV DRAMA: The Structure of the One-Hour Television Pilot. As a screenwriter, his three most recent writing assignments were on a feature thriller, a one-hour drama pilot and a horror short film, which was produced and will be making the festival rounds this year. Daniel is a former Story Analyst for major studios like Twentieth Century Fox, Miramax Films and New Line Cinema. Many of his coaching clients have worked with the top networks, streamers and studios in the industry, such as Netflix, Max, HBO, Disney, Warner Brothers, Sony, ABC, Showtime, Apple TV+ and more. He has been endorsed by Script Magazine and featured on Indie Film Hustle, Film Courage and L.A. Screenwriter. He holds a degree in Film and Television from New York University.