Seeing Feelingly: A Visual Study in Screenwriting (Ages 18+)

This three-part screenwriting workshop taught by Emily Robyn Clark, an award-winning filmmaker, poet, and singer-songwriter, introduces participants to the art of visual storytelling and the craft of writing an original cinematic scene.
Seeing Feelingly invites filmmakers, writers, and storytellers of all kinds to deepen their understanding of screenwriting by learning the language of visual storytelling. As Gloucester says in King Lear, “I see it feelingly.” This idea is the workshop’s central tenet: an invitation to perceive through both sight and feeling.
In this three-part workshop, participants will be introduced to The Camera’s EyeTM, Emily Robyn Clark’s original approach to screenwriting, in which observation becomes the foundation for visual writing. This workshop focuses on the visual language of cinema: how films communicate, and how to translate these transmissions to the page. A brief historical overview of Hollywood screenwriting will be introduced for context, situating this workshop within a broader cinematic tradition.
Through film clips, screenplay examples, and guided observation exercises, participants will study how a scene reveals character, how images carry emotion, how movement creates meaning, and how atmosphere can shape the viewer’s experience before a single line of dialogue is spoken.
After attending, participants will have developed a more comprehensive understanding of cinematic language so that they can write strong visual scenes.
Participants will leave with observational notes, a dialogue-free scene exercise, a brief visual language reference guide, film and screenplay recommendations for further study, and a practical worksheet they can continue using in their own screenwriting practice. They will also receive Emily's contact information along with a consultation offer discount.
This workshop is designed for writers, filmmakers, screenwriters, and storytellers interested in writing more cinematic, image-driven scenes. It is beginner-friendly and especially useful for writers and filmmakers who want to strengthen their visual storytelling.
Series Structure:
Session One: Seeing Feelingly
Participants will be given a brief introduction to The Camera's EyeTM method, and an overview of Hollywood screenwriting. Participants will study selected film excerpts with attention to image, movement, atmosphere, mise en scène, character through action, and subtext.
Session Two: Cinematic Feeling on the Page
Selected screenplay excerpts will be examined, with attention to how cinematic feeling is constructed on the page. Participants will also receive a brief introduction to basic screenwriting structure and formatting with in-class exercises introducing structure and scene development.
Session Three: Writing the Scene
Participants will apply the workshop concepts through a dynamic group writing exercise, as well as the option for individual writing as time permits. Participants will draft original screenplay scenes and leave with a piece they can continue
developing into a larger work.
Students are encouraged to bring laptops or tablets with basic Word processing and/or screenwriting software with them to class.
Materials Needed by Students:
• Notebook or journal
• Pens or pencils
• Laptop or tablet with word processing or screenwriting software, encouraged
• Any current film, story, character, or scene idea, optional
• A willingness to observe, discuss, experiment, and write
Every Friday, September 11-25 • 5-7pm
Ages: 18 & up
Cost for full series: $ 200 Member / $ 205 Not-Yet-Member
Classes:
Saturday, September 11
Saturday, September 18
Saturday, September 25
Refund Policy:
All classes, workshops, and series offered by the Center for the Arts are non-refundable.
Please email us at [email protected] to be added to the waitlist for any classes.