Writers Lab
WHEN: Some regional branches (NYC, UK) usually have one Writers Lab a month and Los Angeles, our flagship region, has 1-2 a month on Wednesday nights. (Currently our Florida and San Francisco branches are on hiatus but will be back soon!) Our NZ branch will have at least one Writers Lab each quarter in 2022! Check the calendar for the date of the next writers lab near you!
WHERE: We are slowly re-introducing in-person events in 2022, but most labs are still being held virtually. All our regional branches host Writers Labs in addition to our Los Angeles HQ. Check the calendar for the latest virtual and in-person schedule!
WHAT: Writers Labs are focused on providing a venue for fresh pages to be read by professional actors — with the aim of encouraging the writers and exploring the material as a precursor to pre-production, whether it be for a short film, a spec pilot, or a feature film. It’s also a place for writers, actors, directors, creatives and multi-hyphenates to get together and maybe meet a few people worth working with. While we try to prioritize submissions from the region's local community, we are always looking for new writers and actors and so feel free to submit to our virtual labs from anywhere in the world! As always, every WMM event is free and open to anyone to watch and participate by giving feedback to the writers.
HOW: We do a staged reading of 4-6 original script submissions (up to 15 pages for free members, up to 20 pages for Silver members, and up to 30 pages for Gold members) at each Writers Lab. The pieces can be shorts, or excerpts from larger works. Each script is cast ahead of time by WMM (casting suggestions from the writers are taken into consideration, but cannot be guaranteed) from our large community of professional actors. The audience then provides feedback to the writer after each piece is read.
WRITERS: Concerned about copyright or IP issues when submitting your work to a lab? Check out our blog which explains how you can submit your script with peace of mind!
We Make Movies is an inclusive community open to artists of all ages, races, ethnicities, sexual orientation, and sexes. It’s our value that we want everyone to “make the movie they want to see” and so it is our policy that we do not censor or cherry-pick which scripts are read during our workshops. Our goal is that by having an open door policy we will allow writers of all backgrounds and experience levels a platform to improve and grow. However, we realize that this policy can also allow for content that is objectionable or offensive to be read. So, we ALSO believe that the same no-censorship policy applies to our audience and they should feel free to dissent, turn down roles, and be empowered to speak their mind freely back to the writers in a constructive and respectful way. Our hope is that by not being another “gate-keeper” that merely rejects people without explanation, this community will actually enlighten artists to how or why their content isn’t being received.
WRITERS: Please fill out the submission form to submit your script into the queue for the branch you'd like to attend below.
ACTORS: To be considered for the staged reading, please fill out the corresponding submission form for your branch by the WEDNESDAY before the workshop. If you RSVP’d and need to withdraw, please email [email protected].
Working on a feature length screenplay? You can also hire us to host a full, virtual reading of your feature here.
SF Writers Lab (On Hiatus)
Florida Writers Lab (On Hiatus)
Submissions are currently free for all labs except LA. Fees for LA are: $5 for scripts up to 7 pages, $10 for all scripts above 7 pages. You must also include a detailed breakdown of all the speaking characters with your script.
Bonus: While we're virtual we can all bring our own booze, soda and snacks to the party!
Questions? Email us at [email protected]
Writers Lab
WHEN: Each regional branch (NYC, Orlando, San Francisco, UK) usually has one writers lab a month and our Los Angeles HQ has 1-2 a month on Wednesday nights. Check the calendar for the date of the next writers lab!
WHERE: We are slowly re-introducing in-person events in 2022, but most labs are still being held virtually. All our regional branches host Writers Labs in addition to our Los Angeles HQ. Check the calendar for the latest virtual and in-person schedule!
WHAT: Writers Labs are focused on providing a venue for fresh pages to be read by professional actors — with the aim of encouraging the writers and exploring the material as a precursor to pre-production, whether it be for a short film, a spec pilot, or a feature film. It’s also a place for writers, actors, directors, creatives and multi-hyphenates to get together and maybe meet a few people worth working with. While we try to prioritize submissions from the LA community we are always looking for new writers and actors and so feel free to submit to our virtual labs from anywhere in the world! As always, every WMM event is free and open to anyone to watch and participate by giving feedback to the writers.
HOW: We do a staged reading of 4-6 original script submissions (15 pages or less per submission to keep the night varied) at each Writers Lab. The pieces can be shorts, or excerpts from larger works. Each script is cast ahead of time by WMM (casting suggestions from the writers are taken into consideration, but cannot be guaranteed) from our large community of professional actors. The audience then provides feedback to the writer after each piece is read.
We Make Movies is an inclusive community open to artists of all ages, races, ethnicities, sexual orientation, and sexes. It’s our value that we want everyone to “make the movie they want to see” and so it is our policy that we do not censor or cherry-pick which scripts are read during our workshops. Our goal is that by having an open door policy we will allow writers of all backgrounds and experience levels a platform to improve and grow. However, we realize that this policy can also allow for content that is objectionable or offensive to be read. So, we ALSO believe that the same no-censorship policy applies to our audience and they should feel free to dissent, turn down roles, and be empowered to speak their mind freely back to the writers in a constructive and respectful way. Our hope is that by not being another “gate-keeper” that merely rejects people without explanation, this community will actually enlighten artists to how or why their content isn’t being received.
ACTORS: To be considered for the staged reading, please fill out the corresponding submission form for your branch by the WEDNESDAY before the workshop. If you RSVP’d and need to withdraw, please email [email protected].
WRITERS: Please fill out the submission form to submit your script into the queue for the branch you'd like to attend:
We also accept shorter scripts (up to seven pages) which are $5 per submission (as opposed to the regular $10). You must also include a detailed breakdown of all the speaking characters with your script.
Bonus: While we're virtual we can all bring our own booze, soda and snacks to the party!
Questions? Email us at [email protected]
