Lessons from Sundance 2025 Part 2

Excerpt: In this episode, we'll be analyzing two more extraordinary films from Sundance 2025, this time with a focus on genre: Together and Didn't Die. We’ll be exploring how these filmmakers use horror and zombie genres to tackle profound questions about human connection, relationships, and finding hope in challenging times.  We'll explore how to externalize psychological concepts within elevated genre movies, how to find fresh approaches to familiar story structures, and how to transform budget limitations into creative strengths. Most importantly, we'll examine how each film grew from personal questions that demanded answers: How do we navigate attachment and intimacy? How do we find hope in a seemingly hopeless world? How do we protect what we love when everything around us is falling apart. What you'll learn: * How to write elevated horror and elevated zombie genre screenplays * An approach to turn psychological concepts into compelling visual metaphors * How compelling screenplays can emerge from our deepest questions * Creating characters that reveal themselves naturally within elevated genre films * How to create works that resonate on both genre and emotional levels * Ways to make familiar genres feel fresh and personal * Techniques for finding hope in dark narratives * Methods for balancing structure with creative spontaneity * Strategies for making technical choices serve emotional truth * Using small character moments to illuminate bigger themes * Form and function in screenplay structure * Internal conflict externalization techniques * How to differentiate genre scripts * Theme development in screenwriting * Writing authentic character dynamics * Character development techniques in screenwriting * Genre subversion in screenplays * Writing compelling character arcs * And much more! Join Jake for free every Thursday night at Thursday Night Writes, RSVP here and check all of our classes!