Narrative Labs

Stowe Narrative Lab: June 1-4, 2023 (stowe, VT)

Sidewalk Narrative Lab: August 23-26, 2023 (Birmingham, AL)

Please note dates and locations subject to change.

"SAGindie is so excited for our continued partnership with Stowe Story Labs. Uplifting underrepresented artists is a mandate we take seriously, and the Stowe Story Labs/SAGindie fellowship is a great way to nurture diverse voices within the film industry."

Darrien Michel Gipson, Executive Director SAGindie and Creative Producer

The SAGindie Fellowship is dedicated to emerging filmmakers of color working to break down barriers to entry in our complex industry. Read more about the SAGindie Fellowship to the Stowe Narrative Lab here. Apply for all fellowship, labs, retreats, partial scholarshipshere.

Our four-day intensive programs feature:

  • Skill development and focus on story structure, character, and theme; conversation about story; packaging; elements of creative production; casting; adaptation; and finance and distribution

  • Direct access to working industry professionals, top in their fields

  • Opportunities to build knowledge, skills, and insights to navigate the film industry

  • A network of talented peers, vital in this collaborative art and business

  • Peer-to-Peer script note sessions

  • Workshop, roundtable, and social time

  • A beautiful setting to develop your craft!

“I had a silent breakthrough on my own script, laughed, learned, and enjoyed.”

—Kim Dempster (New York)

 

“I hope to be able to assimilate even a fraction of what I learned into my work.”

—Nelson Dowend (New York)

Each Lab is limited in size. We look for applicants who demonstrate talent, a fantastic story idea, and a commitment to learning skills necessary to get work made and seen in this complex and collaborative industry. At the labs, mentors do not offer script notes on each project but instead focus on story structure, theme, character, and genre. We do build structured peer-to-peer script note groups.

Our host of top industry mentors is listed here and includes:

  • Award-winning, UK-based Creative Producer Alex Boden (Cloud Atlas, Sense8)

  • Academy Award-winning Screenwriter and Producer David Magee (Finding Neverland, Life of Pi)

  • Award-winning Writer and Director Shari Lynette Carpenter (Queen Sugar, Single Black Female)

  • Academy Award-nominated Creative Producer Amy Hobby (Secretary, What Happened Miss Simone?)

The fee to attend a Four-Day Narrative Lab is $2,600, which also covers some meals and receptions. We offer 14 full fee fellowships covering fees to the Lab and more, as well as dozens of partial scholarships (based on need and merit). No separate application is required to apply for fellowships or scholarships. The fee to attend the lab does not include travel or lodging, although we are able to offer participants good discounts on rooms, many of which include full breakfast, through our lodging partners. You will not need a car during the program.

Get to Know Our Partner:

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Stowe Story Labs is proud to partner with the Sidewalk Film Festival, a nationally recognized festival based in Birmingham, Alabama. Sidewalk is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and in addition to the Film Festival, it offers the SHOUT LGBTQ Film Festival and other critical year-round programming in the Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema. The Festival showcases the work of more than 250 filmmakers and welcomes 15,000 film lovers to Birmingham annually.

Acclaim for Sidewalk:

"Top 50 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee" —MovieMaker Magazine (2017)

"Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World" —MovieMaker Magazine (2015, 2014)

"Top 10 Places for a Fabulous Film Festival" —USA Today (2013)

Here is a typical agenda:

Day 1: - Introductions and icebreaking - Workshop: Conversation About Story - Story development - Group table meetings: theme and character - Working lunch and dinner, and evening “In Conversation” interview with industry mentor

Day 2: - Small group sessions: pitching - Story structure - casting - Workshop: logline and synopsis - Pitching at lunch, working dinner, and evening “In Conversation” interview with industry mentor

Day 3: - Presentation and discussion on production process - Presentation and discussion on traditional and innovative finance, sales and distribution systems - Facilitated peer-to-peer story notes - Working lunch, farewell dinner and drinks, screening, and mentor Q&A

Day 4: - Small group story discussions - Navigating competitions, festivals, and markets. - Polishing pitches, loglines, and synopses - Sad and long farewells. - Optional "it's over but we don't want to go" dinner

Each Day: - Mix of peer-to-peer script note tables and mentor-run pitch tables - Focused workshop time on elements of development - Focused workshop time on why this story, why now, why you?

“Stowe Story Labs not only inspired a breakthrough idea for a script that I've been stuck rewriting for a long time, it also introduced me to a community of like-minded people whose notes and suggestions on other projects have been invaluable. Stowe's a pretty cool place to do it, too.”

—Jeffrey Field (Kansas City)

“I had such an incredible time at the labs…Thank you for the insights, wisdom, community, fun, and challenges! What an addictive combination.”

—Anita Ross (New Zealand)