Twelve Saturdays. One feature.
Learn how to write screenplays for the budgets indie producers actually funding.
JAN 9 – MAR 27, 2027 + 12 SATURDAYS 10am, PT / 2pm, ET + 3 HOURS
The Whale, shot in one apartment. The Holdovers, a boarding school in winter. Obsession — half a million dollars that returned seventy-five times its cost. These weren’t accidents and they weren’t compromises. They were screenplays written by writers who understood that the budget is part of the craft. You’ve felt it from the audience side. Now you’re the one at the keyboard.
The studios aren’t the only ones buying anymore. Indie producers and smaller investors are hungry for features they can actually get made — and the writers who hand them a shootable script are the ones getting the calls. This workshop is where you learn to write that script.
Here’s what we’ll build together:
Budget as Creative Constraint
Not a limitation — the force that produces the discipline every great screenplay already has.
Location Economy
One location, many looks. Fewer places, deeper rooms. How to write a whole world without needing one.
Visual Storytelling Matters
Write what the camera sees. Earn every line of dialogue by showing first.
The Producer’s Mindset
Shoot days, cast size, dollars. See every page through the eyes of the person writing the check.
A 110-page first-draft screenplay, a polished logline, and a one-paragraph elevator pitch — a complete package ready to send to the producers, competitions, and reps you’ve been waiting to be ready for.
You don’t need a finished draft to show up. You don’t need to have sold anything. You don’t need to know what “breakage” means or whether your idea is a feature yet. Most writers who join arrive with a one- or two-line concept and build out from there. If you have a draft you want to rework, bring it. If you have an outline, bring it. If you have a stubborn image that won’t leave you alone, that counts, too. The course is built to challenge writers at every level individually, and we calibrate in the first weeks.
You’re learning low-budget from someone who has produced it, written it, and taught it. Diana has produced for television and film, written for the screen, published novels and short fiction, run multiple series as showrunner, built the award-winning screenwriting program at Missouri State University, and run over 1,000+ hours of online writing workshop.
I’m an award-winning, Top 10/bestselling novelist looking to add screenplays to my portfolio. I took my first class with Diana Botsford in summer of 2025 (How to Convert Your Novel into a Screenplay) and immediately signed up for the next (TV Pilot), then the next (Revising the TV Pilot).
Her experience and preparation shine through in every lesson. She knows her stuff and is able to dissect your work on multiple levels (marketability as well as writing quality). I’m on her mailing list and keeping an eye open for the next class I can take from her.
“Being in the workshops made the dreaded blank page feel less intimidating. The collaboration and exercises got my creative brain moving and the ideas flowing. Setting aside time to write can be difficult (especially with young children) but Diana’s workshops make it all worth while.”
Flat Workshop Fee, Flexible Payment
| Workshop (12 weeks) | Price |
|---|---|
| Early Bird — through December 15, 2026 | $385 (15% off) |
| Full Price — December 16 onward | $450 |
| Post-Course Instructor Analysis (optional) | +$95 |
Payment plans available:
- Pay in full upon approval
- 3 installments (upon approval, Week 5, Week 9)
- Weekly payments across the course
Questions
Who is this workshop for?
All backgrounds and levels of experience welcome. The course is designed to challenge everyone individually at a level determined in the early weeks of the workshop.
Do I need a completed script to join?
An idea at the minimum. If you have something you’d like to rework — a script or outline — by all means, bring it. The majority of participants tend to enter with a one- to two-line concept that they develop as the work progresses.
What exactly do you mean by “low-budget”?
From $0 to $5 million, leaning more toward the $500K / $3M / $5M tiers. You’ll learn to write across that sliding scale and understand which choices land you in which tier.
Is this for features, shorts, or TV pilots?
Features only.
How much writing will I be doing between sessions?
Expect to write 10 to 15 pages weekly.
What’s the $95 add-on, and when do I decide?
The $95 add-on is a final review pass offered for those who want a last check before they plan their next step — which usually is a rewrite. It’s billed after the workshop concludes, so you don’t need to decide at registration.
What if I miss a Saturday session?
Sessions are recorded. If you’re unable to attend but have pages, send them to the instructor and they will be workshopped with feedback that you can access later in the recording.
How does the Early Bird discount work?
The Early Bird discount is available until December 15, 2026. Register before then to lock in $382.50. After December 15, the price increases to the full $450.
What’s your refund policy?
No refunds unless the course is cancelled by the instructor. Remember, you have the option to pay weekly as you go — so if at any point you feel the need to step out, you just stop paying (and notify the instructor, of course).
Can I talk to you first to see if it’s a good fit?
Yes! I’m more than happy to meet online with anyone who has questions. Just contact me and you’ll hear back within 24 hours.
Enrollment is capped at 10 writers. Early Bird pricing locks in through December 15, 2026. The newsletter list hears first.
Write Past the Gatekeepers
REGISTRATION NOW OPEN: Writing the Low Budget Feature Workshop
Twelve Saturdays. One feature. Learn how to write screenplays for the budgets indie producers actually fund.JAN 9 – MAR 27, 2027 12 SATURDAYS 10am, PT / 2pm, ET + 3 HOURS