1st lesson free
Christopher's profile and their contact details have been verified by our experts
Christopher
- Rate $50
- Response 1h
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Students1
Number of students Christopher has taught since their arrival at Superprof
Number of students Christopher has taught since their arrival at Superprof
$50/h
Contact
1st lesson free
- English
Emmy Award Winning writer will help you with your story-telling skills, creating a compelling narrative that includes comprehensive structuring of the three act format this is used in all genres.
- English
Lesson location
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At Christopher's house: New Hope
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About Christopher
Born and raised in Diego, I began my professional acting career at the Old Globe Theater Shakespeare Festival. I studied at NYU and also with Stella Adler and at Circle in the Square. After completing my MFA in acting, I moved to LA where I sold my first spec screenplay. I have decades of experience working and teaching screenwriting and playwriting. I taught at UCLA extension for 10 years. I have also taught at The College of New Jersey and The Solebury School in Bucks County, PA.
I am coming out of retirement because I miss teaching.
What former students say:
“Chris Canaan is a phenomenal instructor who possesses unmatched passion for teaching and sharing his love for movies, screenwriting, and life. He taught me to dig deep into myself and into the story I want to tell. His class is educational and his charm and wit make it entertaining as well. My writing has improved considerably since taking his class.”
Jason Ancona – UCLA EXTENSION student, 2004 Graduate Bradley University
I first met Chris during a UCLA Extension class and I remember during the break, I told him I was on the fence about taking the class and he persuaded me to give it a go. Persuasiveness was just one of the arrows in his quiver and I’m lucky to have experienced his full fusillade. I remember calling Chris and talking to him about assembling a post-UCLA Extension screenwriter’s group and without hesitation and with enthusiasm he said “Let’s do it!”
Chris always has that conspiratorial glint in his eye that makes you want to be on his side. He’s a stellar storyteller who knows that characters are the guts and glue of storytelling. He encourages students and has an uncanny ability to diagnose with scalpel-sharp precision—always careful to keep the heart of a story intact and beating. Learning from him makes me a better screenwriter and having him as a friend makes me a very lucky person.
David Beran, UCLA Extension student, 2005, Screenwriter
Everything I know about screenwriting, I know because of Chris Canaan.
He broke down the barriers and demystified the myths of screenwriting by applying his “real world” knowledge and years of experience in the business in his teaching. He makes screenplay structure understandable, and taught me how to apply structure to the story I want to tell. He has taught me to probe the depths of character, making me see and create characters that are unique and compelling. My characters now have a beating heart, all because of Chris. Also, Chris has given me the tools to change my destiny. I am now a student at the American Film Institute, getting my Masters in Screenwriting. I attribute my success at the AFI because of what Chris has taught me. His knowledge was a foundation that has made me competitively light years ahead of my classmates. I thank him so much for everything I have achieved.
Melissa Nowak, UCLA EXTENSION student, 2004 Graduate University of Kansas, MFA Candidate AFI
"Chris Canaan, while reminding us of the classical elements of drama, insisted that a screenplay, no matter how well-structured, must come from the writer's heart. By sharing his own experience of writing successful scripts, Chris created a safe environment in which screenplays grew from vague ideas to vivid, credible scripts. I can't wait to take his class again."
Wesley Harris, UCLA EXTENSION Student 2003, MFA Candidate University of New Orleans.
“Chris has a unique way of shaping your story as he culls the elements that are essential to the core of good screenwriting. His combination of emotional fervor and structural expertise were invaluable. And… his classes are a whole lot of fun. I have not met another teacher so truly committed in his students development as writers.
Donna Sozio, 2003, Graduate of San Diego State
“I've been a student of Chris's for over a year, and continue to grow as writer. He constantly finds news ways to approach my material,
forcing me to look at so many different aspects of my story and my
writing. I feel that I have discovered so much under his tutelage, and
yet I know I still have so much more to learn. I look forward to my
next workshop with him, for I know my work will be viewed in a safe
environment, with a critical, but fair eye, and for the sole purpose of
making me a better writer.”
Laura Salisbury, student 2003, 2005 Graudaute of UCLA EXTENSION University
“Flying in the face of the dictum “Those who can’t do, teach” is Chris Canaan. Who knows how Chris finds the time to write three screenplays, two novels, and a TV miniseries, while driving to UCLA EXTENSION once a week from Thousand Oaks! Who knows how he manages to read reams of these student pages without shoving a shotgun into his tonsils? And who knows how he can be so accommodating and encouraging and insightful and wise.”
Ed Gines, UCLA EXTENSION Student 2002, Graduate of Long Beach State
Chris wants to see every writer he works with succeed. His non-threatening classroom environment and individual attention really helped this tentative writer open up her emotions and become a more confident in her writing.
--Maeve Murphy, UCLA EXTENSION student, 2001, graduate University of Illinois
“Chris, your class turned out to be above and beyond my expectations and your personal style of teaching suite me well. Not only did I walk away from you class feeling as though I got my feet wet in screenwriting, but your comical personality kept me amused the whole time. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun in class. Thank you.”
-- Carla R. Johnson, UCLA EXTENSION student, 1997
“Chris, I thoroughly enjoyed your class. It was funny, enlightening and illuminating on may different levels. You are an artist, and your insights into the are to screenwriting were invaluable. And you were always respectful, even gentle when you critiqued student work. Your comments were always positive helpful and encouraging. You are a warm, genuine person and an accomplished practitioner of your craft. Thanks for your effort.”
-- James Kavanaugh, UCLA EXTENSION student, 1997
Chris Canaan teaches an excellent class, sharing his experience and skill as a professional writer in a dynamic, engaging fashion. Furthermore, he relates to each individual student and carries them forward with consistent, hands-on, enthusiastic teaching, employing specific guidance in the essentials of this coded art form.
--P. Davanzo, MD, Assistant, Professor of Psychiatry, UCLA EXTENSION School of Medicine. Student 2003
“My experience in Chris' class was an amazing introduction into the art of screenwriting. I found the advice of a proven writer to be extremely valuable. He was very involved in the class and put his heart into each students development as a writer, both in and outside the classroom.”
Fred Michaels, Tulane Graduate
Know thy characters. There’s the gospel according to Chris. Before I took his class, I hadn’t realized how much character, alive with personal detail and roiling with emotion, can influence story. Where does the emotion come from? It comes from us, our experiences, fears, hopes, the endless streams of our consciousness.
Chris encourages his students to ground their characters in their heart and gut, watch as they make their own decisions and they do then marvel as the story runs down roads we hadn’t yet mapped. His is not a by-the-numbers workshop; it digs to get at the real stuff, the instinctual stuff. It’s a great learning experience, and his positively and commitment to the process continue to inspire me.
Larry Terenzi, M.A. Journalism, NYU
I first met Chris during a UCLA Extension class and I remember during the break, I told him I was on the fence about taking the class and he persuaded me to give it a go. Persuasiveness was just one of the arrows in his quiver and I’m lucky to have experienced his full fusillade. I remember calling Chris and talking to him about assembling a post-UCLA Extension screenwriter’s group and without hesitation and with enthusiasm he said “Let’s do it!”
Chris always has that conspiratorial glint in his eye that makes you want to be on his side. He’s a stellar storyteller who knows that characters are the guts and glue of storytelling. He encourages students and has an uncanny ability to diagnose with scalpel-sharp precision—always careful to keep the heart of a story intact and beating. Learning from him makes me a better screenwriter and having him as a friend makes me a very lucky person.
David Beran, UCLA Extension student, 2005, Screenwriter
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About the lesson
- All Levels
- English
All languages in which the lesson is available :
English
We watch and discuss film that demonstrate the clear relationship between theme, character development, conflict and resolution
Students will also craft an outline for a play or screenplay that incorporates the fundamentals of story telling and be prepared to present the story.
Having worked in the entertainment industry for decades and having worked with major players like Michael Mann, George Lucas and Pierce Brosnan, and having been a co-creator of "Walker: Texas Ranger," my approach is practical not theoretical
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Rates
Rate
- $50
Pack rates
- 5h: $250
- 10h: $500
free lessons
This first lesson offered with Christopher will allow you to get to know each other and clearly specify your needs for your next lessons.
- 1hr
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