Aspiring movie writers can learn some tricks of the trade at the Screenwriters Boot Camp, held August 8-14 at The Inn on University Avenue in Des Moines.

Ron Peterson, a professional screenwriter from New York City, is set to instruct the annual seminar at the request of Shirley Long, a self-employed writer and co-founder of the Iowa Motion Picture Association.

Long said the camp portion of the week-long event is designed to provide intensive, one-on-one interaction with a screenwriter who is actually in the business.

“We call it not a retreat — not a sabbatical, but a real boot camp,” Long said. The camp begins with a two-day seminar titled “Screenwriting in Depth,” followed by the boot camp.

People of all ages and abilities are encouraged to attend the seminar portion. During those first two days, Peterson teaches participants how to write and sell a screenplay. Those who go on to spend the rest of the week with Peterson work with him personally to develop their movie ideas into scripts that will reach one of four goals:

• to be presented to a Hollywood agent, manager, producer or studio;

• to be submitted to a festival such as Robert Redford’s Sundance Festival, the Austin Festival or the Great Plains Festival;

• to be entered in a competition such as the Nicholl Fellowship, sponsored by the American Film Institute;

• to be produced independently.

Long said after students work with Peterson during the boot camp, they correspond with him via phone and mail to bring the screenplay to a presentable status.

“[Peterson] takes them from A to Z on how to write a movie,” she said.

Long said Peterson was weary at first about coming to Iowa and instructing Midwestern writers.

Peterson grew up on Long Island and went to Colombia University. Long said he had some misconceptions about the Iowan lifestyle.

After coming to Iowa, however, Peterson is eager to instruct Iowa’s “starving artists,” Long said.

“He really appreciates Iowa’s writers,” she said. “He likes Iowans a lot now.”

The number of writers able to attend the boot camp is limited to a minimum of five and a maximum of 11.

Long said the restriction is not intended to exclude anyone, but that Peterson can only give individual attention to 11 people in that time frame.

However, any number of people can come to the seminar August 8 and 9, she said.

Long said the seminar and boot camp attract a wide variety of people.

“We always have an interesting collection of characters,” she said.

There are no prerequisites to attend the seminar or camp.

“[Participants] can have no idea, just an idea, or a complete first draft,” Long said. “We have very experienced people and total beginners.”

She said being inexperienced will not have an ill effect on how much is learned at the seminar.

“If you’ve never written a movie and don’t have the faintest clue, you’ll know by Sunday afternoon,” she said.

To be selected to participate in the boot camp, either a draft of the screenplay or a summary of an idea must be sent to Long.

“I read it all, I analyze it and I discuss it with Ron,” she said. “Once we reach 11 with workable ideas, we stop.”

Long said they have currently selected six boot campers.

Those participants receive instruction at Long’s house but stay either at home, with friends or in motels.

Long said she recommends that people without movie ideas just attend the weekend seminar. She said anyone who attends will have a movie idea by the end of the seminar.

“Often a first screenplay is something growing out of a person’s own life,” Long said.

The fee for the seminar is $198 at the door or $148 with pre-registration. The fee includes four meals and a 60-page workbook with writing samples and pertinent information.

Long said in bigger cities Peterson charges as much as $600 for his weekend seminars.

“If you come to this, it would blow you away,” she said.