According to film industry creatives Joshua L. Ritter and Joe Salwen, authors of the Levenger Master Class How to Write a Screenplay workbook, note cards are an essential for keeping ideas flowing as you develop and outline your screen story, beat by beat. This set of 140 specially formatted index cards includes 70 Scene cards and 70 Notes cards. Configure and reconfigure your cards to test out your story and see how it flows.
Pro Tip: According to Josh and Joe, the best way to use your note cards is to group them by act. Set out your cards so that Acts I, II and III are separated visually allowing you to focus on each act independently. Learn more in their Master Class workbook.
About the Authors
Joshua L. Ritter grew up in Boulder, Colorado, as the youngest of four siblings. He double-majored at the University of Arizona, earning a BA in film and television and a BS in speech, language, and hearing sciences. Driven by his love of science fiction, Joshua also completed a minor in astronomy, which often plays a major role in science fiction. It’s a passion that still inspires him today—just ask his dog, Mars (pictured with Josh)! Joshua has a proven track record as both an entertainment executive and a screenwriter. He was a core part of the development team behind three Netflix films that hit No.1 globally: Outside the Wire, The Weekend Away, and End of the Road. He has extensive production experience on set, advancing from his first job on Big Brother to working on big-budget movies like Night Teeth. As a creative executive at Sustainable Imagination, Joshua developed projects under the company’s first-look deal with Lionsgate. During his tenure, he oversaw the Peacock film If You Were the Last, and helped package Miramax’s Scandalous! starring Sydney Sweeney. Joshua’s screenwriting career kicked off after he placed in several screenplay competitions, including the Austin Film Festival and the Hollywood Screenplay Contest. In 2024, Joshua optioned a screenplay that he co-wrote for Dimension Studio/DNEG.
Joe Salwen is a creative, producer, and executive who has been credited on titles ranging from Academy Award-winning theatrical releases to commercially successful streaming hits on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. He graduated from Northwestern University with a BA in screenwriting. Joe has developed and produced films across genres, ranging from sports dramas to creature features, true crime, dramedies, sci-fi, and action thrillers. His recent credits include Brady Corbet’s three-time Oscar-winning epic The Brutalist, starring Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, and Guy Pearce; and Amazon’s My Fault: London, a breakout hit that led to the commissioning of two sequels. Prior to that, Joe was a production executive at the management and production company 42, where he oversaw the British Independent Film Award winner The Silent Twins in addition to other titles. Joe splits his time between LA and London, where he lives with his Pomeranian, Arlo (pictured with Joe).
Meet your Master Class screenplay gurus on our Well-Read Life™ blog.
