Publishing

Tune into live conversations with authors, editors, and literary agents sharing their journeys and expertise in the world of publishing.

Screenwriting

Watch live panels featuring screenwriters as they break down their techniques for crafting compelling scripts and navigating the entertainment industry.

Filmmaking

Discover live streaming events where directors, producers, and cinematographers discuss the creative and technical processes behind their films.
April 1, 2025

Spies, Lies, and the Secrets We Keep – Spy fiction, what is it and how do we write it?

In this 2-part event, get a a deeper understanding of what makes a novel fall into the spy fiction genre, as well as how to write stories that possess the basic elements of spy novels. The principles also apply to thriller and mystery genres.

Book Pipeline

Book Pipeline connects writers to publishers, agents, and the film industry through competitions and workshops, providing hands-on support to bridge the gap between emerging authors and the industry since 2014.

Script Pipeline

Script Pipeline connects writers with producers, agents, and managers, facilitating over $8 million in sales through competitions and ongoing industry support, helping launch major films and secure high-profile representation since 1999.

Film Pipeline

Film Pipeline connects filmmakers and writers with agencies and executives, focusing on diverse storytelling and playing an active role in developing and promoting projects, reviewing thousands of submissions annually since its launch in 2018.

Writing to Budget

Recorded

August 5, 2024

Duration

1.5 Hours

Cost

$35

Subjects

Filmmaking, Screenwriting

Topics

Business, Craft

If you want to be a professional screenwriter you need to realize a couple of things.

  1. 95% of a screenwriter’s income come from works for hire. Rewrites, adaptations, writing for hire.
  2. Each one of those jobs comes with a budget to write to.

Every time you get a writing assignment of any kind it comes with what the budget for the film is, and you are expected to write to that budget. Every writer at some point gets these same limitations.

You either learn to write to them or they hire someone else who can.

There are a lot of ways to write to budget while still being as creative as you can be. You just need to learn them.

Bob Saenz will share the tips he personally uses to write to budget.

What Attendees Have Said ...

 "Great insight from a business professional! A well presented webinar that stuck to the topic plus Q&A at the end."

"Bob gave detailed examples of what is important to know about budgets when writing a script. His book, That's Not the Way It's Done, summarized some things I had not learned in my multitude of writing classes. This webinar on budgets taught even more things I would not have thought of, such as the cost of moving trucks from location to location. I always look for his Sunday posts on Facebook. He's definitely a working expert."

"Loved the detailed explanations and honesty."

Host

Bob Saenz
Bob Saenz is a screenwriter living in Nashville, with 21 credited produced films. Works include the comedy, Extracurricular Activities, Help for the Holidays, Rescuing Madison, A Christmas Star, The Right Girl, Sound of Christmas, Church People, The Christmas Yule Blog and The Farmer and the Belle. He regularly does rewrites and polishes on film and TV projects for Producers […]

Education for creators.

Join Symposium for notifications about upcoming events hosted by professionals in film, TV, publishing, and beyond.
Privacy Policy

Upcoming Events

April 1, 2025

Spies, Lies, and the Secrets We Keep – Spy fiction, what is it and how do we write it?

In this 2-part event, get a a deeper understanding of what makes a novel fall into the spy fiction genre, as well as how to write stories that possess the basic elements of spy novels. The principles also apply to thriller and mystery genres.
April 16, 2025

How to Build Pitch Decks for Development and Inspiration

Maya will walk you through the importance of this document and break down the different components needed for your deck to truly stand out from the rest. No design experience necessary—you’ll get plenty of her best tips and tricks from her many years and expertise as a graphic artist (and no, you do NOT need to use A.I. ...)

Latest Streaming

March 18, 2025

Writing for Comics

In this session with comic writer and founder of Avina Comics John Avina you will learn how to tell stories in a sequential manner, and write for not only your audience but also for an artist. John will cover panel layouts, budgeting space for dialogue and telling a character arc across one issue. The goal […]
March 11, 2025

Writing Great Dialogue

Writing believable, compelling dialogue is one of the hardest parts of constructing fictional narrative. Julia F. Green will guide you through how to create great dialogue, including hands-on exercises.
March 4, 2025

Writing Your Second Draft: Elevating Your Story

After an author types “the end” on the first draft of a novel, the real work is about to begin. You’ve heard the adage that writing is revising, and that’s largely true. The difficulty is knowing how to begin the revision process. Where do you start? How do you identify weaknesses in your first draft? Is there a right way and a wrong way to go about this? 

Symposium, presented by Pipeline Artists, is a year-round virtual conference empowering creatives with honest, no-nonsense guidance across the arts. Through seminars, industry panels, and Town Hall discussions on screenwriting, filmmaking, publishing, and career-building, Symposium offers grounded advice from working professionals to help you forge your own unique path.

© 2025 Pipeline Artists