QUICK START GUIDE A visual walk-through
2 Contents Quick Overview 3 How to Log In 4 How the Website Works 5 How to Get the Next Step 9 Checking Your Account 16 Troubleshooting 19 Need More Help? 20
3 Quick Overview FAST Screenplay is a COMPLETE, step-by-step screenplay development system. It s designed to take you from Point A to Point B: Your idea The sale of your screenplay FAST Screenplay breaks the entire process into 7 distinct phases. Simply move through each phase one step at a time. You learn pro-level skills and knowledge by experience as you create and sell your original screenplay.
4 How to Log In Open your web browser (Chrome, Firefox or Safari recommended) and go to: http://fastscreenplay.com/pre/dashboard/ Enter your Username and Password. (This came in the confirmation email, called FAST Screenplay Membership Information.) PLEASE NOTE: You will NOT receive automatic emails each day. This system is entirely web-based. You must log in to get each step. If you forget your password, use the Re-Send tool on the login page.
5 How the Website Works When you first log in, you will be taken to the Dashboard page:
6 First, watch the Welcome video. It gives you the overview: Next, watch the System Orientation video. It shows you how to get around the website:
7 At the top is the Dashboard. This is how you navigate to the phases: Hover your mouse to highlight a phase. Click it to enter:
8 When you re inside the phase area, you ll see a Phase Orientation video on the right......and the phase Movements on the left. PLEASE NOTE: FAST Screenplay is a step by step system each step builds on what came before. When you first start the system, only the Setup Phase is visible. The other 6 phases will be empty until you complete the steps leading up to them. ALSO NOTE: Each Movement has at least 10 steps, which are revealed as you complete each step. (See next page.)
9 How to Get the Next Step Once you re in the phase area (see page 7), you will see one or more Movements (the dark blue bars shown below). Click the first Movement. In the Setup Phase, it s called Prepare for the Marathon of Writing :
10 Click on a Movement to reveal the steps that are available to you. When you first start FAST Screenplay, you will only see Step 1. To open the step, hover your mouse over the title so it turns light blue. Then click on the title to expand the step s contents:
11 To access your step, click the Article & Exercise link: This will open your step on a new page: 1.) Read the Article to understand it (don t worry about mastering its details). 2.) Complete the exercise in the section labeled Today s Step (it usually includes a PDF). 3.) Record your experience in a journal or on the forum.
12 IMPORTANT! When you ve completed the step, be sure to click the Step Completed button in the phase area. This is what triggers the release of the next step the following day. A tick mark will appear in the title bar to remind you where you are in the process.
13 IMPORTANT NOTE: Steps are released by 10am Sydney time each day. (Click here to see what time that is in your part of the world.) If you don t click the Step Completed button by 10am Sydney time, you will not receive a step until the following day. If you do... then at 10am Sydney time the next day, your next step will appear beneath the previous step. Each day s step follows until you reach the end of the Movement......when your next step will be found in the next Movement. The final step in each phase will be a FASTtrack step.
14 Here s what the completed Setup Phase will look like:
15 As you fly through new projects, you can easily zoom in on the detail you need.
16 Checking Your Account On the upper right of the navigation menu, you ll see a link that reads You are logged in as [Your Username] Click that to go to your Member Profile page:
17 In the Member Details box, you can update: 1.) your member details, 2.) your password, and 3.) your avatar. (Note that avatars are part of the forum software, and thus are unfortunately available to paid members only).
18 The Subscription Info box shows you the expiration date of your current subscription. You can upgrade, renew, or get unlimited lifetime access by clicking the Upgrade or Renew button. You will then be taken to a secure payment page. Your Progress Indicator shows you where you are in the system. As you complete the steps and the phases, you move step by step to the sale, and your professional screenwriting career.
19 Troubleshooting Here are answers to some common problems: Can t log in? Be sure you are using the correct URL, username and password. See page 4 of this guide. Can t see the videos? Please be sure you are using a web browser that can view iframes. Our player is the current basic standard and should be viewable across all platforms and formats, including mobile. Can t access the steps? Please follow the instructions in this guide on pages 7-13. Didn t get a step you were expecting? Please be sure to click the Step Completed button before 10am Sydney time each day. That triggers the release of a new step. If you did not receive a step you were expecting, you may have missed the deadline. Be sure to determine your local time when it s 10am in Sydney. If a step is not released, and the button is checked, you will receive the step the following day. Other difficulties? If you re having any problems not covered in this guide, or you need help of any kind, please contact us directly.
20 Need More Help? FAST Screenplay is our passion project. We created it for you, the emerging screenwriter to help you turn your ideas into screenplay producers like us can really use. We re here to help, in any way we can. Don t struggle reach out! If you re a paid member, use the Forum. If not, use the Contact Us link on the website. If all else fails, email us on help@fastscreenplay.com And remember to take action daily... and enjoy the process!