Class in session, kids. Matt and Ross Duffer, better known as the Duffer Brothers and creators of Netflix's hit series Stranger Things, have partnered with MasterClass online to bring fans and aspiring television creators something special, Variety reports. In a series of 18 videos, totaling over 5 hours, the Duffer Brothers are sitting down to intimately share their experience creating an original and successful television series. Fans and creators with an annual MasterClass membership will get one-of-a-kind advice and tips, as well as inside information on the creation of Stranger Things.
With MasterClass, subscribers are offered over 150 classes from a variety of categories ranging from arts and entertainment to business or food. The Duffer Brothers, on the eve of their Season 4 Volume 2 release of Stranger Things, have launched their brand-new class on developing an original television series. In the 18-episode class, the two sit down with their binders full of notes and laptops to talk through the process of turning an original idea into a series, "taking it from the seed of an idea, to an outline, to a script, and ultimately how you sell that script." As the writers, producers and directors of Stranger Things, the Duffer Brothers have seen this project through from every stage and helmed each decision. With MasterClass, fans and students will get the chance to hear from them how they developed the script and the characters and faced over a dozen rejections. Imagine being the ones who turned down Stranger Things.
Not only will the brothers be dishing out some solid advice, but they'll be pulling out never-before-seen documents and sharing inside tidbits on the creation of Stranger Things' beloved characters and the brothers' worldbuilding techniques. The class will also include a real-time development of an unofficial Steve (Joe Keery) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) spinoff idea (sorry guys, they swear it isn't real) to walk students through the fleshing out of an idea.
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Matt Duffer said:
“Our class is for anyone who dreams of telling stories for a living. Writing can be a blast, but at times it can feel overwhelming, even impossible. We have spent months staring at a blank page, with no idea how or where to begin. But after years of struggle, we finally developed a writing process that works for us, a process that we now use every single day on ‘Stranger Things.'”
Though we love them, we're in a time that constantly sees remakes, reboots, spinoffs, biopics and adaptations, which makes originality something truly exciting. The Duffer Brothers recognize there are ideas out there, from people who aren't already affiliated with Hollywood and celebrities, who have epic new stories to tell. Like the Dungeons and Dragons-inspired sci-fi saga they've created, their "class is for the person who dreams of telling stories for a living" and shares the insight they wish someone had imparted to them at the beginning of their journey.
With the emergence of streaming services like Peacock, Prime Video and Disney+, television series are coming for the feature length film's crown. While cinema is seeing a revival after the pandemic's slump with blockbusters like Top Gun: Maverick and Jordan Peele's upcoming Nope, those films are specifically designed to lure audiences to the theaters by boasting IMAX-necessary viewing, and by being "spectacles." On the flip side, there has been no better time to pitch an idea for a series with streaming services foaming at the mouths to pick up star-studded, well-produced and celebrity-backed television series. From one-season miniseries like Hulu's true crime drama Candy, the astounding success of Disney+'s The Mandalorian, to the decision to shift from a movie trilogy to a miniseries for Obi-Wan Kenobi, there's no denying television is experiencing a golden era. With the Duffer Brother's MasterClass episodes students will learn how to take their ideas from the page to the screen.
Check out the Duffer Brothers' MasterClass trailer for more information.