From Page To Screen:
A Digital Storytelling Workshop Through The Birren Center For Autobiographical Studies
You've written your story. Now bring it to life. From Page to Screen is a 7-week online workshop that takes one of your written stories, a guided autobiography chapter, a memoir piece, a story you've been sitting on for years and turns it into a short digital film. No filmmaking experience. No expensive software. Just your story, a computer, and seven weeks.
You won’t leave with notes, you’ll leave with a story you can share.
Claim Your Spot Today! Only 8 Spots Available.
Fall 2026 — Thursdays, September 17–October 29
Seven Thursday evenings. 7:30–9:30pm EDT. All online via Zoom
You did the hard part already!
You sat with a memory until it became a story. You found the words. Maybe you wrote it in a guided autobiography class, maybe it's been living in a drawer — either way, it exists on the page. But a written story and a felt story aren't always the same thing. Voice, image, pacing, sound — these are the tools of screen storytelling, and they can take a story that already moved you on paper and make it move someone else, too.
That's what this workshop is for.
WHAT YOU'LL WALK AWAY WITH
By the end of seven sessions, you'll have:
A finished short digital film (3-5 Minutes—created from your own story and screened in a supportive group setting (Not just learning—actually completing something meaningful)
The confidence to turn stories into video using simple, browser-based tools—no technical background required
A repeatable story-to-screen method you can use again for future projects
A powerful visual storytelling skillset—knowing how to choose and sequence images that move people, not just share
A clear, screen-ready version of your story—shaped with narrative structure that works on video, not just on paper
An intuitive feel for pacing, voice, and sound—so your story lands emotionally, not just informationally
WHO THIS IS FOR
This workshop is for GAB instructors, photo organizers, former GAB students, and anyone else with one written story of their own they're ready to bring to the screen. No filmmaking experience required — just a finished or mostly finished story, and a willingness to sit in the editing chair for seven weeks. Limited to 8 participants, so the group stays close and the feedback stays personal.
HOW IT WORKS
Sessions 1-2
Story selection & visual planning
Sessions 3-6
Screenplay adaptation, image systems, voiceover, pacing, music, audio
Session 7
Final screening
Expect 1–2 hours of work between sessions — writing, gathering images, or editing. Nothing required between sessions takes more than what you'd put into a story you actually care about finishing.
MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS
Heather Alicia Knox
Heather is a digital storytelling facilitator, Guided Autobiography instructor, and photographer based in Ajijic, Mexico.
Certified through Common Language Digital Storytelling and the Birren Center for Autobiographical Studies, she brings over forty years of non-profit experience to her work — spanning international, arts, and educational organizations across Canada, Mexico, and Guatemala, where she co founded the Project Somos Children's Learning Village in the Central Highlands.
Heather has worked alongside children, families, volunteers, and organizations — and believes that storytelling, at its heart, is one of the most powerful acts of human connection we have. She believes that every person's story deserves to be seen and heard.
Angela Turner
Angela Turner is a Saskatoon-based Life Story Guide, Certified Guided Autobiography Facilitator, and Level 2 Common Language Digital Storytelling Facilitator.
Through her business SOS Legacies, she helps individuals and families capture and share the stories that define them — through writing, video, audio, and multimedia.
Angela brings a compassionate, personalized approach to every project, with a deep belief that every life holds stories worth preserving.
Her training spans legacy writing, digital storytelling, photo management, and end-of-life support, giving her a uniquely holistic perspective on why personal stories matter and how to bring them to life.
She is passionate about empowering participants to move their written stories off the page and into a format that will resonate with future generations.
Comments From Previous Participants
“This was the missing piece… it really puts everything together.”
“You showed that stories don’t have to be huge to be meaningful, they can be simple and still powerful.”
“This process is incredibly therapeutic—it helps people process things they didn’t even realize needed processing.”
“Something simple but emotionally powerful can become a story that others truly enjoy and it helps you grow as a person.”
“Powerful, creative, and deeply personal.”
"This class has helped me to feel empowered and stronger."
Join Us!
$450 USD
What's Included
7 sessions (14 hours of instruction): Live weekly instruction with two experienced facilitators
Access to our WeVideo and Envato Elements Stock Library — no additional software or stock footage costs
Session handouts and reference materials through the online class platform
A small group of 8, so you're never just a face in a grid
What you'll need
A computer with reliable internet and Zoom access
One completed or mostly completed written story you're excited to adapt
A built-in or external microphone (recommended, not required)
Fall 2026 — Thursdays, September 17–October 29 Seven Thursday evenings. 7:30–9:30pm EDT. All online via Zoom
FAQ
Do I need filmmaking or video editing experience?
No. This workshop is built for complete beginners to video editing. If you can use a web browser, you will be fine. Our editing software allows for project collaboration so you're never alone.
Do I need to have taken a GAB class before?
No — though if you have, you'll recognize the spirit of the story circle right away. You just need one written story you're ready to work with
What if my story isn't "finished"?
It should be complete enough to adapt — a clear story with a beginning, middle, and end. It doesn't need to be polished; that's part of what this workshop helps with.
What software do I need to buy?
None. Video editor access is included, and all instruction happens over Zoom.
Is this useful if I'm a photo organizer rather than a writer?
Yes. You'll be working with one of your own written stories, not a client's — but the visual storytelling and editing skills you build here are the same ones that shape how you think about any archive of photos and memories.
What happens in the final session?
Every participant's finished short film is screened for the group, followed by a celebration. Past participants describe it as one of the most moving parts of the experience.
Your story already exists. Let's give it a screen.
Seven weeks. Eight seats. One story — yours — finished and screened.
