SCRIPT MENTORING – http://script-consultant.co.uk/script-mentoring/
Hi There,
This week I’m delighted to announce that I’m re-launching and expanding my SCRIPT MENTORING service through my script-consultant.co.uk website (link above).
Apologies to those of you have been enquiring about this part of my script feedback service in the last few weeks and apologies that I have been stalling you!
Before I launched this initiative I wanted to be clear about exactly what it is I am offering. AND in expanding the service, I am delighted to say that three outstanding industry professionals have agreed to be part of this new initiative – with the prospect of more additions in the next few months – so that we can work with more writers (see below for details).
SO – here is an outline of what this SCRIPT MENTORING service will be about –
Why ‘SCRIPT MENTORING’? Having a long-term relationship (rather than just getting one-off feedback on single scripts) will allow for a closer working partnership and will enable you as writer to get continuous feedback on one or more projects and help you to hone your scripts so that they are ready to go out to the industry.
The relationship will allow for a combination of written feedback and face-to-face meetings. It will also combine feedback on specific projects (whether pitches, outlines, scripts) with professional / career advice, according to your need, and as the working relationship evolves.
I hope working on a longer-term basis with someone who you trust and get to know (and who is speaking from a position of real industry knowledge, experience and expertise) will mean that we can go deeper into your projects and be more helpful, constructive and creative in the way we work with you.
Mentoring relationships will last 6 months – 12 months.
The mentorships will comprise of 7 hours of meetings + 10 hours reading and written feedback from your mentor.
In general, meetings should follow on ASAP after you receive written feedback.
All meetings are to be held in agreed public venues in central London – unless otherwise agreed between writer & mentor.
If mutually convenient, Skype meetings are also possible – but face-to-face meetings are preferable. (We are very happy to work with writers who don’t live in London and are happy to work via Skype, phone and email). And while we think face-to-face meetings are always preferable, logistics and cost of travel are up to you).
The exact make-up of the mentoring relationship will be discussed at the initial meeting and as part of the developing writer / mentor relationship (eg whether you work on already existing scripts or start on a brand-new project).
At the end of the mentorship, we hope to be able to connect you (if so desired) to development executives, producers and literary agents – but this cannot be guaranteed and is dependent on your mentor’s assessment of your project/s at the end of the mentoring period. This will be assessed on a project-by-project basis. We cannot give you a guarantee at the start of the process that we will be able to help you promote and market a project.
COST – £1900. (payment details on the website page)
The maximum period for the mentorships is 1 year. This will only be extended if, at any stage, the mentor takes more than three weeks to get feedback to you. The aim will always be to get feedback to you within 3 weeks, hopefully quicker.
SCRIPT MENTORSHIP places are limited. Interested writers need to submit a sample script and writing CV to apply for a mentorship to philip.shelley@script-consultant.co.uk. We will let you know either way within 3 weeks of receipt of application email, CV & script. Covering emails should explain why you want to take up one of the mentorships and what you want to gain from it. (NB We won’t charge for assessing your application). You don’t need to be an experienced screenwriter to be accepted onto the script mentoring – we aim to work with both new and more experienced writers. But we will assess your level of ability – we want to work with writers who we feel we can help.
Please state in your application which mentor you would like to work with.
I will be working as a script mentor but I am delighted that KITTY PERCY, JAMIE HEWITT and JOE WILLIAMS will also be mentoring writers. Here is a brief introduction to all 3 (there is a more in-depth biog of each of them on the website) –
KITTY PERCY
I first met Kitty when she was on the 2015 Channel 4 Screenwriting Course. She wrote a brilliant script to get onto the course, a brilliant script on the course and has continued in that vein ever since. Without a doubt one of the most talented – and generous – emerging screenwriters in the UK at the moment.
JOE WILLIAMS
I also met Joe though the C4 screenwriting course. He worked as development co-ordinator in the Channel 4 drama department and was a shadow script editor on 4screenwriting 2015 (and – I’m delighted to say – will be one of the 4 script editors on the 2019 Channel 4 Screenwriting Course). He has since gone onto become head of development at Vox Pictures. For Vox/BBC he script-edited the first series of smash-hit series, KEEPING FAITH and is currently working on KF series 2.
JAMIE HEWITT
Jamie is someone else I met through the Channel 4 screenwriting course – as a script reader, shadow script editor and then as script editor, Jamie has been involved in the 4screenwriting course for several years and always seems to help the writers he works with to maximise their talents. As well as all his work on the Channel 4 course, Jamie has worked on some of the most intense, productive UK TV shows – DOCTORS, HOLBY (BBC), STRIKE BACK (Left Bank/ Sky).
Jamie and Joe have both worked with many new (as well as experienced) writers and (IMO) are two of the most talented, thoughtful script editors working in the UK today.
I have also been talking to other writers and script editors and we will be adding further names to the script-consultant SCRIPT MENTORING in 2019.
All the details – in more depth – are now on my website –
http://script-consultant.co.uk/script-mentoring/
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Please can I point you in the direction of screenwriter CHRIS LANG’s new website – https://www.chrislang.co.uk/
Chris is the Real Deal – successful writer of very many UK TV dramas including the perennially excellent UNFORGOTTEN. Chris’s website is a mine of useful information but the ‘Scripts’ section is particularly good. As well as the scripts, there are quite a few treatments and outlines – I think the UNFORGOTTEN series 3 outline is particularly good – a really good example of how to write these incredibly difficult documents. (Thank you Deborah Lewis for bringing this to my attention!)
And – a discussion between screenwriter HOSSEIN AMINI and screen/stage writer CONOR MCPHERSON – which is fascinating about the craft of dramatic story-telling. (Thank you Nigel Pilkington!)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001b88
And here’s a link to an excellent article on the Bruntwood Prize website by 4screenwriting alumna SOPHIE WOOLLEY thank you Sophie!
This is the last of my newsletters before Christmas. The next newsletter will be on Friday Jan 11th 2019, when I am excited to be telling you about my plans for series 2 of my TRIBUTE dramatic monologues podcast series.
I hope you have a great Christmas & New Year. I wish you the very best for all of your writing endeavours in 2019.
And I’d like to say a massive thank you to all of you for reading these fortnightly newsletters. And a particularly big thank you to all of you who, either by email or in person, have given me positive feedback about the newsletters. It’s very much appreciated and a great motivating factor for me to continue to write them. Thank you!
All the best
Phil
PHILIP SHELLEY
@PhilipShelley1
Dec 14th 2018
