Effective Script Reading for Film & TV - Script Reading Course

Our course has been receiving stellar feedback in recent times:

"The course offered great value-for-money - the level of detail in the contacts handouts and information on who uses script readers, who pays them, and where to look for work was worth countless man-hours and has really accelerated my progress. Well worth it".

Andrew Ionides, Effective Script Reading course participant, 2010

"The course was well-structured, intensive and informative. I was hugely impressed by it and felt that the advice and information was given with genuine sincerity - this did not feel simply like a money-making scheme, but a course genuinely designed to help people find work".

James King, Effective Script Reading course participant, 2010

***NEW & IMPROVED COURSE STRUCTURE / HANDOUTS / EMAIL SUPPORT***

This course teaches participants how to analyse film scripts effectively and produce quality coverage, as well as delivering knowledge on how to source regular script reading work in the UK and beyond.

Ideal for those new to the industry looking to build a career in development, sales or distribution, the course is also valuable for producers, directors and writers looking to develop their script analysis skills, build contacts in development and earn an extra revenue stream from script reading.

The course focuses on how to deliver constructive feedback to writers both in person and on the page, and participants also deliver a script report which will be marked by the course tutor. The course also delivers an overview of the key production companies, distributers, sales agents and funding bodies operating in the UK marketplace, for whom script readers are vital.

COURSE OUTLINE

Prior to the course, participants are expected to read the script provided and prepare questions for the course tutor.

10am - 3pm (how to write quality coverage)

• Introduction
• What makes a good film script?
• A question of genre and commerciality
• Script coverage vs. writer feedback
• Elements, logline & grid-box analysis
• The painful bit: writing effective synopses
• Assessing premise & structure
• Characters who "leap off the page"
• 1 hour break for lunch at 1pm
• Analysing inherent screenwriting ability: dialogue, pace & visual flair
• In-depth script analysis and a look at sample industry script reports

3pm - 7pm (how to source paid script reading work)

• Who needs script readers?
• Finding work: the early stages
• Getting regular work, and keeping it
• Guerrilla tactics and good recon: how to source those special jobs...
• Industry overview: the key companies and individuals right now, those who pay and those who don't, and the etiquette/tactics of how to approach them effectively
• Recommended reading..
• Q & A
• Informal networking drinks with the course tutor

After the course, participants are expected to read a second script and email a script report to the course tutor, who will then feedback on their report via email.

The course tutor is Evan Leighton-Davis. Evan is one of the leading script consultants working in the UK today, assessing material for a range of established industry producers, funding bodies and Hollywood studios, including: Dan Films, TalkbackThames TV, Intermedia, Mirage Enterprises, Working Title, CinemaNX, BBC Films, Pathe, Screen South, Warner Bros. (London), Paramount Pictures (London), See-Saw Films, Optimum Releasing, Universal and Scott Free. In addition, for 3 years Evan was in-house Script Consultant at Ealing Studios, reporting to Head of Development Sophie Meyer. In 2008, he was credited script editor on the first feature financed exclusively out of Dubai, the $7m CITY OF LIFE (starring Alexandra Maria Lara & Jason Flemyng), and Evan is also an analyst for PEEP SHOW creator Andrew O'Connor, investigating at length the screenwriting theories of Save the Cat! author Blake Snyder. In total, Evan has assessed over 3,000 projects for Britain's leading film companies and funding bodies.

COURSE DETAILS

The course is held in Industrial Scripts' offices on Regent Street in central London, moments from Oxford Circus tube.

The course fee is £156.99, which includes 30 pages of course notes (incl. sample industry script reports), an up-to-date contacts overview of the UK film & TV industries (incl. financiers, funding bodies, production companies, sales agents and distributers), a detailed recommended reading list, and refreshments.

Places are strictly limited to 10 per month and participants are advised to book early to avoid disappointment. Networking is firmly encouraged so please bring business cards.

Further "Effective Script Reading" course dates, accepting bookings now:

- Saturday 29th January 2011
- Friday 25th February 2011
- Saturday 26th March 2011
- Saturday 30th April 2011
- Saturday 28th May 2011
- Friday 24th June 2011
- Saturday 30th July 2011
- Saturday 27th August 2011
- Saturday 24th September 2011
- Saturday 29th October 2011
- Saturday 26th November 2011
- Friday 16th December 2011