Screenwriting course ‘early bird’ reminder – runs out Sept 9th

We’re going on Tour!

The Authoritative Guide to Writing – And Selling – a Great Screenplay!

ScreenwritingGoldmine.com and Script-Consultant.co.uk are proud to announce two new training events for screenwriters.

We really enjoyed the weekend course we ran in July – and if you look at the testimonials you’ll see it went down pretty well with our audience too.

We’ve decided to run two more workshops this Autumn; one in London, and one in Glasgow. Read on for all the details, find out what people thought of the last seminar – and sign up while there are still places!

What Are These Workshops Like?

We think it’s always best to get you up and trying stuff out for yourselves. So we combine a mix of lectures and more dynamic sessions during which you get active with methods and techniques you may never have thought of attempting before. After two days with us you’re going to come away with fully professional strategies for:

  • Creating and animating vivid and memorable characters – and how best to make them jump to life in a scene. (Day 1)
  • Using subtext in dialogue. We will explain how dialogue really works, and take you through classic scenes from movie and television to illustrate what we mean. (Day 1)
  • Making the most of your connections to grow your network and build your career. It’s a simple fact – people like to work with people they know. We’ll teach you about the mindset you’ll need, tricks and techniques to break the ice and make contact, the tools you should have to keep track of who’s who, and the regular procedures you should be following to make sure the doors start opening to you. (Day 2)
  • Writing a one page pitch document. These days I get more and more requests for single page pitches for ideas. It seems like no-one reads scripts any more. Luckily I’m pretty good at this – and that’s because it’s a writing form all on its own, very different to writing a script. We can show you how to do it. (Day 2)
  • Entwining character and structure in a fully dramatic braid to maximise the potential of your story. (Forget the old argument over which is most important – we believe they are inseparable, and will show you why – and how you can get the best out of that knowledge.) (Day 1)
  • Avoiding wasting your time working on projects that stand no chance of being commissioned. A top London agent gives you the latest on the state of the market in the UK – first hand information on what’s in demand this summer, plus what lights up producers in general – and what you can do about it. (Day 2)
  • Creating an elevator pitch that hits home. You can sell an idea in a couple of minutes if you know what you are doing – but most writers panic when this chance arrives. We’ll teach you some practical techniques for maximising your chances next time you run into someone powerful in a queue for coffee. (Day 2)
  • Outmanoeuvring a commissioning editor before they even start reading. Philip Shelley will tell you exactly what made him hire three separate writers – and what you take away from that for your own projects. (Day 2)

Click here to reserve your seat in London or Glasgow:

Book here for London or Glasgow

So Who Are We?

I’m Phil Gladwin, founder of Screenwriting Goldmine. I’ve worked in script development in UK TV for over fifteen years now, and worked as both a writer and an editor.

I’m proud to announce this joint project with Philip Shelley, a vastly experienced script executive and trainer, and proprietor of Script-Consultant.co.uk. I’ll hand you over to him for a moment so he can tell you all about us:

‘If I’m being immodest I think that we, the two Phils, stand out amongst UK-based screenwriting consultants because of the sheer depth and quality of our combined experience.

Phil Gladwin first worked as a script editor for five years, and then, for the last decade or more as a writer, working on a range of UK TV shows, including The Bill, Trial & Retribution, Casualty & The Sarah-Jane Adventures.

I, Phil Shelley, have a great deal of experience as a script editor for many of the UK’s leading broadcast companies. I was Head of Development at Carlton TV for seven years, and I’ve edited on some pretty well known shows, including Waking The Dead, Inspector Morse, and the Railway Children, as well as producing two high profile shows. (Making Waves and Margery and Gladys).

I’ve also got a lot of experience as a trainer. I’ve lead the BBC Academy script-editing courses for the last decade; and I initiated and led the first Channel 4 screenwriting course for 2011, and will be leading the second in 2012.

We’ve both learned so much from the experience of working on so many scripts – and seeing them from initial idea through the writing process, production, post-production and public response. We believe this weight of experience on a huge range of successful, British-made drama and comedy gives us a significant advantage over other screenwriting consultants and trainers.’

Couldn’t have put it better myself, Phil!

Places are strictly limited at 30!

We have a strict limit on the number of delegates, because we want to make sure this is a personal, in-depth seminar where you can get your questions answered and find out what you need to know without the sense of getting lost in the crowd.

That does mean that the early bird catches the workshop! If you want to come I strongly recommend you book your place now to make sure you don’t miss out.

Once you register we’ll send you a delegate’s pack with full details of the course, membership of a special private Screenwriters Studio Facebook group that will continue indefinitely, and some great extra bonuses detailed below.

The workshops will take place on:

London Saturday 24th/Sunday 25th September at the One KX Centre, 120 Cromer St, London WC1H 8BS. Click here for a map.

Glasgow 12/13th November at a venue TBC.

Both seminars run from 10.00 am to 5.30 on Saturday, and 10.00 am to 5.30 pm on Sunday. The cost of the workshop covers both days. We’ll also both be available in a nearby pub for an hour or so afterwards for a chat.

Click here to reserve your seat now:

Book here for London or Glasgow

Shameless Appeal to Your Bonus Hunting Nature!

We think this workshop is going to be really powerful, and we know it’s going to dramatically improve your writing, and your ability to market yourself and your writing (or get you off to a huge head start if you are new to the whole idea of screenwriting), but we’re also strongly committed to the idea of giving you a lot for your money.

So, we’ve put together this set of bonuses to add just that extra lustre to the workshop.

  • BONUS 1: BONUS REPORT: Our Special Short Report ‘Top Tips About How To Present Your Script’, written by Phil Shelley
  • BONUS 2: BONUS HANDOUTS: Well over 50 pages of course handouts, in a strong, permanent binder. These are handouts specially chosen or written to compliment the sessions in the workshop, but we think they’re strong enough to provide extra value and study for a long time after the workshop.
  • BONUS 3: Lifetime Membership of the private Screenwriters Studio Facebook Group. Use this to keep in touch with us, and the other delegates, and meet the delegates from the last workshop. Over time we think this is a great way for you to start building your own mastermind group.

So How Much Is It?

We think we’re offering an amazing experience here, and you should go away from the workshop energised, tuned up, and ready to charge ahead with your writing career. But we also want to make this workshop such outrageous value that it is impossible to pass up.

So we are selling the entire package, the two day workshop, with over 15 solid hours of me and Philip Shelley giving as much as we can about writing, all our best answers to all your top questions, plus the three bonuses here, for only £229!

What’s more, if you register by the end of Friday September 9th for the London workshop, or the end of Friday the 14th October for the Glasgow workshop, then you get an early bird booking bonus which brings the price down to £197

Click here to reserve your place now:

Book here for London or Glasgow

Testimonials from July 2011

‘When I signed up to attend… the first double bill of Phil & Phil, I was excited and scared. As an over 55 new entry not only to the country but also to the craft, I spent a fifth of my monthly income, and thereafter a good deal of time worrying about ‘will I manage and if so how’. So much so, that I almost cancelled my participation. I should never, ever have worried: The atmosphere created by Philip Shelley and Phil Gladwin was so obviously based on their genuine desire to share their knowledge in the most accessible manner that I left my fear at the door of the church hall…I could immediately concentrate on absorption and focus – practical exercises from the moment of first introductions brought the group together and sparked creativity. One of my favorite tasks was the walk-about town to pick up …well I’m not telling. There were however also enough printed hand-outs… to give me the feeling of ‘taking something away’. Philip and Phil were generous and relaxed in sharing their experiences, the time spent was full of practical advice, the material available almost bursting out of the seams of time. The absence of posturing, one-up-man-ship and name dropping was refreshing. I look forward to the next workshop and hope to be able to attend.’Cornelia Bullen-Smith, UK

‘I am just over the moon to have been part of this two day seminar. For me it was the first time I encountered such a bunch of warm, open and generous people without any hidden agenda, which is quite a contrast to all the sharks and know- it- all’s I have met before. I have made some contacts that could well turn my life in another direction… I would especially like to thank the two Phils. They were very well prepared and handed out some very interesting information and exercises, not only on screenwriting itself but also on how you should behave in life if you want to be succesful. This is not something a lot people would have done. To be continued!’Luk Simoens, Belgium

‘Thanks once again for the very helpful advice and wisdom you dispensed to us poor hopefuls last weekend. It really was just what I needed at the moment, not least because in the last few days I’ve been given a shot at pitching an idea to a production company. I hope to take what I learned and really put it to the best use possible.’Jill O’Halloran, UK

‘Got home yesterday evening, slumped in front of the telly, watched New Tricks, thought “I can do better than that”, and started to plan out an episode… Long queue in the bank this morning, passed the time inventing characters for everyone in the queue… So the weekend definitely worked for me – just the kick up the arse I needed. And huge fun! So big thanks to everyone, but especially Phil and Phil.’Caroline Harrington, UK

‘I really got a lot from the course and was so grateful to you both for your inspiration, generosity and encouragement… In the past I’ve done an MA in Film and Drama at Reading University, studied Script Development at NFTS and attended Writernet courses in Script Editing and Continuing Drama, they were all excellent, but I have to say, I really connected with your philosophy and style and felt that you helped me to understand some things really for the first time.’Mandy Constance, UK

‘Finally landed in California to a good night’s sleep since I don’t know when. So jazzed by London and you guys, I hadn’t realized that I even needed sleep! I now find myself with a renewed sense of purpose and a more positive outlook on life. Your efforts have paid off for me, and I am grateful to you all… This course allowed me to gauge where I fit in among real writers, because real writers with real stories and real talent were there. We encouraged each other, found that other people can be creative in ways other than our own, and discovered that our own perspectives really do benefit other writers. Here await in person, ladies and gentlemen, the insiders willing to actually take us inside, to teach us the standards necessary for our successes. They have foiled the villain and lived to tell us the tale.’Terry Smith, USA

If you’re an experienced writer you know that the time you can spend working things out for yourself can take YEARS – and who of us has that much time to waste?

You really only need to pick up one good solid insight over this weekend to save yourself endless hours of frustration – and maybe you will even pick up the light bulb moment you need to kick your writing into fully professional mode. (It happened to me, many, many years ago – on a three day seminar like this I experienced a moment of pure light and insight that I still look back on as the moment my career really began.)

And if you are just starting out, or you’re just learning about writing for the screen, then this is probably one of the biggest jump starts you could ever ask for. Think about it, two solid days with a writer and editor with over thirty years professional experience between them. You owe it to yourself and your writing to tap into the way we think. Don’t put it off, Click here to reserve your seat now.

Book here for London or Glasgow To your writing,

Phil GladwinPhil Gladwin

Phil ShelleyPhil Shelley

PS. One more thing. As I said above, there are strictly only 30 places on each workshop, so don’t delay – click here to reserve your seat right now.

PPS. Remember, if you sign up for this course, you must come committed and with an open mind. We’re going to give you two solid days of fully professional training!