Sunday, 19 June 2016

Helped by an Angel (Script Angel to be precise)

A while ago I decided to book some courses to help me during my year off. I had a little splurge on the internet, left them in Calendar and got on with The Exam Treadmill. While you are on The Treadmill all meaningful life is sucked from your soul. Thank heavens for calendar reminders because I'd forgotten I'd booked this course run by Script Angel creator Hayley McKenzie. And I'd really have missed out if I hadn't gone.

Why I loved this course:
1. Hayley is a top script editor with twenty years in the industry. Her advice on both script writing and how the industry works is impressive and delivered with great clarity.

2. She goes over the craft elements to emphasise how essential it is that the script you send out is as perfectly crafted as it can be.

3. It is in Manchester so we are not all forced to go to London yet again.

4. The other people on the course are lovely too and it's great to hear about everyone's journey (including one from Iceland).

5. The real gold is in the career advice. She told us how to look at work so determine our own brand, how to organise our 'eclectic portfolios' (guilty as charged) to make it easier for an agent to market us. We had tips on ways to attract producers attention plus where to find on-line communities.

By the end of the day I'd realised that when I looked at what I'd already written (and abandoned) was worthy of revaluation and re-crafting as that is the area I really need to work on. Hayley has stopped me from hoping my next piece might be the Holy Grail and to dig for the gold in what I already have (although I still have a hat full of ideas I want to write).


Script Angel blog is great too. See this for competition lists.




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