Stephen May, Director of The Screen Arts Institute, is running a weekend workshop/retreat giving you a chance to develop your movies and pitch them to the best in the industry. Steve is a writer/producer/actor/director who has worked with the best on both sides of the Atlantic: Castle Rock, Miramax, Ealing Studios, the BBC, Working Title Films, HBO – and so on. Steve is actively selling projects to them on behalf of the film-makers who attend his workshops and vocational programmes .
The workshop will take place on Saturday 31st May – Sunday 1st June at Missenden Abbey (Great Missenden), just 40 mins train journey from London’s Marylebone Station. (Overnight accomodation is available for those who want it.)
This intensive workshop prepares you and your story for the 2nd day of the workshop, when participants will pitch to active producers/development execs who will provide feedback.
Writer/Producers (and SAI mentors) Ernest Riera and Clive Bradley are confirmed as attending to receive pitches and give detailed feedback. In the last few months, between them, Ernest and Clive have sold projects to: Fox, Roland Emmerich, the Weinsteins, Anonymous Content, Baltasar “2 Guns” Kormakur and The Salt Company.
And a bonus for participants: At the conclusion of the workshop, the participants’ one-page pitch documents will be collated and go out to around 30 producers here and in LA.
Our collaborators include:
Working Title, HBO, BBC Films, Castle Rock Entertainment/Warner Bros Ent, Artificial Eye, ITV, Tiger Aspect, Universal, Fox and so on.
This is a great chance to step out of the Big Smoke, take some country air, develop your projects with total concentration, and then pitch them to the best in the industry.
Previous participants on these workshops have had projects picked up by; the BBC, Universal Studios, Film London, the Weinstein Company etc.
Sessions will run from 10am to 5pm on both days, and there will be networking events at the end of each day. Places are limited.
THE WORKSHOP PLAN
- We go to movies to be moved, to be entertained, to learn – that’s a lot of buttons for a film-maker to hit. Where do you start? This workshop is designed to help you:
- Find the emotional heart of your story
- Find the best structure to illustrate it
- Communicate your movie effectively to producers/directors/star
- Uncover the subconscious story gems you didn’t know you had
- Above all, build your confidence and confirm that you have a great movie that thousands will want to see.
To paraphrase the great sculptor, Rodin, when asked how he could create something as beautiful as his sculpture The Kiss. “It’s easy,” he said, “It’s sitting inside this chunk of marble and all I have to do is uncover it.”
This workshop is designed to help you do exactly that.
To book a place, email Stephen May at stephen.may@thescreenartsinstitute.com
There is a 10% discount for Linkedin connections, Facebook friends and Twitter followers, and a 50% discount is available for full-time film students.
The full cost of the weekend is £295 and includes breakfast, lunch, coffee and parking. Full-time students and academics pay £147.
The Abbey is less than one hour’s drive from Central London. Trains run every half hour from Marylebone Station to Great Missenden (40 min journey). The Abbey is 5 mins walk from the station. Click HERE for JOURNEY PLANNER.
Click HERE to contact Missenden Abbey for Hotel Bookings and other information.