Don’t Miss This Class
Glenn was my first screenwriting instructor, more than ten years ago. Though I went on to get an M.F.A. in screenwriting from UCLA, and am now a working (and striking!) writer, I keep going back to Glenn. Simply put, you can’t get this kind of attention anywhere else. Not from your agent or manager, not from your screenwriting friends. I guess it’s like analysis. People can listen and offer up all kinds of opinions, but that doesn’t make them trained professionals. For the good stuff you’ve got to pay the guy and put in your time on the couch.
—Julie Ann Sipos
Glenn’s class has been invaluable. I had already produced a highly acclaimed studio picture (The Hurricane) when I decided to join the writing group and I wish I had done it sooner. The process of analyzing and scrutinizing a script prevents you from getting away with imperfect work and allows an intelligent group to elevate any material. He and the class won’t sign off on a script until it’s ready, and that’s why his students have done so well.
—John Ketchum
Glenn Benest – script consulting
Glenn Benest consulted with me over the phone and via e-mail on two scripts. The first script began as a simple outline. Glenn worked with me through two drafts of the outline and two drafts of the script – all in six weeks! The second script began as a rough draft. Glenn worked with me through rewrites and additional outline exercises that greatly improved the script.
Whenever I want Glenn to look at my writing I e-mail it to him. Within a few days he calls me. First he reviews with me everything that’s working and gives me great ideas to build on the strengths of the script. Then he reviews those elements of the script that aren’t working and gives me creative solutions to each problem. That’s Glenn’s greatest strength. He’s a writer and he thinks like a writer. He offers writers solutions that are solid and specific – and they really work.
—Alan K.
I’m Lucky!
I’m lucky to be in Glenn’s group. He is very encouraging, keeps me writing. But what I like best is his honesty. If something isn’t working, he tells you why. If something is great, he tells you that too.
Best of all, he actually infuses great ideas into your story. I was surprised that he openly shares creative ideas. Some teachers would hold back and not share.
Glenn is also a caring person. And not a show-off, like you’d imagine from a successful Hollywood writer and teacher.
I look forward to Monday night, except when I haven’t done my homework the week prior!!! So, of course, I don’t want to disappoint him…..back to writing!
—Elizabeth Rockett
Take This Class!
I took many classes at UCLA and numerous screenwriting weekend workshops including Mckee and Freeman workshops before attending Glenn Benest’s screenwriting class at the American Film Institute back in 2005. Glenn’s teaching approach was more appealing and concrete which is why I have been taking his classes regularly every since.With the help of Glenn’s workshops, I wrote my first screenplay Niloofar in 2005 which I directed in 2007. The film has been in competition in the Montréal World Film Festival, AFI Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival Generation KPlus category and recently in Cannes Écrans Juniors at the Cannes Film Festival to name only a few. I am now writing my second screenplay Maternidad in Glenn’s evening class.
I particularly like his class structure. Before writing the screenplay, Glenn walks you through the process of writing a detailed outline. His approach to writing an outline is simple yet the most effective I have encountered. Each student writes 20 pages every week and brings them to class. Then other students in the class read the pages so the writer can listen to his own writing. This approach is wonderful, because the writer hears what works and what doesn’t. Glenn never fails to give valuable notes, comments and/or suggestions to improve the screenplay. If one is fully dedicated to this process, one can have a first draft written in one session.
I often recommend Glenn’s class to my friends. Because he is working writer himself, he knows how to talk to other writers in a way that can truly bring out the best in their material.
—Sabine El Gemayel
Glenn has an uncanny sense of story. He can (and often does) wade into 150 pages of near chaos to identify the narrative thread that will bind the student’s scenes and characters into a compelling screenplay. Through the process of strengthening that thread, the student learns screen structure, which is really what it’s all about. In the last session of the class, I wrote a television pilot, began outlining a new feature film, and landed a literary agent. Is this class worth the price? You bet.
—Dean Harvey
