PRIVATE SCREENWRITING WORKSHOPS
“I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.”
— “On Teaching” by John Steinbeck
Glenn’s Master Classes are held at his home in the Glendale/Burbank area and in West Los Angeles. It depends on the writer’s experience; the most convenient night of the week (Monday through Thursday); and the best geographical location as to what group will work best for that individual.
The class size is limited to no more than 6-7 writers and the course takes place for 8 consecutive weeks. Because the groups are small and attracts very motivated and creative writers, tremendous progress came be made in whipping a script into shape. The better the writers in the group are – the better the feedback is going to be.
In this unique format, each writer’s material is read out loud in the manner of a staged reading. Parts are doled out to each member of the group and read out loud, so the screenwriter can experience each of his characters coming to life. In this way, it becomes extremely clear what is working in the screenplay and what isn’t.
These are very professional groups – they aren’t comparable to what beginning writers find at UCLA Extension for example, where everyone is at different levels of skill and dedication and the class size is never less than 12 students. Glenn has taught at both UCLA and the American Film Institute and found both these programs very confining as he never had enough time to spend with any individual writer to give him or her the best shot possible to get their work produced.
In these workshops, the goal is to keep pushing the writer to make his script as good as it can possibly be before it goes out into the marketplace. These classes have been tremendously successful – seven produced features have been launched from these groups and many writers have had their work optioned and/or attracted agents and managers, like Charlie Warden, whose action script “Hostile Takeover” has recently been optioned by Amazon Studios and Vittoria Colonna, whose screenplay “Loneliness” was just accepted for development and funding by the Irish Film Board.
The cost of the workshop is $450 for an 8 week session. For someone first taking the class, Glenn offers a $100 discount, just so the writer can judge for himself if the group is worth the investment.
There are not always spaces so the earlier one commits the better his or her chance to secure a space.
PRIVATE CONSULTATIONS
Mr. Benest has conducted private screenwriting consultations with writers in every corner of the globe.
These consultations consist of a careful reading of the material and detailed written notes. The screenwriters then are given a 1 1/2 hour to 2 hour consultation either by phone or in person.
An essential part of this process is not just identifying problem areas of the screenplay but providing indepth brainstorming – focusing on exactly what the problem is and then coming up with solutions for that problem. Because Mr. Benest is a working writer himself, this brainstorming process is for many of his clients one of the most helpful and illuminating aspects of the consultation. Many readers, story editors and instructors can point out that something doesn’t feel right, but the cruciall skill is knowing how to fix those problems. Benest excels in this area.
He has been helping writers in a professional capacity for many years and knows how to communicate with screenwriters in a way that many other professionals don’t – because he’s doing it himself on a daily basis.
To apply for Glenn’s professional workshop or for a private consultation:
Glenn M. Benest at
gbenest@pacbell.net
