WHY USE A SCREENWRITING CONSULTANT?

A screenplay consultation service provides invaluable assistance to screenwriters, whether they’re novices or seasoned professionals. The primary aim is to refine the screenplay and bring it closer to industry standards and expectations. Here are some of the benefits a screenplay consultation service can offer:

1. Professional Feedback: One of the primary benefits is receiving feedback from a professional or someone who understands the industry. This insight can highlight strengths and weaknesses in the script. What you don’t know you don’t know can simultaneously be the biggest hindrance holding your project back while being most in your blindspot.
2. Structural Analysis: Consultants can identify issues related to the script’s structure, ensuring it adheres to the classic three-act structure or any other intended structure.
3. Character Development: They’ll assess the depth, motivation, and arc of your characters, offering suggestions for making them more compelling and multi-dimensional.
4. Dialogue Enhancement: Feedback on dialogue can make conversations between characters sound more authentic and engaging.
5. Theme & Tone: Consultants can ensure that the script’s theme is consistent and its tone matches the intended genre.
6. Market Analysis: A consultation might provide insight into the marketability of the screenplay, including its potential audience and current industry trends. What studio executives are looking for changes with the seasons and with the regimes of their leaders. Hearing from someone in those rooms can ensure that your project does not come out already feeling dated.
7. Formatting & Industry Standards: Screenplays have specific formatting standards. Consultants can guide writers on proper screenplay format, ensuring it looks professional when submitted to studios, agents, or competitions. There is also a shorthand that working writers develop and tricks they utilize to paint a scene while ensuring as much white space as possible.
8. Pitch Preparation: Filmflourish has consultation services that also assist with creating a compelling pitch or logline for your screenplay, which is essential for marketing and selling your script. When you hear from an individual who was on the other side of the room during a pitch you can gain invaluable insight on how to captivate and read the room.
9. Networking Opportunities: Engaging with a consultant can open doors to other industry professionals or provide guidance on where and how to pitch your screenplay.
10. Personal Growth: Receiving feedback and actively working on improvements can significantly aid personal growth and development as a writer.
11. Objective Perspective: Writers often become very attached to their work, making it hard to see flaws. A consultant offers an objective perspective, which can be invaluable in the revision process.
12. Saves Time and Energy: With guidance, a writer can avoid going down unproductive paths or spending too much time on aspects of the screenplay that might not be working.
13. Increases Chances of Success: Ultimately, a well-reviewed and refined screenplay has a higher chance of being accepted by an agent, producer, or studio, or winning a screenplay competition. Agents and executives have more scripts to read than they’ll ever have time for which means they are looking for reasons to stop reading. Why risk a read from a decision maker being abandoned on page 5 for a novice mistake that could have been flagged by a consultant on your team?
14. Understanding Audience Expectations: Consultants can provide insights into audience expectations and how to craft a story that resonates.
15. Accountability Partner: Have you ever noticed that the you’re more likely to hit a deadline when another person is involved? We seem to be more willing to break contracts with ourselves and exceed deadlines which we never voiced out loud. Whether it be fitness goals, personal growth ambitions, or work related projects, deadlines give you a target and the more people who know about it the more real it becomes. Furthermore, having the support of someone checking in along the way can often times be the thing that gets you past whatever obstacles you are contending with.

All to say, while hiring a screenplay consultation service represents an investment, the potential returns in terms of script quality, personal growth as a writer, and enhanced opportunities within the film industry can be significant. If you are someone who takes their screenwriting craft seriously and is looking for access to the same resources the pros use, Filmflourish can be of service to you. You can click here to view the industry leading services we offer.