Looking for top-notch development input? Have your script analyzed and developed by a professional with extensive industry experience on both sides of the Atlantic. SOLID SCRIPT SERVICES will work with you to unlock your project's true potential. Projects we've consulted on have subsequently been picked up by Zoetrope, Propaganda and DNA, attracting stars of the calibre of Denzel Washington and Jessica Lange.

COUTURE CONSULTING

Every screenplay is as individual as its writer. Whatever genre you work in -- or even if you create genre-defying one-offs -- each script presents the writer with its own distinct problems and possibilities.

We don't impose a one-size-fits-all template. Taking the view that each script is unique, we work with you to identify your particular problems and help you solve them. No jargon, no vagueness, just straight-from-the-shoulder, constructive advice, tailored to your particular requirements.

We don't simply point out problems either; wherever possible we suggest solutions. You may not always agree with these, but at the very least they will help you to overcome blocks and stimulate new avenues of thought.

Writing a successful screenplay isn't just about making sure that your format follows all the rules or that your characters demand the reader's attention, though these factors are important. You also need a concept that the market will want to see and a storyline that a producer knows he or she can turn into a compelling and profitable film.

With an extensive track record in the industry on both sides of the Atlantic, a keen analytical eye, cast-iron writing skills, and insider knowledge of the marketplace, we can help you unlock the true potential within your script and make sure it's what the market wants.

WHO WE ARE

As a professional script consultant, Ellin Stein has spent many years helping writers to prepare their screenplays for submission to studios, production companies, agents, or directors.
Ellin has worked as a story analyst and development executive for leading companies in the US and UK- among them Miramax UK, New Line, Zoetrope, Cinecom, DNA Films, and Tiger Aspect.
Her own work has won awards from the American Film Institute as well as the Toronto, Chicago and Hiroshima Film Festivals, and has been televised in Holland, Japan, Nicaragua and the US. She is co-author of five plays that have been produced in New York and San Francisco and says "there's nothing like writing a script collaboratively to teach you about script editing, and there's nothing like performing your own work to teach you how to write for actors."

She has also written on films and the film industry for publications including The New York Times, The Times (London), The Independent, the Village Voice, and American Film.

Though scripts from anywhere are welcome, Ellin's London base makes Solid Script Services a particularly useful solution for writers based in the UK and Europe.

OUR SERVICES

We offer three levels of service to writers. Rates are for screenplays up to 130 pages:

STANDARD: (£100/$180) - 10-14 pages
Includes reading and analysis of a completed script. The report covers character, dialogue, plot, structure, theme, and presentation, with additional notes to illustrate specific points. Includes supplementary questions by phone or email to a maximum of thirty minutes.
ENHANCED: (£140/$260) - 15-20 pages.
All the features of Standard Service, but with a longer page-by-page analysis that goes into greater detail. Includes supplementary questions by phone or email to a maximum of one hour.

INTENSIVE: (£200/$400)

Concept-to-completion intensive service. The starting point might be as developed as a full outline with plot, subplot and characters, or as basic as a central premise. The fee includes feedback on concept plus Enhanced Report on first draft, as well as further dialogue by email or telephone to a maximum of two hours. Feedback on subsequent drafts is available, subject to negotiation.

Ad Hoc Services:
There are many other ways we can assist you. If you need script doctoring, advice on a treatment, or help in preparing your script for a contest, contact us for an estimate of time and cost.

Producers' Services:
We also offer a consultation service for producers. Please write for details.

CONTACT: SOLID SCRIPT SERVICES
1 Rona Road
London NW3 2HY
solidprod@easynet.co.uk

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

To start at the end... Your closing line is 'feel free to come back to me to tell me how misguided I am'. I'm afraid I won't be doing that, because...because your notes are brilliant, quite brilliant, and my head is spinning with possibilities.

Your skill is being able to articulate clearly what others (including myself) may feel about a script, but cannot express. Best of all you are generous enough to leave clue/keys throughout your notes, and hopefully one of these might just unlock the thing. Damn, you are good. I cannot wait to get to work.
J.K., Devon

I had felt for a while that a script editor was a bit of a luxury and just an extra cost and there was also the problem of not knowing whether they were able, of course. I have been re-enthused by the report on my short film which has brought me some much needed clarity - what it is I have got, what its weaknesses are and where I need to make improvements. It has been a very good milestone on the way to a final draft and I firmly recommend Ellin.
A. Woods, London

Thank you so much for your report - I've had one quick read-through and will study it in more depth now, but just wanted to get my initial thoughts down quickly.
It's a real boost to read your encouraging comments about premise, dialogue, potential etc. Of course we all feel our projects are worth persevering with but it's still helpful to have a professional, objective endorsement. I'm very grateful for your clear eye and unsentimental approach.
I really appreciate both your criticisms and your suggested fixes. For me, that is the most helpful feature of your approach. Even if I don't necessarily agree with all of them, your suggestions immediately sparked off different ideas.
C. Ferguson, London

I sent my latest script to Ellin Stein for feedback.I just received a detailed and very insightful 10-page analysis - I highly recommend her, and I've had professional feedback from 3 other editors, but this was the most impressive....although I don't agree with all your points, Ellin! ;-)
J. Edis, London

Further recommendations:

Screenwriting by Raymond G. Frensham (Teach Yourself Books). Part of the Teach Yourself series, but don't let that put you off. Clear, concise, all the basics in one handy guide, with no pretensions to guru-dom.

Shooting to Kill by Christine Vachon (Avon Books). Life from the producer's - particularly the low-budget producer's - point-of-view. A great nuts-and-bolts introduction to getting the show on the road and the film in the can. Not to limit your creative imagination or anything, but may helpfully make you think twice before putting in that herd of charging elephants.

Read as many scripts as possible - not reprints in books (where the format is often changed) but actual scripts. A UK resource for free, downloadable scripts is the Screenwriters' Store, http://www.screenwriterstore.co.uk/

And finally, take an acting class if you haven't done any acting already. It will help you get a sense of how dialogue works when spoken as opposed to on the page and also what makes a role appealing to actors. One of the best assets your script can have is a "great" part - once you start thinking like an actor, you'll be able to recognize one.