Do you want to participate in a coach and mentor led intensive screenwriting course for 5 weeks?
The Screenwriters’ Talent Campus: Total Immersion is focused on your creative talent, professional development, career advancement and the practical business of screenwriting.
It’s 5 days, then four weeks, then two days… that will change everything.
2023 TALENT CAMPUS 8.0 APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN
Application Deadline: Date TBC
Jump to the application form HERE.
I'm not aware of another screenwriting course where you get that kind of intensive input from such an experienced bunch of people who are currently active in the business."
Rachel Paterson, Screenwriter
Our Goals For You
We want you to get your work produced. To that end we have four clear objectives at the Talent Campus.
- To improve your professional and industry skills to help platform you as talent to watch.
- To refine your story and writing skills in the context of a commercial marketplace.
- To realign your project with commercial trends to increase the probability of getting optioned and produced.
- To provide exclusive opportunity: To pitch your project to industry directly.
Talent Campus 8.0 Dates:
- Talent Campus Ignition (phase 1):
Date TBC - Talent Campus Momentum (phase 2):
Date TBC - Talent Campus Crucible (phase 3)
Date TBC
Talent Campus 8.0 Cost:
- Ticket Price TBC. We expect to announce significant industry support soon, which will bring down the cost of attendance.
The Talent Campus will take writers who want to work on commercial screenplays and provide an immersive, challenging and powerful experience.
Your Outcomes
- Improved knowledge and appreciation of the business of screenwriting.
- Significantly ‘greater confidence’ in the room.
- Developed ideas and projects (building on your new business acumen), increasing the likelihood of getting produced.
- Improved confidence, relationship and pitching skills for screenwriters.
- Improved screenwriting skills.
- Developed skills in pitching, and projects ready to be pitched to execs in the real world.
- New and outstanding peer groups that will continue beyond the Talent Campus.
My fear has gone south! Now my life will go in the opposite direction // 10 Stars (out of 5)"
Rachel Hanks, Screenwriter
Talent Campus 8.0 Breakdown
- Pre-Ignition… (the build up to Talent Campus 8.0)
A series of mentor and TC team designed assignments, tasks and challenges will start the process before it’s even begun.
Phase One: Talent Campus Ignition
This is the intensive springboard period where massive shifts will cause you to take leaps and bounds in your career and writing.
- Day One (Date TBC)…
Career Ignition. - Day Two (Date TBC)…
Story Pitch and Refining Ideas with John Yorke for TV / longform projects. - Day Three… (Date TBC)…
Story Pitch and Refining Ideas with Sam Horley for feature projects. - Day Four… (Date TBC)…
Development day with mentors. - Day Five… (TBC)…
Project ignition day with mentors and start of mentoring process.
Phase Two: Talent Campus Momentum, and the writing and development period (one month)
Building on the acceleration of the ignition phase, and over the four weeks following , you will get weekly online meetups, coaching directly from your team coach and targeted mentoring. This is where your new writing and career muscles will be built.
- Phase Two… (Date TBC)…
Four week Momentum writing and development phase.
Phase Three: Talent Campus Crucible
Having recreated who we are as writers in Ignition, having spent a month getting coached, mentored and immersed in our projects and community during Momentum, we now train for a whole day before attending the Crucible Party, an exclusive Talent Campus only mixer with the biggest names in the industry. The final day of Talent Campus brings together everything we have learned and experienced as we build a new plan and strategy for life beyond Talent Campus.
- Day Six… (Date TBC)…
Final preps for and attendance of the Crucible Party. - Day Seven… (Date TBC)…
Strategies for continued success beyond Talent Campus.
How to Apply
Application Deadline: Date TBC
Talent Campus 8.0 is by application only. Application does not mean you will be offered a place, nor does it obligate you to attend. If you are offered a place we will get in touch to discuss your plans and outcomes.
As the application requires answers to several questions (as well as an uploading of supporting documents), we advise you to look through the application thoroughly before the deadline.
You will need ready for upload
- First 10 pages of a feature film or TV script (this does not have to be from a finished script) (doc, docx, pdf only)
- One page synopsis from the same feature film or TV script (doc, docx, pdf only)
- 400 words on why you need to join the Talent Campus (doc, docx, pdf only)
Past Talent Campus Guests Included…
Jean Kitson – Agent, Kitson Press Associates
Founder: Kitson Press Associates
Gareth Ellis-Unwin – Producer
Credits include: The King's Speech, Kajaki. The True Story
Iain Smith – Producer
Credits include: Wanted, The Fountain, The Fifth Element
Gub Neal – Producer
Credits include Prime Suspect, Queer As Folk, Cracker, The Fall
Barbara Machin – Screenwriter, Showrunner
Credits include Waking The Dead, The Bill
Nicola Larder – Executive Producer | Buccaneer Media
Credits include: Marcella, The Tunnel, Dracula
Feedback from 2018 Talent Campus…
‘I was floored by how approachable and genuinely helpful all the guest speakers were’.
Barbara Skubic – Screenwriter // 5 Stars
‘I came to the Talent Campus a fearful, nervous Screenwriter and came out a fearless warrior!’
Maurice C Kenney – Screenwriter // 5 Stars
‘Talent Campus showed me how to not just be another writer, but BE a writer! The speakers were amazing, how Talent Campus got them is beyond me’.
Luke Graves – Screenwriter & Filmmaker // 500 Stars (out of 5)
‘Being surrounded by the support and love of this group is something I will never forget as long as I live’.
Monique Amado – Screenwriter, Actor, Director // 10 Stars (out of 5)
‘Talent Campus has given me the confidence to keep writing and a much better understanding of the industry’.
Dara Colwell – Screenwriter // 5 Stars
‘Out of the Talent Campus, I now have an appointment with an expert Producer!’
Cathy Kostova – Writer, Director // 5 Stars
‘I got to meet people who feel the way I do about writing – it was like they were reading my mind!’
Rick Limentani – Screenwriter // 5 Stars
‘I am a different person’
James Pemberton – Screenwriter // 5 Stars
‘My fear has gone south! Now my life will go in the opposite direction’
Rachel Hanks – Screenwriter // 10 Stars (out of 5)
‘The opportunity to connect with industry professionals, hold Gareth Unwin’s Oscar and walk on broken glass – the day doesn’t get any better than that! I will have no fear! And I have already got peers to connect with’
Jane Helliwell – Screenwriter // 5 Stars!
‘I leave the Talent Campus an emotional volcano of confidence!’
Sunny King – Filmmaker // 5 Stars
‘I just got a new tribe!’
Jens Nelsson – Screenwriter // 5 Stars
‘At Talent Campus your pitch will improve beyond your imagination’.
James Pemberton – Screenwriter // 5 Stars
‘Talent Campus has been a writer’s therapy that has elevated me to the dizzy heights of awesomeness!’
Panayiota Panteli – Screenwriter // 5 Stars
‘Talent Campus has taught me that if you crush the fear, the road ahead opens wide’
Jonah Jones – Screenwriter, Director // 5 Stars
‘From the Talent Campus I now have much more confidence pitching; plus a wider group of readers to improve the quality of my work’
Rick Limentani – Screenwriter // 5 Stars
‘I came to the Talent Campus with a problem, was challenged and left with a solution’
Barbara Skubic – Screenwriter // 5 Stars
More Feedback from past Talent Campus Delegates
Don’t take our word for it, listen to what delegates said from last year…
‘Aside from the incredible guest speakers that were at Talent Campus, the bond and intimacy that was created within the group of screenwriter, in such a short amount of time, was one of the most important aspects of this program to me. You will not only hear significant voices from the film industry and learn from them, but will be coached by Chris on your mindset and limiting beliefs (implemented in surprising ways!) so that by the time you’re through the 4 days, you will know that nothing is impossible for you and that you are capable of more than you dared to think. And because you will now have a tribe of people in your life who get it and 100% support you, any time you start to falter, they will be there to remind you of what you’re capable of and that you CAN do the things you’re afraid to do. You will get far more than you expected from this program. For me, it will remain one of the highlights of my entire life and I cannot praise Chris and the LSF team highly enough for how much of themselves they give and how much they are willing to invest in other writers and filmmakers.’
Monique Amado, Screenwriter
The Talent Campus exclusive sessions have also been absolutely incredible – John Yorke, Kate Leys, Lucy Hay, Chris Jones, Julian Friedman, Pilar Alessandra – all giving us their insights and advice on our individual projects. Plus special sessions with Chris McQuarrie and Carl Gottlieb. I’m not aware of a screenwriting course where you can get that kind of intensive input from such an experienced bunch of people, who are currently active and working in the business.
Rachel Paterson
I’ve made massive progress with my story thanks to the highly supportive personnel and framework of TC both collectively and also within our smaller group. When I complete my first draft I reckon it’ll be in the region of 12 weeks quicker than had I been writing it independently of the program. The calibre of industry professionals I’ve had access to is quite simply incredible.
Mark MacNicol
The highlights have been being taken seriously and getting script requests though Pitchfest, and developing a supportive, inspiring peer group.
Poz Watson
Really great course with lots of knowledge learnt and experience gained. The mentoring outside of the Talent campus sessions has been the most rewarding, and its great to have a mentor as well as be in a smaller group of writers to chat to and get feedback from about our specific projects.
Gary Thomas
I have gone from writing alone, to writing with the strong support of a peer group of fellow writers. From using only my own judgment, to now working with professional script editors and producers who are assessing the quality of my work and helping me decide which projects to pursue in terms of their place in the market.
David Hitchcox
I’m learning and developing so much. It’s been especially valuable in helping me develop my networking and pitching skills. I really enjoyed meeting execs and pitching and felt so much more relaxed than I’d ever imagined I would. I feel more confident in networking and pitching situations and I’m looking forward to more.
Nick Fogg
Although I was certain that Talent Campus was going to be brilliant, I wasn’t at all sure it was going to develop me where I most needed help – networking and pitching. To my delight, those have been two core areas of focus of the course so far and I feel that I have made a great leap in both my networking and my pitching in such a short time period. This resulted in a much-needed boost in my confidence.
KT Parker
I am sure I will continue to feel the positive effects and profit from the relationships and contacts made long after this inspiring program has ended.
Halida Abbaro
I have learned heaps professionally: all the varied training sessions were in-depth and expertly delivered. Being mentored by a working producer has been invaluable. The support our group has given each other (and not least, were given by the organisers) has made the whole experience a pure joy.
Kristina Day
The very best thing that I have gotten out of the Talent Campus so far is the opportunity to really get to know several of the other Campers, especially the ones in my mentor group. My mentor, Karol, has been phenomenal! I see us keeping a relationship going for years to come. Our group has grown pretty tight and I hope that we maintain our connection and collaborative energy long after the close.
Amy Amani
It was a wonderfully, enriching experience where I have further developed my knowledge of the craft, but also I have made twenty-odd new friends who I’m confident will remain friends for life now.
Sarah Cassidy
The Talent Campus has pushed me further, faster, than almost any other experience I’ve had in my screenwriting career to date. So as a way to fast track a career, I have to say this is unparalleled.
Liz Holiday
And finally Dee Chilton…
It has been a shot in the arm of creative energy, giving me more confidence in my abilities and understanding. It has taken me to a higher level and reinvigorated me as both a writer and as a human being. It has challenged me to set the bar higher for myself and be even better. It has released more of the authentic me to come out to play, helped me to let go my feelings of inferiority and improved my self-belief no end.
It has driven home the fact that, as well as striving for excellence in our writing, interaction with the right people is crucial to our own development. It is a unique and invaluable opportunity and I am honoured and to have been selected to take part along with my fellow talented creatives. I know for sure it will pay massive dividends for us all in the future.
My ambition now is to replay the faith shown in me by Team LSF, by taking everything I have learned and putting it to best use to make progress in the industry. It would be a massive disappointment to me if Talent Campus was not funded in 2016 and beyond, allowing other talented emerging writers the same opportunity.
Dee Chilton
Final note… Every Talent Campus is different, and we have rebuilt it from the ground up for 2020
Having run Talent Campus six times now, we are rebuilding it with all that knowledge behind us. The main difference is that we have focused more energy into the ignition phase, the first five days. These five days are unquestionably the most transformational stage of the program with delegates experiencing both life and career changing breakthroughs that impact ALL areas of their personal and professional lives moving forward. Also. the second half no longer takes place at the Screenwriters’ festival, so we focus on greater intimacy and individual support.
