A unique and practical script consultancy service
from
Inside the TV Writer’s Room

What is FreshEyes?

“I need a set of fresh eyes to read my script”.  That’s what most of us say when we’ve done the hard work, and have lost sight of whether the script is any good, whether it accomplishes what we want, and whether it grabs the reader from page one.

Now you have a set of fresh eyes to review that material – but not just any eyes.

These are the eyes of successful, produced writers.

FreshEyes is totally unique. 
FreshEyes offers you more than any other script consultant ever could. 
That’s because FreshEyes consultants have been in the trenches of Hollywood.

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What’s special about FreshEyes?

Seek out all the “script consultants” you can find.  You’ll notice that most have something in common:

They are not produced writers.

You’ll find plenty of ex-agents, ex-executives, ex-assistants, ex-readers, ex-producers, ex-wives, ex-husbands, and ex-gophers.

But you won’t find many produced writers.

There are plenty of consultants who claim they’ve had projects “in development”. 
The truth is that anybody can say that.
Just as anybody can say they were a producer.  
Just as anybody can say they “worked at a studio”. 

But only a produced writer can point to their work and say, “this was good enough for someone to risk millions of dollars to make”.

Why trust your hard work to someone who isn’t a successful writer?

We’re not trying to bash the competition.   They have their good points.  But agents, managers, executives, readers, and producers are not writers.  To paraphrase David Mamet, these people’s jobs are to “please their betters”, or as we like to say, “to change the script for the worse”.

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What Can FreshEyes Do for Me?

We are only concerned with these things: 

Helping you make your script the best it can be. 
Helping you to stretch your talents to the max. 
Helping you find your voice.
Helping you make your story emotionally compelling.
And most importantly…
Helping you grow as a writer.

“The only thing that matters is the work”
  - Nina Foch, legendary actress, Oscar nominee

You must keep Nina Foch’s words in your head, because only the work counts. 
That’s what professional writers know, and that’s what you must know.

Why?  Because….

The reasons why a script sells are random.
The reasons why a script gets produced are random.
The reasons why a writer gets hired are random.
Hollywood is random.

There is only one thing you can control:

Writing the best script possible.  

Why?  Because a script is tangible.  Your work is tangible.  It’s real.  It’s on the page.  Every other part of the process is intangible. 

Nothing can be predicted. 
Nothing can be controlled.
Nothing can be guaranteed.

All Hollywood has to go on is your script. 

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What’s Special About FreshEyes Consultants?

You have to make your script shine, and we’re here to help.   Our writers have actually worked in Hollywood.  They know what good writing is.  They’ve had to write and rewrite their material, and those of others, countless times.   They will guide you towards making your script the best that you can make it.  They will give you real-world tools along with their notes so you have something practical to build on.

We are the only service with a stable of produced writers to mentor you.  If you choose a script consultant, you get only that script consultant.  And no matter what any writer says, the truth is that every writer has an expertise.  But what if the consultant you choose doesn’t have the expertise you need?   What if you are writing a sci-fi pilot?   You have to hunt through all those consultants to find someone with that specialty.

We have writers from every genre on staff.  We have writers from film and television.  We have writers who have written the classics and who have written the newest hits.

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Can FreshEyes Make My Script More Marketable?

We are not here to tell you if a script is commercial, or marketable, or will make a great movie.  If anybody claims to tell you those things, they are lying.  Because William Goldman is 100% right:

“Nobody knows anything”.

There is only one thing you can control:

Writing the best script possible.

Jump to Pricing by clicking HERE.

 

How Does FreshEyes Work?

You will be assigned a writing mentor best suited for your material.
This mentor will have a minimum number of produced credits to have been chosen as a FreshEyes Consultant.
Your mentor will read your script, usually in about a week.
Your mentor will make notes, and then schedule a phone call with you.
Your mentor will discuss many things in detail (see below).
You may ask any questions you want.
You may speak to them for as long as you wish…until you feel you have gotten all the guidance you need to start your next draft.
You even get a 15-minute follow-up call if questions arise in the interim.

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What Will My FreshEyes Mentor Cover?

Your mentor’s analysis will cover all aspects of your script, including but not limited to:

SCRIPT FROM 1,000 FEET:  The overall feeling the script produced for your mentor as they read it.   What were the strong and weak points?   What potential does the script have?  Will it take a lot of work, or not too much? 

STORY:  Identifying the through-line narrative and its strengths.  Identify and clarify story points that are missing or need strengthening.  Address the stakes, and whether the jeopardy and rewards are clear.  Keeping subplots in their place, and reflective of the main plot. 

THEME:  Identifying and, if necessary, distilling the universal moral of the story.  If story and theme lack consonance, then identifying which needs to be altered.  Identifying a social, political, or philosophical framing of the theme, which you can research, to help move the story alongside theme.

CHARACTERS:  Who are the characters?  What is their external want that leads them on their journey, and their internal need – the flaw they must overcome to accomplish what they want and grow as a result of their journey?  How are they defined?  Do their actions reflect their want or need?  What motivates them?  Are they obsessed?  Are they active or passive?

RELATIONSHIPS: Is the conflict strong enough?  Do we experience it viscerally in every scene?  Are these conflicts defined with clarity or, in the case of mystery, with enough information to want us to know more?  Do they drive the story?  Examination of the protagonist and antagonist.

STRUCTURE:   Are all the storytelling elements presented in such a way so as to move the story forward in a global sense?  Are the goals of each act clear?  Are the goals of each sequence within each act clear?  Does the second act hold together or does it wander?   Are characters, especially the protagonist, taking an organic path towards their goal and development, encountering conflict along the way?

DIALOGUE:  Do characters speak in keeping with who you’ve set them up to be?  Is the dialogue conversational?  Most importantly, is the writer’s voice coming through?

GENRE & TONE: Reiterating genre rules and relevant tone. Suggestions for strengthening genre elements or, if running contrary to genre, ideas for moving more in that direction.

INSIDE THE FOREST NOTES – Your mentor will hit on every note s/he made as s/he read, whatever occurred to them – positive or negative.  These include bumps in logic, characters behaving oddly, suspension of disbelief, particularly noteworthy beats or jokes or scenes, anything that wasn’t clear, if they were taken out of the story, etc.

SCENE ANALYSIS:  Your mentor will take a couple of scenes and walk you through them, discussing why these scenes either worked or didn’t.

THE FIXES: Your mentor will offer suggestions on how to tailor the script to make it the best it can be, within the context of what you want it to be.

THE BRAINSTORMING: Your mentor will offer up some ideas on how to accomplish The Fixes with specific suggestions.

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Is There Anything FreshEyes Doesn’t Do?

We don’t provide coverage. 
Coverage was created so executives could pass the buck on their workload.
Coverage is useless to writers because in the real world, you will never, ever get to see coverage of your script.

We don’t tell you how to shop your script.
Don’t get us wrong – we wish we could!
We couldn’t advise you even if we wanted to – because there are no rules.
Don’t believe anybody who tells you there are rules.
Remember, nobody knows anything.
We are not concerned with the randomness and politics of Hollywood.
Because all that matters is the work – your work.

 

 

What if I Don’t Like FreshEyes?

Unlike some other script consultant services, we stand behind our work.  If, after a FreshEyes Mentor analysis, you are unsatisfied for any reason, you may request a 100% refund.  We’ll just ask you to fill out a survey asking why you were unhappy.  That’s it.

We want you to recommend us to other writers. 
We want you to be satisfied with the analysis we provide.
If we haven’t satisfied you, then we haven’t satisfied ourselves…because we didn’t help you.

And that’s what we’re here to do.

 

Are you an Instructor looking for a day-long
seminar that will expand both your mind
and those of your students?
Learn about the FreshEyes Seminar