GLENN'S MAGIC REALLY WORKS
Class taken: January 2008

I recently revisited one of my original attempts at screenplay writing. I always liked the story, but never wrote more than 25 pages. As I read my half page narratives, seven sentence character descriptions and complete lack of scene setups, I started to feel very lucky for what has happened since that crap went on paper.

That was three scripts ago and what happened was Glenn Benest. He gives writers the tools necessary to say more by writing less. To now be able to use smashcuts, montages, intercuts, voice overs and even to have a reader listen to a helicopter in the next scene while ending the current one isn't just plain fun, it's absolutely necessary.

I've been to two EXPO'S now and have walked the mosh pit of 4000 new writers trying to sell stories five minutes at a time. Confidence is key in this arena.
Glenn makes sure your work comes through as you think you are telling it.

If you can't do that... then all you're doing is entertaining yourself.

--Tracy Crockett

Benest is the Best
Class taken: January 2008

Three words: Knowlegable, sensitive, inspirational. Glenn Benest has the capacity to move a script forward with insight and creativity. He takes the writer into novel aspects of the story and the characters that allows the writer to develop the script into something far more intriguing than first envisioned. We grow as writers and as individuals. If you enjoy a group atmosphere join one of Glenn's groups and get a kick start from well versed, creative writers who give you wonderful slants on your project.

--M.L. Gemmill

Glenn is a fantastic teacher and motivator. After a career in television (story editor on "Laverne & Shirley," "Double Trouble" and "Charlie & Company,") I wanted to get into features and came to his workshop with a script that had a good story, but in much need of work. With Glenn's guidance, the script became more layered, has more texture and is much funnier than the original. The first person I gave it to is a producer who wanted to option it before she even finished reading it. As a successful writer himself, Glenn knows how to give notes that really make a script come alive.

--Susan Lindner

When I met Glenn over five years ago, I knew nothing about screenwriting. All I had was the seed of an idea and a dream of turning it into a story.

Now, I'm writing two screenplays for hire, one for Revolution Studios and the other for Warner Brothers. It's remarkable how much the development meetings are like Glenn's workshop--a true collaboration. Apart from story structure and character development, what I learned from Glenn is that writing is a process. It doesn't always come out right the first time and that's why the workshop is so helpful. With Glenn as our group teacher and moderator, we're able to trade story and character ideas with one another--all of which help to bring our screenplays to the next level.

I am grateful to still be in his workshop.

--Bridget Friend

Glenn's Class Rocks!
Classes taken: 2007-present

I can’t say enough good things about Glenn Benest as a screenwriting mentor. I met Glenn in 2007, just after I moved to L.A. to write movies. I’d just finished what I considered to be a hot screenplay, and I hired Glenn to critique it. His written notes were superb, zeroing in on the script’s flaws and suggesting artful fixes. But Glenn did more than just write me a critique – he sat down with me and went over the script page by page. He managed to boost my confidence in my talent even as he convinced me that I still had a lot to learn about the craft of screenwriting.

Glenn invited me to join his Monday night screenwriting group. Every week, five or six aspiring screenwriters would meet, read our pages aloud, and then Glenn would lead a critique of them. The class was a crucial turning point in my development as a screenwriter. Thanks to Glenn’s instruction, I improved that “hot screenplay” enough to secure a manager, and then a William Morris agent.

I’m now working on my third studio assignment, a modern thriller for Paramount Pictures. I have another film I wrote for Paramount titled: "The Art of Making Money," which I worked on for months in Glenn's workshop. Once a director is attached, I'm crossing my fingers it will be my first film to be produced.

Glenn is a terrific teacher with a deep knowledge of the craft. What I loved about studying under him is that he never wasted our time on vague "theory," instead, he hammered home the core principles of good screenwriting and taught us specific techniques that paid off, time and again, in stronger characters, better scenes, and ultimately, deeper and more satisfying scripts.

Glenn also has the one quality no one can teach – he cares about his students. I’ve often seen him read his students' work outside of class, or cut his price for those who were struggling. With Glenn, the student always came first.

I can think of no better place for Glenn than a classroom or lecture hall, and no luckier students than those who get the chance to learn from him.

-- Frank Baldwin

Don't Miss This Class
Class taken: January 2008

Glenn was my first screenwriting instructor, more than ten years ago. Though I went on to get an M.F.A. in screenwriting from UCLA, and am now a working (and striking!) writer, I keep going back to Glenn. Simply put, you can't get this kind of attention anywhere else. Not from your agent or manager, not from your screenwriting friends. I guess it's like analysis. People can listen and offer up all kinds of opinions, but that doesn't make them trained professionals. For the good stuff you've got to pay the guy and put in your time on the couch.

--Julie Ann Sipos

Glenn's class has been invaluable. I had already produced a highly acclaimed studio picture (The Hurricane) when I decided to join the writing group and I wish I had done it sooner. The process of analyzing and scrutinizing a script prevents you from getting away with imperfect work and allows an intelligent group to elevate any material. He and the class won't sign off on a script until it's ready, and that's why his students have done so well.

--John Ketchum

Glenn Benest - script consulting
Class taken: January 2008

Glenn Benest consulted with me over the phone and via e-mail on two scripts. The first script began as a simple outline. Glenn worked with me through two drafts of the outline and two drafts of the script – all in six weeks! The second script began as a rough draft. Glenn worked with me through rewrites and additional outline exercises that greatly improved the script.

Whenever I want Glenn to look at my writing I e-mail it to him. Within a few days he calls me. First he reviews with me everything that’s working and gives me great ideas to build on the strengths of the script. Then he reviews those elements of the script that aren’t working and gives me creative solutions to each problem. That’s Glenn’s greatest strength. He’s a writer and he thinks like a writer. He offers writers solutions that are solid and specific – and they really work.

--Alan Kritzer

I'm Lucky!
Class taken: January 2008

I'm lucky to be in Glenn's group. He is very encouraging, keeps me writing. But what I like best is his honesty. If something isn't working, he tells you why. If something is great, he tells you that too.

Best of all, he actually infuses great ideas into your story. I was surprised that he openly shares creative ideas. Some teachers would hold back and not share.

Glenn is also a caring person. And not a show-off, like you'd imagine from a successful Hollywood writer and teacher.

I look forward to Monday night, except when I haven't done my homework the week prior!!! So, of course, I don't want to disappoint him.....back to writing!

--Elizabeth Rockett

Take This Class!
Classes taken: 2005-present

I took many classes at UCLA and numerous screenwriting weekend workshops including Mckee and Freeman workshops before attending Glenn Benest’s screenwriting class at the American Film Institute back in 2005. Glenn’s teaching approach was more appealing and concrete which is why I have been taking his classes regularly every since.

With the help of Glenn’s workshops, I wrote my first screenplay Niloofar in 2005 which I directed in 2007. The film has been in competition in the Montréal World Film Festival, AFI Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival Generation KPlus category and recently in Cannes Écrans Juniors at the Cannes Film Festival to name only a few. I am now writing my second screenplay Maternidad in Glenn’s evening class.

I particularly like his class structure.  Before writing the screenplay, Glenn walks you through the process of writing a detailed outline. His approach to writing an outline is simple yet the most effective I have encountered.  Each student writes 20 pages every week and brings them to class. Then other students in the class read the pages so the writer can listen to his own writing. This approach is wonderful, because the writer hears what works and what doesn’t. Glenn never fails to give valuable notes, comments and/or suggestions to improve the screenplay. If one is fully dedicated to this process, one can have a first draft written in one session.

I often recommend Glenn’s class to my friends. Because he is working writer himself, he knows how to talk to other writers in a way that can truly bring out the best in their material.

-- Sabine El Gemayel

Glenn has an uncanny sense of story. He can (and often does) wade into 150 pages of near chaos to identify the narrative thread that will bind the student's scenes and characters into a compelling screenplay. Through the process of strengthening that thread, the student learns screen structure, which is really what it's all about. In the last session of the class, I wrote a television pilot, began outlining a new feature film, and landed a literary agent. Is this class worth the price? You bet.

--Dean Harvey

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