Posted: Friday 27 August 2010
Talking Points: Evan Leighton-Davis, script consultant
Peter Aitken [S6] reports on the first Talking Points lecture of the year, given by Evan Leighton-Davis, a script consultant who gave an in-depth talk about his own personal experience of working in the media.
The talk was interesting and informative and allowed many of the pupils who were interested in a career in media to clarify in their minds whether this profession was for them. Mr Leighton-Davis explained that, in essence, he was a 'script filterer' at Industrial Scripts, providing a service for some of the biggest media companies in the UK. He explained that, before this career, he worked in various other areas of media including newspapers and magazines.
He demonstrated story analysis and the main ingredients of a good script by showing us the trailer for ‘Titanic'. He stressed that conflict in all its forms was vital if a script was to grip the viewer. This is what he looked primarily for if a film was to do well at the box office. He shared with us his favourite scripts and those that he deemed to be awful!
He emphasised that work experience is the most crucial element in succeeding in media. He described working in the media as challenging, competitive and tenacious, but also a very exciting environment to be in - and this came across strongly in his talk. I'm sure I speak for everyone in S6 when I say that it was an extremely interesting talk which got the lecture series off to a flying start.
Even Leighton-Davies
Evan is the owner of London-based Industrial Scripts, and one of the leading script consultants working in the UK today, having assessed material for a range of established industry producers, funding bodies and American studios, including: Dan Films, TalkbackThames, Intermedia, Mirage Enterprises, Working Title, CinemaNX, BBC Films, Pathé, Screen South, Warner Bros, Paramount Pictures, See-Saw Films, Optimum Releasing, Universal and Scott Free. In total, Evan has assessed over 3,000 projects for Britain's leading film companies and funding bodies.