Consultations, Mentorship and Screenwriting Tools
Scroll Down to Find Freebies
Innovative and Effective Services to Strengthen Story, Find Solutions and Advance Your Career
The Story Doctor is IN.
What to Expect:
In-depth discussion providing constructive feedback and discovering answers that strengthen the story and your marketing materials. This isn’t coverage but a conversation about your goals for the story, as well as the project, and how to achieve them. This is like working closely with a producer on a project. We explore options and find solutions to problems. My goals are to bring out the best in your concept, maximize your strengths, enhance your story, and boost your project’s marketability.
I work with screenwriters and television writers, as well as on fiction and nonfiction projects. Contact us for a custom quote on novels and nonfiction.
Our work is collaborative, focused and practical, customized to ensure you make progress. Expect honesty.
BONUS: FREE Logline written feedback when you sign up for our newsletter, see below.
Not sure which consultation is right for you?
Happy to discuss!
info <at> bigbigideas.com
The Doctor Will See You Now
Loglines
The Logline Booster Shot – Your logline is the single most important sentence you will ever write. It is your best tool for gaining industry attention and advancing your career. You’ve put a lot into your script, but your logline deserves the same care and attention. Invest in moving your project forward. An in-depth logline consultation, including a 20-minute phone consultation, a 10-minute follow up consultation on the rewrite, as well as a 5-minute polish consultation on the final version to hone your logline to perfection. This is the big boost you need to persuade pros to read your material. Or use as a powerful opportunity to focus and hone before you write or on works in progress for to test for essential character, arc and conflict. $45
Query Letters – Scripts, TV Series & Novels
The Query Letter Cure – Submit your one-page Query Letter and meet with the Doctor for a thorough 30-minute exam. Have you conveyed the tone? Does your logline grab interest? Does your synopsis tantalize? Have you convinced us you’re a talented writer? Rewrite and revise, then have a 15-minute Follow Up Appointment to examine changes, test for effectiveness, strengthen weak spots and ensure your query is ready for the pros. The Prescription for a Query that gets results! $120
Andy Stewart, Los Angeles, CA
Pitches
Pitch Doctor Consult – Submit a one-page Pitch and then set a 45-minute phone appointment packed with constructive feedback on your pitch and your story. Feedback on Pitches LIVE via Skype. Invaluable prep for PitchFests, Industry Meetings and Elevator Encounters! $100
Pitch Doctor Combo – The Consult plus submit a revised version for a 30-minute Follow Up phone consultation or live via Skype Pitch for input on changes and polishing to help you hit a home run! $145
Vincent Ho, Atlanta, GA
Screenplay Consultations
Story Doctor Consultation – Submit your screenplay and receive an in-depth, up to Two Hours Phone Consultation focused on constructive feedback, going over my notes and working with you to come to answers that strengthen the story. This isn’t coverage, but an in-depth conversation about your goals for the story, as well as with the project and how to achieve them. We’ll discuss not only what’s working, but what needs work, why, and how to fix it. This experience replicates working closely with a dedicated producer on a project. My goal is making your story strong and marketable. It’s interactive, focused, and practical. Expect honesty. $475
Jeffrey Wright, Los Angeles, CA, worked with Barri on three scripts
The Script Prescription: Diagnosis, Treatment and Care – Benefit from a three-step in-depth development process to prepare your script for industry eyes. Receive a full, hour and a half Story Doctor’s Consultation on your screenplay, plus two Follow Up Appointments on this script to keep you on track. After our initial consultation you will have the opportunity to implement the notes, submit a revised draft and then have a second, hour-long Consultation to examine how new choices are working and what still needs attention. When your next revision is ready, we will have a third call, a 45-minute Check Up to hone and polish. It’s like having your own Professional Mentor to ensure your project is strong and healthy. Additional hours are available at a discounted rate. $895
Gordon Oliva, Danbury , CT
The Deck Doc – TV Bibles, Decks & Pilots
Comprehensive work on the developing, revising and honing television series decks, bibles and pilots, as well as adapting novels for series.
Contact us for a Custom Quote designed exclusively for you. info<@>bigbigideas.com
Shawna Baca, Los Angeles, CA, TV Deck & Pilot Package
Find The Help You Need Here:
See Consultation Extras Below for Rush Services and Additional Pages
NOTE: Once you have purchased a consultation, email us at barri <at>bigbigideas.com with the medium, title and genre of your project. Within 1 to 2 business days, you will receive a custom Letter of Engagement outlining how we will work together. Read, sign and return with your material, and our work together can begin!
MORE PAYMENT OPTIONS:
Please contact us for info on how to pay via Zelle, Venmo, wire transfer or personal check. We’re happy to accept these. Just ask: info<@>bigbigideas.com
Foreign transaction fees may apply.
Consultation Extras
Script Consultations Additional Pages – Scripts over 125 pages will be charged at the rate of $2.50 per page. $2.50
Additional Time on Consultations – Should you want a longer Consultation, or should your call run over by more than 15 minutes of the scheduled time, additional hours on the Consultation will be billed at the discounted rate of $150 per hour, in 15 minute increments. $37.50
While we make every effort to respond to each client promptly, rush services are available:
Rush Charge on Pitch or Query Consultation Less Than Three Business Days – Rush turnaround is available to meet your needs. $25
Rush Charge on Script Consultation Less Than Five Business Days – Rush turnaround is available to meet your needs. $50
Mentorship Packages
Over the course of my career, I’ve learned that, just as each story is different, every writer has a unique approach. My challenge is to connect with you creatively; in a way that empowers you, excites you, and motivates you to get your story to the next level. It’s never the same for any two writers, so our work will always be tailored to fit you, not the other way around. Working with me as your mentor isn’t about receiving impersonal written coverage. This is an interactive and dynamic conversation about your goals for your story, as well as moving your project forward in the marketplace, and how you can achieve them. This is like working closely with a producer on a project. Together, we explore options, highlight your strengths, and discover solutions.
Our work will be effective, practical, and collaborative. I promise to deliver inspiring advice, constructive critique, and endless encouragement. Expect honesty about both what is working and where your work could be strengthened.
Concierge Service: Doctor On Call
When the prescription calls for a Specialist, you want the personalized service of a Professional Mentor. Five hours plus one free script read. Scripts, loglines, queries, pitches, outlines, and concept development all available to meet your every need. Build screenwriting skills with complimentary tools, customized handouts, readings and exercises designed to strengthen your writing. $895
“Barri is an amazing mentor! She has a wealth of experience and talent that makes her an extremely insightful and inspiring teacher. Her method helped me get to the core of what I really wanted to say and taught me how to use structure and visual storytelling in its service. Working with Barri has been absolutely essential for my development as a screenwriter. She is so responsive and dedicated to her students, and I’m profoundly grateful to have had the opportunity to work with her.”
Elena Wagoner, Berkeley, CA, Mentorship Package
Personalized Mentorship Package – Support at Every Phase
Whether you’re starting from an outline, or you have a draft that needs to be reworked or rebuilt from the ground up, or working to elevate your script on every level from execution to engaging readers – this is the package for you.
For writers seeking comprehensive and all-inclusive mentorship, and wish to work long term to thoroughly revise a script or to develop a story from the ground up, I offer a Private Mentorship Package at a special discounted rate. This includes all forms of support and input, from skill building exercises to career advice. Due to the intensive nature of our work together, this package is available to a limited number of writers, and offered only to those who have had a prior consultation or conversation with me to ensure our styles and approach are compatible and effective.
This package includes:
- Complimentary Tools
- Instructive In-depth Notes
- Annotated Drafts with Detailed Notes
- Phone Consultations – Sessions Up to Two Hours Each
Personalized Mentorship Package Renewable Rate $600
May be renewed at the same price for the initial project, and for work on new or additional projects at the mutual agreement of the Consultant and the Writer.
Ask for more info or set a call to chat and see if this customized skills-building and mentorship package is a fit for you.
Contact us at: info<at>bigbigideas.com.
“I have sat at the feet of some wonderful screenplay teachers, but never someone like Barri Evins. She has the insight to ask the right questions to challenge writers to get to the visceral heart of our stories. When it comes to story structure, her ability to explain it in understandable terms is unparalleled. Barri’s mentorship program is speeding up my learning curve as I progress from idea, to outline, to finished script with her support. I’m confident that it will shine and resonate with readers. It’s time and money well spent.”
Bob Bland, Canyon Country, CA, Mentorship Package
“I started working with Barri as a novice who has never completed a script. Barri mentorship program helped me understand the importance of building a strong foundation and then provided resources and tools to help me start filling the gaps. As a result I have a clearer vision for my script and have grown stronger as a writer.”
Tonya Zuniga, Sacramento, CA, Mentorship Package
Mentorship to Pro Writer Success Stories Below and here.
Unique Screenwriting Tool Now Available!
Big Ideas Electronic Structure Template and Bonus Structure Fundamentals Handout – Previously available exclusively to Big Ideas Seminar students, now you can purchase the Big Ideas Structure Template. This Word document enables you to both quickly grasp the heart of your story – from character arc to theme – and discover a strong structure with the ease of filing in the blanks and cutting and pasting. Included as a bonus is the Big Ideas Structure Fundamentals Handout, that elaborates on each major plot point and clarifies the concepts to ensure you understand their meaning and how they work within the structure framework. You will receive the Template and the Handout via email – within 24 to 48 hours – to ensure you have the most current version. $7.50
“The only part of screenwriting I’ve always dreaded is the outline…until now. I’ve tried outlining systems from virtually every screenwriting guru out there, but none of them helped me to see the entire movie from FADE IN to FADE OUT, including character arcs and theme, like Barri’s One-Pager. I’ve never been so excited to work on new ideas. Her template is super easy to use and practically guarantees your concept will develop into an amazing screenplay. And best of all it’s going to save me from months of rewriting on every new script.”
Michael Mahoney, Mashpee, MA
Free Service
Think you have the next BIG idea?
Here’s how to get a FREE Logline Feedback:
Thumbs Up
or
Thumbs Down
from The Doctor
Find out if you’ve got a BIG idea that will ignite industry interest:
- SIGN UP: Join the Big Ideas community for articles and videos on screenwriting and breaking into the film industry. Use the form to the right or click here.
- EMAIL ME: pitchme<@>bigBIGideas.com
- FIRST: Your title.
- NEXT: Tell me the genre of your project – be specific!
- NEXT: Your logline. One sentence.
- REMINDER: Loglines must define the hero and the hero’s conflict.
- REMEMBER: Your response will be an insider’s perspective on the strength and marketability of your concept and the execution of your logline plus constructive pointers.
- NEWSLETTER: Joining Big Ideas includes monthly newsletters with practical and entertaining advice. If you do not wish to receive newsletters, please include “unsubscribe” in your submission.
- LASTLY: One per customer!
Mentorship Success Stories:
“Barri Evins has had an indelible impact on my life, both professionally and personally. She helped me get my first job in the industry, taught me the ins and outs of the business, supported and encouraged me in my career, read and critiqued my screenplays, helped me land an agent, and was even instrumental in finding me a wife. Now that’s a full-service mentor! Throughout it all, Barri’s insight and advice has always been clear, honest, and endlessly helpful. Her caring for her students and mentees knows no bounds, and she takes genuine pride in seeing us do well. Anyone would be lucky to have her ear, her mind, and her heart to help them find their way to success.”
Jeffrey M. Howard, Los Angeles, CA Screenwriter of Planes, Planes: Fire and Rescue
“I took Barri Evins’ Big Ideas Seminar a few years ago, and can see now what a turning point it was for my writing (no pun intended… although, that kinda works). Her passion for storytelling combined with solid structure know-how was conveyed in a way that has stayed with me, and definitely brought things to the next level in my career. Inspiring, uplifting and highly practical; I came away with tools that have served me well since. I’d recommend her workshop to anyone serious about writing; whatever stage of your career and craft, Barri’s work will help you go deeper, farther, improve your storytelling exponentially.”