Too many scripts sit in drawers, waiting for a ‘yes’ that never comes. What if the answer was simply to stop waiting and make it yourself?
In the run-up to the 2026 London Screenwriters’ Festival, I applied for an advanced mentoring session with Pat Higgins. It didn’t cost me any extra, but boy, did it pay off in dividends anyway, with a wealth of information.
After the introductions, I realised I wasn’t in a room of pure screenwriters. These were screenwriters who knew the value of producing their own work, if only, firstly, because then there would hopefully be the guarantee of it being made. And secondly, they would have more control over their work.
I couldn’t possibly share all the information we covered, but here are three of the bigger topic takeaways for me.
Win-win!
This is a phrase we should all consider when approaching a collaborative project. How are we adding value to those who produce our work with us? How do we all win? This is particularly important when working to a low budget and asking people to give their time for free, or for less pay than ideal.
If you’re asking crew to work for free, have you offered them a platform to showcase their skills and elevate their CV?
If you want a brand to partner with you, think about why they’d want to advertise their product in your film. Also, think about how you can extend each others’ audiences through the collaboration.
And don’t be wary of approaching experienced cast and crew. It’s great to build new entrants’ CVs, but for some jobs experience is ideal. The example given was in respect of finding an editor. But why would an experienced editor wish to work for free? Perhaps it’s a documentary editor who wants to cut their teeth on a narrative film. They might be fine with working for credit in order to showcase their skills in a new area.
Write to your resources
Who and what do you have at your disposal? Make a list. Robert Rodriguez was mentioned. He wrote a list (raised some funds in a way I wouldn’t condone nor will mention here) and then wrote a script based on what resources he had at his disposal. It worked. He sold his film to Columbia Pictures.
Location, Location, Location
My personal project needs to be shot almost entirely in a supermarket. Pat shared how I could make that affordable. He suggested hiring out a supermarket for one day one and going in with all the wide angle shots planned out in advance, in order to get as much footage as possible. He advised grabbing the supermarket shots needed in a day, but then finding a cheaper location for scenes in the break room, or by the tills or anything close up where the shelves and aisles won’t be seen.
One of the participants partnered with a football club. Like the branding tip mentioned previously, this was great advertising and publicity for the football club. The location also became a win-win for the filmmaker and the location owners.
—
There was so much more information in the jam-packed 2 ½ hour session. It was a masterclass in how to get your script off the ground and made (rather than potentially waiting years hearing rejections, or worse yet, radio silence from producers).
I can’t recommend Pat’s expertise enough, and hopefully many of you will be attending LSF 2026 and will have the opportunity to learn from him yourselves. Certainly, I left his mentoring session with pages of notes, a head full of ideas, and, perhaps most valuably, a renewed belief that my project can actually be made. Watch this space!
So stop waiting for a ‘yes’. Make it yourself.
Bio: Rebecca Colby is a screenwriter, producer and an award-winning author of over 50 books with Macmillan, HarperCollins, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Scholastic, and more. Since graduating from Talent Campus in 2025, she has made a low-budget documentary and has two short films in production and two further short films in development.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-colby-bb5262b/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raineinspain/
