Spending 5 days in snowy seclusion with Emmanuel, eleven other talented screenwriting individuals and teams, and my own relatively newborn story has been energising and inspirational. As a filmmaker who never went to film school, I’ve read a lot of screenwriting theories and attended a lot of courses. This workshop, and the book / online tutorial required to be completed in advance of same, addresses the core issues of screen storytelling with a novel approach that is both radical and super-practical. For me, the use of the Maslow hierarchy of needs in analysing the likely audience appeal of one’s story is a deceptively simple but powerful example of how Emmanuel gives you new tools to crack open your story’s potential. In the one-to-one sessions, he asks astute and challenging questions. In the group sessions, he constantly facilitates discerning and supportive peer-to-peer feedback. I left with new ideas about how to improve my current screenplay, new strategies which I know will serve me on future projects, and a roomful of new friends. I would heartily recommend.