Are you a screenwriter producing scripts in English as your second language and struggling to express your creative vision to its fullest? Do you know your characters inside out in your own mind and language, but need a little help crafting their dialogue and action in English?
Maybe you speak English brilliantly, but need some guidance on picking just the right words for the character and context.
I can work with you to understand these nuances and help you express them effectively in your scripts and story outlines, including working collaboratively in Final Draft. Together, we can get your script to the point where you feel confident that it is conveying everything you want it to, before it lands on anyone else’s desk.
And I won’t interfere with your ideas – simply help you bring them to life.
Gonzalo Maza
Screenwriter – A Fantastic Woman (Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, 2018), Gloria
I write 90% of my scripts in English, even though it’s my second language. Sometimes I’m in a hurry to meet a deadline and I need to know whether some slang I’ve used in my dialogue is US or British English. Or whether an expression I’ve pulled from the depths of my mind actually exists, or I’ve just invented it. That’s where Kate comes in: she makes sure I come across as more eloquent, idiomatic and professional to the rest of the world, so no one would ever know that English isn’t my first language.
Producers
Perhaps you are a producer working with an international writer on a script that has been translated into English, or written in English as a second language.
Emily Morgan
Producer – Quiddity Films (BAFTA for I Am Not a Witch, 2017)
Working with Kate was hugely beneficial for our script, once we were ready to polish the draft for potential financiers, cast and crew. She edited the language, and eliminated repetitions and over-expositional dialogue. As a result, the script was notably tighter, with an improved pace and greater emotional impact. Kate was extremely responsive and insightful throughout the process. I really look forward to working together again!
Whether the film will eventually be in English, or you need the script in English to send to potential financiers and collaborators, I can do an English-language and coherence pass to ensure that:
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action and dialogue reads fluidly and is appropriate to character and context;
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there is coherence and continuity across plot, character, timeline and locations (narrative clarity);
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meaning and emotional impact is preserved across cultures (for example, where there are specific cultural references);
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there is nothing to confuse readers, trip them up or make them disengage from the story.
Award-winning clients
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Mer Film (Norway, producers of Sentimental Value and The Worst Person in the World).
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Heretic (Greece, producers of Triangle of Sadness and Maria).
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Quiddity Films (UK, producers of The Settlers and I Am Not a Witch).
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Gonzalo Maza (Chilean writer of the Oscar-winning film A Fantastic Woman).
