Screenwriting Teacher & indie Filmmaker offering feedback for screenwriters and mentoring for filmmakers.

Find out more about Michael

• When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  Like most people, my interest in Film and Screenwriting came quite young but I committed to it wholeheartedly after high school. Teaching was something that came after. When I realised just how much I was able to help other writers through my online workshops I felt obliged to reach as many others as I could.

• Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  So my my biggest chunk of expertise is in Screenwriting and within that realm I am a big advocate of Scene Work which is a term most writers are unfamiliar with. It basically refers to the story of the scene in isolation which runs counter to what most Screenwriting teachers preach.
  
  I have found that because of this most screenwriters tend to give up as the overall craft is just too vast to cover in formal lessons. That's why I'm a big advocate for Scene Work, because it gives writers the tools and mindset to focus on one building block at a time and before they know it they have the toolset to go beyond that through the many repetitions a Scene Work focused education promotes.

• Did you have any role models; a teacher that inspired you?

  I was inspired by the many writing communities I joined. I got substantially more value through them than I did in my higher education and it is what I learned there that I aim to bring back to my students so that they have the tools to put pen to paper sooner and progress faster than I did.

• What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  The ability to listen to students and in turn adapt to their specific needs.
  
  The biggest benefit to this sort of teaching environment is the one-on-one time I have with my students. It allows me to really hone in on their needs and by doing so I try my best to adapt to their level of expertise and in turn give them the prompts that will push them furthest.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  This was during a workshop where we read through a professional screenplay. We went through it as normal and then discussed our thoughts.
  
  One participant ironically made comments on all the "mistakes" that were made in the writing and it was an eye-opening moment that shone a light on all the arbitrary rules that are placed on the craft for beginners.
  
  The irony is that this professionally written script broke all these "rules" and became one of the most successful screenplays ever written.
  
  It goes to show that screenwriting is not as binary as most teachers would preach and that different teaching philosophies would allow emergency writers to get out of their own way.

• What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or are still facing in your subject?

  Screenwriting and Filmmaking are constantly evolving.
  
  The filmmakers who inspired me walked a path that is no longer there. The biggest challenge in this industry is carving out your own path as what gets you to its highest peaks shifts as often as the technology does.

• Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  My passion is in giving creatives the toolset to build their own expertise. Creative work is unlike most professions in that you must eventually become your own teacher.
  
  Coming up through traditional teaching it took me a while to find this mindset but once I did I began to improve exponentially.
  
  If more creatives could engage with this aspect of their craft sooner they'd be in much better positions to "make it".

• What makes you a Superprof (besides answering these interview questions)?

  I think it's the very genuine need I feel to impart the knowledge I have.
  
  I "wasted" a lot of time breaking the shackles of my education, I'd like others to find that empowerment earlier in their careers than I did.