TESTIMONIALS

“Maggie has brilliantly created a workshop that teaches tools that nobody else in the screenwriting education industry covers, yet every actor and director use when preparing a film. The 3D SCREENWRITING WORKSHOP helps the writer breakdown & analyze his/her work in such a way that it leaves those wonderful kernels of truth which filmmakers and performers will later discover. It is an organic approach which will continue to work for the storyteller in all of their writing for years to come.”

“Maggie’s workshop gives me as a writer a new prospective on how to establish a backstory and how to deepen the relationships beyond what’s on the page and in the frame. Her process challenges my creative thinking and allows me to grow; writing better, more complex characters who are attractive for actors to play. Further more I learned a lot from just watching how she guided her actors and writers with a gentle, generous but steady vision to create a magical platform for the protagonists and the story to shine.”

“Maggie Soboil…what can I say. If only I could have Maggie, brilliant, insightful Maggie, by my side every time I sit down to write a screenplay, I would be the happiest screenwriter (what an oxymoron) in the business. And I’m not exaggerating. The contributions that Maggie makes to a screenplay are priceless…right on the money. But what else could you expect from such a consummate actress and performer; from someone with such vast experience and an uncanny understanding of characters and the worlds in which they interact. Maggie is not simply a sounding board – she is a sounding soul. She is a natural.”

“Maggie has an uncanny ability to mine the emotional riches that exist within a screenplay, whatever the genre, whatever stage of development. We were astounded by what she revealed to us through her simple yet brilliant methods; character depths that we strive for, that are within reach, but not yet discovered. Maggie has given us tools we’ll use again and again for the rest of our careers. Our gratitude is immense!”

“3D Screenwriting is utterly unique. As someone who has taken many, many screenwriting courses and workshops, this approach takes the writer inside the mind of a character by choosing a pivotal scene and placing the writer inside his or her shoes. This results in profound insights as to how the character would think and behave. Once writers have experienced being inside the character, they will inevitably be guided by instinct toward the truth of what that character wants. The scene then becomes a kind of hologram containing keys to finding the character’s emotional truth for the entire screenplay. Brilliant!”

“When people ask us about our experience, we try to explain what it was like to attend Plume & Pellicule, we show them pictures, describe the days but can never convey the feeling of warmth, and professional growth we experienced beyond anything we’ve ever felt before. Maggie’s workshop was a great jewel in the riches of those 8 days. Such a powerful and emotional insight into our characters and their relationships.”

“I’m still flying high… What a magnificent experience, creatively and personally. Your workshop was mind-blowing. I reached the deepest recesses of my characters and learned who they really are. “

“Maggie’s 3D Screenwriting Workshop transcends the words and constructs of the page and forces us as writers to breathe the subtext and the emotional truth of our characters. It is not an intellectual exercise by any means, rather an opportunity to inhabit our characters and allow them to move in unexpected ways. Maggie is a master at sensing where our characters truly want to go and gently steering them towards their true destiny. She takes self-conscious, stilted dialogue and turns it into a free-flowing, honest exchange. This workshop is especially beneficial for writers (like me) who spend way too much time holed up in their head. “

“I would like to tell you how fantastic your 3D writing workshop was. It proved me that there was another way to write, much more powerful. Playing my scenes allowed me to make them more accurate and to point what was not working, and also to find solutions to problems I would never have noticed without you method. It was like if I was able to “touch” what I wrote. From now on, I will always use your 3D writing method to write my scenes because it is very efficient, realistic and pleasant.

I would also like to thank you for the energy and the optimism. That was amazing! Working and learning with you is a real pleasure and a strong experience. All of your remarks are constructive and positive and you were always able to take the best of each participant of the workshop. I guess that is also why that session was unforgettable to me.

I would strongly advice those who read these lines to have a working session with Maggie because it is probably the best way to efficiently improve your writing skills.”

“Maggie Soboil is the perfect coach — tough, relentless, supportive and tender, with a killer instinct for storycraft and an eagle eye forever trained on the ‘big picture.’ It is a vast understatement to say Maggie knows her stuff. Leap all hurdles, overcome all obstacles to work with her. But only if you want your script to be better than you could ever imagine.”

“Maggie worked with me for years with diligence and without judgment as I slaved to find my story, learn how to write a script and find the rhythms of a successful writer. Without her support and commitment SWEET LAND would never have made it to celluloid.”

“It would be impossible to overstate the impact Maggie Soboil has had on my writing life. She is a master script-coach who deftly combines tender, inspiring encouragement with piercing insight and criticism. Her knowledge of the screenwriter’s art is staggering, providing perspective that is as varied as it is invaluable. Passion is Maggie’s hallmark and, simply put, it never wavers or wanes. Regardless of the subject matter, she throws herself into the story – consistently driving… pushing… digging… for what she calls truthfulness. Not truth, per se, but ‘truthfulness’. Truthfulness in character, in situation, in motivation, in action, and in dialogue… Hers is an illuminating process that brings growth to any writer open to it. None of this is easy, but it is always fun, because – most of all – Maggie Soboil is a joy to work with. Better yet: she’s a joy.”

“Maggie Soboil has been an incredibly valuable asset to my career and creativity. She has a true gift for finding and elevating the positives in a story or a script in imaginative ways. I’ve been particularly impressed by her ability to nurture and expand characters and storylines without losing sight of their essence and their place in the screenplay. I’ve known her for ten years and she’s never failed to impress me with her insight and understanding and also her respect and compassion for the creative process.
On top of that, her exuberant nature, joie de vivre, unfailing sense of
humor, and contagious energy make work feel like fun. There are too few Maggies in this world, and I consider myself extremely lucky to work with her.”

“I walked into Maggie’s workshop with a scene that was less than polished. I had no idea what to expect but as we discussed the scene , I realised Maggie knew exactly what I was trying to convey. Then we played it out. I watched my mediocre scene develop into a powerful, emotional, pivotal moment. I walked away not only with a better scene but with a better script.”

“The DREAMAGO writing workshop was a very enriching period of intense work. Maggie Soboil brought not only her professionalism but also a deep sense of comprehension of the scriptwriting process as well as a very refreshing sense of humour.

She helped me to get closer to the heart of my story and her understanding of my characters let me make my script much more powerful than it was before.Maggie is certainly one of these very rare script consultants who really “live the life” contained in your script together with you… and she does it to reinforce what’s best within it.The insights and energy I’ve taken from Maggie during this workshop has propelled me through the months since.”

“Working with Maggie has been one of the most positive and enjoyable experiences I have had as a screenwriter. With her insights and meticulous eye for detail, I was able to refine and solidify my characters and plot. I found her to be professional, always prepared, and flexible. Thanks Maggie. I owe you an Oscar!”

“I was very lucky to benefit from Maggie’s insight during my Plume et
Pellicule workshop. Maggie has a knack of asking the right questions, the only ones that make you find the truth of your characters and story. She helped me tremendously during the rewriting of my screenplay.”

“Maggie’s passion, insight and development abilities make you write better than you ever thought you could. Your characters become more complex, exciting, and dramatic, which makes you not want to stop even when you write “The end”.

Maggie provides a safe haven for the storyteller in you to come out. And then she guides you from page one through fade out, taking that story and making it into a rich and compelling film.

With Maggie’s passion for films, character, and the process, you can’t help but get swept up in her enthusiasm and create something so much richer than anything you could have possibly dreamed.”

“I first met Maggie Soboil as a script consultant in Sierre, Switzerland. DreamAgo had selected 10 scripts and invited the 10 writers from all over the world to meet with script-doctors. They fed us and housed us and treated us like royalty, but best of all, they gave us suggestions how to improve our works. So it was only natural that I expected them to send in their bill as soon as we’re done! It just couldn’t be that these well-known producers and screenwriters would give their time and energy to us for free, that they would even build up future competition, right? And yet that’s exactly what they did. But then, even in this great group of people who all love motion pictures and love making them and talking about how they are made and know what the hell they’re talking about, there’s still one person that sticks out. Maggie Soboil, so I noticed, got right to the core of my story. She saw beyond the foreground and heard the clattering of the mechanics of the story-telling. She just knew. And as a writer it’s so good to talk to somebody who just knows what the heck you’re trying to tell. Because it your script gets in danger when you listen to people who haven’t really gotten what you’re after or who try to stamp you with their own vision of your story. Maggie wouldn’t do that, she stays true to the author’s vision and yet she finds ways to help him find his own way. Maggie knows when to cut to the chase.”