The Lazarus Machine

If you back one Kickstarter project this spring, back this one.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/adaddinsane/the-lazarus-machine

Why? Cos it's gonna be awesome.

(And no, it's nothing to do with me, I've just given script feedback a few times)

A couple of juicy opportunities

1. Vacancy: SCRIPT EDITOR

Employer: BBC

Location: London - Broadcasting House

Duration: Attachment/Fixed Term

With over 350 hours of in-house output a year, BBC Drama Production is making some of the most original, diverse and highly acclaimed television. These range from continuing drama such as Casualty, EastEnders, Holby City, and Doctors to series and serials such as Silent Witness, Luther and Silk, to name just a few!

Role

Reporting to the Head of Talent Management in the first instance, you will work in close conjunction with the Producers to provide editorial and research support to the development team. You’ll be advising on all script matters connected with all stages of the production from the initial ideas stage, to amendments and to the shooting of the script. Generating creative ideas as well as long term story ideas, you will work with the production teams representing the writers’ interests, ensuring their consent to script changes as well as ensuring the scripts are editorially correct and carrying out the necessary checks.

Where necessary you’ll be restructuring and generating new storylines within your script as well as turning around creative drafts in short spaces of time. You’ll be expected to take steps to identify and encourage new writing talent and to maintain an up-to-date awareness of emerging talent.

Requirements

People working within Drama Production are a talented, experienced and creative bunch. To join them it’s really important you have knowledge and understanding of new writers, copyright law, writer’s guild agreements, script sources and know the potential of emerging talent.

To be successful you will have substantial script-editing experience and a keen interesting popular entertainment, in particular drama.

You will have excellent communication, relationship building, team working and creative skills.

Drama production can involve long and unpredictable work patterns and pressure to meet tight schedules so you will need to have a flexible approach to their working day.

You can apply for this role and learn about how we do things at the BBC, by visiting bbc.co.uk/careers/home.

Alternatively, please call 0370 333 1330. Textphone 02890 328 478.

More Info: https://careers.bbc.co.uk/fe/tpl_bbc01.asp?newms=jj&id=46985

Apply to: BBC Recruitment

 

2. BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum

2013 Spring Call for Submissions

The format remains the same: three ten-minute script extracts will be selected from applications sent from emerging writing talent all over the country, which are performed by professional actors in front of a live audience and critiqued by a high profile industry guest from the television drama world. The event takes place on 13 May at BAFTA headquarters, 195 Piccadilly in London.

Early Bird Closing Date for submissions on 22 February 2013.

Final Closing Date will be 18 March 2013.

Full details of how to apply can be found on rocliffe.com.

From Gate Crasher to Gate Keeper?

One of the things I was alluding to in my New Year's post has now been finalised. As of now, amongst the other things I do, I will now be working as Head of Development for Viva Films.

As I mentioned at the beginning of January, it takes me in a slightly different direction, but in truth, it really continues and builds on what I've already been doing for quite a while.

Viva Films and John Goldschmidt in particular are people I've come to know very well over the last few years and my transition is really one from being a freelance help to the company - as well of course as writing for them, to taking on a more active, day to day, official position.

I believe British films should make money, because that is the only way to grow a sustainable industry. Box office returns are impossible to predict, despite what Sales Companies would have financiers believe. But at the very least, we need to try and make films that people actually want to go out and see. But I also believe films should have something to say, even if that is just in a general thematic sense, and not a didactic message.  

And I don't think those two are mutually exclusive. I think Viva Films has an incredibly exciting slate that is trying to do that and I also hope there is room to add one or two projects. But overall, it was very clear early on that theirs was a philosophy and vision that I shared, and so taking this role was the logical next step.

It's up to me now to find a balance between what I do and how I divide my time, and I will definitely continue working on my own projects because that's what I love and that's why I got into any of this in the first place.

What it might mean, as I suggested in January, was that I blog less (and to be honest it's been slowly declining for a while!) Time management is very important, especially for freelancers and in my screenwriter guise, that's what I still am. So sometimes things have to give and in truth I was running out of steam with this blog anyway.

But it did occur to me that most of the blogs I follow are by screenwriters and script readers/editors/consultants. Very few, if any, are by people on the other side of the desk. And I've learnt an incredible amount about the industry from my relationship with Viva Films, that has undoubtedly influenced and helped my writing. So, as the whole point of this blog in the first place was to filter down useful information, tips and advice, to writers coming up behind me, it seems like there is still scope to do that, but maybe from a slightly different angle.

Having said that, the film industry is a precarious business. Just when things look like they are in the bag and greenlit, multiple rugs can be pulled from under you. And I think especially because it's a creative industry, confidentiality can often be paramount. So naturally I will be extremely careful about what I say and when I say it. But hopefully some useful things will still emerge, even if it's just every now and then.

Happy writing.

Walk the Line screenwriter in town

If those new resolutions of writing more etc, are beginning to wane, this might be of interest.

SCREENWRITING WORKSHOP MAY/JUNE 2013

This is a unique opportunity for UK writers to work with an inspirational writer and practitioner. Gill Dennis is Master Filmmaker in Residence at the American Film Institute in Los Angeles, and co-writer of the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line (2005).  He will be running a two-part workshop for eight writers (working in two smaller groups).

This course is suitable for screenwriters working on a feature or short film script, as well as novelists and/or short story writers who want to adapt their own work for the screen. 

There will be two workshop meetings for each group of four writers, plus a one-hour individual meeting with Gill for each writer.

• Gill will read all the scripts in advance. Participants will be asked to read and discuss the work of three other writers.
• The first meeting will be on Saturday 18 May. Group 1: 10.30am -1.30pm, Group 2: 2.30 – 5.30.
• On Sunday 19^th and Monday 20th Gill will meet each writer for a one-to-one meeting to set objectives for rewrites.
• The two groups will meet with Gill again on Saturday 1 June (same times) to discuss the resulting revisions and changes.

BIO: 

GILL DENNIS's screenwriting credits include the Oscar-nominated film WALK THE LINE (2005); RETURN TO OZ (with Walter Murch, 1985); RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE (TNT, 1996); and an original mini-series, HOME FIRES, named as one of the top ten television events of 1987 by Time Magazine. He also worked on scripts such as THE BLACK STALLION, APOCALYPSE NOW and POLLOCK.

His current projects include FOREVER  with director Tatia Pilieva, now in post-production and SPANISH BLOOD with Aza Jacob, starring Jennifer Lopez and John Hawkes, which will be shot in the Spring.

As Master Filmmaker in Residence at the American Film Institute, Gill has mentored many of the new generation of American filmmakers, including Jonathan Levine (THE WACKNESS), Jacob Estes (MEAN CREEK), Goran Dukic (WRISTCUTTERS), and Aza Jacobs, whose feature TERRI screened at last year’s London Film Festival.

APPLICATION PROCESS: 

If you’d like to take part in this workshop please send a short writing sample together with a covering letter telling us something about you and your writing and the screenplay you are developing. No attachments. Paste text in the body of your message and email to this address: londonwritingworkshops@gmail.com

  

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. If you are accepted, you will be asked to pay a deposit to secure the place, and to send in a full draft of your screenplay by mid to late April 2013. The balance of the course fee will be payable before the start of the course.

DEADLINE:  applications before 31^st March.

WORKSHOP FEE:  £350

Watch a clip of Gill Dennis talking about scriptwriting on You Tube HERE

New Year's End

I can't be bothered with all that report card stuff, although other people's can be fun to read! What did I do this year? I worked as hard as I could. I studied as hard as I could. I tried to be as good a person as I could. What do I want to achieve next year? To do better in all of the above. As for the rest, it isn't up to me. 

I know this blog has tailed off a bit and it's possible that it/I have run out of steam with it. I'm not sure. 2013 is already shaping up to be an interesting year - full of changes - and it might just be that some of those mean I head in a different direction and when that happens sometimes other stuff has to give. One of those things might be this blog.

But in the meantime I want to thank everyone who has kept reading this year. To the 44 followers listed here for, er, following. And also everyone who has been kind enough to let me read their scripts and have appreciated the notes I've given. I hope I've helped.

Best wishes for the New Year. And I speak to myself when I say this: Focus on the things you can control, and don't worry too much about the things you can't.

Screenwriting and Storytelling

Always nice to give a shout out to a new blog on the block - so please check out Alan Denman's Screenwriting and Storytelling.

I've known Alan for many years. He taught one of the very first screenwriting courses I ever attended, and he's spent much of his time since then at the coal face of the industry in LA.

You can also check out my write up of his course about Breaking into Hollywood

The NBC Drama Challenge

The New York Television Festival and NBC have teamed up to offer aspiring TV writers and producers the opportunity to win $25,000 and a development deal with NBC.

Go here for all the information

http://nytvf.com/2013_nbc.html

Please note:


•The initiative is open to U.S. residents age 18 and over who do not have any contractual commitments preventing them from entering into an exclusive development deal with NBC.