As ever, have a listen and tell us what you think, spread the word, or make suggestions, or just say hello. We're on Facebook and Twitter or email us directly at ukscriptwriters @hotmail.com. Thanks!
Monday, March 28, 2011
New UK Scriptwriters Podcast!
Here's episode 8a of the UK Scriptwriters podcast, hosted by myself and Tim Clague. It's '8a' because it's a special edition devoted to the subject of pitching, and it was recorded live at the recent Southern Script Festival (so the sound is 'on location!). We also dragged in Chris Hill (Skins etc) to contribute, and we discuss the good, the bad and the ugly ways to pitch.
As ever, have a listen and tell us what you think, spread the word, or make suggestions, or just say hello. We're on Facebook and Twitter or email us directly at ukscriptwriters @hotmail.com. Thanks!
As ever, have a listen and tell us what you think, spread the word, or make suggestions, or just say hello. We're on Facebook and Twitter or email us directly at ukscriptwriters @hotmail.com. Thanks!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
London Comedy Writers Festival
The London Comedy Writers Festival is all set to run next month (the 9th & 10th April).
The line-up of speakers looks like a Who's Who of UK Comedy; all the players, producers and contacts you would possibly want to meet. Very impressive stuff.
If you haven't checked it out already, then all the details are here, and you can get £25 off the ticket price if you use discount code ScriptwritingUK.
If you do use this discount code, I get a £25 slice of every sale, but if even if I wasn't promoting the discount, I'd still urge you to check out the festival. It really looks like a top event.
Other £25 discount codes are available. Some affiliates are giving their slice of the pie to charity and so on, while I will use every penny I get to make a comedy web series, just for you! So, everyone's a winner, baby, that's the truth.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Screenwriting Bullet #9
What is a beat sheet?
A beat sheet is a document used to prepare the essential dramatic beats (i.e the dramatic structure) of a story: what happens, when and why. Individual scenes can also be broken down into singular beats of action, while the actual content within the scenes (the dramatised action) would make up a 'scene by scene breakdown' before going to script.
More on beat sheets:
Beat Sheets, explained
Beat Sheets, revisited (with analysis scene from The Graduate)
A beat sheet is a document used to prepare the essential dramatic beats (i.e the dramatic structure) of a story: what happens, when and why. Individual scenes can also be broken down into singular beats of action, while the actual content within the scenes (the dramatised action) would make up a 'scene by scene breakdown' before going to script.
More on beat sheets:
Beat Sheets, explained
Beat Sheets, revisited (with analysis scene from The Graduate)
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Forthcoming Films From Frolleagues!
First, and most imminent, is Tom Williams' upcoming snowmantic comedy (I'm not the first, I won't be the last), Chalet Girl.
Tom is a fine screenwriting gent and a former script reader. At the first Screenwriters' Festival in Cheltenham, he was the tall chap roaming around with the video camera, interviewing peeps and editing the clips late into the night for instant website consumption.
The upcoming Chalet Girl sees his feature debut (directed by Phil Traill) and Tom's been working solidly over the last few years getting the script done, and pushing the film over the finishing line.
Check out his new blog where he breaks down the whole process, and how things are shaping up for the film's big release next week! Go Tom!
Lessons From Production
Writing Vs Shooting
Bums On Seats
Next up, a new horror film from the disturbing but brilliant minds of Jason Arnopp and Dan Turner. It's called Stormhouse and is coming to a cinema near you, very soon. For all the latest updates and breaking news, check out their Twitter feed. Can't wait to see this one!
Last but by no means least is James Moran's next film Cockney Vs Zombies. This one's only just got into production but what's particularly exciting is that they need a load of zombie extras, so if you fancied some of that action, then all the details you need are on James's blog.
Great to see so many frolleagues from the scribosphere rocking the house. Previous frolleague update here.
Tom is a fine screenwriting gent and a former script reader. At the first Screenwriters' Festival in Cheltenham, he was the tall chap roaming around with the video camera, interviewing peeps and editing the clips late into the night for instant website consumption.
The upcoming Chalet Girl sees his feature debut (directed by Phil Traill) and Tom's been working solidly over the last few years getting the script done, and pushing the film over the finishing line.
Check out his new blog where he breaks down the whole process, and how things are shaping up for the film's big release next week! Go Tom!
Lessons From Production
Writing Vs Shooting
Bums On Seats
Next up, a new horror film from the disturbing but brilliant minds of Jason Arnopp and Dan Turner. It's called Stormhouse and is coming to a cinema near you, very soon. For all the latest updates and breaking news, check out their Twitter feed. Can't wait to see this one!
Last but by no means least is James Moran's next film Cockney Vs Zombies. This one's only just got into production but what's particularly exciting is that they need a load of zombie extras, so if you fancied some of that action, then all the details you need are on James's blog.
Great to see so many frolleagues from the scribosphere rocking the house. Previous frolleague update here.
Monday, March 07, 2011
Making the Low Budget Feature
In January, you may remember I mentioned I was heading off to a course called ‘Making the Low Budget Film’; all part of this year’s strategy to get out there, learn new stuff and shake things up a bit. The course has been up and running since last year (by Industrial Scripts) and hosted by Ken Marshall, producer of London to Brighton, Cherry Tree Lane and The Cottage, so I popped along on Sunday 20th February to soak up all that I could.
Trivial personal bit: I get up at 5.45am. On a Sunday. These words will never escape my lips again, unless I’m being paid to get up that early on the global day of rest. I eat porridge with honey (a filling breakfast to keep me going until lunchtime) and am in my car driving towards London by 6.30am. I get to Richmond at about 8.15am and park in a street that doesn’t need a permit. I then get the train to Waterloo and from there, I get the tube to Oxford Circus. It’s only 9.30am at this point and the course starts at 10am so I grab a much-needed coffee.
The course bit: at 9.55am we are officially allowed to hit the buzzer, and I meet a few of my fellow course attendees. We chat and mingle, and it seems like a lively and friendly bunch, all with mixed experience (some have already produced a low budget film, others trying to figure out if the film industry is for them). Ken Marshall introduces the course and the agenda for the day. It’s a jam-packed schedule that breaks down his personal experience of producing low-budget films as well detailing all the practical pitfalls and considerations you need to make along the way.
Ken is laid back and has a dry sense of humour, so thankfully the day doesn’t become a trudge of facts and figures. Instead, Ken is remarkably candid and honest about his experiences – where he went wrong, what he should have done, how he could have got a better deal etc – and it makes for a fascinating insight into the indie world of UK filmmaking. None of it is earth-shatteringly new or surprising but hearing it from someone who’s experienced it properly is always a better way to really learn than picking off tidbits from an article or a book.
The schedule is broken down into key areas: ‘Low Budget Films & Producer’s Role’, ‘Setting Up a Production Company’, ‘Sourcing & Developing Projects’, ’10 Steps to Putting a Project into Production’, ‘Development Scenarios’, ‘Getting Your Film Financed’, ‘The Realities of Low Budget Films and the State of the Industry’, ‘Routes to Financing Your Film’, ‘Distributors & Sales Agents’, ‘How to Approach Funding Bodies’. We all get so caught up in the information, we nearly miss taking a lunch break but we do take some time out for some grub (I’ve brought along a homemade sandwich - a low-budget producer would be proud!).
After lunch, Ken takes us through each of his projects on a case-by-case study. He explains the approach and current status of his next two projects, Filth (an adaptation of an Irvine Welsh novel), and Song For Marion (Paul Andrew Williams’ next film). There’s a Q&A on each section, and then a Participant Workshop where we get to pitch our own ideas. I’ve been laidback about the prospect about pitching so Ken singles me out to pitch first. Suddenly full of adrenaline, my laidback bravado fails me as I stumble into a nervous pitch for the feature film version of Origin. Still, I calm myself down enough to get across the key details, and Ken plays the trailer on YouTube. It ends up as a fun pitch in the end, and everyone gets a go at presenting their idea.
As the course wraps, we get a folder to take away which is chock full of budget spreadsheets & info we’ve gone through during the day. We all decamp (including Ken) for a much needed drink at the nearest pub. However, I’m driving home so all I get to quaff is a refreshing soda water & lime, have a quick chat with the others, and then it’s off to Richmond again for the return leg of the journey. I’m in my car by 8pm, and home at 10pm, exhausted but full of new knowledge about how to make a damn blasted film in this country.
If you are interested in making your own low-budget film, then I would highly recommend the course. The next one will be on Sunday 1st May 2011, full details here, and check out Industrial’s other impressive line-up of courses & services, too. I'm off to make a low-budget film. Easy, right?
Trivial personal bit: I get up at 5.45am. On a Sunday. These words will never escape my lips again, unless I’m being paid to get up that early on the global day of rest. I eat porridge with honey (a filling breakfast to keep me going until lunchtime) and am in my car driving towards London by 6.30am. I get to Richmond at about 8.15am and park in a street that doesn’t need a permit. I then get the train to Waterloo and from there, I get the tube to Oxford Circus. It’s only 9.30am at this point and the course starts at 10am so I grab a much-needed coffee.
The course bit: at 9.55am we are officially allowed to hit the buzzer, and I meet a few of my fellow course attendees. We chat and mingle, and it seems like a lively and friendly bunch, all with mixed experience (some have already produced a low budget film, others trying to figure out if the film industry is for them). Ken Marshall introduces the course and the agenda for the day. It’s a jam-packed schedule that breaks down his personal experience of producing low-budget films as well detailing all the practical pitfalls and considerations you need to make along the way.
Ken is laid back and has a dry sense of humour, so thankfully the day doesn’t become a trudge of facts and figures. Instead, Ken is remarkably candid and honest about his experiences – where he went wrong, what he should have done, how he could have got a better deal etc – and it makes for a fascinating insight into the indie world of UK filmmaking. None of it is earth-shatteringly new or surprising but hearing it from someone who’s experienced it properly is always a better way to really learn than picking off tidbits from an article or a book.
The schedule is broken down into key areas: ‘Low Budget Films & Producer’s Role’, ‘Setting Up a Production Company’, ‘Sourcing & Developing Projects’, ’10 Steps to Putting a Project into Production’, ‘Development Scenarios’, ‘Getting Your Film Financed’, ‘The Realities of Low Budget Films and the State of the Industry’, ‘Routes to Financing Your Film’, ‘Distributors & Sales Agents’, ‘How to Approach Funding Bodies’. We all get so caught up in the information, we nearly miss taking a lunch break but we do take some time out for some grub (I’ve brought along a homemade sandwich - a low-budget producer would be proud!).
After lunch, Ken takes us through each of his projects on a case-by-case study. He explains the approach and current status of his next two projects, Filth (an adaptation of an Irvine Welsh novel), and Song For Marion (Paul Andrew Williams’ next film). There’s a Q&A on each section, and then a Participant Workshop where we get to pitch our own ideas. I’ve been laidback about the prospect about pitching so Ken singles me out to pitch first. Suddenly full of adrenaline, my laidback bravado fails me as I stumble into a nervous pitch for the feature film version of Origin. Still, I calm myself down enough to get across the key details, and Ken plays the trailer on YouTube. It ends up as a fun pitch in the end, and everyone gets a go at presenting their idea.
As the course wraps, we get a folder to take away which is chock full of budget spreadsheets & info we’ve gone through during the day. We all decamp (including Ken) for a much needed drink at the nearest pub. However, I’m driving home so all I get to quaff is a refreshing soda water & lime, have a quick chat with the others, and then it’s off to Richmond again for the return leg of the journey. I’m in my car by 8pm, and home at 10pm, exhausted but full of new knowledge about how to make a damn blasted film in this country.
If you are interested in making your own low-budget film, then I would highly recommend the course. The next one will be on Sunday 1st May 2011, full details here, and check out Industrial’s other impressive line-up of courses & services, too. I'm off to make a low-budget film. Easy, right?
Thursday, March 03, 2011
Screenwriting Bullet #8
QUESTION!
I cannot seem to get to the end of a scene without wanting to edit it, and it affects how my story progresses. How can I stop myself doing this?
It doesn't matter if it's rubbish, or if you think it's rubbish, just finish the scene and keep going until you finish the script. If you've come to a mental block, write something that finishes the scene (even if it's 'MORE DIALOGUE/BANTER HERE AND JOHN STORMS OUT THE PUB', e.g). Try planning out the story beforehand, if you're not already, and that should keep you going, or give you the opportunity to move to a different sequence and come back to that troubling scene/sequence later.
But it's all about just finishing it. Keep going, keep writing, and you'll get there. Rewrite/edit later.
I cannot seem to get to the end of a scene without wanting to edit it, and it affects how my story progresses. How can I stop myself doing this?
It doesn't matter if it's rubbish, or if you think it's rubbish, just finish the scene and keep going until you finish the script. If you've come to a mental block, write something that finishes the scene (even if it's 'MORE DIALOGUE/BANTER HERE AND JOHN STORMS OUT THE PUB', e.g). Try planning out the story beforehand, if you're not already, and that should keep you going, or give you the opportunity to move to a different sequence and come back to that troubling scene/sequence later.
But it's all about just finishing it. Keep going, keep writing, and you'll get there. Rewrite/edit later.
Tuesday, March 01, 2011
Discount Code, Comedy Festival
Going to the London Comedy Writers Festival in April? Not bought your ticket yet? Get £25 off ticket price by using discount code: ScriptwritingUK
Simples!
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