HIGHLIGHTS
January: wrote the pilot for a new kids' show for an Asian animation studio and script edited the remaining 25 half-hour eps (which would spread out over the year).
February: shortlisted for the inaugural Times/Chicken House Children's Fiction Award with a children's book I co-wrote with Sam. Didn't win but got down to last 5 out of 2,000 manuscripts so we were well chuffed.
March: Sofia's Diary makes its UK debut on Bebo and becomes an instant hit. I wrote four weeks' worth of webisodes (including the launch) but a lot of credit has to go to Melanie Martinez, creator Nuno Bernardo and the rest of the team for moulding its success. Way to go!
March/April: pitched ideas for Badly Drawn Roy, a new CBBC show (an Irish co-production, too, with JAM Media) and got a commission to write an episode.
May: got EastEnders after writing a trial episode in March!
July: relaunched the Red Planet Prize with Tony Jordan at the Screenwriters' Festival.
September/October: visited the set of Badly Drawn Roy to see my ep being filmed. Also start to develop another new kids' series for the Asian studio as well as script editing a feature film script that's been given some cash by the Irish Film Board.
December: EastEnders commission is confirmed and I begin writing my ep.
A good year, no, a great year, with the two stand out higlights being Badly Drawn Roy and EastEnders. But this is just the beginning, really, so time to knuckle down and keep improving. It's also been a year where I deliberately focused on TV to ensure consistent pay cheques after a few years of exciting but ultimately frustrating experiences with the world of film. That's okay. I'm patient, and getting better all the time. 2009? Bring it, baby.
11 comments:
Sounds like a great year, Danny!! Well done and congrats! Hope 2009 is even better.
You mentioned kids' Tv shows quite a bit. That's something I'd quite like to get into one day, specifically writing for action-based animation. Do you happen to know anything about that, cos I know writing for animation is different to live action. However, I can't find any scripts online to demonstrate it. Any assistant or advice would be greatly appreciated.
And once anagin, congratulations on a fantastic year!
Well done for having such a great, but hard-earned year, Danny.
You give hope and inspiration to the rest of us.
I attended the Alfred Bradley Bursary Award Masterclass this afternoon, in Manchester. We listened to the opening of a couple of radio dramas.
I'm now in a bit of a pickle with my own script for this comp, because I don't know now, whether to open it with a big piece of action, then follow with the aftermath, or, follow with the aftermath and have the big dramatic episode as a flashback.
In one way, I'd like the big action at the beginning, but i don't want it to look like it's TOLD the story.
Any ideas?
Thanks, in anticipation.
Hooray.
I had a good year too. Here's to an even better one in 2009 xx
Antonia - I always like to open with the action to drag the viewer in. Also, flashbacks get abused very often nowadays. It has to be justified. But seen as so often it isn't, lots of readers don't like them. that's not to say it can't work though.
If I were you, I'd write both, then just see which you prefer.
Neil, thanks for that speedy reply!
Actually, I wrote it first with the action, changed it last night to action later, then this afternoon, felt in a quandry.
My gut instinct is the action first, so I think I'll go with that.
Cheers again.
My advice (for what it's worth) would be to go with your gut instinct. But i don't know THAT much. Danny will probably have a more useful responce! Good luck with it.
Okay, thanks, Neil.
What I call the main action, is the reason for the rest of the play, which obviously has action too, but everything that happens after that main, short bit, is because of the main, short bit, if that makes sense.
Yikes!
Got another couple of questions if it's okay, and hope I'm not too much off topic.
If i start with the big action, and it doesn't last long, should i have that as scene 1. then go straight to scene 2? it seems short for a scene.
Also, when I type into scriptsmart, is it automatically 12point courier?
Well I don't know that much about it all, but I wouldn't worry about scenes. I just put the headders (INT. HOUSE - DAY)
I wouldn't label your scenes or anything, just go with the flow. chances are the scenes will get switched around later anyway.
And I can't help you with the scriptsmart thing, cos I use Celtx. But I'm thinking it will be courier definately and probably 12pt.
hehe, sorry to steal all the answers Danny, it's not even my blog!!!
Hope it helps Antonia.
Thanks, Neil. That's very helpful.
Happy New Year Danny. I tagged you, hope you have time to do it. x
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