I'm not going to Cheltenham this year.
I've been for the last two years, and it's a great experience. I'm sure everyone going next week will have a great time.
So, why not me?
Mainly, I was worried about whether I'd have the time. I've been given this fantastic opportunity to write three BBC shows this year, and I don't want to cock it up. It all went a bit pear-shaped on Casualty, so it really doesn't make sense to go and spend three days of mild inebriation in Cheltenham when the second draft of EastEnders is needed.
But also ,when the flyers first started coming around, I got a slight sense of deja vu. It was the same old speakers on the same old topics. At that stage, the programme seemed a bit light. I'm really not interested in the Code of Practice (yawn). And I don't need another inspirational talk from Julian Fellowes (wonderful, though he is).
I was tempted by the presence of Terry Pratchett. But it would have caused me pain. I love his books and have a complete shelf-full. But the cartoon version of his Witches books was terrible. And the Sky productions of The Hogfather and The Colour of Magic were some of the worst television storytelling I have ever witnessed - truly awful. So, did I really want to squirm in my seat when one of my hero novelists reveals his screenwriting feet of clay?
Also, there didn't seem much emphasis on TV - a complaint of mine from last year. It all seemed to be about how to get your first film script made. Well, that's not me anymore. I'd love to get a film made, but I'm very happy with the steps I've made into television and could quite easily see myself having a happy screenwriting career without ever giving another thought to the cinema.
So, I decided to give it a rest this year.
But, as the event gets closer, and the rest of the programme firms up, I begin to wish I had the time. There's Barbara Machin (twice), Tony Jordan, Kay Mellor and Lucy Prebble. There's Jane Tranter and Laura Mackie. And there's David Lemon and David Bishop (worth the ticket price for these two alone!).
And Julian Fellowes, of course!
But there'll be no Paul Campbell this year. I hope it goes well. Hope the weather holds. Hope you all have fun.
See you in 2009.
Showing posts with label Cheltenham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cheltenham. Show all posts
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
Tuesday, 1 April 2008
TV Drama Forum
JB has reminded me that I haven't reported back on the TV Drama Forum organised by Broadcast.
So, here's a quick report.
It was a good day. Loads of interesting speakers with loads of interesting stuff to say. In particular, I got to:-
- have coffee with Barbara Machin;
- humiliate myself by not knowing who Ben Stephenson was when he was introduced to me(Head of Drama Commissioning for BBC Vision, for those not in the know);
- admire the height of Russell T Davies;
- hear what the commissioners for BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five and Sky want next (but I'm not telling!);
- hear what they don't want (might tell, but might lie), and
- generally enjoy not slaving away on my Casualty script for a day.
It was too expensive (more than £550), but I applied to SkillSet for a grant and they paid 80% of the cost for me to attend (Cheers, SkillSet! - I wonder if they would pay for Cheltenham too). It didn't need to be in a plush hotel in the middle of London, and the food didn't need to be quite so fancy. But maybe the snob value helped attract some of the speakers - who am I to tell Broadcast that a sell-out gig was too expensive?
It certainly opened my eyes to the business side of TV drama. Sometimes it's too easy to forget that one of the reasons we are able to continue to write is in order to entertain in order for someone somewhere to make money.
So, here's a quick report.
It was a good day. Loads of interesting speakers with loads of interesting stuff to say. In particular, I got to:-
- have coffee with Barbara Machin;
- humiliate myself by not knowing who Ben Stephenson was when he was introduced to me(Head of Drama Commissioning for BBC Vision, for those not in the know);
- admire the height of Russell T Davies;
- hear what the commissioners for BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Five and Sky want next (but I'm not telling!);
- hear what they don't want (might tell, but might lie), and
- generally enjoy not slaving away on my Casualty script for a day.
It was too expensive (more than £550), but I applied to SkillSet for a grant and they paid 80% of the cost for me to attend (Cheers, SkillSet! - I wonder if they would pay for Cheltenham too). It didn't need to be in a plush hotel in the middle of London, and the food didn't need to be quite so fancy. But maybe the snob value helped attract some of the speakers - who am I to tell Broadcast that a sell-out gig was too expensive?
It certainly opened my eyes to the business side of TV drama. Sometimes it's too easy to forget that one of the reasons we are able to continue to write is in order to entertain in order for someone somewhere to make money.
Wednesday, 11 July 2007
Cheltenham
... was a lot of fun. Danny Stack has all the details
If you weren't there this year, try to go next.
And, if you were there this year, see you again in 2008!
If you weren't there this year, try to go next.
And, if you were there this year, see you again in 2008!
Wednesday, 13 June 2007
Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines
So, the Doctors episode is finally put to bed (last minute hitch when they realised it was too long and I had to spend yesterday cutting it down to size).
So, "What's next?", I say to myself.
And then I panic. July is jam-packed full of deadlines. I've known about them for ages, but then they sort of disappeared into the background. But now they're looming.
Hmm. Discipline and dedication required.
So, "What's next?", I say to myself.
And then I panic. July is jam-packed full of deadlines. I've known about them for ages, but then they sort of disappeared into the background. But now they're looming.
- ASAP. Now (like, right now) would be a good time to get more Doctors ideas submitted while they still remember how much they like my work.
- 5 July. Cheltenham Screenwriters Festival. Not a deadline exactly, but it would be good to have a few treatments in my bag when I get there (all that networking, you know).
- 9 July. First interviews for the BBC Writers' Academy. I probably won't be called, but there's no point applying unless you're ready when the time comes. So that means spending a bit of time thinking about continuing drama, and preparing for the inquisition.
- 13 July. UK Film Council "25 Words or Less" deadline. One page summary and ten pages of script. Oh, yes, and I need a story.
Hmm. Discipline and dedication required.
Tuesday, 17 April 2007
It's all happening...
The Film Council has launched a new 25 Words or Less competition. They didn't exactly shout about it, but it's there on their website. Don't know how long it's been up.
And the Beeb have told the entire world about their hunt for 8 new Academicians. My application will be in the post shortly.
I've decided to go to Cheltenham again this year. Just the Thursday and Friday. Anyone else heading that way?
And finally, some good news on the Doctors front. I've had a story outline accepted and banked. I think it must be some kind of record - I sent a second draft in to my script editor on Friday, and it was banked by Monday afternoon. It's for a standalone episode, and my man doesn't have one allocated to him at the moment, but, as soon as he does then we can get started.
And the Beeb have told the entire world about their hunt for 8 new Academicians. My application will be in the post shortly.
I've decided to go to Cheltenham again this year. Just the Thursday and Friday. Anyone else heading that way?
And finally, some good news on the Doctors front. I've had a story outline accepted and banked. I think it must be some kind of record - I sent a second draft in to my script editor on Friday, and it was banked by Monday afternoon. It's for a standalone episode, and my man doesn't have one allocated to him at the moment, but, as soon as he does then we can get started.
Thursday, 15 March 2007
To do...
The weather's turning warmer. My daughter insists that she wants to wear her summer dress to school. Must be time to review those New Year's Resolutions and see how I'm doing...
1. Inundate the BBC with story ideas for Doctors, so that they have no excuse for not giving me more commissions. Hmmm. Well, my inundating was going OK, until my script editor left (familiar story?). So, there's a new script editor in town. He seems a nice chap. But it's a question of starting from scratch. And, it is so difficult staying enthusiastic about a process which, nine times out of ten, results in several days work being rejected outright. But, there was a reason why this resolution was #1 - Doctors is the only show in town for writers of my level of experience, and, until I build up a decent portfolio there, nobody else is going to take me very seriously. Probably. So, more work needed there, Paul. More inundation, please.
2. ... get at least three more commissions for Doctors over the course of the year. Yeah, well, not so much a resolution as a wish. And it won't come true unless I put the work in (see above).
3. Apply for (and be accepted into) the BBC Writers' Academy. Nothing's happened yet in this department. No word from the BBC about whether or not the Academy will continue, but I'm watching all 4 BBC continuing dramas on a regular basis now. This one's still my main hope for the year.
4. ... and, as a result, get at least one commission for Eastenders, Holby City or Casualty. Naturally. But now I'd like to add The Bill to the list. Nothing to do with the BBC, of course. But I attended an excellent TAPS course on writing for The Bill and it has whet my appetite.
5. Get my radio play commissioned by BBC 4 for The Afternoon Play. Well, that didn't happen. I had the usual nice words, but no banana. But there's another submission round coming up soon, and I have a few ideas which I'll be discussing with my friendly independent radio producer shortly.
6. Get at least half a dozen TV series ideas to my agent, and have her hawk them around the industry. I have been promising this for so long now, it's becoming embarrassing. But I am one step forward at least. I have done some work on one of them, Bloodline, and my agent thinks it has promise. More work to be done there, and then repeat the process for the other ideas.
7. ... and get at least one meeting out of the process. That would be nice.
8. Go to the Cheltenham Screenwriting Festival again. I think so. They've just announced the dates (3-6 July), and I think I might go for the Thursday and Friday. Anyone else care to join me there?
9. If the Film Council ever get around to running another 25 Words or Less, apply for it and (this time) win the £10,000 (rather than just getting within sniffing distance). No word from the UKFC on this one.
10. If the UKFC don't run the scheme again, work up at least one feature film concept, write the opening ten pages and get my agent to hawk it around (including to the Film Council). Yeah, right! Well, once I've finished my inundation of the Doctors' team, and written up 6 TV series concepts, then maybe I'll turn my hand to this hopeless cause.
11. Make some money from writing. Income from writing this year so far - £0.00.
12. Have fun. Well, this one's easy. It's still a lot of fun. And I got see my name on the screen for the very first time this year (see screen shot, above right).
1. Inundate the BBC with story ideas for Doctors, so that they have no excuse for not giving me more commissions. Hmmm. Well, my inundating was going OK, until my script editor left (familiar story?). So, there's a new script editor in town. He seems a nice chap. But it's a question of starting from scratch. And, it is so difficult staying enthusiastic about a process which, nine times out of ten, results in several days work being rejected outright. But, there was a reason why this resolution was #1 - Doctors is the only show in town for writers of my level of experience, and, until I build up a decent portfolio there, nobody else is going to take me very seriously. Probably. So, more work needed there, Paul. More inundation, please.
2. ... get at least three more commissions for Doctors over the course of the year. Yeah, well, not so much a resolution as a wish. And it won't come true unless I put the work in (see above).
3. Apply for (and be accepted into) the BBC Writers' Academy. Nothing's happened yet in this department. No word from the BBC about whether or not the Academy will continue, but I'm watching all 4 BBC continuing dramas on a regular basis now. This one's still my main hope for the year.
4. ... and, as a result, get at least one commission for Eastenders, Holby City or Casualty. Naturally. But now I'd like to add The Bill to the list. Nothing to do with the BBC, of course. But I attended an excellent TAPS course on writing for The Bill and it has whet my appetite.
5. Get my radio play commissioned by BBC 4 for The Afternoon Play. Well, that didn't happen. I had the usual nice words, but no banana. But there's another submission round coming up soon, and I have a few ideas which I'll be discussing with my friendly independent radio producer shortly.
6. Get at least half a dozen TV series ideas to my agent, and have her hawk them around the industry. I have been promising this for so long now, it's becoming embarrassing. But I am one step forward at least. I have done some work on one of them, Bloodline, and my agent thinks it has promise. More work to be done there, and then repeat the process for the other ideas.
7. ... and get at least one meeting out of the process. That would be nice.
8. Go to the Cheltenham Screenwriting Festival again. I think so. They've just announced the dates (3-6 July), and I think I might go for the Thursday and Friday. Anyone else care to join me there?
9. If the Film Council ever get around to running another 25 Words or Less, apply for it and (this time) win the £10,000 (rather than just getting within sniffing distance). No word from the UKFC on this one.
10. If the UKFC don't run the scheme again, work up at least one feature film concept, write the opening ten pages and get my agent to hawk it around (including to the Film Council). Yeah, right! Well, once I've finished my inundation of the Doctors' team, and written up 6 TV series concepts, then maybe I'll turn my hand to this hopeless cause.
11. Make some money from writing. Income from writing this year so far - £0.00.
12. Have fun. Well, this one's easy. It's still a lot of fun. And I got see my name on the screen for the very first time this year (see screen shot, above right).
Sunday, 31 December 2006
New Year's whatjermecallits
Resolutions, resolutions, resolutions. So difficult to make, even harder to keep. This year, the most important resolution is to keep all the others. And here they are...
1. Inundate the BBC with story ideas for Doctors, so that they have no excuse for not giving me more commissions.
2. ... get at least three more commissions for Doctors over the course of the year.
3. Apply for (and be accepted into) the BBC Writers' Academy.
4. ... and, as a result, get at least one commission for Eastenders, Holby City or Casualty.
5. Get my radio play commissioned by BBC 4 for The Afternoon Play.
6. Get at least half a dozen TV series ideas to my agent, and have her hawk them around the industry.
7. ... and get at least one meeting out of the process.
8. Go to the Cheltenham Screenwriting Festival again.
9. If the Film Council ever get around to running another 25 Words or Less, apply for it and (this time) win the £10,000 (rather than just getting within sniffing distance*).
10. If the UKFC don't run the scheme again, work up at least one feature film concept, write the opening ten pages and get my agent to hawk it around (including to the Film Council).
11. Make some money from writing.
12. Have fun.
* It's a good job I wasn't blogging at the time when I got shortlisted. It was very frustrating, and I might have been tempted to say something very indiscreet.
1. Inundate the BBC with story ideas for Doctors, so that they have no excuse for not giving me more commissions.
2. ... get at least three more commissions for Doctors over the course of the year.
3. Apply for (and be accepted into) the BBC Writers' Academy.
4. ... and, as a result, get at least one commission for Eastenders, Holby City or Casualty.
5. Get my radio play commissioned by BBC 4 for The Afternoon Play.
6. Get at least half a dozen TV series ideas to my agent, and have her hawk them around the industry.
7. ... and get at least one meeting out of the process.
8. Go to the Cheltenham Screenwriting Festival again.
9. If the Film Council ever get around to running another 25 Words or Less, apply for it and (this time) win the £10,000 (rather than just getting within sniffing distance*).
10. If the UKFC don't run the scheme again, work up at least one feature film concept, write the opening ten pages and get my agent to hawk it around (including to the Film Council).
11. Make some money from writing.
12. Have fun.
* It's a good job I wasn't blogging at the time when I got shortlisted. It was very frustrating, and I might have been tempted to say something very indiscreet.
Wednesday, 5 July 2006
Cheltenham Report, Part 3
So, what actually happened? I attended nearly twenty presentations, and heard people talking about most of the others. So, here’s a potted guide to what you missed if you didn’t attend this year.
Julian Fellowes – Becoming more commercially minded
Julia being his normal expansive self. No great insights, a bit rude to the previous day’s pitchers, but generally very entertaining.
Jimmy McGovern – his life and works etc
Good value straight-talking from someone who always talks straight.
Chi Coaching – tools for being successful
Didn’t attend. A friend who did walked out.
Tony Grisoni – discussing his film “Brothers of the Head”
Missed it. Nothing to report.
Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran – team-writing
The stars were joined by bewcomers Nick Ostler and Mark Huckerby (25 Words or Less winners and writers of the Adrenelini Brothers). Entertaining and informative. Tip of the day – if you’re in a serious writing partnership, take out life insurance on each other.
Ashley Pharoah, Jimmy McGovern, Marks & Gran, Barbara Machin – long running TV series
General chit chat about writing for TV series. Good stuff.
Colin Brown (Screen International) – Hollywood double-talk
I didn’t attend this one. I think the general consensus was that it was interesting, but unsurprising.
William Nicholson (Gladiator) – working in Hollywood
I didn’t bother with this because I thought there’s not much chance of my ever working in Hollywood. But, apparently, I missed a corker. Inspirational stuff, apparently.
Kevin Loader – working with producers
A personal view. Interesting enough, but I wished I’d gone for Mr Nicholson.
Kevin Loader, Amelia Granger, Olivia Hetreed, Abi Morgan, Liza Marshall – Adaptations
Missed this one, and didn’t hear much about it one way or the other.
Mervyn Watson – Soap
This suffered for being up against the session on adaptation. He could have taken advantage of the sparsely populated room to make a more personal presentation. It was interesting enough, but a bit distant somehow. But it did mean that I bumped into a couple of other Doctors writers, and we immediately formed a little Doctors Support Clinic (Hi, Nell and Angela!).
Kate Ogborn, Liza Marshall, Arvind David – TV, cinema, DVD and new distribution models.
No feedback on this one, I’m afraid. The Doctors Clinic was in full session.
Stephen Woodley – adapting stories into movies
Ditto.
Guillermo del Toro – chatting
Missed this one too. I thought there was little point because I hadn’t seen any of his films and they didn’t sound like my kind of film anyway. And the company down by the marquee was good. Did I miss out! By all account this was the one to be at. Inspirational, apparently. Just like Bill Nicholson, apparently.
Opening party at the Marquee
Plenty of free booze.
Sean Steele (NRG) – test screening
The poor guy got the 9:00 slot the morning after all that free booze. Pity, because it was a good session on the how they do test screenings and what they can pick up. Interesting stuff.
Tony Marchant – Chatting about Iraq
I gave this one a miss because Julian Friedmann promised to talk about interesting stuff elsewhere at the same time. I’m sure it was very good.
Julian Friedmann – a lecture
Not for me, I’m afraid. I listened. I daydreamed. I wondered whether I could sneak out.
Debbie Isitt – improvising Confetti
Missed this one. Don’t know how it went.
Justin Trefgame, Nick Ostler, Mark Huckerby, Claire Moorsom, Richard Jobson – writers and script editors
Great session chaired by UKFC’s Jenny Borgars. Writers and the script editors they’ve worked with talking about how to make the relationship work.
Katherine Butler – FilmFour
Less useful than it should have been, maybe. Basically, we got some nice clips and the FilmFour pitch that they’re looking for genre with an edge.
Eileen Quinn and Judy Counihan – pitching
And pitching their own book on pitching (“The Pitch”). I bought the book instead. Which was very good. The session itself sounded OK, but one of them was a no show, so not quite as intended.
Drop in sessions with UKFC-approved script editors
A bit odd to have these when the sessions were only 15 minutes long and they hadn’t read any material. But I heard a couple of good reports back, about some interesting discussions. More mentoring than script editing as far as I could see.
Judy Couihan, Olivia Hetreed, Francesca Marciano, Katherine Butler, Phil Parker, and Marcia Williams – “where are all the women?”
Not sure whether they found out or not.
Paula Jalfon (Ingenious Finance) and Ed Clarke (Capitol Films) – attracting financiers to your script
Hmmm. Not sure whether it was worth sweating away to a little puddle of frustration just to hear that the things that attract the men with the money to a project rarely have anything to do with how great the script is.
Drop in sessions with Arista
I had a useful chat about their courses and what they offer.
Guy Jenkin, Gary Martin, Roger Beckett – why is film comedy so difficult?
I heard mixed reviews of this one. But, by accounts, for a session on comedy, it was dreadfully serious.
David Thompson – BBC Films
Possibly the biggest cheese at the Festival, the Head of BBC Films talked about what they get up to and what they’re looking for. I tread carefully when I say that he might perhaps have prepared his presentation with a tad more thought towards his audience. However, I don’t need to tread carefully at all when I say that he is an extraordinary and fascinating man.
David Hughes – development hell
I think this one was scheduled against David Thompson. I didn’t hear anything about it either way.
Gina Carter – financing difficult scripts
A wonderful woman, who agreed to read one of my scripts. Seriously, a useful, honest and very personal session.
James Hawes and Steven Moffat – Doctor Who Fest
Director and writer give live commentary over the top of an episode from Series One (the one where the little boy with the gasmask glued to his face keeps asking “are you my mummy?”) What’s not to love? Moffat also wrote the one with the clockwork bad guys – brilliant!
Hugh Stoddart and Sam Snape – model contracts for writers
Worthy stuff. But the poor sods were scheduled against Doctor Who and didn’t stand a chance. I’ve no idea how well the session went, but the two of them seemed to enjoy the Festival.
Terry Loane, Fiona Kinsell – Mickybo and Me
Great session with the writer/director of a great little film.
Charles Moore and Rachel Holroyd – getting a Hollywood deal
Didn’t attend, and didn’t get any feedback – sorry.
Justin Kerrigan, Mike Gubbins (but, actually, I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the line up on stage, but then I did creep in late) – Ultra low budget
Quite interesting stuff, if you’re looking for a model for cheap film making that’s sustainable.
James Watkins, Jolvon Symonds, Rob Breen, Mark Duffield and nic Ransome – Horror
Not my genre. But it sounded like they were having fun in there.
Nicolas Roeg and Alan Scott – Cold Heaven
Writer and Director screen the film and chat. But I’m afraid I’d bailed out by then and got the train home.
Paul Welland and others – Sixty Six
Discussion of the film. Gone home by then. I hope they enjoyed themselves.
The overall conclusion?
A few teething problems, but an excellent line-up and a good effort all round. I’ll certainly be back for more.
Julian Fellowes – Becoming more commercially minded
Julia being his normal expansive self. No great insights, a bit rude to the previous day’s pitchers, but generally very entertaining.
Jimmy McGovern – his life and works etc
Good value straight-talking from someone who always talks straight.
Chi Coaching – tools for being successful
Didn’t attend. A friend who did walked out.
Tony Grisoni – discussing his film “Brothers of the Head”
Missed it. Nothing to report.
Laurence Marks and Maurice Gran – team-writing
The stars were joined by bewcomers Nick Ostler and Mark Huckerby (25 Words or Less winners and writers of the Adrenelini Brothers). Entertaining and informative. Tip of the day – if you’re in a serious writing partnership, take out life insurance on each other.
Ashley Pharoah, Jimmy McGovern, Marks & Gran, Barbara Machin – long running TV series
General chit chat about writing for TV series. Good stuff.
Colin Brown (Screen International) – Hollywood double-talk
I didn’t attend this one. I think the general consensus was that it was interesting, but unsurprising.
William Nicholson (Gladiator) – working in Hollywood
I didn’t bother with this because I thought there’s not much chance of my ever working in Hollywood. But, apparently, I missed a corker. Inspirational stuff, apparently.
Kevin Loader – working with producers
A personal view. Interesting enough, but I wished I’d gone for Mr Nicholson.
Kevin Loader, Amelia Granger, Olivia Hetreed, Abi Morgan, Liza Marshall – Adaptations
Missed this one, and didn’t hear much about it one way or the other.
Mervyn Watson – Soap
This suffered for being up against the session on adaptation. He could have taken advantage of the sparsely populated room to make a more personal presentation. It was interesting enough, but a bit distant somehow. But it did mean that I bumped into a couple of other Doctors writers, and we immediately formed a little Doctors Support Clinic (Hi, Nell and Angela!).
Kate Ogborn, Liza Marshall, Arvind David – TV, cinema, DVD and new distribution models.
No feedback on this one, I’m afraid. The Doctors Clinic was in full session.
Stephen Woodley – adapting stories into movies
Ditto.
Guillermo del Toro – chatting
Missed this one too. I thought there was little point because I hadn’t seen any of his films and they didn’t sound like my kind of film anyway. And the company down by the marquee was good. Did I miss out! By all account this was the one to be at. Inspirational, apparently. Just like Bill Nicholson, apparently.
Opening party at the Marquee
Plenty of free booze.
Sean Steele (NRG) – test screening
The poor guy got the 9:00 slot the morning after all that free booze. Pity, because it was a good session on the how they do test screenings and what they can pick up. Interesting stuff.
Tony Marchant – Chatting about Iraq
I gave this one a miss because Julian Friedmann promised to talk about interesting stuff elsewhere at the same time. I’m sure it was very good.
Julian Friedmann – a lecture
Not for me, I’m afraid. I listened. I daydreamed. I wondered whether I could sneak out.
Debbie Isitt – improvising Confetti
Missed this one. Don’t know how it went.
Justin Trefgame, Nick Ostler, Mark Huckerby, Claire Moorsom, Richard Jobson – writers and script editors
Great session chaired by UKFC’s Jenny Borgars. Writers and the script editors they’ve worked with talking about how to make the relationship work.
Katherine Butler – FilmFour
Less useful than it should have been, maybe. Basically, we got some nice clips and the FilmFour pitch that they’re looking for genre with an edge.
Eileen Quinn and Judy Counihan – pitching
And pitching their own book on pitching (“The Pitch”). I bought the book instead. Which was very good. The session itself sounded OK, but one of them was a no show, so not quite as intended.
Drop in sessions with UKFC-approved script editors
A bit odd to have these when the sessions were only 15 minutes long and they hadn’t read any material. But I heard a couple of good reports back, about some interesting discussions. More mentoring than script editing as far as I could see.
Judy Couihan, Olivia Hetreed, Francesca Marciano, Katherine Butler, Phil Parker, and Marcia Williams – “where are all the women?”
Not sure whether they found out or not.
Paula Jalfon (Ingenious Finance) and Ed Clarke (Capitol Films) – attracting financiers to your script
Hmmm. Not sure whether it was worth sweating away to a little puddle of frustration just to hear that the things that attract the men with the money to a project rarely have anything to do with how great the script is.
Drop in sessions with Arista
I had a useful chat about their courses and what they offer.
Guy Jenkin, Gary Martin, Roger Beckett – why is film comedy so difficult?
I heard mixed reviews of this one. But, by accounts, for a session on comedy, it was dreadfully serious.
David Thompson – BBC Films
Possibly the biggest cheese at the Festival, the Head of BBC Films talked about what they get up to and what they’re looking for. I tread carefully when I say that he might perhaps have prepared his presentation with a tad more thought towards his audience. However, I don’t need to tread carefully at all when I say that he is an extraordinary and fascinating man.
David Hughes – development hell
I think this one was scheduled against David Thompson. I didn’t hear anything about it either way.
Gina Carter – financing difficult scripts
A wonderful woman, who agreed to read one of my scripts. Seriously, a useful, honest and very personal session.
James Hawes and Steven Moffat – Doctor Who Fest
Director and writer give live commentary over the top of an episode from Series One (the one where the little boy with the gasmask glued to his face keeps asking “are you my mummy?”) What’s not to love? Moffat also wrote the one with the clockwork bad guys – brilliant!
Hugh Stoddart and Sam Snape – model contracts for writers
Worthy stuff. But the poor sods were scheduled against Doctor Who and didn’t stand a chance. I’ve no idea how well the session went, but the two of them seemed to enjoy the Festival.
Terry Loane, Fiona Kinsell – Mickybo and Me
Great session with the writer/director of a great little film.
Charles Moore and Rachel Holroyd – getting a Hollywood deal
Didn’t attend, and didn’t get any feedback – sorry.
Justin Kerrigan, Mike Gubbins (but, actually, I’m pretty sure that wasn’t the line up on stage, but then I did creep in late) – Ultra low budget
Quite interesting stuff, if you’re looking for a model for cheap film making that’s sustainable.
James Watkins, Jolvon Symonds, Rob Breen, Mark Duffield and nic Ransome – Horror
Not my genre. But it sounded like they were having fun in there.
Nicolas Roeg and Alan Scott – Cold Heaven
Writer and Director screen the film and chat. But I’m afraid I’d bailed out by then and got the train home.
Paul Welland and others – Sixty Six
Discussion of the film. Gone home by then. I hope they enjoyed themselves.
The overall conclusion?
A few teething problems, but an excellent line-up and a good effort all round. I’ll certainly be back for more.
Cheltenham Report, Part 2
[Published in small chunks so that Blogger doesn't throw a hissy fit]
For next year, I think they have to give some real thought to exactly who the market is. The divide between newbies and others was a bit artificial. I can well see why they wanted to protect the real writers from the total beginners, but the divide didn’t quite work, and a lot of those on the cusp of professionaldom felt poorly treated.
Some teething problems…
- full programme not available for a long time, so you never really knew whether it was going to happen or not
- lack of on-line facilities for payment
- on-line “booking” for sessions on the newbies day, that turned out to be irrelevant
- no list of delegates produced (so networking not facilitated as well as it could be)
- name badges could have had names that you could read at a few paces.
- expensive, at least for those struggling to make a living from writing. Not helped by the fact that they began offering cheap deals on the day, which really pissed off those who had paid full whack.
- Given the price, food could have been included.
- A slightly disappointing end to the programme, so people tended to slip away during the course of Friday rather than stay for a climactic finish (I imagine the party at the end was pretty much for the runners)
But, that’s just constructive criticism designed to make next year so much better.
Overall, and considering it was in its first year, I was really impressed at how well the whole thing ran. It was organised extremely professionally, with some seriously serious presentations by some seriously serious folk in this industry. Let’s hope it manages to retain that level of support in the future.
Of course, the weather made everything even better (though the smaller room got seriously uncomfortable at times). But sitting down by the marquee and the lake sipping coffee or beer (depending, largely, on the time of day), and chewing the fat with whoever was around was extremely pleasant. One of my best memories is simply of sitting on a bench in the shade of an enormous old beech tree, completely alone, pondering the things I’d heard for half an hour or so (until Adrian ruined it by insisting on joining me!).
For next year, I think they have to give some real thought to exactly who the market is. The divide between newbies and others was a bit artificial. I can well see why they wanted to protect the real writers from the total beginners, but the divide didn’t quite work, and a lot of those on the cusp of professionaldom felt poorly treated.
Some teething problems…
- full programme not available for a long time, so you never really knew whether it was going to happen or not
- lack of on-line facilities for payment
- on-line “booking” for sessions on the newbies day, that turned out to be irrelevant
- no list of delegates produced (so networking not facilitated as well as it could be)
- name badges could have had names that you could read at a few paces.
- expensive, at least for those struggling to make a living from writing. Not helped by the fact that they began offering cheap deals on the day, which really pissed off those who had paid full whack.
- Given the price, food could have been included.
- A slightly disappointing end to the programme, so people tended to slip away during the course of Friday rather than stay for a climactic finish (I imagine the party at the end was pretty much for the runners)
But, that’s just constructive criticism designed to make next year so much better.
Overall, and considering it was in its first year, I was really impressed at how well the whole thing ran. It was organised extremely professionally, with some seriously serious presentations by some seriously serious folk in this industry. Let’s hope it manages to retain that level of support in the future.
Of course, the weather made everything even better (though the smaller room got seriously uncomfortable at times). But sitting down by the marquee and the lake sipping coffee or beer (depending, largely, on the time of day), and chewing the fat with whoever was around was extremely pleasant. One of my best memories is simply of sitting on a bench in the shade of an enormous old beech tree, completely alone, pondering the things I’d heard for half an hour or so (until Adrian ruined it by insisting on joining me!).
Cheltenham Report, Part 1
So, what happened at the inaugural Cheltenham Screenwriters’ Festival (“sponsored by FilmFour”)?
I decided to avoid the New Writers’ Day on the grounds that it was probably for total newcomers who are still worrying about whether to use Courier font, and asking what brads are.
By all accounts I was right. I got a lot of negative feedback about that first day from people who were there, but then they were all fairly well seasoned beginners, and, frankly, they’d have been better off at the professional part of the show. I heard good things about the pitching contest, and I heard rumours that those who were completely new to the game were well enthused. So, it probably depends what you expected.
For me, the professional days were great. I sort of sneaked in with some rather dodgy “professional” qualifications. But then I wasn’t the only one. Generally speaking, this wasn’t so much a shindig for established writers as a get together of those on the way up. And we all got an excellent opportunity to mix with some big names, to socialise, network, and pester. There were enough “real” writers, and interested producers etc amongst the delegates to give the whole thing some credibility.
I decided to avoid the New Writers’ Day on the grounds that it was probably for total newcomers who are still worrying about whether to use Courier font, and asking what brads are.
By all accounts I was right. I got a lot of negative feedback about that first day from people who were there, but then they were all fairly well seasoned beginners, and, frankly, they’d have been better off at the professional part of the show. I heard good things about the pitching contest, and I heard rumours that those who were completely new to the game were well enthused. So, it probably depends what you expected.
For me, the professional days were great. I sort of sneaked in with some rather dodgy “professional” qualifications. But then I wasn’t the only one. Generally speaking, this wasn’t so much a shindig for established writers as a get together of those on the way up. And we all got an excellent opportunity to mix with some big names, to socialise, network, and pester. There were enough “real” writers, and interested producers etc amongst the delegates to give the whole thing some credibility.
In the meantime...
OK, so I'm taking my time getting around to writing up the Festival (as instructed by Danny the Stack). So, to keep you entertained while you wait, here is the official report, courtesy of Screen International....
First International Screenwriters Festival wins plaudits
Screen International staff in London
05 July 2006 04:00
The inaugural International Screenwriters Festival held last week in the UK town of Cheltenham has been hailed as a major success by industry figures and bodies.
The festival, in association with Film Four, and backed by Screen International attracted big names from around the world including Julian Fellowes, Nicolas Roeg and Alan Scott, William Nicholson, Olivia Hetreed, Tony Grisoni, Stephen Woolley, Debbie Isitt and Guillermo del Toro (Pan).
More than 500 delegates came to hear 110 speakers give keynote speeches, lead master-classes, and take part in panels, seminars and screenings.
"It was a fantastic festival in a fantastic setting, with a great, friendly and well organised team; making welcome opportunities for screenwriters to meet and discuss important issues with other writers and producers. We were deeply impressed," said David Thompson, Head of BBC Films.
Gladiator scriptwriter, Bill Nicholson was equally enthused: "I felt like a long-lost traveller who has been wandering starving in the wilderness, and stumbles upon a fertile oasis populated by people miraculously speaking his own language. We screenwriters need such nourishment."
Shirine Best, Head of Development at Brighton-based production outfit Spice Factory, believes the event will get bigger yet in coming years while Olivia Hetreed (Girl with a Pearl Earring) said: "There's a lot of talk about "development hell" but last week in Cheltenham was the opposite. The first Screenwriting Festival was a chance to listen to great practitioners sharing their secrets with their peers and most enjoyable of all for me - to spend time with other writers comparing notes, techniques, projects and horror stories. There was a great, laid-back, supportive, creative atmosphere. If there's a development heaven it might look like this.""It was a very open, positive and professional festival, and it was therefore possible to have a better quality of conversation with both speakers and attendees than is often achievable in London." Natalie Wreyford, Senior Development Executive, UK Film Council
First International Screenwriters Festival wins plaudits
Screen International staff in London
05 July 2006 04:00
The inaugural International Screenwriters Festival held last week in the UK town of Cheltenham has been hailed as a major success by industry figures and bodies.
The festival, in association with Film Four, and backed by Screen International attracted big names from around the world including Julian Fellowes, Nicolas Roeg and Alan Scott, William Nicholson, Olivia Hetreed, Tony Grisoni, Stephen Woolley, Debbie Isitt and Guillermo del Toro (Pan).
More than 500 delegates came to hear 110 speakers give keynote speeches, lead master-classes, and take part in panels, seminars and screenings.
"It was a fantastic festival in a fantastic setting, with a great, friendly and well organised team; making welcome opportunities for screenwriters to meet and discuss important issues with other writers and producers. We were deeply impressed," said David Thompson, Head of BBC Films.
Gladiator scriptwriter, Bill Nicholson was equally enthused: "I felt like a long-lost traveller who has been wandering starving in the wilderness, and stumbles upon a fertile oasis populated by people miraculously speaking his own language. We screenwriters need such nourishment."
Shirine Best, Head of Development at Brighton-based production outfit Spice Factory, believes the event will get bigger yet in coming years while Olivia Hetreed (Girl with a Pearl Earring) said: "There's a lot of talk about "development hell" but last week in Cheltenham was the opposite. The first Screenwriting Festival was a chance to listen to great practitioners sharing their secrets with their peers and most enjoyable of all for me - to spend time with other writers comparing notes, techniques, projects and horror stories. There was a great, laid-back, supportive, creative atmosphere. If there's a development heaven it might look like this.""It was a very open, positive and professional festival, and it was therefore possible to have a better quality of conversation with both speakers and attendees than is often achievable in London." Natalie Wreyford, Senior Development Executive, UK Film Council
Tuesday, 27 June 2006
Cheltenham anyone?
Well, I'm packing my bags and off to the Cheltenham Screenwriting Festival for a few days. Very exciting. My little treat to myself.
If you're going to be there too, Reader (either of you), come and find me and introduce yourself.
Writing has taken a back seat over the last week or so as I settle in to my new job at the Financial Services Authority. But I have just completed a (hopefully) final rewrite of the Scene by Scene for Doctors. And the contract is in the process of being sorted. So, hopefully, when I get back from Cheltenham I'll be able to get down to writing the actual script. Apparently we've got until the end of September to get it right, and they'll be shooting in November for transmission in February.
If you're going to be there too, Reader (either of you), come and find me and introduce yourself.
Writing has taken a back seat over the last week or so as I settle in to my new job at the Financial Services Authority. But I have just completed a (hopefully) final rewrite of the Scene by Scene for Doctors. And the contract is in the process of being sorted. So, hopefully, when I get back from Cheltenham I'll be able to get down to writing the actual script. Apparently we've got until the end of September to get it right, and they'll be shooting in November for transmission in February.
Thursday, 4 May 2006
Cheltenham
I've just decided to go to the Screenwriters' Festival in Cheltenham (28-30 June).
It's a bit pricey. And it's all a bit of an experiment as far as I can see.
So, I'm treating it as a treat. From me, to me.
See you there?
It's a bit pricey. And it's all a bit of an experiment as far as I can see.
So, I'm treating it as a treat. From me, to me.
See you there?
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