Script Yorkshire workshops

Gwyneth Hughes: The Writing of 'Five Days' – (Leeds)

Writers’ Guild and Script Yorkshire member, Gwyneth Hughes, comes to the Playhouse to talk about the writing of her recent BBC TV drama, Five Days. Gwyneth has written extensively for television. Her recent credits include Cherished and Mysterious Creature, both of which are dramatisations of real-life stories.

Date: 10th March

Time: 11.30am – 1.00pm

Venue: West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds

Cost: Free to WGGB and Script Yorkshire members. Non-members: £4.00. No need to book.

Writing for Film and Television

Jim Eldridge is an award-winning scriptwriter with 35 years experience and 260 TV scripts and 260 Radio scripts broadcast all over the world, with 3 of his TV movies having theatrical releases. He has also had 60 books published internationally. He has also been a BAFTA judge 3 times. Twice a year in spring and autumn) Jim runs writing workshops in Bowness on Solway in Cumbria .

Each workshop is limited to 10 people and costs £29 for the day (incl VAT). All aspects of the business are dealt with, not just the art of writing but the business of writing for film, TV, radio and books, including how to break into the business.

For full details go to Jim's website at www.jimeldridge.com

or contact him at 016973-52246, or by post at: Pear Tree Farm, Bowness on Solway , Cumbria CA7 5AF .

Bradford Film Festival

The Bradford film festival will be held from March 9th to 24^th and covers a wide variety of different aspects of getting your film from conception to distribution with guidance and advice on funding, distribution, post production and working with actors and how they interact with a film crew.

The festival will also offer the opportunity to attend the networking
event which promises to be a lively and energetic evening, devoted to getting
filmmakers in the region meeting and exchanging ideas.

For more information log on to www.bradfordfilmfestival.org.uk

Adventures in Fiction

Adventures in Fiction are offering five subsidized placements for first-time novelists of commercial and literary fiction. The placements, which have an individual value of £2.000, will take the form of an apprenticeship with a professional writer working in a similar genre. The five apprentices will be selected from open competition.

The deadline is 20th March 2007. Apprenticeships in Fiction aim to encourage diversity, excellence and originality. For further information go to: http://www.adventuresinfiction.co.uk
Tel: Marion Urch on 020 7354 2598
Email: marion@adventuresinfiction.co.uk

Thriller Workshop

Went to another genre day at the scriptfactory last week.

My favourite moment of the day (ok I exaggerate) was where writers got the chance to workshop a one page outline, should they choose. "Let's break for a cup of tea" said the tutor, "and then we'll look at your problems - I mean PROJECTS."

Excellent.

The most disappointing thing about this day was that we didn't learn the Thriller dance, which I've always wanted to do. Waste of time going in wet gel.

(er, can you smell cheese?)

Notes to follow.

Interesting

Interesting how I used the word "interesting" three times in about the first three lines of that last post. I thought it might be interesting to try and understand the subtext of that.

After thinking about it in the bath I realised I often use it when someone is saying something I don't quite understand.

"Oh really? That's interesting!" (meaning "eh?")

Conclusion: I don't know what half of the notes I got back on the first cut actually mean.



Too fick innit.

First cut

Had first lot of feedback from execs. They say it is a strong first cut and heading in the right direction. Made some interesting comments such as the pov has changed from the scripted characters pov, to another characters. This was an interesting note, and we did observe that there was one character who seemed to be telling the story from a more interesting angle, and so went with it. Happy to change it back to the original pov, but if it's not as strong when we do we will have to think again. From sitting in on some of the edit of the last feature my boss made, I learnt that sometimes the rushes dictate the film you make, and not the script.

Got a whole page of other comments. Some I agree with and others I am more than happy to try out. And a few that made me want to deck the wall. Talked to the editor and we agreed that we should go away and think about the comments for a few days, then come back to it and make all our decisions based on what is best for the film.