Third Round Joy

Today is a good day.

Not only have I been informed that we exchange contracts on our new house tomorrow (at bloomin' last) but the third round qualifiers for this years BSSC have been announced. The Dead Side Of Life was one of those scripts chosen....they like me, they really like me :-)

I've never got this far in a script competition before, so please excuse me if I overflow with excitement and let it go to my head for a moment.

At last my obvious talent has been recognised. Move aside mere mortals, Dom's massive inflated ego needs lots more room. Huzzah!!!!!

All joking aside, it's a massive achievement for what has so far been not the best of years screenwriting wise for me.

So who got through and who didn't, I'd love to know? Please let me know in the comments.

Find That Voice

My wife usually proof reads all my scripts, mainly because I can't spell for shit. Thank God for spell checkers, that's what I say. I'm a writer, an artist, a creator of images from words, not a bloody dictionary. Only my wife is in the last few weeks of pregnancy and tells me she's suffering from low blood pressure, which makes her too dizzy to read my work. I think it's just an excuse to lie on our bed, watching Eastenders and stuffing her face with chocolate. So what do I do now?

I have mentioned the speech facility in Final Draft before on my blog, but I haven't used it in such a long time. Time to give it another go. Thank fuckity fuck I did. What a valuable tool.

I assigned different voices to each character and started the first run through. I timed it too. The script was Buddha Of Birmingham, a 32 page sitcom. The script ran to roughly 28 mins; not bad, as it leaves two minutes for the titles. It was nice to know the script was the right length.

The other thing I noticed immediately were the errors that riddled the script. I'd already proof read the script manually before I ran it through the speech facility, and I was amazed to find I had missed loads. It was also extremely helpful in highlighting dialogue that didn't work, enabling me to change it, so it would be easier for actors to say.

If you've never used the speech facility on Final Draft, give it a go. Trust me, it'll help you polish your script better than any proof read.

Slow Mo

I want to use SLOW MO in my script but I haven't used it before.

I want to use it to build tension and draw the audience's attention to something crucial. How do I do it? How do I introduce it into the script and how do I exit it?

Your advice will be gratefully received.

BBC Writersroom

"BBC writersroom identifies and champions new writing talent and diversity across BBC Drama, Entertainment and Children's programmes."

I like to challenge statements like this so I recently put the BBC Writersroom to the test.

I had previously sent them my drama feature script From This Day Forth, only for the Writersroom to send it back after reading only ten pages. I was disappointed I must admit, mainly because a production company were interested in the script at the time. So why weren't the BBC?

Not to be put off I rewrote the script, paying close attention to the first ten pages, renamed it Cross The Rubicon and sent it off again. On the 20th August I got a reply, and a good one this time. Although they weren't willing to take this particular script forward for development they were interested in me as a writer, inviting me to submit further work for consideration. There was a particular line in the letter that stood out, which was a great confidence boost...

"It does suggest that the writer has potential for the character driven TV drama."

The moral of the story? Make sure the first ten pages are as good as they can be, and don't be afraid to rewrite and resubmit. Persistence is an important virtue.

BSSC

I made the second round.....YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GET IN!!!!!!!!!!