THE LIST

Lots to do? Struggling under the weight of it all? Then you need a list!

Some days I don't know whether I'm coming or going I've got so much to get through. It's hard to decide where to start, what to work on first and what to ignore (at least for a few days). The answer is simple and I don't understand why I struggled on for so long without thinking of it - make a list!

All you needs is a numbered bullet point list (easily created in word) so you can list out all the things you have to work on. Put the most important project at the top - for me anything that is commissioned and has the nearest deadline - then put the least urgent projects towards the bottom of the list. As you work through them cross them off... simples!

You'll be surprised at how such a simple thing can motivate you so easily. It's especially satisfying for me to cross off the work I've done and I'm really happy to see my list with black marker pen through several lines. It tells me I'm making good progress.

Sometimes I even go further. If I've got several projects that are important I'll make another list, organising my day so I can give some of my time to each of them. It's a great help clearing urgent work quickly.

It's also a good idea spending 10 minutes every day, before you sit down to work, to quickly go through your list and update it if necessary. I find my list can change quite often and I always want to try and keep ahead of myself.

Another list I find useful is one for goals. No, not the goals in the World Cup, but in the achievement sense. Set yourself goals for the year, pin them up on your wall behind your computer screen, where you can see them easily. As you achieve these goals cross them off. Top of my list at the moment is to get one of my features at least into preproduction by Christmas and another to be commissioned for a TV episode. Remember though, setting unrealistic goals will only leave you frustrated at the end of the year when you don't meet them. The idea is to motivate, not disillusion.

Spending ten minutes a day to organise your lists, will make your day go a lot easier. Good luck!

DANNY STACK - CHILDREN'S TV & NELSON NUTMEG

Danny contemplates his next gem of advice.

Last weekend I spent a lovely couple of days at Kingston Lacy in the company of other writers, listening to the wise words of Danny Stack. The occasion - Writing for Children's TV, all thanks to the organisational skills of the lovely Rosie Jones.

After two days stuffing myself with the sweets, biscuits, coffee and fruit, I came away with a greater knowledge of the world of Children's TV, a bigger belly and ten A4 pages of notes. Some of the things Danny covered over the weekend were:

• The UK Tax Credit for animation.
• Which channel was looking for the most writers.
• The one page pitch.
• How to approach production companies.
• How to get a commission.
• The breakdown of age groups.
• The breakdown of episode length.
• Beat sheets.
• Scene by scene.
• Fees.
• Series bibles.
• Brainstorming ideas.
• Pitching.
• Writing an episode.
• Get voice over artists on board to help pitch your show and characters.

Danny shows us they way.

It was a wonderful learning experience, in delightful company, and Danny even made time to listen to our ideas one-to-one and give feedback. If you ever wanted to write for Children's TV then it's really something you shouldn't have missed.

Luckily for you Danny is doing another course on November the 15th and 16th, again at Kingston Lacy. You can find the link HERE.

In other news from Danny, the Kickstarter campaign for 'Who Killed Nelson Nutmeg?', a children's mystery feature he wrote with Tim Clague, due to shoot later in the year, begins next week (keep an eye out for it). There are also auditions being held at Lighthouse, Poole's Centre For The Arts on Saturday 14th for the child parts in the film and you can find the details HERE.

While I was locked in a room with Danny over the weekend I took the opportunity to interview him
about his up coming feature and here's what he had to say.

DOM: Where did the idea come from for 'Who Killed Nelson Nutmeg'? 

DANNY: Tim was keen to do a kids’ film, and what with me writing a lot of children’s TV, it seemed like an ideal way to team up and make something. We brainstormed a few ideas until we came up with a murder mystery set in a summer camp where 4 misfits kid investigate the apparent murder of the camp’s mascot. Who Killed Nelson Nutmeg? was born! 

DOM: When are you planning to begin shooting? 

DANNY: We start at the end of August, and shoot mainly weekends over September and October, before finishing with a full week’s filming during October half term. This is due to children’s availability, plus our low budget needs. 

DOM: How much are you looking to raise and what will it be spent on? 

DANNY: Our Kickstarter target is £12,370 which is to cover our day-to-day production costs: transport, food, filming with kids, insurance, etc. We’ve got two stretch target goals in mind, one to cover our Kickstarter commission fees, and the other to secure a cameo from a well-known actor so that we can broaden the appeal of the film even more. 

DOM: Is the Nelson Nutmeg costume up for grabs for whoever donates the most? 

DANNY: Not at the moment!  But that’s something we could look into once the film is finished! 

DOM: Where can people go to be kept updated about 'Who Killed Nelson Nutmeg?' 

DANNY: We’ve got the main website http://nelsonnutmeg.com and we’re on Facebook http://facebook.com/nelsonnutmeg as well as Twitter http://twitter.com/nelsonnutmeg 

DOM: Where can people go to volunteer to help out during filming? 

DANNY: We’re lucky to have a great local crew helping us for the film so we don’t need any volunteers as such. However, if you’re interested in being an extra, then check out the Kickstarter page for that particular perk, or contact us for more info. 

So there you go. Good luck Danny and Tim.

ACT 3

Act 3 is where the following should happen...

The final battle.

Where the protagonist and the antagonist have their climatic struggle, where they face off for one final time before the champion emerges victorious. It's worth noting here that the protagonist doesn't have to win all the time. Sometimes it can be far more interesting for the antagonist to win, or the protagonist to win only to find his life still changes for the worst. Don't ever be afraid to mix it up, to play with the audience's expectations, to give them something they'll talk about for ages after. This is what will make you stand out form all the other writers out there. And above all, whatever direction you decide to go, your ending should always satisfy.

Tying things up.

All your plot threads must be resolved by the end of the screenplay. There's nothing worse than walking out of the cinema and thinking, 'What happened to that tall guy after he popped out to buy some garlic bread during the final battle scene of the zombie apocalypse?' Tie up all those loose ends. Again they don't have to have a happy ending, they just need to be resolved. Your act 3 will look messy if you don't and will be very unsatisfying.

New world order.

I've read a lot of scripts that end just after the final battle between the protagonist and antagonist, especially with thrillers and action scripts. However, I like to add two or three scenes more to show the protagonist's new world, how he's changed and how that change has affected his immediate environment. How has the protagonist grown? What has he learnt? What has changed? What is his new world view? How do his friends/family/work colleagues react to the changes in him?

So there you go, three acts split into four easy sections. Remember though, there are no hard and fast rules about what you should do. You should always be flexible, adapt ideas to fit your own writing style and not be afraid to experiment with new ones. All the things I do when writing a screenplay have been honed from literally thousands of hours of discovering what works for me and what doesn't. I'm always eager to listen to other people's ideas, just in case there's something there that will better my writing.

Happy writing people.

ACT 2 PART 2

So what happens after the midpoint? Well this is where I throw everything and the kitchen sink at the protagonist. The fun stuff is at an end and now I get down to the meat of the screenplay. This is where I make the hero suffer.

In this section things should get gradually worse for the protagonist. Really bad in fact. Bloody awful and desperate for him, if the truth be told. I pile the shit on and watch him suffer. What doesn't kill him, makes him stronger. It should be so bad for the protagonist the audience should be wondering how the hell he is going to get out of this a) alive and b) triumphant.

The hero should be at his lowest point just before the break into act three. He should be broken. He should be defeated. He should be at the point where he cannot see any way, logical or illogical, to get through the problems facing him. This is where the antagonist rises to the height of his power, on the verge of triumph.

In a thriller this is the section the hero begins to take the fight back to the antagonist, instead of just reacting to what happens to him. Now he must be proactive. Now he must make the antagonist react. He will still fail at what he attempts, maybe even have the odd small victory here now and again, but fail he must if he is to be the broken person he needs to be by the end of the act.

As I said above, just before the break into act three, when the hero is at his lowest point, everything has gone wrong, the antagonist has the upper hand and the hero stares defeat in the face. Here he must learn a truth, something about himself, or others, or a situation, so he has the tools, mental or otherwise, to finish the job in act three. Call it a revelation if you want, but it must allow the character to grow into the person he 'needs' to be.

As I write strong character driven screenplays, for me the hero always has to learn something important about himself. He has to realise it was a fault within himself, a personal flaw, that has prevented him from succeeding. Only when he realises this can he move on, grow and step into act three.

The final part - ACT 3 - next week.

ACT 2 PART 1

The 2nd act is usually the toughest for writers to get their head around and personally I struggled with it a great deal in the early days of my career. That's why I now split the act into two parts at the midpoint. By doing this I have found it a great deal easier to plan and execute what happens and I now rarely find myself in the terrifying position where my writing grinds to an agonising halt.

The first part of act two is where I have some fun, explore the theme of the script through the interactions of the characters and let the protagonist explore his new world. I like my protagonist to learn the things here that he'll use in act 2 part 2 and act 3, when things get a lot tougher for him, although he may not necessarily know he's learning anything at the time. But as I say above the main aim of this section is to have fun, a couple of set pieces, lots of snappy action, very little character musing and only a smattering of character development.

All that will come later on. It's also very important to make sure there is enough conflict going on in amongst all that fun. My hero will try to achieve mini goals and fail, he'll gather what he needs for later on and he might even think he's actually getting somewhere. If only he knew what I had planned for him in the next section of the script, he wouldn't be so smug.

It might help you to think of each of these sections I have talked about, and will be discussing, as mini screenplays, with their own beginning, middle and end. The first part of the section being the set up, the second part the confrontation and the third and final part as the resolution. It's a lot easier to break things down into smaller chunks than struggle with something as a whole.

In a thriller the first part of act 2 is the section where your protagonist should be running away from your antagonist, flight not fight, where the hero reacts to the actions of the antagonist and isn't proactive. Part 2 of act 2 is where the hero finally fights back.

Then we come to the midpoint.

The midpoint is lie, in as much as it's where the hero thinks he has made progress or has failed in his goal. Blake Snyder calls it the the False Hope or the False Defeat which turns out not to be the case in act 2 part 2. For example in a thriller the hero runs from the antagonist and at the midpoint either believes he has escaped from him or that he's dead. This is the False Hope because if it was true the film would be over. In reality the antagonist isn't dead or been throw off the scent of our hero and comes back even strong for the act 2 part 2. The False Defeat is the exact opposite where the hero believes he has failed only to have his hope renewed after the midpoint. Used wisely the midpoint is a powerful tool to catapult the protagonist into the rest of act 2.

Next week act 2 part 2.

A GUIDE TO ACT 1

Last week someone contacted me with a story idea looking for advice on how they might go about turning it into a screenplay. It got me thinking about how I write, present each act and how I use structure when writing features. I tend to think I write organically, writing what feels right and not really sticking to one formula for every screenplay. However, looking closely at it this week I have begun to see a pattern in how I write. 

So over the next few weeks I'm going to blog about my writing process. It's important to note these are not ridged rules to follow but simply my process, developed and adapted from reading as many screenwriting books as possible and finding the process that suits me best. My advice would to be to use these blogs as a guide only and find your own way to write, that's comfortable and advantageous to you. Here goes.

I usually aim to write around a 100 pages for each feature, splitting the screenplay down into four sections of 25 pages, to make it easier to plot and control. The first act covers the first 25 pages and this is how I lay it out.

• (Pages 1-10) THE SET UP 
• (Between pages 10-15) THE INCITING INCIDENT
• (Pages 10-25) THE DECISION
• (Page 25) INTO ACT 2 

THE SET UP - This where I set up the normal world, where I introduce the protagonist in their natural environment, doing every day things and living their life. Here I show who the protagonist is, their immediate world, the current state of their life and their emotional well being. This is where I show what the hero has to lose, or not as the case may be.

THE INCITING INCIDENT - For me the most difficult section of a screenplay to accurately pin down. What is an inciting incident? The inciting incident is something that happens to the protagonist that turns their world upside down and catapults them into a new one, like the near rape of Thelma in Ridley Scott's Thelma & Louise (although some might argue it is Louise shooting and killing the attacker that is the inciting incident. I think one causes the other so the attempted rape is the inciting incident for me).

I've read a lot of books that say the inciting incident has to be on page 10 and should never be later. However, I don't subscribe to this point of view. I find the inciting incident naturally falls between page 10-15 anyway and you shouldn't get too tangled up in trying to get it on page 10 exactly. As long as you have something going on to keep the audience interested, that shows the hero's character, then I don't think it matters too much if it comes a little later on.

The protagonist must be passive with regards to the inciting incident. This is how an emotional connection is made with the audience, when they feel for the hero because something has happened to him and invest in him enough to follow his adventure into the second act. By passive I mean the hero must never look for the inciting incident, or do something that he knows will lead to it. Sometimes the hero's actions can inadvertently lead to the inciting incident, even though it was never their intention. Again using Thelma & Lousie to illustrate this point, it's Thelma who gets drunk in the bar and dances with her would be attacker, which eventually leads to Louise shooting and killing the man. But she doesn't know her actions are going to lead to the attack, she's just innocent, thinking she's having a good time away from her abusive husband, unaware of the threat her flirtatious dancing poses. The audience can see it coming and a connection with Thelma is made.

And one more thing, the inciting incident is always, always personal to the hero, something that affects their life and prompts them into action.

THE DECISION - What happens then when the protagonist is poised on the precipice of this new world at the inciting incident but there's still a while to go until the break into  act 2? How do you fill this section?

This is what I call the decision section, where the hero decides whether to take up the challenge or not, where he debates the pros and cons and ultimately comes to the decision to go on the adventure. The hero won't always be the one to dismiss the inciting incident before finally accepting it, sometimes it will be the hero's friends that will try and talk him out of it, try to tell him it's dangerous, or wrong. What is important is the debate. Should he, or shouldn't he take up the challenge?

INTO ACT 2- This is where the protagonist finally decides to move forward in an attempt to reach his new goal, where he leaves his familiar world behind and is thrown into a new, unfamiliar one. I feel it's important that the protagonist throws off his passivity here, that he makes the conscious decision to jump into the new world. If he doesn't there's no story.

Now you're into act 2 and the fun has only just started...

BOOK REVIEW - WRITING DIALOGUE FOR SCRIPTS by Rib Davis

I consider myself pretty good at writing dialogue but after reading Rib Davis' WRITING DIALOGUE FOR SCRIPTS I'm determined to become even better at it.

The best book on dialogue I've read so far.

In his book Rib discusses all aspects of dialogue and how they are affected in screenplays; from characters' agendas, to tone, pace and conflict. He explores in great deal how a characters' background, environment, age, thoughts, views and job all contributed to how they speak. For me this was the best part of the book, the most interesting and informative, and it has certainly made me think more about my own dialogue and how I approach it.

I now realise even though my dialogue is pretty good I've only really begun to scratch the surface of it and to make my writing stand out more than others' I'm going to have to work harder at it. Rib has shown me there is a lot more to dialogue than simply making it sound good, it also has to sound authentic, and to do it right requires a certain amount of research.

The second subject I found interesting was the difference between naturalistic, non-naturalistic and highly stylised dialogue, and how each of them worked best in different formats and genres. It was also helpful to have examples, to see by tweaking who was talking and when, how the words spoken could change and have a greater impact.

The latter half of the book deals with other types of scripts, most notably radio plays and theatre. I felt this section was a little light and maybe could have been explored in greater detail in a separate book, as Rib seemed to skim over so much, in contrast to the detail he went into in the first section.

On reflection this is a great book even though I think it should have concentrated on TV and film screenplays specifically, with a separate volume dedicated to radio and theatre dialogue. Everyone, even if you think your dialogue is good, should read this, as there's always room for improvement.

I'd give this book 3 out of 5.

AN INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS LUNT

I recently got the chance to interview Chris Lunt, writer and creator of PREY, a new three-part crime thriller coming soon to ITV. Here's what he had to say...

      

DOM - When did you first know you wanted to be a writer and what was it that influenced you?

CHRIS - I've wanted to be a writer all my life. I can remember writing plays about a character called KNAVE when I was about seven (I didn't know it was a real word or a jazz mag at the time). Knave was a sort of Han Solo character, I might have to dust him off. I started taking writing seriously about ten years ago, and turned professional in 2010 following redundancy. I love movies, I read books, I'd like to say that either are particularly arty or intellectual, but they're not.  I love STAR WARS, STAR TREK, INDIANA JONES. I read biographies to inspire characters in my writing, but beyond that I'll read sci fi novels, or stuff about UFO's which I love.

DOM - What was your first screenplay and what valuable lessons did you learn from it?

CHRIS - It was a thing called G2, which started out as a possible DOCTOR WHO spin-off set in the 1800's that got knocked back. At the time I didn't have the confidence to write it myself, so the company I was working for brought in another writer. I realized pretty quickly I could be doing a better job, so I think the important lesson was 'give it a go'. I spent a lot of time pitching that, and learned A LOT about how the film industry works. I'm pretty good at spotting the blind alley's now.

DOM - How long have you been writing and what were your achievements before you got your big break?

Chris Lunt - writer/creator of PREY

CHRIS - I've been writing professionally since April 13th 2010 - the day I was made redundant. I thought "it's now or never" and had a bit of redundancy money to act as a buffer. Things happened very quickly after that, and I think part of it was not having a safety net. Talk about focusing your mind. I'm not sure I'd have ever made it if it hadn't been make or break time, and, as terrifying as it might sound I'd recommend it to any writer - lose the safety net. Before the writing took off I worked for a CGI company doing sales and client handling, and before that I was a camera man for the Discovery Channel. I was 'The Eye' on a series called TWO'S COUNTRY you'll never have heard of. I think both those roles, the camera work and the CGI, gave me a practical understanding of how stories work through the lens - obvious for the camerawork, but in CGI the whole shot exists in those frames and that gives you a perspective on what works and why it works. My writing is very descriptive, and I think that's through those two threads of experience. Another bit of advice I'd give writers is get an overview of how things work.

DOM - What was your big break and how did it come about?

CHRIS - Meeting Nicola Shindler at Red Productions. I wouldn't be anywhere without Nicola and Richard Fee and Caroline Hollick, my script editors. I had no right to say I was a writer when I met them, but Nicola saw something in me and never stopped pushing me forward. The best thing that has ever happened to me professionally is getting PREY greenlit and having Red Productions make it.

DOM - What motivates you?

CHRIS - My partner Catherine, and not being able to pay the mortgage.

DOM - Who have you enjoyed working with so far and why?

CHRIS - Honestly, I've enjoyed working with everyone. Early struggles gave me a pretty good bull-shit detector, so now I know when to avoid even stepping off down that route. Apart from the brilliant Red Productions, I've worked with Hartswood, Wall 2 Wall, the BBC, ITV, many more - Elaine Cameron, Eleanor Greene, Polly Hill, Phil Collinson, among many others, and they've been nothing but supportive. Right now I'm working with Drama Republic on two script commissions, and they're great people, and Kindle Entertainment on another and I'm really enjoying that. I'm very much a collaborator, so I think that helps, you know, when they realize you'll take criticism and do your best to work with notes etc. Also, and this is really important to realize, getting knock-backs is a major part of this game. If you're not getting a knock-back a month then you're not working hard enough. You have to take them, brush yourself off, then get on it with a smile of your face. You can never see your arse or sulk! If you're good to work with, then the people your working with will be too and they'll want to work with you again. You have to be that person they want to be in the room with. Maybe I'm lucky, but there's no-one I've worked with that I wouldn't work with again post going professional. I have been working with the Guvnor, Jed Mercurio, on one job, and that's just been great. He's brilliant and a top, top bloke.

DOM - Who would you most like to work with in the future?

CHRIS - Honestly, I don't know. I do have a very specific plan - something I want to do, and my agent knows this and we're working towards it. It might not happen, but even if it doesn't I know I'll be somewhere on the road towards it. Some people - a very famous Showrunner in fact - said at last years BBC Writers Festival  that he didn't have a plan, that writers can't have a plan. I totally disagree with that. My plan is a ten year one, I'm four years into it right now, and I think I'm heading in the right direction. So long as your heading towards something, surely that's an achievement, even if you don't attain the actual goal. Besides, this Showrunner had ended up running the one gig he'd been a fan of since he was two-years-old. No plan?! Then it was a hell of a fucking coincidence!

DOM - Describe your working day?

CHRIS - None of this "I write till 2pm and go for a walk" bollocks. My hours are 9 - 6, 9 - 6. 9 - 8. 9 - 1. 9 - 6.... I'll work Sunday for a couple of hours if I've fallen behind on something. If I don't have a gig I'm being paid for then I'll work on new stuff or spec stuff. I have two spec scripts doing the rounds at the moment, one of which is being optioned.

DOM - How did you land your agent?

CHRIS - Ironically, his agency owned the rights to that character my spec script was about, so I contacted him asking if they were available, he liked the cut of my jib and signed me. We since moved to Casarotto together. My agent, Rob Kraitt, is brilliant. We're a great team as I'm fine in the room and knocking on doors and being mouthy and he's a brilliant agent. He's a good mate now.

DOM - What things can you not live without in your work space?

CHRIS - Right now I'm looking at an Ipad, an arcade machine, a TV with Xbox360, PS3 and Atari 2600, a coffee machine, two comfy chairs and a lot of movie posters. My office is damn fine. I write to music, so I need that too!

DOM - Coffee or tea, and how much while you're working?

CHRIS - Coffee, espresso, five or six a day. I have a Dolce Gusto coffee machine, the one that looks like a duck. It's red.

DOM - What one piece of film and TV do you wish you had written?

CHRIS - Oooooooh... I love The Shield, and I'd kill to be smart enough to write something like Modern Family. I'd love to write on a series like Star Trek if it ever comes back. And there's this one movie franchise... I've said too much!

DOM - What are your five top tips for new writers?

CHRIS - Work hard, I do and I'm the competition... Be a team player, you're not always going to have your own way, but the best idea's will win, so have them, don't spit your dummy out if you don't get your own way... do your best with notes, no matter how much you might disagree with them, one of two things will happen - they'll realize they've given you a bad note, or you'll realize they didn't. What they will know for certain is that you tried your best to make it work.... Build relationships, but only with the right people. Trust your instincts and avoid the bullshitters even if they're promising you the world, do research, don't mither, work on being good in the room, that means being able to pitch, people buy into 'you' as much as what your pitching... Finally,  and to my mind most important - focus! When I started four years ago I quickly became part of a peer group of similarly emerging writers. The majority of them were also producing short films, directing, or doing this and that, that's absolutely fine, but I was a writer - it's all I do, all day, everyday, and it took that focus to achieve anything. A lot of those guys are still producing short films, or directing or this and that. I'm still writing. But now I'm getting paid for it. Ironically, I'm also being offered exec production and Showrunner roles (although I much prefer the idea of Lead Writer to Showrunner).

The awesome John Simm giving it moody!

DOM - Tell us about Prey?

CHRIS - It's a three part ITV drama about a copper, Marcus Farrow (played by John Simm) who gets accused of a crime he didn't commit. I can't say much more than that. But I will say that I'm very, very happy with how it's turned out. It was directed by Nick Murphy, and he's done an incredible job. There's a screening for the RTS and Indie Club on the 23rd of April, so if anyone goes to that they should say hello.

DOM - What else are you working on at the moment?

CHRIS - Bringing Down the Krays for Drama Republic and the BBC, Dreamland for Drama Republic and ITV, Division for ITV in-house, The Famous Five for Kindle and ZDF, and Driven for Slim Film and TV, BBC and AMC... they're the script commissions, there's a pile of other stuff in development too. 

DOM - Any last words?

CHRIS - Writing is absolutely the best job in the world. There's no feeling like being on a big set and knowing this is all down to you. Seeing your characters brought to life by serious actors, and the vision realized by the director and producers is fantastic. To achieve that it has to really be what you want, and perhaps most importantly, you have to really be honest with yourself and believe you can do it. In my experience there are two types of emerging writers - those that in their heart of hearts think they can do it, and those who actually, if they were being truly truthful, don't. You can go from one to the other. For me, it was redundancy. It went from a nice dream to something that HAD to happen, or I'd have to go and find something else to do to make a living. You have to cross that bridge. Oh, and yeah, you'll know you're a pro when other peoples success stops feeling like your failure. Don't let those who lampoon your ambitions bring you down. It is in the nature of monkeys to throw shit.

Brilliant stuff, thanks Chris.

LOW BUDGET - POOR QUALITY?

I bought a DVD of a low budget film last week. The cover looked good, the trailer looked great, the cast looked fantastic... but for all the production value obviously poured into the film there was still something lacking... a decent script.

There are some great, well written and very entertaining low budget films out there, but there is also a lot of dross. I can't understand why this is because I know for a fact there are a lot of up and coming, very talented writers out there desperate for a break, so why are low budget films still being made with substandard screenplays?

The one I watched last week was written, directed and edited by the same person. The visuals were excellent, something you would find on a film with a higher budget, it was well shot and acted yet the plot didn't match up to the rest of the effort put in. Why? Was it an ego trip on behalf of the director, that he felt he needed to write the screenplay too, to keep control of his vision? Surely he knew the screenplay was lacking? I can't believe for a moment he didn't care, not when he had taken so much time and obvious effort over the rest of the film. So why not put the same effort into the screenplay?

The thing that bugged me most about the film was the fact there was about thirty minutes of scenes repeating exactly the same thing, getting over the same point again and again with different characters and introducing new characters late on to hammer home the same point. And the worse thing is it did it all with dialogue and not with action. In truth only one of those scenes were needed. Just one. That's roughly twenty-seven minutes of film wasted on nothing.

I really don't understand why anyone would risk making something that is less than brilliant when it's their reputation on the line. There really is no excuse, there are plenty of writers out there who can produce a script worthy of your efforts, so why not use them?

It's what we do.

It's all we do.

Give a new writer the opportunity to show you what they can do. I'm sure they will surprise you. At the very least have a professional reader take a look at your script and give you notes on how it can be improved, then work on it.

Directors, don't just settle for any old script just because you wrote it and want to retain control. That way you're spreading yourself too thin. Concentrate on what you're good at and let us writers do what we do best, then there will be many more high quality low budget films to come.

SUPPORTING YOUR PEERS

I have always considered the film and TV industry, and especially fellow writers, as a community, one massive family, a support network I can rely on when I'm having an off day. As creatives we all jump over the same hurdles to get our passion projects and visions up there on the screen and experience the same pain and frustration when we don't quite make it, so when someone I know has overcome all obstacles to actually finish something, then I'm damn well going to make sure I support them in some way or another.

Recently there was the DVD and Blu-ray launch of STALLED, directed by Christian James and written by and starring Dan Palmer, a superb comedy horror that knocks the socks off pretty much anything else out there at the moment. So to support Dan and Christian I not only bought a copy of the DVD I also posted this picture of me with it on Facebook.

My hilarious attempt to help promote the STALLED DVD release. 

My wife thought I was mad! Christian said I went above and beyond the call of duty! To be honest I don't mind embarrassing myself to help promote something I thoroughly enjoyed. Dan and Christian did an amazing job and I can't wait to see what they come up with next.

Then last night I went to see DRUNK ON LOVE, screened at Lighthouse Poole, as part of Indie Screen Dorset. Even though I've already seen the film once it was great to see it again on the big screen and see how others reacted to it, and of course support producer Ben Richardson and writer/director David Bryant. I'd previously spoken to them via email and Messenger and it was wonderful to meet them in the flesh and have a good natter about their work, how it's being received and what they are working on next.

So if you have a feature due for cinematic or DVD release, or you have a TV episode due to air, email me about it, as I'm always interested in seeing what other people are up to.

DEFERRED PAYMENT

You're offered your first feature commission. You're super excited. Then the producer tells you it will be on a deferred payment basis. Do you panic, throw your dummy out of the pram and demand payment up front? No... and here's why.

I've seen plenty of new writers on the web tell other new writers they should never work for free and they should always ask for payment upfront. Absolute nonsense! They are probably still wondering why they have yet to land a commission themselves.

As a new writer it would be almost impossible to get paid upfront for your first commission. Your writing might be awesome and the best they've ever seen, but you're untried and you don't have any box office figures to back up your talent. Therefore you're considered a risk and no one is going to pay you upfront because of this.

Most features are paid on a deferred payment basis, especially low budget features. The producer doesn't want to pay out his own money if the project never makes it to production. And why should he? Doing this for even just one project could lead to that producer being bankrupt.

So for a writer it's a gamble to write a screenplay for a deferred payment. If it doesn't get funding or go into production you'll never see a penny. It's also a risk for the producer, relying on the strength of your talent to provide the funding to get your words shot. But it's a risk worth taking.

Writing that first commission on a deferred payment gets you off the ground. It gets you a credit. It launches your career. You can put it on your CV. So what if it doesn't get funding and never gets made, producers know projects fail to get funding, or get made, all the time. You were commissioned to write something, that says something about you. Fingers crossed your screenplay gets funded and goes into production within a couple of years and you get paid. Happy days if it does!

Sometimes though it won't get funding and you won't get paid, but at least you'll still have the experience of writing to a brief and a deadline to fall back on for your next commission. You could always ask the producer for a small payment up front, a couple of thousand maybe, just to help with your living expenses while you write the screenplay. Most producers will understand and won't mind you asking. You might even get lucky and find they do pay you an advance.

Remember it's easier for the producer to get funding if he has a script ready to go and a lot more difficult if he doesn't. Would you part with your money for just an idea? Then why should they?

GUEST BLOG - THE DECISION

THE DECISION: LIZZIE’S STORY

A prochoice-orientated novel & transmedia series,"Lizzie's Diary" playing out in real time on Twitter & Facebook, COMING IN MARCH 2014!!

 

A 17 yo young woman with a bright academic future discovers she's pregnant and is faced with ALL of the possible outcomes of her decision: abortion; miscarriage; single parenthood, etc.

 

WHAT IF … you could play out everything that *could* happen next in your life?

 

The bright Lizzie, 17, has big plans, but can she have the life she wanted, with a baby in tow? What will her family and friends say? And what will the baby’s father choose to do: stay out of it, or stand by her? 

 

Working on the notion some moments in time are unchangeable, Lizzie will find herself pregnant, then have to choose what to do next. Lizzie will be presented with ALL of the possible scenarios and discover some are not as bad as they seem and others worse than she imagines.

 

It’s 2014, but the issue of teenage pregnancy is STILL stereotyped and oversimplified by the media and politicians: "On average, we think teenage pregnancy is 25 times higher than official estimates:  we think that 15% of girls under 16 get pregnant each year, when official figures suggest it is around 0.6%[i]." SOURCE: Ipsos Mori 

 

The novel will be available to buy at Amazon & all good bookshops. Find THE DECISION: LIZZIE'S STORY in the German Language,  BAUCHENTSCHEIDUNG (“Gut Decision”) & Hay’s previous books, here.

 

Don't miss out on this online event … Follow Lizzie: she is tweeting as @LizziesDecision. "Like" the official Facebook page for Lizzie's Diary, coming soon.

 

MORE INFORMATION: Contact Julian Friedmann on Julian@blakefriedmann.co.uk or Lucy Hay on Bang2write@aol.com

OPPORTUNITIES

It's not enough to just have a talent as a writer to get ahead, you also need to recognise and take your opportunities when they are presented to you. If you don't, several years from now, when you're sitting in your freezing cold bedsit, you'll still be wondering why your career hasn't gone anywhere.

Every opportunity has to be grabbed and made the most off, because if you don't take them then someone else will. There are tens of thousands of writers out there all trying to grow a career and you have to make yourself stand out from the crowd. You might overload yourself with work at first but as you grow as a writer and become more experienced, you'll get to know which opportunities are the ones to pursue and which are the ones to politely decline.

Of course opportunities very rarely appear out of thin air and the vast majority have to be worked for. Making connections, collaborations, occasionally working for free and making yourself invaluable to other media types will go a long way towards this. If you get a reputation for being helpful, polite and good to work with, the opportunities will soon flow your way. You don't need to go looking for them.

A successful writer grabs every opportunity and makes the most of it. An unsuccessful writer doesn't. Which are you?

TIME AWAY

Just finished a draft? What do you do now?

Send your script out to two or three people you trust to give you constructive feedback, then save it and forget about it. That's right, forget about your screenplay. When you get your feedback hide that away too. Whatever you do don't send your script out, it's not ready despite how well polished you think it might be. New writers make this mistake far too often and here's why it's a bad thing to do.

You've been working hard on your script, close to it for weeks, maybe even months. The temptation to say, 'Ah, it's done,' is overwhelming sometimes, but because you have been so closely focused on the screenplay you have become blind to any faults it has. You need time away, to have a breather and get a fresh perspective on things. Too many new writers, and believe me I've done this myself, see a competition deadline coming and start writing a few weeks before it, rushing to get the screenplay completed. By doing this they don't give the work enough time to grow and they often wonder why the don't do well in competitions. The reason is simple; your screenplay isn't ready and though you may be blind to its faults, the reader won't be. It's better to start several months before the deadline, not a few weeks. Give yourself time to get your work to a stage that is going to impress.

I'll give you a recent example of a feature I had been working solidly on for about eight weeks last year, from the first rough draft to a second more complete version. I was really pleased with it and I left it alone for three months and last week sent it to a director I know for his feedback. What he had to say was invaluable and I quote...

"I think it’s a little too idyllic for the subject matter. Everything seems to be a bit too perfect and easy for someone who’s gay and coming out in the countryside in the 60s. The only real tension comes from the two bullies. Everyone seems pretty accepting of Toby. His real obstacle seems to come from himself accepting, but there doesn’t seem to be too much soul searching."

And because I've had that space from the screenplay I can also see that now, I even saw it when I reread it, before I even looked at the director's notes. His feedback just confirmed what I was already thinking. So of course the next rewrite will concentrate on the point he raised.

So once you've had a gap away from your screenplay say after a month, maybe two, open your document again and reread it, making notes as you go. Write down where you think the screenplay is weak and what you can do to improve it. Then, and only then, read your feedback notes, at least twice. Compare those notes to yours and make further notes if you need to. Then put it all away again for a couple of days.

When you come back to your screenplay read it again and the notes. By now the notes would have sunk in and you should have a very good idea of where the screenplay falls short. The rewrite will now be a lot easier. When it's done you'll have a well rounded script. Of course the more times you can repeat this the better your script is going to get. I would suggest doing this at least three times. When you see the amount of constructive criticism reducing then you know your screenplay is ready.

Have fun and happy writing.

RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM INSIDE MY HEAD

I don't have a blog planned for today. Not that I didn't try to come up with an idea for one but all the ideas I had didn't seem right, or didn't quite work. That's just typical of writing sometimes.

The last three weeks I've been working as a script editor for a producer friend of mine, on a feature due to shoot in the summer. It was a tough ask considering where the script was, but the writer showed her worth by working super hard, listening to the ideas I had for changes and she managed to finish the script in less than the twenty-one days we were asked to do it in. It was great to work with another writer who showed such passion and an openness to listen to someone else's ideas and suggestions. And it was a pleasure for me to read each act as she sent it to me. It was a delight to watch a writer grow in confidence right in front of my eyes.

'Hope' is a word I hated when I was a new writer. Waiting to hear back from producers and agents used to drive me mad and I would be checking my email every minute or so. I've learnt over the last two years while writing for film that nothing ever happens quickly. All four projects are moving forward at their own pace and I'm happy about that. If they weren't moving forward then I would be worried. I have other things to get on with anyway, one spec comedy feature to finish off and a spec thriller feature to start, so it's not as if I'm sat here twiddling my thumbs waiting for something to happen. And that's not counting the meeting I have on the 3rd with another production company.

Hmm, I think I might be drinking too much coffee. Several years ago I was drinking ten cups a day and stopped because it kept me awake at night. I started drinking coffee again six-months ago and although I only drink two or three a day I'm worried my body is getting used to it. I don't want to be drinking ten mugs a day again. Besides my body doesn't really like caffiene. Letting me drink strong black coffee is like giving a six-year-old a kilo bag of sugar and a spoon. It's not going to end well.

Staples are delivering later. I need more index cards. Indeed I feel quite anxious I have less than twenty left. Checking the window every few minutes to see if I can spot the TNT van. Hurry uppppppppp, I want my stationery fix.

Out for a drink tonight with a couple of writers. They buy me beer so I let them pick my brain about writing...I'm nice like that. Then tomorrow I'm meeting up with an award winning director. His current feature is doing rather well. Would be great to work with him in the future.

My agent is awesome.

So is my wife, as she proof reads everything I write. My spelling is that awful.

Hmm, think the coffee has sunk in now, so I apologise if things get too random.

Who's booked up for Danny Stack's course at Lighthouse, Poole in February???? If you haven't, book up now. Well worth the money and you'll learn loads.

Wonder if I should change my office around? It's been like this for six years. I really want a new desk, this one is too small.

I actually got complemented yesterday by a gay producer I know for coming up with the line, "sodamisin' spunk sponge," for a feature script of his. He replied via text saying, "I love it. I think it's original homophobic! LOL!" I aim to please.

I've put on too much weight over Christmas and sitting at my desk all day doesn't help. I'm two stone heavier than I was three years ago. Must exercise.

I need a new Mac, this one is playing up...and more stationery!

Swapping back to Sky Fibre tomorrow. Farewell forever BT, you sucked big time.

Right, must get on with this one pager I promised a producer would be done by 11am.

Happy writing.

ADVENTURES IN LA_LA LAND by Tim John

So what is it like to live the writer's dream, move to LA and work in Hollywood? English screenwriter Tim John tells us how it is in his new book Adventures In LA-LA Land.

The book covers every aspect of Tim and his family's adventures from arrival at US customs, buying a house, meeting stars, dealing (or not) with LA wildlife, the hot weather, the wrong parts of town, Halloween and many more curious things. It's not just a book about the Hollywood movie machine, it's a guide for surviving what is considered by many the craziest place in the US, and therein lies the book's beauty and allure.

I have to be honest I was expecting, and would have liked, more detail on the Hollywood side of things, meetings, stars and studio execs, how to handle them and survive in such a rollercoaster business. After all that's why Tim went to LA in the first place, to write movies and get paid for the privilege and I would have liked a little more insight into that area. However, it didn't really matter the book was a little short on horror stories from the studios, because it was such an enjoyable read from start to finish. It constantly entertained and was difficult to put down, even when I knew one in the morning wasn't a good time to still be reading and I should probably get some sleep.

Tim weaves his tales like the experienced writer he is, allowing the reader to discover for themselves the absurdity and wonder of the west coast of America without having to force his own brand of humour on them. And that's refreshing.

There's a section in the book to cover every aspect of living in LA and my favourite has to be, 'Family Matters,' with several chapters dotted throughout the book. It was great to read how each member of the family coped in LA and how Tim's job affected them, how they grew as people, the highs, the lows, the setbacks they experienced, the joys, the surprises and everything that made their seven years over there personal to them.

It's a fantastic journey and one I would recommend reading about. Go and buy the book, it'll make a welcome addition to your screenwriting bookshelf.

SET YOUR GOALS FOR 2014

A New Year! A new start! But what goals are you going to set for your writing career this year? Do you set them high? Do you set them low? What's realistic and what's not? Let's examine your choices.

Aim high or low? I guess there's nothing really wrong with aiming high but as long as it's realistic. If you're a new writer and you set yourself the task of winning an Oscar, it's not going to happen...sorry!. Realistic could be aiming to land a commission for an episode on Holby or Doctors. That depends of course, on where your career is at. If you only started out last year and have only a partially finished feature it's highly unlikely anyone from TV will look at you. You could still keep the Holby and Doctors goal but how bad would you feel if you didn't realise it? It's all about keeping motivated and if you make it difficult for yourself you'll lose that motivation. Set your goal high by all means but set it so it is achievable. That may include getting a couple of short film scripts made, place well in two or three competitions, or simply finish that feature you started last year and write another. If you set your sights realistically you won't be discouraged when you don't meet them.

Aiming too low can also be bad for your motivation. If you're a writer with a reasonable track record and you set you goal to get an episode of Doctors and you actually get seven, you might begin to think you're a writing genius, or get over confident and become complacent. Mistakes will creep into your work and then when things go quiet again you'll start to wonder where it all went wrong. Disillusionment and a lack of motivation become your old friends again. If last year you wrote two episodes of Doctors aim for four this year. If you wrote a feature, aim for two in 2014.

Don't stretch yourself too much and equally don't make things too easy for yourself. Set realistic goals that you know you have a good chance of achieving, that way by the end of 2014 you'll be pretty pleased with what you have accomplished and be motivated for 2015.

My goals this year are to see one of my four features go into production, to write a TV episode and have it broadcast, and to write one spec feature and one spec TV pilot. Achievable goals? Not too low or too high? They are very realistic I think. Anyway, we'll see how well I do at the end of the year.

But what about you? What are your goals for 2014? Please share below.

Happy New Year everyone!

SO THIS IS CHRISTMAS...

This will be my last blog until 2014, as I've promised myself I'll be taking Christmas off after all my hard work over the year. And what a year it's been... it's been quite exhausting. Here are the highlights.

• I was commissioned for two feature screenplays PLAYGROUND and COWBOYS CAN FLY.
• PLAYGROUND has been a big hit with all those who have read it both here and in the US, and it now has a Hollywood co-producer. Their agent at WMA also loved it.
• Ruby TV are interested in me and my work, and I met up with them to pitch ideas in August.
• Drama Republic have also shown a strong interest in me an my work and want me to come in for a chat, which will hopefully happen early next year.
• I had a lunch meeting this month with CBBC to discuss my work and listen to what they are looking for. They have requested I send them one page pitches of my ideas in January.
• I was one of a select group of people invited to a workshop by the BBC Writersroom with Adrian Hodges, the writer and exec producer of the BBC's new action & adventure show The Musketeers coming in January 2014.
• I was also commissioned for a 30 minute short script with no dialogue, which I found not only a challenge, but also refreshing. It was a very enjoyable job.
• I successfully pitched a football sitcom, created with my co-writer Brendan O'Neil, to commissioning editor Jon Montague of Sky and he requested the pilot episode and series bible.

Besides all those wonderful things I have two spec projects I'm working on with directors who I'm keen to work with, two TV series I'm working on with other writers and I've also been asked to script edit another film for the producer of COWBOYS CAN FLY.

All the above shows what you can do with a lot of hard work and some dedicated networking. I'm looking forward to finding out what 2014 has in store for me.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all, and may all your endeavours in 2014 be successful.

Now tell me, what have you achieved in 2013?

CHRISTMAS BOOK RECOMMENDATION

A really great read for writers of any level.

I received my copy of the deliciously outspoken Lucy V Hay's book a couple of months ago and I've only just finished reading it. The reason; because it was jam packed with so many ideas, information and valuable insights I wanted to make sure I had absorbed it all before I commented on it.

Followers of Lucy's blog and various other scribblings scattered over the interwebs will know she is always a fantastic source of information, dedicating herself to helping other writers with useful articles and discussions. It's no surprise then that someone eventually asked Lucy to prove she knew what she was talking about and write a book. Thus Writing & Selling Thriller Screenplays was born...or rather written.

Lucy V Hay: She knows stuff!

The book is split into three parts. The first focuses on what a thriller is. Thriller is a very loose genre term which actually contains a multitude of sub genres, all of which Lucy looks at in great detail, inviting the reader to think about how many there actually are. I was surprised.

The second section explores how to write a thriller, from picking your sub genre, the logline, the outline, the characters, the first ten pages and setup, the conflict to the showdown. The great thing about Lucy's book is that it doesn't just tell you HOW to write a thriller, it invites you to think over things yourself, using various examples and quotes from established writers, script editors and readers.

The third and final section was the one I found most interesting. Writers, of all levels, rarely think about the actual business of selling and making a feature, or TV screenplay. To me it's fascinating. Here Lucy examines how the industry works, and makes some suggestions on how to make it work for you. I love this section because I feel that to be a great writer you need to know how everything works around you. I don't think it's enough just to write a screenplay, hand it over to a producer and then forget about it. Knowing what is involved in production, from attracting named actors to budget issues helps a writer to give their screenplay the best chance of getting made. It's all invaluable information that every writer should be keen to learn.

Lucy sums up each topic of the book at the end of each section, so there's a handy reminder to quickly access if you don't have time to read the whole section, or simply just for a quick reference. And at the back there is what I consider to be the largest list of valuable resources I think I have ever seen listed on paper.

All in all a jolly wonderful and informative book that's a must on any writer's Christmas list. Get it! Read it! Learn from it! Enjoy! Shazam!

THE WORKING WRITER with DANNY STACK

Danny Stack - sharing his knowledge with keen screenwriters.

So today I will mostly be pimping the legend that is Danny Stack, or more precisely his writing workshop held on Sunday 15th December at Lighthouse Poole.

If you're at university studying scriptwriting, or you've recently graduated and are wondering what to do next, or you simply want to learn more about what it takes to be a writer, then this workshop is a must for you. It's essential in fact, as your writing career, or the lack of it, depends on whether you go and listen to what Danny has to say. Yes, his information 'IS' that important.

I personally owe Danny a lot for the advice he has given me over the years, it really helped me to grow my career. His advice comes from years as a working writer and I've always found it to be spot on.

Here's a little about the course...

The Working Writer Workshop led by Danny Stack

Sunday 15 December 10am - 5pm

Tickets £85 - Students or Seniors £72

If you’re interested in screenwriting, then this new one-day workshop will cover how to get started and how to get ahead. 

Join local screenwriter Danny Stack (whose credits include EastEnders, various children's series and the new Thunderbirds reboot for CiTV) where he’ll reveal his tips and insights on how ‘the system’ works and how you can make it work for you, from getting an agent, your first commission, and everything in between… and beyond! 

You won’t find this information in books or seminars anywhere else. This is a proactive, honest and practical look at how to survive as a working screenwriter. 

The course will be particularly useful for those who already have some screenwriting experience but beginner screenwriters will also benefit from the shared insights and practicalities, all of which will help towards getting that first writing payslip.

Think you can't afford it? If you're serious about wanting a career then you simply cannot afford 'NOT' to go.

Why even attempt to try and learn this stuff yourself, spend months, years struggling to find writing work when Danny can show you the way in a seven hour workshop. Believe me I wish there had been a course like this when I left university back in 2001, it would have saved me 6 years of heartache and got my career off to a much quicker start.

Don't delay, book your tickets now. You're a noodle if you miss out!