Here endeth the lessons

Final session at Screen Academy Scotland yesterday. Guest speakers were Kate Croft [head of drama development for indie prodco IWC], Gaynor Holmes [executive producer for drama at BBC Scotland] and indie film producer Peter Broughan. They talked about the way forward for graduating MA screenwriting students, the tough realities of the marketplace and possible routes into TV and film. Some fascinating and often starkly candid comments were made but it was a private session, so I won't get into them here.

Afterwards we repaired to the Filmhouse bar and then the Traverse Theatre bar to toast the end of the our coursework. Marks for our major projects won't be available for another week or two, and the final grade for the MA - fail, pass or pass with distinction - comes later still. Graduation ceremony is November 15. Assuming I pass, do I want to spend grud knows how much so I can walk across a platform in a daft gown and hat to shake some bloke's hand and get a piece of paper? Probably. If nothing else, the pish-up should be epic.

In other news, the English rugby team got the ever lovin' stomm kicked out of it last night by South Africa at the World Cup. Today the All Blacks take on the might of Portugal, so expect something of a cricket score in that match. Wrote and submitted by script reader's trial report to Scottish Screen, but won't know for a while if it's fit for purpose and whether they're willing to add me to their list of readers.

Last but not least, the winners of the PAGE International Screenwriting Awards are announced in Los Angeles today. My script DANNY'S TOYS has found its way into the finalist of the Short Film category. More than 3400 scripts were entered for the contest, and now it's down to the last 100 - the top ten in each of the ten categories. Can't imagine it will win one of the top three category, but it's been a thrill having gotten this far. A little moment of glory. Nice.