Earlier this month I was interviewed on camera for a light-hearted documentary called The Perfect TV Detective. The show was screened by BBC2 on Monday night and gets repeated this afternoon [from 2 or 2.30 pm, I think]. Tune in if you wish to see me as one of numerous talking heads discussing television detectives through the ages. Let's face it, how often do you get to share screen time with Helen Mirren, John Nettles and Colin Dexter?
I'd redirect those who miss the show to the BBC's wonderful iPlayer service, but The Perfect TV Detective doesn't seem to be available there. Such is life. Right, I'm off to the wilds of Bristol for New Year's Eve, so have a happy and safe Hogmanay. We'll talk again once it's 2009. Onwards!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Goals and priorities update - December 2008
Back in May 2007 I was being mentored in screenwriting for television by Adrian Mead, thanks to the Scottish Book Trust's mentoring project. [The SBT is all about writing and about all writing, not just books.] He encouraged me to think beyond the script I was developing, to set out some specific goals and priorities for myself, alone with a timeframe in which to pursue them. I've got five months left of my two year plan, time to assess how it's going.
1 - Get an agent: Made some efforts to do this the back end of 2007, but needed a better portfolio of work and more evidence I could make enough money to be worth an agency's time and effort. Shelved this in 2008, will revisit it in May 2009 once I've completed the Lighthouse project [see below].
2 - Get more radio plays commissioned: My efforts to crack TV drama writing have come at the cost of pursuing opportunities within radio drama. Feel like I'm perpetually postponing this particular quest, which is likely my subconscious telling me something. Consider this shelved for now.
3 - Get my first TV drama credit: Hasn't happened yet, but feels a more realistic goal than it did back in May 2007. Did a successful trial script for Doctors, got asked to submit story of the day ideas and invited on the Doctors mini-academy. Plugging away, trying to get a story pitch banked.
4 - Develop and write at least two more TV pilot spec scripts: One of these, Families at War, is through to the second round of the Red Planet Prize. The other project isn't a pilot, but will fill a gap in my portfolio as an original spec script. Need to develop two more pilots in 2009.
5 - Get work experience in TV drama storylining or script editing department: Limited success. Spent a day at Emmerdale, had a good meeting with River City's then executive producer - but nothing further. Realised I was too old for entry level positions, so shelved this objective in 2008.
6 - Get on another script workshop and/or mentoring scheme: Selected for Lighthouse's TV drama team-writing workshop. I'll have a new calling card script for my portfolio in May 2009, and the course ends with a networking event in London where I'll meet agents and production companies. No guarantees beyond that, but it's an opportunity to target potential representation, which leads me nicely back to my first objective and goal on this list.
All in all, not a bad effort. One thing pursuing this list taught me was the value of timing and patience. I made a push to secure representation in 2007 after my short film script DANNY'S TOYS won a prize, but didn't have the portfolio or profile to get an agent. Feels like I'm nearer the mark now, but still another six months away from the zone, maybe longer. Having an agent isn't the be all and end all, but it does open doors otherwise closed.
Not having an agent hasn't stopped me getting a toe in the door at Doctors, nor does it prevent me having meetings with script editors, directors or producers. You simply have to get out and hustle, make an effort to network and build relationships. Cuts time and money, with absolute no guarantee of success. Most writers I know find most of their own work. Agents open doors, but they don't do your job for you. Ultimately, a writer writes.
So, how about some goals for the next two years? Call this my career resolutions for 2009-2010, a checklist of things I plan and/or hope to achieve. Some will definitely happen, some are likely and some are pretty ambitious. Some I'll likely fail, others are old favourites revived from past lists, but all are worth pursuing and would be rewarding achievements in my humble opinion. Eyes down for a full house of stuff, hopefully sans hubris.
1: Get an agent. For all the reasons stated above.
2: Get a TV drama credit. Because one credit should lead to another.
3: Write at least one feature screenplay. It's a gaping hole in my script portfolio, and I've got just the story that I'm itching to write.
4: Write at least two new TV pilots. Already got three potential projects in various stages of development, waiting to be written.
5: Don't be afraid of drama. I've been concentrating on improving my dialogue. Time to bring more emotional heft to the tales I tell.
6: Get an original story commissioned. This could be a novel, radio play or TV drama, but needs to be all my own work, my unique voice.
That should keep me busy until the end of 2010, especially with a part-time job as a lecturer in creative writing added to the mix from Monday. I'll be disappointed if I can't achieve at least three of these goals, although quantifying success for number 5 won't be easy. No doubt something will arise in the coming months to complicate matters beyond belief, but this six-strong list gives me a reference point. Onwards!
1 - Get an agent: Made some efforts to do this the back end of 2007, but needed a better portfolio of work and more evidence I could make enough money to be worth an agency's time and effort. Shelved this in 2008, will revisit it in May 2009 once I've completed the Lighthouse project [see below].
2 - Get more radio plays commissioned: My efforts to crack TV drama writing have come at the cost of pursuing opportunities within radio drama. Feel like I'm perpetually postponing this particular quest, which is likely my subconscious telling me something. Consider this shelved for now.
3 - Get my first TV drama credit: Hasn't happened yet, but feels a more realistic goal than it did back in May 2007. Did a successful trial script for Doctors, got asked to submit story of the day ideas and invited on the Doctors mini-academy. Plugging away, trying to get a story pitch banked.
4 - Develop and write at least two more TV pilot spec scripts: One of these, Families at War, is through to the second round of the Red Planet Prize. The other project isn't a pilot, but will fill a gap in my portfolio as an original spec script. Need to develop two more pilots in 2009.
5 - Get work experience in TV drama storylining or script editing department: Limited success. Spent a day at Emmerdale, had a good meeting with River City's then executive producer - but nothing further. Realised I was too old for entry level positions, so shelved this objective in 2008.
6 - Get on another script workshop and/or mentoring scheme: Selected for Lighthouse's TV drama team-writing workshop. I'll have a new calling card script for my portfolio in May 2009, and the course ends with a networking event in London where I'll meet agents and production companies. No guarantees beyond that, but it's an opportunity to target potential representation, which leads me nicely back to my first objective and goal on this list.
All in all, not a bad effort. One thing pursuing this list taught me was the value of timing and patience. I made a push to secure representation in 2007 after my short film script DANNY'S TOYS won a prize, but didn't have the portfolio or profile to get an agent. Feels like I'm nearer the mark now, but still another six months away from the zone, maybe longer. Having an agent isn't the be all and end all, but it does open doors otherwise closed.
Not having an agent hasn't stopped me getting a toe in the door at Doctors, nor does it prevent me having meetings with script editors, directors or producers. You simply have to get out and hustle, make an effort to network and build relationships. Cuts time and money, with absolute no guarantee of success. Most writers I know find most of their own work. Agents open doors, but they don't do your job for you. Ultimately, a writer writes.
So, how about some goals for the next two years? Call this my career resolutions for 2009-2010, a checklist of things I plan and/or hope to achieve. Some will definitely happen, some are likely and some are pretty ambitious. Some I'll likely fail, others are old favourites revived from past lists, but all are worth pursuing and would be rewarding achievements in my humble opinion. Eyes down for a full house of stuff, hopefully sans hubris.
1: Get an agent. For all the reasons stated above.
2: Get a TV drama credit. Because one credit should lead to another.
3: Write at least one feature screenplay. It's a gaping hole in my script portfolio, and I've got just the story that I'm itching to write.
4: Write at least two new TV pilots. Already got three potential projects in various stages of development, waiting to be written.
5: Don't be afraid of drama. I've been concentrating on improving my dialogue. Time to bring more emotional heft to the tales I tell.
6: Get an original story commissioned. This could be a novel, radio play or TV drama, but needs to be all my own work, my unique voice.
That should keep me busy until the end of 2010, especially with a part-time job as a lecturer in creative writing added to the mix from Monday. I'll be disappointed if I can't achieve at least three of these goals, although quantifying success for number 5 won't be easy. No doubt something will arise in the coming months to complicate matters beyond belief, but this six-strong list gives me a reference point. Onwards!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Well, that was kind of an odd year
By comparison to my achievements during 2007 [got my screenwriting MA with distinction plus the Napier University Medal, won a first prize in Los Angeles for my short film script DANNY'S TOYS], the last twelve months have been decidedly low key. Felt like I made a lot of progress during 2008, but there's not much evidence to support that on my hard drive. Financially it was my worst annum since the early 90s, but the past year wasn't about making money.
I devoted much of my time to speculative writing. Most of those projects didn't turn into commissions, but they got me meetings, got me other opportunities, some even got me noticed. In January I wrote a trial script for Doctors that got me invited in submit story of the day ideas to the BBC medical drama series. In February I was guest speaker on the screenwriting MA course at Napier University, a taste of teaching in an academic environment.
Much of March was spent in New Zealand, my first trip home in five years, but even on holiday I saw a painting that inspired a feature screenplay I'm itching to write. In April I was rewriting WWII domestic drama FAMILIES AT WAR as my creative sample for the BBC Writers' Academy. May saw the broadcast of my appearance on TV quiz show The Weakest Link, filmed three months before, and I performed in a local production of the musical Me and My Girl.
June was devoted to Sharps, a drama script competition run by the BBC. Didn't make the final cut, but the contest did prompt me to write THE WOMAN WHO SCREAMED BUTTERFLIES, a quirky script that's gotten some interest and several meetings. In July I was one of eight writers invited to the Doctors mini-academy [a brilliant experience, highly recommended]. During August I was writing the first draft of my Doctor Who audio drama, ENEMY OF THE DALEKS.
In September I submitted FAMILIES AT WAR to the Red Planet Prize. During October I was one of six writers starting the teamwriting TV drama course run by the Lighthouse arts centre in Brighton. In November I was stunned to learn my Red Planet entry was through to the second round. December brought publication of my 19th novel, A MASSACRE IN MARIENBURG, and I was offered the post of part-time lecturer in creative writing at Napier University.
2008 also brought plenty of disappointments. Got a second rejection letter from the BBC Scotland soap River City [happily, just a week after good news from Doctors]. Had a hugely positive meeting with a Manchester games company that looked likely to bring a small fortune in exciting work - but nothing ever came of it. Devoted weeks to a novel proposal at the request of an editor, but the proposal has sat unread on a desk for six months.
But that's the nature of freelance writing. You'll get rejected far more often than you'll be commissioned. If three months go by and you're still not getting any feedback from the person you submitted to, it's time to move on. That project may still come back to life, but it's not worth devoting any more of your hopes. Better to learn from your mistakes than keep repeating them - you'll only get your heart broken again and again.
God, what a load of rambling. You can tell I haven't written anything for a few days, can't you? In tomorrow's blog, I'll attempt a more succinct review of specific areas, assess my progress against the six goals I set myself back in May 2007 and maybe even contemplate setting some new goals for the next two years.
I devoted much of my time to speculative writing. Most of those projects didn't turn into commissions, but they got me meetings, got me other opportunities, some even got me noticed. In January I wrote a trial script for Doctors that got me invited in submit story of the day ideas to the BBC medical drama series. In February I was guest speaker on the screenwriting MA course at Napier University, a taste of teaching in an academic environment.
Much of March was spent in New Zealand, my first trip home in five years, but even on holiday I saw a painting that inspired a feature screenplay I'm itching to write. In April I was rewriting WWII domestic drama FAMILIES AT WAR as my creative sample for the BBC Writers' Academy. May saw the broadcast of my appearance on TV quiz show The Weakest Link, filmed three months before, and I performed in a local production of the musical Me and My Girl.
June was devoted to Sharps, a drama script competition run by the BBC. Didn't make the final cut, but the contest did prompt me to write THE WOMAN WHO SCREAMED BUTTERFLIES, a quirky script that's gotten some interest and several meetings. In July I was one of eight writers invited to the Doctors mini-academy [a brilliant experience, highly recommended]. During August I was writing the first draft of my Doctor Who audio drama, ENEMY OF THE DALEKS.
In September I submitted FAMILIES AT WAR to the Red Planet Prize. During October I was one of six writers starting the teamwriting TV drama course run by the Lighthouse arts centre in Brighton. In November I was stunned to learn my Red Planet entry was through to the second round. December brought publication of my 19th novel, A MASSACRE IN MARIENBURG, and I was offered the post of part-time lecturer in creative writing at Napier University.
2008 also brought plenty of disappointments. Got a second rejection letter from the BBC Scotland soap River City [happily, just a week after good news from Doctors]. Had a hugely positive meeting with a Manchester games company that looked likely to bring a small fortune in exciting work - but nothing ever came of it. Devoted weeks to a novel proposal at the request of an editor, but the proposal has sat unread on a desk for six months.
But that's the nature of freelance writing. You'll get rejected far more often than you'll be commissioned. If three months go by and you're still not getting any feedback from the person you submitted to, it's time to move on. That project may still come back to life, but it's not worth devoting any more of your hopes. Better to learn from your mistakes than keep repeating them - you'll only get your heart broken again and again.
God, what a load of rambling. You can tell I haven't written anything for a few days, can't you? In tomorrow's blog, I'll attempt a more succinct review of specific areas, assess my progress against the six goals I set myself back in May 2007 and maybe even contemplate setting some new goals for the next two years.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
One sleep until xmas
Before I forget, a happy xmas and merry new year to all readers of Vicious Imagery. Thanks for casting your eyes across my inane ramblings during 2008. You can expect more of the same in 2009, but with less frequency. I officially start work as a part-time lecturer in creative writing at Edinburgh's Napier University on January 5th next year [only 12 days away], so that will cut into blogging time. But I'll endeavour to keep you up to date on stuff.
Sad to say, I'm still finishing off a project that should have been done last week or even the week before. But illness and the local xmas show blew a big, fat hole in my schedule, so December 24th is a frenzy of last minute research and writing. There'll be a few days off, but I've got to get straight back into action come Monday. Need to write a new draft of my episode treatment for the Lighthouse TV drama team-writing workshop project thing.
Plus there's am audio book project I've been contracted to write that needs quite a few hours of my time. The good news I'll be hitting the ground running in 2009. Throw in the Napier job and time will be at a premium. Back to Brighton on January 8th for day 5 of the Lighthouse course. Got a new draft of The Woman Who Screamed Butterflies to do, that's been sat in a queue for months. A new book project beckons, assuming the planets can be aligned.
Once the xmas crush has passed it'll be time for the semi-annual Vicious Imagery ruminations. I'll look back on the year past, see what goals I've achieved and what objectives remain in my future. Plus there'll be some plotting and planning for 2009, and no shortage of other writerly witterings and work displacement activities. In the meantime, have a happy break, keep safe and healthy, and I'll see you on the other side of xmas. Onwards!
Sad to say, I'm still finishing off a project that should have been done last week or even the week before. But illness and the local xmas show blew a big, fat hole in my schedule, so December 24th is a frenzy of last minute research and writing. There'll be a few days off, but I've got to get straight back into action come Monday. Need to write a new draft of my episode treatment for the Lighthouse TV drama team-writing workshop project thing.
Plus there's am audio book project I've been contracted to write that needs quite a few hours of my time. The good news I'll be hitting the ground running in 2009. Throw in the Napier job and time will be at a premium. Back to Brighton on January 8th for day 5 of the Lighthouse course. Got a new draft of The Woman Who Screamed Butterflies to do, that's been sat in a queue for months. A new book project beckons, assuming the planets can be aligned.
Once the xmas crush has passed it'll be time for the semi-annual Vicious Imagery ruminations. I'll look back on the year past, see what goals I've achieved and what objectives remain in my future. Plus there'll be some plotting and planning for 2009, and no shortage of other writerly witterings and work displacement activities. In the meantime, have a happy break, keep safe and healthy, and I'll see you on the other side of xmas. Onwards!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Not enough hours in the bloomin' day
Had a friendly chat with a script editor in Glasgow yesterday. Every time we arrange a meeting, something goes wrong with my journey to see them. One time I crashed the car. Another time I got within a mile of my destination and a pedestrian overpass was closed, causing me to get hopelessly lost. No matter how early I set out, how many alternate routes I plan, I always get pulled off course by some black hole of chance, mishap and incident.
Yesterday was no different, although not so severe as parking the car atop a fence in some farmer's field. Everything went fine until I reached the M8, a motorway that can zap you through the centre of Glasgow in no time at all. When it's flowing smoothly. Which it never does when I go to see this script editor. Sure enough, I merged on to the M8 and discovered there was an eight mile tailback. [At least it has signage to warn of such things.]
Managed to get off at the next exit and went cross-country, staying above the M8 to travel through the mean streets of north Glasgow. Ever since The Bourne Supremacy? Remember that bit near the end where he visits the snowy outskirts of Moscow to tell a teenage girl he's sorry for murdering her parents? That's what north Glasgow looks like, through without the snow [as of yesterday morning]. Desolate, empty landscape with grim tower blocks.
In the end I was only 15 minutes late for my meeting - a personal best. Had a lovely natter and helped eat a hole in the back of a chocolate Santa's head. Then drove the width of Scotland to attend Christmas lunch with Napier University staff who'll be my colleagues come the new year. Typically, getting there proved so ridiculously easy I arrived an hour early. Eventually got home to erect the xmas tree and read a plethora of emails.
Having devoted yesterday to meetings and munching, today is a furious attempt to ram through two different jobs before the day ends. People start arriving for the festive season tomorrow, so I'm fast running out of time to get things done before offices across the land shut down. Got two writing projects that need work between Christmas and January 5th when I start my new part-time job at Napier. Then the balancing act really starts. Onwards!
Yesterday was no different, although not so severe as parking the car atop a fence in some farmer's field. Everything went fine until I reached the M8, a motorway that can zap you through the centre of Glasgow in no time at all. When it's flowing smoothly. Which it never does when I go to see this script editor. Sure enough, I merged on to the M8 and discovered there was an eight mile tailback. [At least it has signage to warn of such things.]
Managed to get off at the next exit and went cross-country, staying above the M8 to travel through the mean streets of north Glasgow. Ever since The Bourne Supremacy? Remember that bit near the end where he visits the snowy outskirts of Moscow to tell a teenage girl he's sorry for murdering her parents? That's what north Glasgow looks like, through without the snow [as of yesterday morning]. Desolate, empty landscape with grim tower blocks.
In the end I was only 15 minutes late for my meeting - a personal best. Had a lovely natter and helped eat a hole in the back of a chocolate Santa's head. Then drove the width of Scotland to attend Christmas lunch with Napier University staff who'll be my colleagues come the new year. Typically, getting there proved so ridiculously easy I arrived an hour early. Eventually got home to erect the xmas tree and read a plethora of emails.
Having devoted yesterday to meetings and munching, today is a furious attempt to ram through two different jobs before the day ends. People start arriving for the festive season tomorrow, so I'm fast running out of time to get things done before offices across the land shut down. Got two writing projects that need work between Christmas and January 5th when I start my new part-time job at Napier. Then the balancing act really starts. Onwards!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
FREE! Short screenwriting course in Scotland
Are you currently writing short stories, novels or plays, and have you ever wondered what it takes to write for Film and TV? After the success of last year's course, Scottish Book Trust is pleased to announce the launch of Screen Lab 2009.
Screen Lab will show you exactly what it takes to break into one of the most competitive and lucrative areas of writing. The lab will be led by award winning writer and director Adrian Mead. Over three days Adrian takes you through the realities of the script development process, and the strategy you need to break into the industry.
Course Details
Times: 9.30-5.00
Dates: Friday 20th February, Saturday 21st February and Sunday 22nd February
Venue: Scottish Book Trust, in central Edinburgh
Application Criteria: Screen Lab is open to writers at all stages of their career. Applicants must live in Scotland. Applicants who have not followed the application guidelines will not be considered. Successful applicants must attend the entire Screen Lab.
Deadline for applications: Monday 2nd February 2009
Find out how to apply here.
Contact: Caitrin Armstrong, Writer Development Co-ordinator
Email: caitrinarmstrong@scottishbooktrust.com
Tel: 0131 524 0177
Screen Lab will show you exactly what it takes to break into one of the most competitive and lucrative areas of writing. The lab will be led by award winning writer and director Adrian Mead. Over three days Adrian takes you through the realities of the script development process, and the strategy you need to break into the industry.
Course Details
Times: 9.30-5.00
Dates: Friday 20th February, Saturday 21st February and Sunday 22nd February
Venue: Scottish Book Trust, in central Edinburgh
Application Criteria: Screen Lab is open to writers at all stages of their career. Applicants must live in Scotland. Applicants who have not followed the application guidelines will not be considered. Successful applicants must attend the entire Screen Lab.
Deadline for applications: Monday 2nd February 2009
Find out how to apply here.
Contact: Caitrin Armstrong, Writer Development Co-ordinator
Email: caitrinarmstrong@scottishbooktrust.com
Tel: 0131 524 0177
Inspiring speeches from the movies
Matthew Belinkie at overthinkingit.com has crafted this gorgeous cut-up of 40 inspiration speeches from various films, all boiled down into less than three minutes. Enjoy!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Engrenages: compelling French TV crime drama
Two years ago the BBC bought and screened a French TV crime drama called Engrenages [which roughly translates as gears or cogs, but can also mean a spiraling cycle e.g. into violence]. Renamed Spiral and shown in French with English subtitles, it won a small but loyal audience on BBC4, a non-terrestrial channel. This was before the days of iPlayer, so those of us without access to digital channels never had a chance to see this much acclaimed thriller.I filed the name away in my head and bought the series when it was eventually released on DVD two months ago. But life and work pressures meant I didn't have a chance to watch any episodes until this Sunday just gone. It proved utterly compelling - dark, bleak, funny and gripping - so much so I had to force myself to stop watching after the first four episodes. It was midnight and the working week beckoned. Save the rest for later, I told myself.
Watched another two episodes last night and had the same problem. Now there's only two episodes left, the drama is racing to a climax and I'm desperate to know what happens next. Like I said, utterly compelling. It's like a cross between the twisty-turny plot machinations of Damages and the gritty realism of The Wire, transported to Paris. Cops and lawyers, junkies and criminals, secrets and lies all grapple for supremacy in this police procedural.
The diversities of the French legal system give the procedural aspects a freshness after too many years watching shows set in the British and American systems. The fact you have to read the subtitles to understand what people are saying forces you to pay more attention. The characters are all flawed in some way, but most have redeeming features. This show isn't afraid to confuse its audience temporarily for the sake of better longterm storytelling.
The good news is a second series of Engrenages has already been made and screened in France. Even better, the BBC has bought it for broadcast this winter. Alas, it'll be on BBC4 again, but the advent of iPlayer means non-digital viewers now have a chance to see Spiral. [Why it's relegated to BBC4 escapes me.] In the meantime, I heartily recommend watching the first series on DVD if you didn't catch it first time round. A great find.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Film awards speculation a-go-go
It's that time of year again when the prospects of Oscar front runners, dark horses and long shots become the stuff of media buzz. There's no clear leader in the race to snaffle Best Picture this year, even though pretty much all the candidates have been screened for critics [if not the public yet]. Most leading contenders are held back as long as possible, as if academy voters have the memory span of a gnat. Cue massive movie logjam come December.
In the best actor stakes, Frank Langella looks a lock for playing Tricky Dicky in Frost/Nixon, but you've got to feel for Michael Sheen who seems destined to ever be the bridesmaid in this situations [as happened when he was opposite Helen Mirren in The Queen]. Sean Penn seems a sure bet for starring as San Francisco's first openly gay mayor in Milk. Another likely contender is Clint Eastwood for being a cantankerous old git in Gran Torino [go, Clint!].
Philip Seymour Hoffman was much touted for his role in Doubt, based on a Pulitzer winning play, but the shine's off that apple. Brad Pitt ages backwards in The Curious Case of Bejamin Button, but is that a feat of acting or effects? Leonardo Di Caprio could get his fourth nomination for Revolutionary Road, but that film's brand of post-war US suburban ennui got its thunder stolen by the success of Mad Men on TV. Penn to win this category?
Best actress is packed category. Meryl Streep usually gets a nom, so expect to hear her name for Doubt - but no trophy. Cate Blanchett is becoming Australia's answer to Meryl Streep, so she's a likely candidate for Button. Anne Hathaway won kudos for going edgy in Rachel Getting Married, she's a contender. Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky might propel Sally Hawkins to the list, while Angelina Jolie's role in Changling has Oscar-bait written all over it.
Embracing drab [or prosthetics] can improve Oscar odds. [A honking great rubber nose helped Nicole Kidman in The Hours, Charlize Theron went further for Monster.] But that trick only works if you're usually perceived as beautiful and glamorous. Kirstin Scott Thomas looks tired and speaks French in I've Loved You So Long, so she might get a nom. But Melissa Leo is too far under the radar to earn major plaudits for her work in Frozen River, alas.
Kate Winlet's been Oscar nominated five times without winning. This year she's got two much touted roles in Revolutionary Road and The Reader. But Oscar rules say actors can only be nominated once in a category, so her part in The Reader is being spun as best supporting actress fodder. The nightmare scenario - people nominate her as best actress for both parts and she cancels herself out. Personally, I think Winlet's long overdue an Oscar.
There's two writing categories, one for adaptations and one for original screenplays. It's said 60% of films are adaptations and these projects always feature heavily come Oscar time. So original screenplay is the category that's most open for writers. Step forward Nick Schenk for Gran Torino and J. Michael Straczynski for Changeling, both Clint Eastwood productions. Interestingly, both films were apparently shot from [polished] first draft scripts.
Also in the running [assuming they get classed as original screenplays]: Mike Leigh for Happy-Go-Lucky; Jenny Lumet for Rachel Getting Married; the writers of Wall-E; I'm not sure if The Wrestler is original or adapted, but if original it could be on the list [as could Mickey Rourke for best actor, come to that]. All in all, it's an exciting time of year if you're an Oscar geek like me. I've got to have something to get excited about, right?
In the best actor stakes, Frank Langella looks a lock for playing Tricky Dicky in Frost/Nixon, but you've got to feel for Michael Sheen who seems destined to ever be the bridesmaid in this situations [as happened when he was opposite Helen Mirren in The Queen]. Sean Penn seems a sure bet for starring as San Francisco's first openly gay mayor in Milk. Another likely contender is Clint Eastwood for being a cantankerous old git in Gran Torino [go, Clint!].
Philip Seymour Hoffman was much touted for his role in Doubt, based on a Pulitzer winning play, but the shine's off that apple. Brad Pitt ages backwards in The Curious Case of Bejamin Button, but is that a feat of acting or effects? Leonardo Di Caprio could get his fourth nomination for Revolutionary Road, but that film's brand of post-war US suburban ennui got its thunder stolen by the success of Mad Men on TV. Penn to win this category?
Best actress is packed category. Meryl Streep usually gets a nom, so expect to hear her name for Doubt - but no trophy. Cate Blanchett is becoming Australia's answer to Meryl Streep, so she's a likely candidate for Button. Anne Hathaway won kudos for going edgy in Rachel Getting Married, she's a contender. Mike Leigh's Happy-Go-Lucky might propel Sally Hawkins to the list, while Angelina Jolie's role in Changling has Oscar-bait written all over it.
Embracing drab [or prosthetics] can improve Oscar odds. [A honking great rubber nose helped Nicole Kidman in The Hours, Charlize Theron went further for Monster.] But that trick only works if you're usually perceived as beautiful and glamorous. Kirstin Scott Thomas looks tired and speaks French in I've Loved You So Long, so she might get a nom. But Melissa Leo is too far under the radar to earn major plaudits for her work in Frozen River, alas.
Kate Winlet's been Oscar nominated five times without winning. This year she's got two much touted roles in Revolutionary Road and The Reader. But Oscar rules say actors can only be nominated once in a category, so her part in The Reader is being spun as best supporting actress fodder. The nightmare scenario - people nominate her as best actress for both parts and she cancels herself out. Personally, I think Winlet's long overdue an Oscar.
There's two writing categories, one for adaptations and one for original screenplays. It's said 60% of films are adaptations and these projects always feature heavily come Oscar time. So original screenplay is the category that's most open for writers. Step forward Nick Schenk for Gran Torino and J. Michael Straczynski for Changeling, both Clint Eastwood productions. Interestingly, both films were apparently shot from [polished] first draft scripts.
Also in the running [assuming they get classed as original screenplays]: Mike Leigh for Happy-Go-Lucky; Jenny Lumet for Rachel Getting Married; the writers of Wall-E; I'm not sure if The Wrestler is original or adapted, but if original it could be on the list [as could Mickey Rourke for best actor, come to that]. All in all, it's an exciting time of year if you're an Oscar geek like me. I've got to have something to get excited about, right?
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Getting better [fingers crossed]
Well, that was a craphouse week and no mistake. Had a good session in Brighton with the Lighthouse, but after that I descended into the feverish depths of lurgy that's been doing the rounds. Still managed to get some work done by consuming box after box of Olbus pastilles and stuffing tissues up my nose, but it's been most unpleasant. Seem to be feeling a little better, despite a cough that would make a bronchial swan wince. Hoping I'm on the up-slope.
Turns out the documentary I went into Edinburgh for last week is to be screened on BBC2 between Christmas and New Year. It's called The Perfect Detective and transmits on December 29th, I think. I burbled about Inspector Morse, but have no idea if my words [and terrifying visage] will make it on screen. More likely I'll be lining the cutting room floor of some edit suite soon, like the leavings of an over-excited budgie after too many shocks and scares.
Not much else to report. The freelance world is winding down for Christmas, but I've got a meeting on Tuesday [no agenda, just a general chat] and my first academic lunch on Thursday. I don't start at Napier until January but have now signed my contract. Life as a part-time lecturer beckons, but I've no plans to buy a tweed jacket with patches on the elbows. Did watch The Paper Chase on DVD - a cracking little film, it fit nicely in our 70s season.
Next on the pile to watch is Three Days of the Condor, another film from the decade that taste forgot but during which cinema flourished. Then maybe another dash of Dirty Harry in anticipation of Gran Torino. Ahh, Clint - some old, so grizzled and so bloody talented. Give that man another Oscar, and tell Sean Penn to relax.
Turns out the documentary I went into Edinburgh for last week is to be screened on BBC2 between Christmas and New Year. It's called The Perfect Detective and transmits on December 29th, I think. I burbled about Inspector Morse, but have no idea if my words [and terrifying visage] will make it on screen. More likely I'll be lining the cutting room floor of some edit suite soon, like the leavings of an over-excited budgie after too many shocks and scares.
Not much else to report. The freelance world is winding down for Christmas, but I've got a meeting on Tuesday [no agenda, just a general chat] and my first academic lunch on Thursday. I don't start at Napier until January but have now signed my contract. Life as a part-time lecturer beckons, but I've no plans to buy a tweed jacket with patches on the elbows. Did watch The Paper Chase on DVD - a cracking little film, it fit nicely in our 70s season.
Next on the pile to watch is Three Days of the Condor, another film from the decade that taste forgot but during which cinema flourished. Then maybe another dash of Dirty Harry in anticipation of Gran Torino. Ahh, Clint - some old, so grizzled and so bloody talented. Give that man another Oscar, and tell Sean Penn to relax.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Scotland to Brighton [and back again]
Had my fourth day trip to Brighton yesterday for the Lighthouse TV drama team-writing workshop. We're now at the stage of discussing our individual episode treatments, while also nailing down niggling questions about the rules of our high concept world. Feels like real progress is being made, although sometimes it can require backwards steps to go forwards. Happily, the deadline for our next work got nudged to after Christmas, making the days ahead easier.
Nearly everyone on the workshop arrived with some lurgy, bug or cold. My voice now best resembles Louis Armstrong after a hard night of gargling gravel. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but it's opening night for the Biggar Theatre Workshop's festive family show. I'm in several sketches and just hope my voice lasts for all four performances. I'm not alone in this, it's like a consumptive ward backstage, but the show must go on, so on the show will go.
Elsewhere, the Writers' Guild of America has announced nominees for its 2008 awards. The category that most interests me is best TV drama where five shows are vying for the trophy: Dexter, Friday Night Lights, Lost, Mad Men and The Wire. Have to confess I haven't seen Dexter since its first, exemplary season, but hope it's been maintaining that same high standard. Lost is definitely firing on all cylinders again after some creative ennui in season three.
FNL is back among my favourites for its new season, after a few splutters the previous year. The third season is running on a cable channel in the US before appearing on NCB in the new year, so it's a mark of quality that FNL still got nominated despite being much less visible this year. Inevitably, season two of Mad Men lacked the freshness of its debut. Instead it spend this year pulling apart the characters before putting them back together again.
The results made for a powerful punch in the guts, while still retaining the silky smooth charms that won Mad Men such plaudits first time round. Long may it continue. Last but certainly not least is the final season of The Wire, a show praised to the hilt but watched by few. I'm halfway through the third season, so the last year remains in my future, waiting to be watched. In summary, that's a strong crop of shows on the WGA list of dramas.
There's another fistful that could have been just as worthy of inclusion, in my humble opinion. Damages wowed me, with its twisty-turny plot machinations and revelations, not to mention compelling performances by Glenn Close and [surprisingly] Ted Danson. House got its mojo back and delivered a real kicker at the end of season four. Breaking Bad dipped out in the top list, despite accolades elsewhere. It's a strong time for US TV drama.
Nearly everyone on the workshop arrived with some lurgy, bug or cold. My voice now best resembles Louis Armstrong after a hard night of gargling gravel. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but it's opening night for the Biggar Theatre Workshop's festive family show. I'm in several sketches and just hope my voice lasts for all four performances. I'm not alone in this, it's like a consumptive ward backstage, but the show must go on, so on the show will go.
Elsewhere, the Writers' Guild of America has announced nominees for its 2008 awards. The category that most interests me is best TV drama where five shows are vying for the trophy: Dexter, Friday Night Lights, Lost, Mad Men and The Wire. Have to confess I haven't seen Dexter since its first, exemplary season, but hope it's been maintaining that same high standard. Lost is definitely firing on all cylinders again after some creative ennui in season three.
FNL is back among my favourites for its new season, after a few splutters the previous year. The third season is running on a cable channel in the US before appearing on NCB in the new year, so it's a mark of quality that FNL still got nominated despite being much less visible this year. Inevitably, season two of Mad Men lacked the freshness of its debut. Instead it spend this year pulling apart the characters before putting them back together again.
The results made for a powerful punch in the guts, while still retaining the silky smooth charms that won Mad Men such plaudits first time round. Long may it continue. Last but certainly not least is the final season of The Wire, a show praised to the hilt but watched by few. I'm halfway through the third season, so the last year remains in my future, waiting to be watched. In summary, that's a strong crop of shows on the WGA list of dramas.
There's another fistful that could have been just as worthy of inclusion, in my humble opinion. Damages wowed me, with its twisty-turny plot machinations and revelations, not to mention compelling performances by Glenn Close and [surprisingly] Ted Danson. House got its mojo back and delivered a real kicker at the end of season four. Breaking Bad dipped out in the top list, despite accolades elsewhere. It's a strong time for US TV drama.
Monday, December 08, 2008
Forthcoming announcement comes forth
Here's the juice: in January I'll be joining Napier University in Edinburgh as a part-time lecturer. For two and half days each week I'll be passing along what I've learned as a writer, reader and editor. Specifically, I've been hired to help teach a new MA in Creative Writing [that launches in September 2009]. Most such courses focus on literary fiction and poetry, but the Napier creative writing MA will be offering something fresh and different.
This course will have genre writing at its core. Crime fiction, science fiction, fantasy, screenwriting and more - all are key elements to the new MA. I can't get into all the details here, but will post links to the relevant announcements and offerings when the time comes. Let's just say I'm excited by the opportunities and looking forward to talking about writing for half the working week. Next question: why did I take on a teaching job?
Right now, I write for a living. That sometimes means paying the bills plays too large a part in creative decisions. Given the choice, I'd only write material I want to write - my own stories, my own characters, my own creations. But my career isn't at that point yet. So I do a mixture of journalism, tie-in fiction and other jobs. But these often get in the way of developing my own stories, speculative scripts and novels I'd like to create.
For example, there's a novel I've been itching to write for years. But without a commission I simply can't afford the unpaid downtime required to progress it. There's a feature screenplay I've been mulling over since March, but taking two months off to do that simply hasn't been practical. Every year I promise to write another radio play - every year it gets put aside for commissioned jobs. It's frustrating, always putting off what you want to be doing.
Taking this part-time lecturing position will free me financially. No more hackwork, no more doing jobs to pay the bills. If I take a freelance commission, it'll be because I'm passionate about it. The rest of the time I'll be developing all those stories I've pushed to one side, finally giving them the attention they deserve. It's exciting and scary and different. Will it work? It's too soon to tell now. Come back and ask me again in a year.
After eight and a half years freelancing, some tiny part of me feels guilty for taking a part-time job - as if I'm selling out somehow, taking the easy option - but that's nonsense, of course. [My mother was a teacher, so I've no doubt it's a job that calls for skill and passion and boundless energy.] Every freelance commission is a contract, with a set job to be done within a time frame - so it is with this. Half the week I'll lecture, the rest I'll write.
What does it mean for this blog? Vicious Imagery will continue, but don't expect me to details the ins and outs of life at Napier University here. This blog is mostly about my writing, with occasional blurts into other areas of my life. So shall it remain. Entries will be fewer and further between once I'm teaching, but you can still expect musings and mutterings - my brain needs a place to vent. Anyway, that's the news. Only one left to say: onwards!
This course will have genre writing at its core. Crime fiction, science fiction, fantasy, screenwriting and more - all are key elements to the new MA. I can't get into all the details here, but will post links to the relevant announcements and offerings when the time comes. Let's just say I'm excited by the opportunities and looking forward to talking about writing for half the working week. Next question: why did I take on a teaching job?
Right now, I write for a living. That sometimes means paying the bills plays too large a part in creative decisions. Given the choice, I'd only write material I want to write - my own stories, my own characters, my own creations. But my career isn't at that point yet. So I do a mixture of journalism, tie-in fiction and other jobs. But these often get in the way of developing my own stories, speculative scripts and novels I'd like to create.
For example, there's a novel I've been itching to write for years. But without a commission I simply can't afford the unpaid downtime required to progress it. There's a feature screenplay I've been mulling over since March, but taking two months off to do that simply hasn't been practical. Every year I promise to write another radio play - every year it gets put aside for commissioned jobs. It's frustrating, always putting off what you want to be doing.
Taking this part-time lecturing position will free me financially. No more hackwork, no more doing jobs to pay the bills. If I take a freelance commission, it'll be because I'm passionate about it. The rest of the time I'll be developing all those stories I've pushed to one side, finally giving them the attention they deserve. It's exciting and scary and different. Will it work? It's too soon to tell now. Come back and ask me again in a year.
After eight and a half years freelancing, some tiny part of me feels guilty for taking a part-time job - as if I'm selling out somehow, taking the easy option - but that's nonsense, of course. [My mother was a teacher, so I've no doubt it's a job that calls for skill and passion and boundless energy.] Every freelance commission is a contract, with a set job to be done within a time frame - so it is with this. Half the week I'll lecture, the rest I'll write.
What does it mean for this blog? Vicious Imagery will continue, but don't expect me to details the ins and outs of life at Napier University here. This blog is mostly about my writing, with occasional blurts into other areas of my life. So shall it remain. Entries will be fewer and further between once I'm teaching, but you can still expect musings and mutterings - my brain needs a place to vent. Anyway, that's the news. Only one left to say: onwards!
Friday, December 05, 2008
It's another madcap day of running around
Signing contracts today for an interesting little audio drama project I plan to write just after Christmas - will reveal more when I can talk about it. After yesterday's conference call I've got a new A story for a novel to write up this morning, involving research into finding just the right tropical disease. Then a dash to Edinburgh to have an on-camera interview for a BBC4 documentary to be screen in 2009 - again, more when I can talk about it.
All of which is followed by another meeting for something else I can't talk about until all the paperwork's been signed off. This last thing is related to the forthcoming announcement I mentioned yesterday [hopefully I can spill the beans on Monday, if not before]. That meeting's followed by another meeting on similar lines. Then another mad dash back home to attend a concert and, just maybe, some food late tonight. It's an end to end life right now.
Bring on the weekend!
All of which is followed by another meeting for something else I can't talk about until all the paperwork's been signed off. This last thing is related to the forthcoming announcement I mentioned yesterday [hopefully I can spill the beans on Monday, if not before]. That meeting's followed by another meeting on similar lines. Then another mad dash back home to attend a concert and, just maybe, some food late tonight. It's an end to end life right now.
Bring on the weekend!
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Too busy to blog - sorry!
Apologies for the radio silence of recent days, but I've got double deadlines looming at me like big looming things. Not enough hours in the day, nor minutes in each hour. A normal service of blathering and blethering should resume tomorrow. I have got a surprising announcement to make, but that'll simply have to wait. Sorry!
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
December: the month where music stops
December tends to be a craphouse month for new music. I look forward to Tuesday morning, sampling fresh delights on iTunes. But the music industry grinds to a halt at the year winds down. Between now and 2009 all we can expect are greatest hits compilations, 'deluxe' editions of popular albums with a new track or two tossed in to lure unwary shoppers and - grud help us - festive-themed releases. No snow on the logo, that's my bah-humbug opinion.
Rant over, on to other things. Emailed my full script to the Red Planet Pictures people yesterday afternoon, following a frantic weekend of tweaking and polishing. Apparently 1000 people entered the first ten pages of their script before the first round deadline back in September. From those about 70 were chosen for the second round, and invited to submit their full script. To spare everyone from mental arithmetic, that's roughly one in 14.
Can't help feeling chuffed that my effort FAMILIES AT WAR was among the chosen, though I have to confess its success was a complete surprise. I had hoped to create a new TV pilot for the competition, but inspiration and other priorities scuppered that. So I went back to the final project from my MA screenwriting course and gave it a thorough rewrite. [I entered an early, primitive version in last year's Red Planet and it sankly without trace. Rightly so.]
I've few illusions FAMILIES AT WAR will win the first prize [£5000, representation and a commission from Red Planet Pictures], but you never know. It might get me invited to a masterclass with RPP supremo Tony Jordan, as happened with the top 20 writers from the second round last year. Figure the odds of that are one in four, which isn't out of the question. There'll be no news on this until next year, so I can safely forget about it in the meantime.
Today it's back to work on the Lighthouse screenwriting for TV team project. I've got to deliver a detailed plot synopsis for my proposed episode by midday Thursday. Meant to spend last weekend working on that, but Red Planet shoved in at the front of the priority queue. Now it's been dealt with, I'm headed back to the Lighthouse. My story is set on Christmas Eve [in the drunk tank], so the carpet of snow outside sets the scene perfectly. Onwards!
Rant over, on to other things. Emailed my full script to the Red Planet Pictures people yesterday afternoon, following a frantic weekend of tweaking and polishing. Apparently 1000 people entered the first ten pages of their script before the first round deadline back in September. From those about 70 were chosen for the second round, and invited to submit their full script. To spare everyone from mental arithmetic, that's roughly one in 14.
Can't help feeling chuffed that my effort FAMILIES AT WAR was among the chosen, though I have to confess its success was a complete surprise. I had hoped to create a new TV pilot for the competition, but inspiration and other priorities scuppered that. So I went back to the final project from my MA screenwriting course and gave it a thorough rewrite. [I entered an early, primitive version in last year's Red Planet and it sankly without trace. Rightly so.]
I've few illusions FAMILIES AT WAR will win the first prize [£5000, representation and a commission from Red Planet Pictures], but you never know. It might get me invited to a masterclass with RPP supremo Tony Jordan, as happened with the top 20 writers from the second round last year. Figure the odds of that are one in four, which isn't out of the question. There'll be no news on this until next year, so I can safely forget about it in the meantime.
Today it's back to work on the Lighthouse screenwriting for TV team project. I've got to deliver a detailed plot synopsis for my proposed episode by midday Thursday. Meant to spend last weekend working on that, but Red Planet shoved in at the front of the priority queue. Now it's been dealt with, I'm headed back to the Lighthouse. My story is set on Christmas Eve [in the drunk tank], so the carpet of snow outside sets the scene perfectly. Onwards!
Monday, December 01, 2008
Things for which writing's inadvertantly good
After my sojourn in That Fancy London last week, I'd been writing pretty much non-stop ever since. Well, not actually non-stop, otherwise I'd have keeled over from lack of sleep, food and other essentials for life. But most of my waking hours have been occupied by writing or thinking about sundry writing projects. Wrote till after midnight on Saturday, put in another six hours yesterday and it's a full programme of writing in the week ahead.
Still, all this writing does have some side benefits. If you're hunched over the computer, there's not much time left in the day to spend money. Online shopping is all too easy, but a really pressing deadline does concentrate the mind away from the lures of retailers like Amazon and excellent New Zealand music outlet Marbecks. So you can save money by writing more. Given the right project, you can even earn money by writing - or so the story goes.
Another advantage of writing too much: you don't have to go outside. Now in summer that can be a bummer. Everybody else is glorying in the sunshine, while you're stuck inside typing. [Get a laptop and wi-fi. Or a pen and paper.] But come the cruel months of winter, not going out keeps you warmer. It snowed overnight here, just a dusting but enough to keep temperatures sub-zero for the third day in a row. Happily, I can stay in and write.
There are plenty of disadvantages in being a writer - lack of human contact, lack of exercise, tendency to get stuck in your own head - so it's nice to know this vocation has some ancillary upsides. [Unless you're Beckley, in which it's just a job.] What other ways can you think of in which writing's inadvertantly good for you?
Still, all this writing does have some side benefits. If you're hunched over the computer, there's not much time left in the day to spend money. Online shopping is all too easy, but a really pressing deadline does concentrate the mind away from the lures of retailers like Amazon and excellent New Zealand music outlet Marbecks. So you can save money by writing more. Given the right project, you can even earn money by writing - or so the story goes.
Another advantage of writing too much: you don't have to go outside. Now in summer that can be a bummer. Everybody else is glorying in the sunshine, while you're stuck inside typing. [Get a laptop and wi-fi. Or a pen and paper.] But come the cruel months of winter, not going out keeps you warmer. It snowed overnight here, just a dusting but enough to keep temperatures sub-zero for the third day in a row. Happily, I can stay in and write.
There are plenty of disadvantages in being a writer - lack of human contact, lack of exercise, tendency to get stuck in your own head - so it's nice to know this vocation has some ancillary upsides. [Unless you're Beckley, in which it's just a job.] What other ways can you think of in which writing's inadvertantly good for you?
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