Bits and pieces for end of Feb 2010

ITEM! Seems my work will be sharing space in a graphic novel with some very esteemed company. Amazon is advertising a Fiends of the Eastern Front paperback collection for October 2010, gathering the classic 1980 B&W serial by Gerry Finley-Day and Carlos Ezquerra with the belated follow-up FotEF: Stalingrad by Colin MacNeil and me. You can read more about the book by going here.

ITEM! Carlos Ezquerra is the artist guest of honour at this year's British Science Fiction Convention, Eastercon 2010 a.k.a. Odyssey 2010. The event is being held April 2-5 [over the Easter weekend, natch] at the Radisson Edwardian Hotel, alongside London's Heathrow Airport. Why am I telling you this? Because I'll be interviewing Carlos live on stage at Odyssey. More details here.

ITEM! My wife is entering Race For Life again this year, making her fifth attempt on the north face of the Eiger [better known as the road that goes up and around Arthur's Seat in Edinburgh]. All proceeds go to Cancer Research UK. Time's are tough, but if you've ever gotten something useful from this blog, donate here. In the comments section tell 'em Vicious Imagery sent you!

ITEM! Last but certainly not least, I now have representation. The lovely Katie Williams at Blake Friedmann Literary Agency has added me to her list. I signed my paperwork yesterday after meeting with Katie in That Fancy London last Monday. This will open doors for my writing and achieves one of the last items left on a list of goals I set myself three years ago. Onwards!

EastEnders live episode - shock, unused ending!

SCENE 3952/54E. BRIDGE STREET/SQUARE. EXT. NIGHT. 20.00.


LOT


WELL HARD


[GO TO THE GHOSTLY SPIRIT OF WELL HARD
MOVING AWAY FROM THE CROWD, INTO THE
DARKENED SQUARE. SUDDENLY HE’S CONVULSED
BY SOBS. ROBBIE APPEARS BEHIND, PERTURBED]


ROBBIE: Well Hard? I thought you were dead …


[WELL HARD TURNS, LOOKS AT HIS FORMER MASTER]


WELL HARD: [CHOKED] Ruff.


[WELL HARD LOOKS OVER, SEES MAX TRYING TO
COMFORT A DISTRAUGHT STACEY WHO IS NOW ON
HER KNEES, WEEPING HER HEART OUT

ROBBIE CROUCHES BESIDE WELL HARD. THE DOG
CAN’T BARK - A HISSED, DISTRAUGHT WHIMPER]


WELL HARD: Whimper.


ROBBIE: What’s that? Janine’s fallen down a mine?


[THE DOG GLARES AT ROBBIE: YOU PRAT]


ROBBIE: What you trying to tell me, boy?


WELL HARD: [MANIC WHIMPER]

SUBTITLES: It was me. I killed Archie. It was me.


[TAKE ROBBIE’S REACTION, STUNNED]


WELL HARD: [MANIC WHIMPER]

SUBTITLES: It was me!


[OUT ON A GRIEF STRICKEN WELL HARD]


FADE OUT

Last chance to see: A Pill for Every Ill

For any UK readers of this blog you haven't already seen my episode of Doctors [and Grud knows I've pimped it relentlessly here], you've got until 6.14pm today to catch up with it on the BBC iPlayer. After that A Pill for Every Ill will vanish into the ether - and I'll have to talk about something else. But I should have some positive news to share next week, fingers crossed. Onwards!

A scene from the cutting room floor

When I was writing my episode of Doctors, the initial scene-by-scene ran to a massive 40 scenes - overkill for a half hour show. The final script cut that number to 35 scenes, but four of those didn't make the broadcast version. The fact they could be edited out so seamlessly proves they were surplus to requirement. Anyway, here's the script for one of my favourites...

EP199/SC9. INT. CAMPUS SURGERY. RECEPTION. DAY. 09:05

SIMON, KAREN, CHARLIE

[CHARLIE VENTURES IN. RECEPTION APPEARS EMPTY]

CHARLIE:
Hello? Anyone here?

[KAREN RISES FROM BEHIND THE DESK, CLUTCHING A STAPLER]

KAREN:
Doctor Bradfield? Wasn’t expecting you today.

CHARLIE:
I’m covering for Morticia. I mean, Lily. Dr Hassan.

KAREN:
Right.

CHARLIE:
She had an urgent forensic call-out.

[SIMON EMERGES FROM THE LARGE CONSULTING ROOM, HIS ATTENTION ON A MEDICAL JOURNAL]

SIMON:
Karen, is Lily in yet?

KAREN:
Not exactly.

[SIMON SEES CHARLIE. BOTH THEIR FACES FALL]

SIMON:
Oh. It’s just, there’s this journal article I wanted to show her.

CHARLIE:
Anything interesting?

SIMON:
Variations in degradation propensity among victims of necrotizing fasciitis.

KAREN:
That sounds… fascinating.

CHARLIE:
Not really my field of expertise.

SIMON:
Oh well.

[AWKWARD SILENCE]

CHARLIE:
Must say, I’m happy to find you here, Karen. Good to have a more mature woman behind the desk, for once.

KAREN:
Here, who you calling mature?

CHARLIE:
These flighty young things Julia employs are all very well, but they can take things the wrong way sometimes. (BEAT) Well, best get myself installed.

[CHARLIE RETREATS INTO THE SMALL CONSULTING ROOM.

KAREN AND SIMON EXCHANGE A LOOK: IT’S GOING TO BE A LONG DAY]

CUT TO:

Well, that was nice. Now - onwards!

Enjoyed yesterday a lot [see previous posts below for the reasons why]. Now it's time to get on with some work. One TV drama screenwriting credit is a start, but more than one is much more impressive. So today I'm interviewing someone for a putative new project. I think the following extract from RonShelton's Bull Durham best sums up my attitude to resting on your laurels:

INT. THE DUGOUT

NUKE PUTS ON HIS WARM UP JACKET and sits down next to Crash,
who's taking off his gear, readying to hit.

NUKE
I was great, eh?

CRASH
Your fastball was up and your
curveball was hanging--in the
Show they woulda ripped you.

NUKE
Can't you let me enjoy the moment?

CRASH
The moment's over.

Today I become a TV drama writer

At 1.45pm today BBC1 will screen an episode of Doctors called A Pill for Every Ill. It's the 199th episode of Series XI, and the show's 1764th episode [according to imdb.com]. There's nothing remarkable about any of this for most people, but for me it's a special moment, my first TV drama commission. I've already seen this episode on disc, but will be watching the broadcast as it happens.

UPDATE: for those who have access to the BBC's wonderful iPlayer, A Pill for Every Ill is now available to watch here.

Is the episode perfect? No, of course not. I've still got so much to learn about writing for TV - but it's a start. Two years ago I was writing a trial script for the show, and crossing my fingers. That proved good enough to earn me an invitation to pitch story of the day ideas, but my script editor gave me fair warning: a successful trial script was no guarantee I'd ever get a commission.

She described it as getting a foot in the door, only to discover there's a massive staircase still to climb once you're inside - and she was right. Over the past two years I've had plenty of ideas that didn't make the producer's pile [too similar to upcoming serial strands, cast member leaving, etc] or, even if they did get that far, weren't good enough to get banked.

I've learned patience and persistence are essential. Getting a first writing credit on Doctors is no fluke, but securing a second credit is just as challenging. Unlike most continuing dramas, Doctors resembles a miniature Play For Today with a new standalone story in each episode, created by the writer. That means starting from scratch again, another blank page to fill.

Anyway, getting my next episode away is a concern for another time. Today I'm going to pop a bottle of fizz as my name appears on screen and enjoy the moment. In the meantime, the official BBC website listing for my episode is reproduced below. Onwards!

A Pill for Every Ill
Today, 13:45 on BBC One

Synopsis: Simon finds himself out of his depth when treating a woman with extreme PMS symptoms, while Elise invites Immie to spend the night at her house. And Daniel has to apologise to Zara when his jealousy almost gets the better of him.

Dr Simon Bond: David Sturzaker
Louisa Cole: Sally Ann Matthews [pictured above]
Paul Blackwell: Alun Raglan
Imogen Hollins: Charlie Clemmow
Dr Jimmi Clay: Adrian Lewis Morgan
Dr Daniel Granger: Matthew Chambers
Dr Zara Carmichael: Elisabeth Dermot Walsh
Dr Charlie Bradfield: Philip McGough
Julia Parsons: Diane Keen
Karen Hollins: Jan Pearson
Rob Hollins: Chris Walker
Jack Hollins: Nicolas Woodman
Lisa Torres: Michelle Lukes
Elise Stone: Hannah Steele

Producer: Erika Hossington
Producer: Mike Hobson
Producer: Peter Eryl Lloyd
Scriptwriter: David Bishop

Broadcasts
1. Wed 10 Feb 2010 13:45 BBC One
2. Wed 10 Feb 2010 17:45 BBC HD

Who Says Superbowl is Straight?

Innuendo [and out the other]

There's a wonderful website that collects THE END screenshots from different films. When you scroll over each image, it reveals the relevant movie's title. Having a grubby mind, I couldn't stop myself from sharing a few of the more innuendo-inducing titles with you. Apologies to all those who expect something less puerile from Vicious Imagery, I'm in a scampish mood today...

In the new Radio Times: Writer - David Bishop

Consider me validated. On Wednesday February 10 I'll attain my first TV drama writing credit. My episode of Doctors, A Pill for Every Ill, is due for broadcast on BBC1 at 1.45pm [with a subsequent repeat on the BBC HD channel]. Proof can be found in venerable listings magazine Radio Times, as pictured above. I'll post a link to iPlayer once the episode's aired. It's official - I am a TV drama writer. Now comes the tough part, getting a second commission. Onwards!

Hurt Locker ties Avatar for most Oscar noms

The Hurt Locker was my favourite film of 2009. Eleven months ago I was bigging it up to a class of undergrad students on a module about contemporary Hollywood cinema, telling them how advance buzz suggested it would be the first successful modern war film since Bush launched his war on terror. Even showed them the trailer, such was my enthusiasm for the then-forthcoming feature.

The Hurt Locker didn't make a fortune at the box office - grossing about $16 million worldwide, against an estimated budget of £11 million. That's small change compared to its main rival at the Oscars, Avatar - the biggest grossing film of all time. I like to think of The Hurt Locker as the little engine that could, a gem by director Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal.

Even if The Hurt Locker wasn't a blockbuster, it earbed a lot of critical praise and those that saw it, tended to love it. [Duncan Jones' Moon was much the same, shame it didn't get some Oscar love.] So I'm very happy to see it got nine mentions when the Oscar nominations were announced today in Los Angeles - tying with the big blue behemoth that is Avatar.

I still haven't seen Dances With Smurfs, even though I know the best way to experience it would be on a big screen [ideally while wearing daft glasses]. So I know who I'll be cheering for come Sunday night, March 7th. It's ludicrous no woman has even won the Oscar for best director. Fingers crossed The Hurt Locker changes that particular statistic of shame.