Several of my classmates from the 2007 MA screenwriting class at Screen Academy Scotland have been making big strides. One of them is Ali Rutherford, who's been writing commissioned feature screenplays, radio drama for the BBC and professionally staged plays [amongst other things]. He makes things happen, a useful quality for any writer.
Ali entered his science fiction project Backflip for the Wildsound Feature Screenplay Contest in Toronto. It's one of two finalists from 350 entries, earning a public reading by professional actors on October 16th [which you can watch on the clip above]. If you like the script, go online to vote for Ali and Backflip here.
In the interests of fairness, I should point out the other finalist is Fishing with Dynamite by Randy Sumeraj. Have to confess I misread the title of Randy's screenplay every time I see it, probably because my mind's in the gutter. But it would have to be a porno if the feature was called Fisting with Dynamite. Onwards!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
My third script for Doctors is officially locked
Another milestone happened yesterday when the script for my third episode of BBC1 drama series Doctors was locked. Get Smart will be episode 207 of series 12, to be broadcast on Friday March 18th next year. The director is already prepping block 74, which includes my script, so filming will be starting very soon.
[In case anyone's wondering, no, you haven't missed my second effort for Doctors. Wasted Trip is due for broadcast on Thursday November 18th. I've yet to see the finished ep, but a disc of it should be arriving in the next day or two.]
Suspect I learned more writing my third live script for the show than I did on the first two. For those scripts I pretty much nailed the serial elements and my story of the day [SOTD] in the first draft. There was plenty of finessing, but the essence of both eps was present and correct from the first draft of the script.
Get Smart was more of a work in progress. The first draft nailed one serial strand but not the other, and my SOTD wasn't firing on all cylinders. My second draft fixed most of the serial issues and improved the SOTD a bit - but still wasn't nailing it. Either it needed radical intervention or a big improvement to work.
Feedback from the production team and conversations with my script editor identified the underlying problems in the SOTD, and solutions were agreed. Happily, the third draft was the great leap forward needed. A fourth draft followed, ironing out some key moments, polishing dialogue and nailing key character moments.
In the end a fifth draft was needed to cut a sequence from the start [to avoid repetition of similar sequences from eps around it], tweaking a phone call in the middle, and to make one of the guest character's turning points more overt. A couple of tiny tweaks, and the script was finally locked off and done.
So, what lessons have I learned? Plenty. Backstory is a useful tool for giving guest characters motivation, but forcing it into the script can lead to on-the-nose dialogue. The story should be about what's happening to them now, and to the other characters on screen. Tell your story in the present, as it happens.
Don't forget to give your characters attitude. Every character should have a POV that's unique to them. Dialogue between characters should reflect their attitudes to each other, as well as their own personality. Every character needs their own voice. Dialogue is crucial in continuing drama, so make it count.
Remember what inspired you to write a story in the first place. When you're balancig three story strands, shifting timings for events and the added complication of day/night scheduling, it's easy to get fixated by structural challenges. Tell the character story first, the rest can be sorted as you go along.
Now, a lot of those lessons I already knew and some I'm still discovering for the first time. There was one other lesson I definitely knew, but got walloped over the head with once more - don't juggle too many jobs at once. Teaching half the week, writing a computer game and for Doctors was maximum capacity.
Throw in rehearsals for a one act play and an opera workshop, plus various other challenges and it all got a bit much. My first draft definitely suffered from being written too fast. My eager to please tendency can be a good quality, but I need to take more time over a script, especially that crucial first draft.
So, what's next at Doctors? I don't have any more SOTD pitches banked, although several are lurking on a pile waiting to be read. I need to generate more pitches, using the lessons I've learned so far. One more script and I'll have two hours of TV drama credits. Thereafter the BBC will consider me "experienced".
What's that mean? A 25% bump up in my rates, though that's neither here nor there for me. I'm writing for the experience, the chance to learn and improve. Every new draft, every new script is another step forwards. The more credits I earn, the more credible I become as a TV screenwriter. It's all part of a journey. Onwards!
[In case anyone's wondering, no, you haven't missed my second effort for Doctors. Wasted Trip is due for broadcast on Thursday November 18th. I've yet to see the finished ep, but a disc of it should be arriving in the next day or two.]
Suspect I learned more writing my third live script for the show than I did on the first two. For those scripts I pretty much nailed the serial elements and my story of the day [SOTD] in the first draft. There was plenty of finessing, but the essence of both eps was present and correct from the first draft of the script.
Get Smart was more of a work in progress. The first draft nailed one serial strand but not the other, and my SOTD wasn't firing on all cylinders. My second draft fixed most of the serial issues and improved the SOTD a bit - but still wasn't nailing it. Either it needed radical intervention or a big improvement to work.
Feedback from the production team and conversations with my script editor identified the underlying problems in the SOTD, and solutions were agreed. Happily, the third draft was the great leap forward needed. A fourth draft followed, ironing out some key moments, polishing dialogue and nailing key character moments.
In the end a fifth draft was needed to cut a sequence from the start [to avoid repetition of similar sequences from eps around it], tweaking a phone call in the middle, and to make one of the guest character's turning points more overt. A couple of tiny tweaks, and the script was finally locked off and done.
So, what lessons have I learned? Plenty. Backstory is a useful tool for giving guest characters motivation, but forcing it into the script can lead to on-the-nose dialogue. The story should be about what's happening to them now, and to the other characters on screen. Tell your story in the present, as it happens.
Don't forget to give your characters attitude. Every character should have a POV that's unique to them. Dialogue between characters should reflect their attitudes to each other, as well as their own personality. Every character needs their own voice. Dialogue is crucial in continuing drama, so make it count.
Remember what inspired you to write a story in the first place. When you're balancig three story strands, shifting timings for events and the added complication of day/night scheduling, it's easy to get fixated by structural challenges. Tell the character story first, the rest can be sorted as you go along.
Now, a lot of those lessons I already knew and some I'm still discovering for the first time. There was one other lesson I definitely knew, but got walloped over the head with once more - don't juggle too many jobs at once. Teaching half the week, writing a computer game and for Doctors was maximum capacity.
Throw in rehearsals for a one act play and an opera workshop, plus various other challenges and it all got a bit much. My first draft definitely suffered from being written too fast. My eager to please tendency can be a good quality, but I need to take more time over a script, especially that crucial first draft.
So, what's next at Doctors? I don't have any more SOTD pitches banked, although several are lurking on a pile waiting to be read. I need to generate more pitches, using the lessons I've learned so far. One more script and I'll have two hours of TV drama credits. Thereafter the BBC will consider me "experienced".
What's that mean? A 25% bump up in my rates, though that's neither here nor there for me. I'm writing for the experience, the chance to learn and improve. Every new draft, every new script is another step forwards. The more credits I earn, the more credible I become as a TV screenwriter. It's all part of a journey. Onwards!
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Rewrite notes #1: what is a script editor?
At the start of October I went to Rewrite, a day-long seminar in Edinburgh for screenwriters about working with script editors and producers. Now my third ep of Doctors is pretty much done, I've got a chance to type up my notes. Here's the first set, from a session led by Philip Shelley on his work as a script editor.
Philip Shelley [PS hereafter] was script editor on two series of Waking the Dead [WTD] and the last two Inspector Morse stories, amongst many other credits. He said most script editors started as script readers. That leads either to writing or script editing, depending on the individual.
PS: A script editor [SE] works on a story through the drafts, from initial idea to finished episode. Seeing how things change during the process, that’s invaluable. SE is seen as the friend of the writer. It’s a small world – getting a SE to read and champion your work is a huge advantage. Producers look to SE for their knowledge of writers, that’s why reading helps so much – even if it does your head in a bit.
Most of the scripts you read aren’t that fantastic. But every few weeks you get a great script, and you’re taking note of the name for future reference. Coming up with ideas is another vital part of the SE job, they are constantly on the lookout for ideas, analysing why stories are successful (or not).
Story is everything. If you haven’t got a fantastic story it’s a problem. Great writing alone isn’t enough. So looking for stories is a big part of any SE job. Some ideas are just a scene, others have enough for three acts – SE needs to know the difference on sight.
Once an SE has a great story, it’s often their job to pitch it. Carlton had weekly development meeting where SEs pitched ideas to the head of drama. There isn’t a perfect format. WTD have a very good format but it did have problems. Silent Witness is a very flawed format, predicated on the pathologists taking over the job of the police. It’s a huge flaw but audiences go with it.
Returning drama series – the repeatable format is gold dust. A show where guest characters can ply off the regulars. Everyone’s looking for that drama series that goes six eps, then 12 and on and on. Writers who come up with such formats make a fortune. They get 10% of the writer’s fee for every episode.
SE has to communicate the vision of the series to the writer. If there’s a serial story, it’s crucial that gets passed on to the writer, especially any changes. The SE has to sell a writer’s ideas to the producer so they progress from treatment to script. Once money gets involved, things get a lot more complicated.
The better the original idea, the easier they are to progress – most aren’t. Flawed ideas are often doomed. The SE can’t expend lots of energy trying to fix a flawed idea, they have to be ruthless. It’s a very subjective business.
Writers shouldn’t second guess the market place, that’s really dangerous. A good SE will rail against cynicism. They’re desperate for originality – that’s what everyone’s looking for. Commissioners don’t know what they’re looking for, not until they read it. It’s very easy to rationalise yourself to death, to self-censor, to water your ideas down.
The BBC often expects writers to do a lot of work on spec, such as all the research and prep required to pitch an idea. If a pitch is liked, the writer gets asked to do a 3-4 page pitch doc, then on to a 9-page doc. It’s a huge amount of work, all too often unpaid.
A good SE can tell if you’re using bottom drawer material, recycling old ideas that have already been rejected elsewhere. They rail against that kind of cynicism, even if it’s understandable in a world where you’re expected to do some much work on spec.
Some writers need to discover a great story as they go along. That’s problematic. Broadcasters want it good and on paper at the start of the process.
When it comes to writing, rules exist to be broken – obviously. In every scene you need to think about who’s POV we are telling the story from. So much of screen drama is about what you reveal and what you hold back as a writer. Screenwriting has to reveal character through dramatic action.
It’s tempting for writers to reveal as much as possible as soon as possible. But some of the best writing is where the audience is trying to catch up with the characters. The default position: we are working with the character to discover the story. What you withhold and what you reveal are key decisions. I advise writers to withhold more, it helps to optimise exposition.
A SE has to be really protective of what works in a script, and the writer has to be prepared to fight their corner. But if it isn’t on the page, you can’t depend on actors to save the story. Good actors can make a bad script better – but most often poor writing will make good actors look bad.
It’s very important to get the balance right as a writer. Yes, you can have asides there for the benefit of whoever’s reading the script – but that’s cheating. You shouldn’t write stuff that can’t be shown on screen.
The SE has to challenge the writer to ensure everything on the page can be shown on the screen. Novel writing in a script doesn’t work, as a rule. If you can’t film it, it’s not going to be on the screen. Having said that, the writer has to be helpful to the reader. Share your vision of the characters with the reader.
It’s hard enough bringing a character to life through dialogue. Give your SE some help with a physical description of the character please.
Character status is really worth thinking about when you are working with characters in a scene. Situation is drama is vital. The film The Hangover has a great situation, three guys on a stag weekend have lost the groom. Situation is the basis of all good storytelling, it’s about how you tell the story from scene to scene.
How you use a cut is crucial, you can energise scenes by where you choose to cut.
My default setting is it’s better for characters to drive plot, rather than plot driving the characters. Create characters that can generate the story for you.
Look closely at how many levels your scene is working on, shouldn’t just be one level. It’s the same with dialogue – characters should be saying one thing but thinking another. Subtext is crucial for dialogue, adds depth and subtlety to your writing.
The writer have to know what genre they’re writing in. Once you are confident in a genre, then you can subvert the rules. Unless there’s a good reason for it, open with the script with your protagonist.
Clarity of presentation is key. Use Final Draft screenwriting software – Celtx is useful for beginners, but has its limitations. Scene numbers are really helpful. Some people will tell you only to add them for a production draft, but they make conversations about your script that much easier, more efficient.
Clarity of writing is crucial. You can over the top of obfuscation, so many strong ideas don’t make it on the page. If a script is confusing in the first five pages, you are making things very hard for everyone else. The SE wants the writer to paint a picture.
How you introduce characters is key – don’t cheat with novelistic writing. Make your characters distinctive as possible. Don’t forget a script is meant to be interesting.
Too many writers respond well to specific notes but the big, general notes are the most important. You have to understand the headline notes. If you don’t agree with a note you have to have that dialogue with your SE. The relationship is all about communication.
Increasingly, people are looking for writers who can think on their feet, come up with solutions in the room. Not everybody has that ability, but it’s a rising skill for writers.
Philip Shelley [PS hereafter] was script editor on two series of Waking the Dead [WTD] and the last two Inspector Morse stories, amongst many other credits. He said most script editors started as script readers. That leads either to writing or script editing, depending on the individual.
PS: A script editor [SE] works on a story through the drafts, from initial idea to finished episode. Seeing how things change during the process, that’s invaluable. SE is seen as the friend of the writer. It’s a small world – getting a SE to read and champion your work is a huge advantage. Producers look to SE for their knowledge of writers, that’s why reading helps so much – even if it does your head in a bit.
Most of the scripts you read aren’t that fantastic. But every few weeks you get a great script, and you’re taking note of the name for future reference. Coming up with ideas is another vital part of the SE job, they are constantly on the lookout for ideas, analysing why stories are successful (or not).
Story is everything. If you haven’t got a fantastic story it’s a problem. Great writing alone isn’t enough. So looking for stories is a big part of any SE job. Some ideas are just a scene, others have enough for three acts – SE needs to know the difference on sight.
Once an SE has a great story, it’s often their job to pitch it. Carlton had weekly development meeting where SEs pitched ideas to the head of drama. There isn’t a perfect format. WTD have a very good format but it did have problems. Silent Witness is a very flawed format, predicated on the pathologists taking over the job of the police. It’s a huge flaw but audiences go with it.
Returning drama series – the repeatable format is gold dust. A show where guest characters can ply off the regulars. Everyone’s looking for that drama series that goes six eps, then 12 and on and on. Writers who come up with such formats make a fortune. They get 10% of the writer’s fee for every episode.
SE has to communicate the vision of the series to the writer. If there’s a serial story, it’s crucial that gets passed on to the writer, especially any changes. The SE has to sell a writer’s ideas to the producer so they progress from treatment to script. Once money gets involved, things get a lot more complicated.
The better the original idea, the easier they are to progress – most aren’t. Flawed ideas are often doomed. The SE can’t expend lots of energy trying to fix a flawed idea, they have to be ruthless. It’s a very subjective business.
Writers shouldn’t second guess the market place, that’s really dangerous. A good SE will rail against cynicism. They’re desperate for originality – that’s what everyone’s looking for. Commissioners don’t know what they’re looking for, not until they read it. It’s very easy to rationalise yourself to death, to self-censor, to water your ideas down.
The BBC often expects writers to do a lot of work on spec, such as all the research and prep required to pitch an idea. If a pitch is liked, the writer gets asked to do a 3-4 page pitch doc, then on to a 9-page doc. It’s a huge amount of work, all too often unpaid.
A good SE can tell if you’re using bottom drawer material, recycling old ideas that have already been rejected elsewhere. They rail against that kind of cynicism, even if it’s understandable in a world where you’re expected to do some much work on spec.
Some writers need to discover a great story as they go along. That’s problematic. Broadcasters want it good and on paper at the start of the process.
When it comes to writing, rules exist to be broken – obviously. In every scene you need to think about who’s POV we are telling the story from. So much of screen drama is about what you reveal and what you hold back as a writer. Screenwriting has to reveal character through dramatic action.
It’s tempting for writers to reveal as much as possible as soon as possible. But some of the best writing is where the audience is trying to catch up with the characters. The default position: we are working with the character to discover the story. What you withhold and what you reveal are key decisions. I advise writers to withhold more, it helps to optimise exposition.
A SE has to be really protective of what works in a script, and the writer has to be prepared to fight their corner. But if it isn’t on the page, you can’t depend on actors to save the story. Good actors can make a bad script better – but most often poor writing will make good actors look bad.
It’s very important to get the balance right as a writer. Yes, you can have asides there for the benefit of whoever’s reading the script – but that’s cheating. You shouldn’t write stuff that can’t be shown on screen.
The SE has to challenge the writer to ensure everything on the page can be shown on the screen. Novel writing in a script doesn’t work, as a rule. If you can’t film it, it’s not going to be on the screen. Having said that, the writer has to be helpful to the reader. Share your vision of the characters with the reader.
It’s hard enough bringing a character to life through dialogue. Give your SE some help with a physical description of the character please.
Character status is really worth thinking about when you are working with characters in a scene. Situation is drama is vital. The film The Hangover has a great situation, three guys on a stag weekend have lost the groom. Situation is the basis of all good storytelling, it’s about how you tell the story from scene to scene.
How you use a cut is crucial, you can energise scenes by where you choose to cut.
My default setting is it’s better for characters to drive plot, rather than plot driving the characters. Create characters that can generate the story for you.
Look closely at how many levels your scene is working on, shouldn’t just be one level. It’s the same with dialogue – characters should be saying one thing but thinking another. Subtext is crucial for dialogue, adds depth and subtlety to your writing.
The writer have to know what genre they’re writing in. Once you are confident in a genre, then you can subvert the rules. Unless there’s a good reason for it, open with the script with your protagonist.
Clarity of presentation is key. Use Final Draft screenwriting software – Celtx is useful for beginners, but has its limitations. Scene numbers are really helpful. Some people will tell you only to add them for a production draft, but they make conversations about your script that much easier, more efficient.
Clarity of writing is crucial. You can over the top of obfuscation, so many strong ideas don’t make it on the page. If a script is confusing in the first five pages, you are making things very hard for everyone else. The SE wants the writer to paint a picture.
How you introduce characters is key – don’t cheat with novelistic writing. Make your characters distinctive as possible. Don’t forget a script is meant to be interesting.
Too many writers respond well to specific notes but the big, general notes are the most important. You have to understand the headline notes. If you don’t agree with a note you have to have that dialogue with your SE. The relationship is all about communication.
Increasingly, people are looking for writers who can think on their feet, come up with solutions in the room. Not everybody has that ability, but it’s a rising skill for writers.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Shameless pimpage: Fiends of the Eastern Front out now
2000AD publishers Rebellion have just released a new Fiends of the Eastern Front graphic novel, collecting all the WWII vampire strips in one volume. There's the original series, a groundbreaking mashup of blazing battle action and creepy, nocturnal horror first published in 1980, created by graphic narrative masters by Gerry Finley-Day and Carlos Ezquerra.Next is Stalingrad, a Fiends serial by amazing artist Colin MacNeil and, well, me. This story was first published as six page chunks once every four weeks in the Judge Dredd Megazine during 2006. I think the whole thing works better as a complete tale, so it's a pleasure to see it gathered together for the first time. Aces. Rounding out the volume is the only colour Fiends story, by Dan Abnett and Ezquerra.
Got to say, it's a thrill to see my name on the cover of a graphic novel, let alone in such esteemed company. I'd love to have another crack at Fiends one day, having written the strip in this volume plus four novels based on concept [all available on the Kindle]. In the meantime, I'll be happy with my first proper graphic novel publication. Onwards!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Trailer for FATE OF THE WORLD strategy game
The folks at Red Redemption Games have posted the trailer seen above for the strategy game I'm working on with them, FATE OF THE WORLD. You can pre-order the Beta version for PCs from this Friday, with the Apple version coming soon. Fate of the World is a dramatic global strategy game that puts all our futures in your hands.
The game features a dramatic set of scenarios covering the next 200 years, based on the latest science. Your job: balance the Earth's resources and climate against the needs of an ever-growing population. Your choice: help the whole planet or be an agent of destruction!
Fate of the World is by the award-winning Red Redemption games team and Battlestations: Midway Producer Klaude Thomas, with climate science by Dr Myles Allen (University of Oxford), writing by me and music composed by Richard Jacques (Mass Effect, Alice in Wonderland)
Recovering from a madcap few weeks of stuff
It's been end to end stuff lately, hence the lack of updates or blog postings lately on Vicious Imagery. But that will hopefully change over the coming weeks as I emerge blinking from a madcap few weeks. For a start, the Biggar Little Festival has finished for another year, freeing up a lot of time in the evenings.
This year's BLF was my busiest ever. I sang and acted opera scenes and selections from musicals in the Mostly Musicals show last Friday. I acted in a short play for the annual Biggar Shorts one-act play event last Monday. Both Saturdays of the festival I ran workshops - screenwriting first, then novel writing.
Just for fun, I took part in a two-hour tango dancing class on Saturday just gone. Now I can promenade, reverse step and court step very, very badly indeed. But all of that is behind me now, freeing up Monday nights, Wednesday nights and sundry other chunks of time and space consumed by rehearsals, prep and delivery.
What am I writing? My third episode of Doctors is now at fourth draft stage, awaiting lock-off notes or maybe a fifth draft, for broadcast on a Friday next March. Friday eps often have a big cliffhanger ending or significant serial storyline development, so there's a big more pressure to get this one right than before.
[In case you're wondering - no, you haven't missed seeing my second ep. It's due to tx on Thursday, November 18th. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be back to remind you about that before broadcast day. Haven't seen the finished ep myself yet, but I went along to filming back in August and it looked very promising.]
I'm also writing for a strategy computer game called Fate of the World, an ongoing project that will be keeping me busy for a while yet. I'm negotiating with a publisher about a new non-fiction book, waiting to hear on a couple of children's TV projects [one longshot, one more likely] and sundry other prospects.
All in all, things are rather busy. So I'd best not procrastinate any longer today. Onwards!
This year's BLF was my busiest ever. I sang and acted opera scenes and selections from musicals in the Mostly Musicals show last Friday. I acted in a short play for the annual Biggar Shorts one-act play event last Monday. Both Saturdays of the festival I ran workshops - screenwriting first, then novel writing.
Just for fun, I took part in a two-hour tango dancing class on Saturday just gone. Now I can promenade, reverse step and court step very, very badly indeed. But all of that is behind me now, freeing up Monday nights, Wednesday nights and sundry other chunks of time and space consumed by rehearsals, prep and delivery.
What am I writing? My third episode of Doctors is now at fourth draft stage, awaiting lock-off notes or maybe a fifth draft, for broadcast on a Friday next March. Friday eps often have a big cliffhanger ending or significant serial storyline development, so there's a big more pressure to get this one right than before.
[In case you're wondering - no, you haven't missed seeing my second ep. It's due to tx on Thursday, November 18th. Don't worry, I'm sure I'll be back to remind you about that before broadcast day. Haven't seen the finished ep myself yet, but I went along to filming back in August and it looked very promising.]
I'm also writing for a strategy computer game called Fate of the World, an ongoing project that will be keeping me busy for a while yet. I'm negotiating with a publisher about a new non-fiction book, waiting to hear on a couple of children's TV projects [one longshot, one more likely] and sundry other prospects.
All in all, things are rather busy. So I'd best not procrastinate any longer today. Onwards!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Car Crash TV: Bristol Palin jives - in a monkey costume
Some Brits grumble about Strictly Come Dancing, but it's one of my guilty pleasures. For those who think it's inane and frivolous, have a look at this clip from the US equivalent Dancing With the Stars as Sarah Palin's daughter jives in a monkey suit - it buggers belief.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Congrats to Page short film script winner Amy Rich
The Page International Screenwriting Awards has announced the 2010 winners and, for the third time in four years, the best short film script prize went to a graduate from the MA screenwriting programme at Edinburgh Napier University. Amy Rich won for her screenplay How To Tell If Someone Likes You, developed on the course.
Last year's winner was another graduate, Michael Cumes, for his short film screenplay The Romance Class. Go back to 2007 and another Edinburgh Napier graduate won the gold prize in the short film category - somebody called David Bishop with Danny's Toys. Hmm, whatever happened to him? Anyway, congratulations to Amy. Now - onwards!
Last year's winner was another graduate, Michael Cumes, for his short film screenplay The Romance Class. Go back to 2007 and another Edinburgh Napier graduate won the gold prize in the short film category - somebody called David Bishop with Danny's Toys. Hmm, whatever happened to him? Anyway, congratulations to Amy. Now - onwards!
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Family Guy vs Masterchef: spot the difference
I heart Masterchef, particularly Masterchef: The Professionals with stern-faced Monica Galetti. A favourite round is where contestants cook for culinary critics. Kate Spicer must suck lemons between courses to keep her disapproval so sharp, while Jay Rayner smirks and sneers simultaneously.
But a critics round feels devoid without the presence of Charles Campion - or, as we like to call him in our house, Family Guy. Campion bears a startling resemblance to bumbling, clueless cartoon patriarch Peter. Should there ever be a live action Family Guy, I hereby propose Campion for the role. It's a perfect fit. Perhaps Charles could take Family Guy on tour, like the Doctor Who Live show. But who would you cast as the other characters?
Friday, October 15, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Iain M Banks relaunches Gourock Library, Oct. 26th
A while back I travelled to Greenock to help launch a new collection of graphic novels at the public library. Well, those scamps at Inverclyde Libraries have gone several [million] steps better by securing bestselling author Iain M Banks for the re-launch of Gourock Public Library at 7pm on Tuesday, October 26th.Banks will be reading from his new Culture novel Surface Detail and hosting a Q&A session about his work. [I'm reading Surface Detail in my Copious Spare Time™ at the moment, certainly got me intrigued.] As fate would have it, Banks opened the Gourock Library back in 1988, having attended the local high school.
Now he's back and this time it's personal. No, actually, this time it's to celebrate a major refurbishment of the facilities after 22 years' service. The event is free and the library even offers refreshments for the all-inclusive price of nothing. Find the library at Kempock Place, Gourock, PA19 1QU. More details here.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Five years of Vicious Imagery
In October 2005 I started this blog as an online journal for my experiences as a postgraduate screenwriting student. I was trying to make the leap from scribbling tie-in novels, comics and audio dramas to writing TV drama. I'd had a couple of near misses with TV, but lacked the craft skills to take advantage of those opportunities.
Back then I knew I could tell a story and get paid for it. I'd had nearly 20 novels published, maybe a thousand pages of comic script, about a dozen hours of audio drama and been working with stories as scribe or editor for years. But could I transform myself from successful tie-in hack into a writer of scripts for TV dramas?
Five years on, the answer is yes. I write for the BBC1 series Doctors, with my first ep broadcast in February this year. My second is on next month [Thursday November 18th, to be precise], and I'm in the midst of writing my third for transmission in March 2011. I'm also taking baby steps into the world of writing for children's TV.
I have an agent, the lovely Katie Williams at Blake Friedmann [details at the top right corner of this blog]. My second radio drama was on BBC7 in August this year, four years after my first broadcast writing credit [for a Radio 4 play]. I'm writing for my second computer game this year, after a long spell away from that field.
Back in 2005 I was venturing into the world of university study for the first time as a post-grad screenwriting student. Now - in my Copious Spare Time™ - I lecture part-time on the innovative Creative Writing MA at Edinburgh Napier University. I get to talk about writing 2.5 days a week and that's never a chore for me.
It's surprising to me how far I'm come in the past five years. If you'd have told me what lay ahead, I would have grabbed it with both hands. There are some experiences that feel like wasted efforts or missed opportunities, but I've always believed you learn as much from your mistakes as your triumphs, so it's all good.
I won't try to guess where the next five years will take me. I'm still at the start of my journey as a TV drama writer, who know where that might lead. There are shows I'd love to write, creative itches I'm dying to scratch. Most of all, I need to find time - to make time - for my own characters, my own stories. Onwards!
Back then I knew I could tell a story and get paid for it. I'd had nearly 20 novels published, maybe a thousand pages of comic script, about a dozen hours of audio drama and been working with stories as scribe or editor for years. But could I transform myself from successful tie-in hack into a writer of scripts for TV dramas?
Five years on, the answer is yes. I write for the BBC1 series Doctors, with my first ep broadcast in February this year. My second is on next month [Thursday November 18th, to be precise], and I'm in the midst of writing my third for transmission in March 2011. I'm also taking baby steps into the world of writing for children's TV.
I have an agent, the lovely Katie Williams at Blake Friedmann [details at the top right corner of this blog]. My second radio drama was on BBC7 in August this year, four years after my first broadcast writing credit [for a Radio 4 play]. I'm writing for my second computer game this year, after a long spell away from that field.
Back in 2005 I was venturing into the world of university study for the first time as a post-grad screenwriting student. Now - in my Copious Spare Time™ - I lecture part-time on the innovative Creative Writing MA at Edinburgh Napier University. I get to talk about writing 2.5 days a week and that's never a chore for me.
It's surprising to me how far I'm come in the past five years. If you'd have told me what lay ahead, I would have grabbed it with both hands. There are some experiences that feel like wasted efforts or missed opportunities, but I've always believed you learn as much from your mistakes as your triumphs, so it's all good.
I won't try to guess where the next five years will take me. I'm still at the start of my journey as a TV drama writer, who know where that might lead. There are shows I'd love to write, creative itches I'm dying to scratch. Most of all, I need to find time - to make time - for my own characters, my own stories. Onwards!
Monday, October 11, 2010
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Five years of Vicious Imagery
Today is the fifth birthday of this blog. Back when I started Vicious Imagery, I was a new screenwriting student at Edinburgh Napier University who dreamed of writing TV drama one day. Five years, I'm on a writing deadline for my third episode of the BBC1 TV drama Doctors, so I don't have time for a longer entry - sorry.
Hopefully I'll get a chance to reflect properly here later this week. I've also got all my notes from the Rewrite seminar with Adrian Mead, Philip Shelley et al waiting to be typed up and posted, mustn't forget those. But deadlines come first so those blog entries will have to wait for another day. In the meantime: onwards!
Hopefully I'll get a chance to reflect properly here later this week. I've also got all my notes from the Rewrite seminar with Adrian Mead, Philip Shelley et al waiting to be typed up and posted, mustn't forget those. But deadlines come first so those blog entries will have to wait for another day. In the meantime: onwards!
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
First promo for Friday Night Lights' final season
Breaks my heart that one of the best dramas on TV is coming to an end. Friday Night Lights will launch its fifth and final season later this month on DirecTV in America, with NBC giving the 13 episodes their network premiere next year. Oh, well. Clear eyes, full hearts - can't lose.
Genius: Under Pressure with two Kermits
Friday, October 01, 2010
Flying banners at Mintfest in Kendal
Had a long weekend away at the start of September, which happened to coincide with Mintfest 2010 in Kendal. Went to the town in search of its famous mint cake [couldn't find any] and to hear ska band Guns of Navarone [got driven away by an atrocious comedy reggae band, went to see Scott Pilgrim at the pictures instead - verdict: meh]. But did see these banners, fluttering in the wind, and had an excellent pizza.
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