Thursday, September 30, 2010

Ben Stephenson on BBC Drama

In a speech given at the BBC Drama Autumn/Winter 2010/11 launch, the BBC's Controller of Drama, Ben Stephenson explained why he thinks BBC drama matters.
We are the only place where the drama strategy isn't dictated by putting demographics, ROI, the advertisers first. That does not mean commercial channels don't make great drama – look at recent Channel 4 and ITV successes – but the BBC is the home of risky, authored drama for everyone no matter what your taste, age or class.
And he sets out his plans for future commissioning.
BBC Drama is going to remain defiantly British and commission the best quality drama for our audiences to watch. Crucially, we are going to give writers and directors their head and not censor them from writing their best ideas whatever their shape – be it popular drama or pieces for a more self-selecting audience.

Welsh stars defend S4C

By John Plunkett in Media Guardian:
Leading Welsh TV and music stars including actor Ioan Gruffudd, The One Show presenter Alex Jones and singer Katherine Jenkins have written to the government to protest at the looming cuts at troubled broadcaster S4C.

Actor Matthew Rhys and former Blue Peter presenter Gethin Jones were also among those who signed the letter to the culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, with the Welsh-language channel facing a big reduction in its budget.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Victoria Wood on the BBC

In The Guardian, Guild member Victoria Wood tells Decca Aitkenhead why she doesn't feel valued or trusted by the BBC.
Surrounded by tables of noisy Soho media types, Wood gazes into her lap, and when a waiter clears away her breakfast she shrinks even further into herself, jumpy with self-effacement. There she sits, the most celebrated person in the room by a million miles, looking extraordinarily vulnerable.

Half an hour later, the same woman is relating her indignation at BBC executives who try to tell her how to do her job. "And you think, well that's fine, but what's your qualification for telling me what's funny? Please don't tell me what's funny, cos I know what's funny. And you probably don't. That's why I'm on television and you're not."
She continues: .
"I just find the layers of people you have to deal with tiresome. And you think, 'Well, fine, you make it then, I won't make it at all. I'll go home and put the washing on, fine.' You used to be trusted and now I feel like I'm not trusted, and I don't like it. Not valued, not needed on voyage – that's what it makes you feel like. I'm not trying to pull a big huff. It's not a celebrity huff. It's a working person's huff, and I think it's a justified huff, and it's on behalf of all of us who feel miffed and sidelined and overly interfered with."

Friday, September 24, 2010

Work by Guild members in the next seven days

JOHN ANTROBUS co-wrote Not Tonight, Caligula which is on at the Leicester Square Theatre.

SARAH BAGSHAW wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Thursday 30th September.

SONIA CASTANG'S short film Ashes will be showing at the 3rd Branchage International Film Festival in Jersey on 26th September. The cast features Meryl Fernandes (EastEnders), Pushpinder Chani, Shobna Gulati (Coronation Street, Dinner Ladies) and Harvey Virdi (Brick Lane, Britz)

DAVID COOK'S radio play Walter Now, starring Sir Ian McKellen, is going out on Radio 4 at 2:30pm on Saturday 25th September.

DAVID CROFT and JIMMY PERRY wrote the episode of Dad's Army "Big Guns" going out on BBC2 at 6:30pm on Saturday 25th September.

SASHA HAILS wrote the episode of Casualty "Only the Lonely" going out on BBC1 at 8:35pm on Saturday 25th September.

CAROLINE HARRINGTON wrote the episodes of The Archers going out on Radio 4 at 7:00pm from Sunday 26th September to Friday 1st October.

JONATHAN HARVEY wrote the episodes of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 7:30pm and 8:30pm on Monday 27th September.

MARK ILLIS wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Tuesday 28th September.

JULIE JONES wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 8:30pm on Thursday 30th September.

JOHN KERR wrote the episodes of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 7:30pm and 8:30pm on Friday 1st October.

NEIL JONES wrote the episodes of Hollyoaks going out on C4 at 6:30pm on Thursday 30th September and at 6:30pm on Friday 1st October.

PENNY LEICESTER'S adaptation of Penelope Fitzgerald's novel The Beginning of Spring goes out on Radio 4 in five episodes at 10:45am from Monday 27th September to Friday 1st October.

JUSTIN MACGREGOR'S play The Play That Killed Me is on at The Lowry, Manchester on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd October at 8:00pm. To book tickets (£5, £7.50 and £10) please go to www.thelowry.com/studio or call the box office on 08432086010.

CAROLINE MITCHELL wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Wednesday 29th September.

DAVID NOBBS co-wrote the episode of Reggie Perrin going out on BBC1 at 10:55pm on Wednesday 29th September. His museum-based sitcom The Maltby Collection continues on Radio 4 at 6:30pm on Wednesday 29th September.

LESLEY CLARE O'NEIL wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 8:00pm on Thursday 30th September.

HOWARD OVERMAN wrote the episode of Merlin "Goblin's Gold" going out on BBC1 at 7:00pm on Saturday 25th September.

DANNY STACK'S short film Origin has its world premiere at Brancharge International Film Festival on Sunday 26th September. Danny also recently launched the UK Scriptwriters podcast with Tim Clague where they talk about the latest on the UK scriptwriting scene.

CHRIS THOMPSON wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00opm on Friday 1st October.

JACK THORNE co-wrote This Is England '86, which concludes on C4 at 10:00pm on Tuesday 28th September.

NIGEL WILLIAMS'S radio comedy series HR concludes with the episode Consulting going out on Radio 4 at 11:30am on Monday 27th September.

Credits for writers - discussion on Newsnight

On the BBC's Newsnight programme earlier this week, Jeremy Paxman was joined by screenwriter Jeremy Brock and director Stephen Frears to debate if film writers should get more credit.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Shine Pictures - The Big Idea

A scriptwriting competition from Shine Pictures:
Shine Pictures are proud to announce a National competition for feature film concepts, with a prize of a £25,000 feature film development deal.

We are looking for ingenious concepts, compelling writing and intriguing characters that will elevate genre films making them both distinctive and commercial. The stories can be set anywhere, with characters of any nationality, just as long as the audience is a global one. Feel free to be ambitious in scale and scope. You can imagine big stars in lead roles. It can be 3D! You can have big budget visual effects. Go for active, attractive, bold, vibrant, energetic concepts. We are looking to stimulate ambitious ideas that will capture the global imagination in the following genres:

1. Romantic Comedies (e.g.: The Proposal, What Women Want, Notting Hill)
2. Action Adventures (National Treasure, Top Gun, Blood Diamond, Cliffhanger)
3. Sci-Fi or Fantasy (Inception, Harry Potter, 28 Days Later, Back to the Future)
4. Family Comedies (Nanny McPhee, Cheaper by the Dozen, Johnny English)

Who can apply?

This is not an entry level competition, so you need to have either a produced or optioned screenplay, an agent, a festival acclaimed short, an hour of broadcast TV drama, a play that has been performed, writing that has been published or an equivalent industry achievement.
Full details are on the Shine Pictures website. The closing date for entries is 29th October 2010.

Monday, September 20, 2010

The £5,000 “Inspired by Science” Treatment Award

The London Screenwriters Festival and the Wellcome Trust have launched the “Inspired by Science” Treatment Award - a £5,000 prize to be given to a writer to enable them to develop their idea further.
The aim of the award is to encourage the development of drama that engages its audience in the area of science and society by supporting new proposals for film, television or other broadcast media that are inspired by the field of biomedicine.

Writers are encouraged to submit proposals for original drama projects suitable for a potential UK production and broadcast.

The “Inspired by Science” Award is open to all writers who are resident in the UK. 10 shortlisted entrants will receive complimentary invitations to attend the London Screenwriters Festival in October. If any delegate has paid for their ticket this will be refunded. The Award winner will be announced at a special session during the Festival itself.

The winner will receive:
  • £5,000 to develop their project.
  • An informal association with the Wellcome Trust to include individual editorial and/or practical assistance over a period of 6 months tailored to the individual winner.
  • Additional assistance to research their biomedical area of interest through scientific experts and research including access to the Wellcome library.
All entries should be received no later than 12 noon Friday 15th October 2010.
Any entries received after this date will be ineligible.
Finalist will be annouced on Friday 22nd October 2010
Full details are on the London Screenwriters' Festival website.

You don't have to buy a ticket for the Festival to enter, but if you do want to go, remember that Writers' Guild members can get a discount of £75.

Friday, September 17, 2010

What Guild members are getting up to

CAREY ANDREWS wrote the episode of EastEnders going out on BBC1 at 7:30pm on Tuesday 21st September.

SEBASTIAN BACZKIEWICZ'S radio play series Pilgrim concludes with the episode "Hope Springs" going out on Radio 4 at 2:15pm on Tuesday 21st September.

RICHARD BURKE wrote the episodes of Hollyoaks going out on C4 at 6:30pm on Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd September.

JANYS CHAMBERS'S dramatisation of My Family and Other Animals concludes on Radio 4 at 9:00pm on Saturday 18th September.

STEVE CHAMBERS has written the 5 part Woman's Hour Drama Hysteria going out on Radio 4 at 10:45am on Monday 20th September and for the rest of the week. Denise's marriage unravels as hysteria rises over prostitute murders in Middlesborough.

DAVID CROFT and JIMMY PERRY wrote the episode of Dad's Army "Room at the Bottom" going out on BBC2 at 5:15pm on Saturday 18th September.

SIMON CROWTHER wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 7:30pm on Friday 24th September.

KATIE DOUGLAS wrote the episode of Waterloo Road going out on BBC1 at 8:00pm on Wednesday 22nd September.

CHRIS FEWTRELL wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 8:30pm on Thursday 23rd September.

ROB GITTINS wrote the episode of EastEnders going out on BBC1 at 8:00pm on Friday 24th September.

PHILIP GOULDING'S stage adaptation of T.E.B. Clarke's Ealing Comedy The Titfield Thunderbolt is currently being toured by Bruce James Productions (7th September - 23rd October)

TOM GREEN'S radio play For Ever England goes out on Radio 4 at 2:15pm on Wednesday 22nd September.

LISA HOLDSWORTH wrote the episode of New Tricks "Left Field" going out on BBC1 at 9:00pm on Friday 24th September.

JULIAN JONES wrote the episode of Merlin "The Tears of Uther Pendragon" going out on BBC1 at 7:30pm on Saturday 18th September.

JULIE JONES wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 7:30pm on Monday 20th September.

PETER KERRY wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Wednesday 22nd September.

MARK ILLIS wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Tuesday 21st September.

JESSICA LEA wrote the episode of Hollyoaks going out on C4 at 6:30pm on Friday 24th September.

JANE MARLOW wrote the episode of EastEnders going out on BBC1 at 7:30pm on Thursday 23rd September.

JAN MCVERRY wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 8:30pm on Monday 20th September.

DAVID NOBBS'S sitcom The Maltby Collection goes out on Radio 4 at 6:30pm on Wednesday 22nd September. He also has a radio play on Radio 4 We Happened to Be Passing going out at 2:15pm on Friday 24th September.

DEBBIE O'MALLEY wrote the episode of Law & Order: UK "Defence" going out on ITV1 at 9:00pm on Thursday 23rd September.

JANE PEARSON wrote the episodes of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm and 8:00pm on Thursday 23rd September.

TIM STIMPSON wrote the episodes of The Archers going out on Radio 4 at 7:00pm from Sunday 19th to Friday 24th September. Each episode is repeated at 2:00pm the day following its original broadcast.

JACK THORNE co-wrote the episode of This is England '86 going out on C4 at 10:00pm on Tuesday 21st September.

ANDREW S. WALSH wrote the new English version of Professor Layton and the Eternal Diva. The first Professor Layton film is released on DVD and Blu-ray on 18th October.

KARIN YOUNG wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Friday 24th September.

Writing competitions - should the keyword be caution?

A guest post by Guild member Julian Williams

Funny old life this with its unwritten question conventions, like 'never ask a colleague his salary' or 'whatever you do, don’t ask a woman her age'. Deep down it would be fun or useful to know but hey, we’ll just keep guessing.

On the other hand, asking a writing competition organiser its financial credentials…well, who’d have thought of asking that in the first place?

Okay, not so pressing a question if the competition is free to enter but what if it’s not? What if it charges and promises a financial prize or meetings with publishers, agents or pro readers. Even more worrying, what if it offers to publish or film the winners’ work?

Are they able to deliver on their promises as we’ve delivered our manuscript or screenplay? And entry fee!

Hang on a minute, asking for financial credentials? Don’t be silly. It would jinx our entry, upset the organisers, give us a bad name in the industry. And anyway, their website looks okay and I want to win!

Let’s put a brake on our honourable yet sometimes blind writing ambitions for the moment.

As you may have guessed by now, I have a small example of a recent and potentially on-going situation where asking questions of writing competition organisers could very well have proven a good and proper thing to do. It also highlights the importance of a Writers’ Guild membership.

There’s a screen competition called BSSC – British Short Screen Competition to give its full title. The carrot for the £30 (final deadline) entry fee is that 'the winner will be made'. And true to their word, in past years the winning entry has been made although for some reason I’ve never been able to find out where I can see the winning film.

This year the BSSC announced its call for entries. Eagerly I did – enter that is. My choice, I know. And then the website disappeared. And there were no emails or newsletters telling me why. And all of a sudden my £30, my hopes, the hard work in getting a script together, the triumphant moment of posting – and the deliciously frustrating wait for a first round announcement seemed lost.

So I took a deeper look. I asked that great unwritten, forbidden, question: 'What are the organiser’s financial credentials?'

Turns out (at Companies House) the financial credentials of what appears to be the organiser’s company are listed as 'Status: Active - Proposal to Strike off'. Not really a funding proposition for the winning entrant is it?

Time to call in The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain plus enlist the help and contacts available through Twitter, on which there is a strong and vibrant screenwriting community.

The Writers’ Guild posted a request for further information. A very highly respected script editor created #kaosfilms and a number of responses from writers floated in.

And then all of sudden this happened:

The Kaos Films website was re-instated. An apology came through the Kaos Films Twitter account that read: 'we haven't closed shop the website has been shut down because our email addresses have been hi-jacked by spammers' and then, only a few days ago there was another Kaos Films announcement, this time that the 2010 BSSC first round qualifiers and the 2010 BFSC semi-finalists will be published in a few days time.

By the way, Kaos Films also run a feature film competition – that’s the BFSC bit – where, in line with their USP, they promise to make the winning entrant.

So all seems well again, yes? All back on track? Hang on a moment…back to Companies House and the statement about Kaos Films. 'Status: Active - Proposal to Strike off'. According to a Solicitor and an Accountant, 'proposal to strike off' isn’t an overnight thing – it’s a decision made over a long period of time.

I asked Kaos Films about this via Twitter, but I have had no reply.

We know our motives for entering writing competitions but isn’t it now time that we should start asking not only the motives but the financial credibility of people who organise competitions? Of those who charge an entry fee?

Should writing competitions be better regulated? Should there be a code of conduct – starting with actual dates that various round judgements will be announced (there are competitions that do – one comes to mind which is held by Euroscript). And shouldn’t there at least be a financial or credibility check prior to any organisation launching a competition?

If The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain hadn’t stepped in to help, I very much doubt that any BSSC or BFSC website/announcement information would have come to light because we writers just don’t ask the questions. I did and with the weight of the WGGB behind me we got an initial result. It’s why I am proud to be a member.

However, my fundamental question still remains with Kaos Films: 'Did you announce the BSSC 2010 before or after you knew you were in financial difficulties, as shown by Companies House records?'

To put that into context, the entry fee before final deadline was £20 – the cheapest one. They have claimed in the past they receive over 2000 international entries. That makes, at minimum, 20x2000 = £40,000. And the company has not registered accounts since, from what I can see and understand, 2008.

So let’s finish with the question we first started with: 'Writing competitions, should the keyword be caution?'

I’m afraid the answer is yes.

Writers, especially those yet unpublished who, like me, are more likely to enter writing competitions. Please join The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain – the candidate membership isn’t a second class writing ticket, it has real power as proven here. Not least, a membership will give you the confidence – and the WGGB will give you the support – to ask the questions we so often think are unaskable. But that must be asked!

Phew, that was all a bit heavy, so here are a couple of final words of advice about unwritten question conventions.

Yes, DO ask your colleague or writing friend what they’re getting – it always helps to know. And no, whatever you do, DON’T ask her age, whoever your “she” may be. There’s not a Guild on planet earth that’ll protect you from the reaction to that one!

Julian Williams is on Twitter @OnewordTF

Postscript: As I write, Kaos Films have promised to announce BSSC first round qualifiers and BFSC Semi-Finalists by “the end of the week”. That day is today, 17th September 2010. Whether they do or not the real proof of the pudding will be the making of the winning entries to both competitions. On that we can only wait and see.

Update: True to their word the qualifiers and semi-finalists are now listed on the Kaos Films website.

Project Canvas rebrands as YouView

From Mark Sweeney in The Guardian:
Project Canvas officially rebrands as YouView today as the seven partners in the venture, which aims to bring video-on-demand programming and services to Freeview and Freesat, officially incorporate as a separate 100-strong company.

The seven partners – the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, TalkTalk, BT, Arqiva and Channel 5 – have now formed YouView TV Ltd, pledging about £18m each to cover the first four years of operation from April 2010.

Film Council replacements considered

From BBC News:
Four parties have been asked by the government to consider taking on the responsibilities of the recently axed UK Film Council, the BBC understands.

The BBC was one body asked to consider taking a lead role in distributing lottery money to film projects.

Channel 4, the British Film Institute and the Film London agency are also believed to have been approached.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Gary Owen: Love Steals Us From Loneliness

On the National Theatre Wales website, Guild member Gary Owen visits rehearsals for his new play Love Steals Us from Loneliness.



Link via NTWtweets

Project Canvas will be ‘creative playpen’ for artists

By Matthew Hemley for The Stage:
BBC director general Mark Thompson has claimed Project Canvas - an initiative backed by the Corporation to bring the internet to television via set-top boxes - will be a “creative playpen” for arts producers and organisations.

He also said that content specifically commissioned for it should be available to view from its launch.

Project Canvas, of which the BBC is one of seven backers, will offer access to all Freeview channels, as well as websites such as BBC iPlayer and YouTube.

Speaking at this year’s Media Festival Arts event, Thompson said the initiative is being designed as a “public space”, which will enable arts organisations to bring their work to millions of people.

He said the BBC, as one of the main partners behind the project, was discussing the idea of a toolkit, to be accessed online, which will allow third parties to learn how to get their content on to the Canvas platform.

Birmingham Book Festival 2010

The Writers' Guild is proud to be involved in the Birmingham Book Festival 2010. The Writers' Guild President, David Edgar, is now a patron of the Festival.

Writers' Guild members are able to book tickets for all events at this year's Birmingham Book Festival at the discount rate. To take advantage of this offer either go to the website: www.birminghambookfestival.org click through to the events and follow the link to the online booking page or ring the box office on 0121 303 2323. In both cases, select the concessionary rate. You will then need to show your card or give your membership number at the event itself. We hope you will feel this is a valuable membership benefit. And remember, the more events you book, the more you will save!

There are a wide range of events at the festival, but Writers' Guild members might find of particular interest:
  • Tue Oct 5th Raphael Selbourne: What is a City’s Culture? (Launch Event)
  • Thu Oct 7th Jonathan Coe & David Nicholls in Conversation
  • Wed Oct 13th John O'Farrell: An Utterly Exasperated History of Modern Britain
  • Thu Oct 14th Jenny Eclair: Chin Up Britain
  • Tue Oct 19th Lionel Shriver: So Much For That
  • Wed Oct 20th 7-Inch Cinema: Footnotes

There are also a series of writer workshops on Sat 9th October including the Writers' Guild event Interactive Writing - A Games Tutorial run by Andy Walsh. Places for these are limited so early booking is advised.

All details at: www.birminghambookfestival.org

Monday, September 13, 2010

I Value The Arts

The National Campaign for the Arts, to which the Writers' Guild is affiliated, has launched the I Value The Arts campaign.
Using volunteer time and skills from our campaign partners (and not public subsidy) we have sought advice about the best way to reach as many people as possible who care about the arts throughout the UK. We know that there are a lot of you out there: it’s estimated that three-quarters of adults and even more children take part in the arts every year. Collectively you will be a powerful new voice for audiences and participants.

We want to be able to help you to provide support for the arts in your area. That support could be about volunteering or lobbying or even setting up your own programmes of arts activities. We’d also like to listen to you and your views to help us prioritise our future work.

We’ve set no time limit on the campaign. We hope it will develop and evolve over time. We will keep updating the website with new resources and keep in contact by email with, particularly when we have news of something in your area.

If you care about the arts, please do take the 30 seconds it takes to sign up. You’ll be in good company.

John Woodward to stand down as Chief Executive of the UK Film Council

From UK Film Council:
John Woodward today announced that he is standing down as Chief Executive Officer of the UK Film Council. He will leave the organisation in early November 2010 and will announce his future plans in due course.

Commenting on his decision, Woodward said: "For the next few weeks the UK Film Council is in a dialogue with the Government about the future support structures for UK film. By choosing to make my position clear now, I can be objective and unconflicted throughout that process. It should then, rightly, be for others to take the new system forward and write the next chapter for UK film.

Paul Laverty at the Toronto International Film Festival

Guild member Paul Laverty has written two films that are showing at the Toronto International Film Festival: Route Irish, which deals with a mercenary coming back from Iraq to Liverpool and Even The Rain, shot in Bolivia, in Spanish and Quechoa.

Both films are directed by Ken Loach.

Paul Laverty and Ken Loach will be on a Mavericks panel (an arm of the festival) moderated by Michael Moore on Thursday, September 16.

Friday, September 10, 2010

What Guild members are getting up to

JESSE ARMSTRONG and SAM BAIN have recently finished filming the seventh series of Peep Show which will commence on Channel 4 in November. In the meantime, here is a link to a behind-the-scenes look at Peep Show.

SEBASTIAN BACZKIEWICZ'S radio play series Pilgrim continues on Radio 4 with the episode The Lady in the Lake going out at 2:15pm on Tuesday 14th September.

SARAH BAGSHAW wrote the episodes of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm and 8:00pm on Thursday 16th September.

MOIRA BUFFINI, who wrote the screenplay for Tamara Drewe, will be joined by the director Stephen Frears for a special screening and Q and A at the Tricycle cinema in Kilburn, North London on Tuesday 15th September at 8:15 pm. Based on the graphic novel by Posy Simmons which was in turn inspired by Thomas Hardy's novel Far From the Madding Crowd.

JANICE CHAMBERS' two-part dramatisation of My Family and Other Animals goes out on Radio 4 at 9:00pm on Saturday 11th, Meet the Family - Plus a Few Animals, then at 3:00pm on Sunday 12th September.

ANNA CLEMENTS wrote the episodes of Hollyoaks going out on C4 at 6:30pm on Monday 13th and Tuesday 14th September.

LISA EVANS'S play The Day The Waters Came starts its UK national tour begins on 16th September till 28th November

JONATHAN HARVEY wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 7:30pm on Monday 13th September.

JOHN KERR wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 8:30pm on Friday 17th September.

DAVID LANE wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 7:30pm on Thursday 16th September.

PAUL LAVERTY will be interviewed by Michael Moore, the controversial American film-maker, at the Toronto International Film Festival next Thursday 16th September at 2.30pm, along with Ken Loach, in a public discussion in a "Mavericks" panel.

Paul has got two of his films showing next week at the Toronto International Film Festival: Route Irish, screenplay by Paul Laverty and directed by Ken Loach, which deals with a mercenary coming back from Iraq to Liverpool http://tiff.net/filmsandschedules/tiff/2010/routeirish and Even The Rain, shot in Bolivia, in Spanish and Quechoa, and dedicated to Howard Zinn.

BILL LYONS wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Monday 13th September.

ANDREA NEWMAN'S hit novel of the 1970s, A Bouquet of Barbed Wire, has been reprinted to tie in with the new three-part remake by Guy Andrews. The first episode can be watched again on www.itv.com. Part two will be on ITV1 on Monday 13th September at 9:00pm.

DAVID NOBBS co-wrote the episode of Reggie Perrin going out on BBC1 at 10:45pm on Wednesday 15th September. His radio sitcom The Maltby Collection continues its new series on Radio 4 at 6:30pm on Wednesday 15th September.

RHIANNA PRATCHETT is set to write the screenplay for her first feature film, a London-based drama about a group of female vigilantes, to be produced by Simple Productions. Her first feature, working title Vigiliai, will be based in London and follows the rise of a female-centric vigilante group after the rape of a young woman. Shooting is due to being in 2011. Comedy director Amanda Baker, who made the 2009 short film Colour Blind, will direct the film.

Paul Atherton, who will produce for UK outfit Simple Productions, said: "Amanda and I were looking for someone with an unusual and unique voice. This is a big idea and we consciously made the decision to acquire an established writer, albeit one with no film experience, who isn't afraid to break conventions. Rhianna is the perfect choice as she writes from a woman's perspective in a traditionally male arena of violence."

CALEB RANSON co-wrote the drama documentary First Flight, based on the memoirs of Geoffrey Wellum, going out on BBC2 at 9:00pm on Tuesday 14th September. Starring Sam Heughan.

TIM STIMPSON wrote the episodes of The Archers going out on Radio 4 from Sunday 12th till Friday 17th at 7:00pm. Each episode is repeated the day after its original broadcast at 2:00pm.

BILL TAYLOR wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Friday 17th September.

CHRIS THOMPSON wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Tuesday 14th September.

JACK THORNE co-wrote the episode of This Is England '86 going out on C4 at 10:00pm on Tuesday 14th September.

NIGEL WILLIAMS wrote the episode of HR going out on Radio 4 at 11:30am on Monday 13th September.

JOHN WILSHER wrote the episode of New Tricks "It Smells of Books" going out on BBC1 at 9:00pm on Friday 17th September.

COLIN WYATT wrote the episode of EastEnders going out on BBC1 at 7:30pm on Tuesday 14th September.

Espresso Book Machine interview

In Book Business, Noelle Skodzinski talks to Tom Allen of On Demand Books/the Espresso Book Machine, the book-at-a-time manufacturing device.

Perhaps counterintuitively, the growth of e-books is a net positive for us, as more digital content available to e-readers means more available to our EspressNet catalog of content. In addition, as publishers release books in both e-format and print-format, the overall impact of e-books (if it reduces print books) will be to drive more titles into POD or digital-print platforms, and by extension, our network, because run lengths will get shorter.

According to a recent article in The Economist ("Just Press Print," Feb. 25, 2010), which prominently featured our technology, 6 percent of books in the US are now printed on toner-based or inkjet machines (a rough proxy for print-on-demand) as opposed to on offset presses. Citing projections from [research and consultancy firm] InterQuest, The Economist article estimates that this ratio will increase to 15 percent over the next five years.

Thursday, September 09, 2010

The secret life of Emma Thompson

In the latest issue of the Written By Magazine, Mary McNamara talks to WGGB member Emma Thompson.

Joint communiqué from IAWG and FSE

The second issue of the joint newsletter of the International Affiliation of Writers Guilds (IAWG) and The Federation of Screenwriters in Europe (FSE) is now online (pdf).

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

BBC faces criticism for ‘ghettoised’ black and Asian output

By Matthew Hemley in The Stage:
BBC Radio has come under fire for its “token” commissioning of dramas by and featuring black and Asian artists, with both the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain and Equity criticising the lack of diversity in the Corporation’s output.

Both unions took the opportunity to highlight their concerns in individual responses to a review being carried out into BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4 and BBC 7 by the BBC Trust.

In praise of Mad Men

In The Guardian, Guild member David Hare examines the brilliance of Mad Men (created by Matthew Weiner)
In all this, it scarcely needs saying, it has been the writing which has been the star. This autumn Bafta is offering a series of lectures in London by screenwriters which also seems poignantly timed. They come at a moment when the English-language publication of François Truffaut's last interview finds him regretting the dismal consequences of trying to turn regular film directors into auteurs. The intention of the nouvelle vague, he said, had been "more personal films", but the results were films which were, in fact, "more than personal: they became narcissistic". Gradually, Truffaut said, he had himself returned "to a narrative tradition based more on observation and synthesis than subjectivity and self-exploration". The lessons painfully learned by Truffaut in 20 years still haven't been absorbed by the Anglo-American cinema in 60. Mad Men has auteurs, all right. They're the boys and girls who write it.

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

Hugo Award for China Miéville

Writers' Guild member China Miéville has jointly won the 2010 Hugo Award for best novel with his book The City & The City. He shared the award with Paolo Bacigalupi (The Windup Girl).

The Hugo Awards are presented annually by the The World Science Fiction Society.

Saturday, September 04, 2010

Stephen Gallagher on network pitching season

On his blog, Guild member Stephen Gallgher reflects on the differences in TV drama commissioning culture between the US and the UK.
[In the US] There's no dithering, there are no hesitant toe-in-the-water strategies. Our own system may not have the critical mass to match that kind of performance, but I think most UK writers will agree that our biggest frustration comes from commissioners' slowness in reaching decisions; they sit on scripts and keep their options open at our expense. Technically I'm still waiting for a straight 'no' on Oktober from the BBC, a decision I gave up waiting for when I took the show to ITV and made it over twelve years ago.

Last year I got an email from a director I'd once worked with, bemoaning the lack of available work at home and wondering if there might be any openings in LA. I told him that the timing was perfect, and the opportunities were certainly there; Terry McDonough had shot two Eleventh Hours and Bill Eagles was working on The Forgotten.

By the time his agent got around to following up, all the jobs were gone.

All Mixed-Up

From the BBC Writersroom, two new initiatives including a sitcom competition.
Called All Mixed-Up, the competition is looking for proposals which reflect diverse Britain. Writers who can demonstrate some professional achievement are being asked to submit the first ten pages of a script to the college, with a limit of six characters and three settings.

Full details of how to enter are set out in the terms and conditions

The best six scripts will be workshopped in preparation for a showcase with a professional cast at the Soho Theatre on 4 December, where a celebrity panel will choose the best two for further development by BBC Comedy. Both scripts will be optioned, with the winner's option worth £1000, and the runner-up £500.

The competition is being run in association with Triforce Promotions, which promotes talent across a multi-cultural network of people in the media industries.
The closing time for entries is 12:00midnight 20 September 2010. Full details are on the BBC Writersoom website.

Friday, September 03, 2010

What Guild members are getting up to

SIMON ASHDOWN wrote the episodes of EastEnders going out on BBC1 at 7:25pm on Tuesday 7th, at 7:30pm on Thursday 9th and at 8:00pm on Thursday 10th September.

SEBASTIAN BACZKIEWICZ'S radio series Pilgrim continues with "The Lost Hotel" going out on Radio 4 at 2:15pm on Tuesday 7th September.

Dying in the Wool, A Kate Shackleton Mystery by FRANCES BRODY (aka Frances McNeil) is now available in Large Print hardback and in Audio from Magna Books. Kate Shackleton, First World War widow turned private detective, investigates the disappearance of a millionaire mill owner. See www.frances-brody.com anmd www.francesmcneil.co.uk

JANYS CHAMBERS'S two-part dramatisation of My Family and Other Animals begins with "Meet the Family - Plus a Few" going out on Radio 4 at 3:00pm on Sunday 5th September.

TIM DYNEVOR wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Monday 6th September.

JAYNE HOLLINSON wrote the episodes of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 7:30pm and 8:30pm on Monday 6th September.

MARK HOLLOWAY wrote the episode of Heartbeat "Pass the Parcel" going out on ITV1 at 8:00pm on Sunday 5th September.

GWYNETH HUGHES'S drama U Be Dead based on a true story of obsession, starring David Morrissey, Alex Lowe and Tara Fitzgerald, going out on ITV1 at 8:00pm on Sunday 5th September.

DARAN LITTLE wrote the episode of EastEnders going out on BBC1 at 8:00pm on Monday 6th September.

JULIE MAYHEW'S radio play Stopgap goes out on Radio 4 at 2:15pm on Wednesday 8th September.

AELISH MICHAEL'S radio drama about the late Poet Laureate, Ted Hughes, called Dreaming of Foxes can be downloaded from The Independent website - www.independent.co.uk/drama.

SUE MOONEY wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Tuesday 7th September.

DAVID NOBBS co-wrote the episode of Reggie Perrin going out on BBC1 at 10:55pm on Wednesday 8th September. He also wrote the first episode of the new series of The Maltby Collection going out on Radio 4 at 6:30pm on Wednesday 8th September.

HOWARD OVERMAN wrote the episode of Vexed going out on BBC2 at 11:10pm on Saturday 4th September.

PAUL ROUNDELL wrote the episode of Emmerdale going out on ITV1 at 7:00pm on Thursday 9th September.

KATHRINE SMITH wrote the episode of Hollyoaks going out on C4 at 6:30pm on Wednesday 8th September.

JACK THORNE co-wrote the new series This Is England '86, a follow-up to the Bafta Award-winning This Is England, begins on C4 at 10:00pm on Tuesday 7th September.

JO TOYE wrote the episodes of The Archers going out on Radio 4 at 7:00pm from Sunday 5th till Friday 10th September. Each episode is repeated the following day at 2:00pm.

JOE TURNER wrote the episodes of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 7:30pm and 8:30pm on Friday 10th September.

PETER WHALLEY wrote the episode of Coronation Street going out on ITV1 at 8:30pm on Thursday 9th September.

NIGEL WILLIAMS wrote the episode of HR "Wandering" going out on Radio 4 at 11:30am on Monday 6th September.

Thursday, September 02, 2010

London Screenwriters’ Festival discount for Guild members

The London Screenwriters’ Festival is offering members of the Writers' Guild a special discount of £75 off the regular festival ticket price of £299.

The London Screenwriters’ Festival is the new annual writers’ and filmmakers’ festival, focusing on the creation and development of material for film, TV, radio and online. Held in London over three days at the end of October (29, 30, 31), the festival offers a rich mix of events, seminars, lectures and workshops for 400 delegates.

With over 50 guest speakers representing the breadth of the film, TV, radio and online industries in 2010, the festival promises to deliver a dynamic experience that will improve the work and careers of all writers in attendance as well as developing a stronger and more sustainable industry for the future.

The venue for the 2010 festival is the grand and historic Regent’s College in the heart of Regent’s Park in Central London.

At the festival, film and TV industry heavyweights such as Tim Bevan and Gub Neal will be complemented by relative newcomers such as Dean Craig (‘Death At A Funeral’) and Stuart Hazeldine (Exam), as well as TV writer veterans like Tony Jordon ensuring that delegates receive insight and inspiration from both established and emerging talent.

To take advantage all members need to do is to go onto the Festival website
http://www.londonscreenwritersfestival.com/buy-tickets and enter the discount code “Writersguild” and the ticket price will automatically reduce. Your membership status will then be verified by the Writers' Guild.

Why have we declared war on foreign dramatists?

On The Guardian Theatre blog, Guild member John Morrison accuses British theatre of abusing the work of playwrights not working in English.
One can argue that in the theatre anything goes, particularly when the author is safely dead and long out of copyright. But one of the principles that marks off theatre from film is respect for the artistic integrity of the author's text, even when he or she is no longer around to complain. That's why we squirm to think of Nahum Tate reworking King Lear in the 1680s to give Shakespeare's tragedy a happy ending.

Treating foreign works in this cavalier fashion sends the same message as the decline of language teaching in schools; we are increasingly a monoglot culture, treating classic plays in other languages as mere raw material for our own theatre.

Transmedia Next

Transmedia Next, an innovative training event supported by the EU MEDIA
Programme, kicks off in the form takes place in London 8-10 September 2010.

The Guild has negotiated a 20% discount off the regular price of £850 for members of the Guild. You must quote your membership number when registering to take advantage of this offer. The reduced price is £680.

For more information and to register, go directly to the website: http://transmedianext.com.

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Athol Fugard berates dramatists for failing to confront injustice

By Dalya Alberge in The Guardian:
Today's dramatists are failing to confront issues of injustice, writing instead "for attention spans of 10 minutes between adverts", leading political playwright Athol Fugard has said.

...He applauded some of the "extraordinary" political work that has emerged from British and American theatre, singling out Sir David Hare for praise. But he added: "They're not doing enough … at the moment. The world we're living is getting worse, not better."