Merry Crimbo

18 December 2006

This is my last post before I disappear for Christmas so here's a quick round up of what has happened to me over the last year.

Production companies I have been rejected by this year:

• BBC Writersroom: Twice
• Marchmont: Three Times
• Hartswood Films: Once
• Scala Productions: Once
• Carnival: Twice
• Zenith: Once
• Walsh Bros: Once
• Wortman Productions: Once
• World Productions: Twice
• WTTV: Once
• Granada Drama: Once

Agents I have been rejected by this year:

• Micheline Steinberg
• David Higham Associates
• Blake Friedmann
• The Agency
• PFD
• Casarotto

Production companies who have shown a real interest in my work this year:

• World Productions: They consider me a talent worth keeping an eye on.
• Celtic Films: They loved From This Day Forth but have since dropped their interest.

What I've written this year:

• Two film scripts
• A pilot for a TV drama
• A pilot for a sitcom
• A ten minute short
• Several treatments

That's it, have a Merry Christmas and I'll see you all in the New Year.

Dom

I'll Be Back

14 December 2006

I'm back from Stavanger, Norway with some good news. My good friend Arne Reidar Mortensen and his friends at TVVest are going to start making short films next year. They will film a sample one in February to see how things go and then they will start filming some of my shorts. These will then be broadcast on Norwegian TV. Excellent! At last, a credit that I can add to my CV.

I haven't done any writing this week mainly because I've been running around since I got back from my short break and next week I'm going to my parents for Christmas. I will be taking my laptop with the intention of doing some work on From This Day Forth. It just depends on whether the mince pies get in the way of work or not.

Another email today from Marchmont rejecting From This Day Forth.

Sticking It To The Vikings

06 December 2006

I'm off for a few days to visit my good friend, and Norwegian TV Superstar, Arne Reidar Mortensen, in Stavanger, Norway.

I'm sure that sometime during the many beers that are inevitably going to be drunk there will be some talk about work, namely the filming of one of my shorts and its possible airing on Norwegian TV. Getting Arne drunk is likely to improve the odds, but knowing the price of beer over there (£4.50ish for a 400ml glass of Norway's finest), and Arne's ability to drink large amounts of alcohol, I have a feeling it's going to be a very expensive trip.

See you all soon.

Hollyoaks Says No

30 November 2006

I have a friend storylining on Hollyoaks so I sent her an email to see if they would allow me to do a sample episode or sample scenes, with a view to getting a future writing gig. No luck unfortunately, as they won't accept anyone to write for them unless they do a year's storylining or at least have a few broadcast commissions under their belt.

No wonder I sometimes feel I'm banging my head against a brick wall.

Novel Idea

28 November 2006

 

I've ditched the idea for my first novel due to the fact it didn't have any legs. I always thought of it as a practise run for my series of five children's novels I want to write, and it has served its purpose so it's time to drop it in the trash. I have the outlines done for each of the five novels so now I'm just working on the characters before I start writing. I'm really looking forward to the first book as the idea is my best so far, and that includes all the ideas for my scripts. It has real potential. I'll let you know how it goes.

As for my next script I had toyed with the idea of writing Faith, a long gestating story that I feel is too dark to write at the moment. Even though dark drama is where my talent lies the other half of my brain cries out to write other more challenging stuff. I don't really want to be a one trick pony after all. Chatting with Danny Stack over lunch yesterday I learnt a lot of production companies are after feature comedy scripts. Apparently good feature comedy scripts are very, very rare and production companies and producers are crying out for them. So I have resurrected a feature comedy idea I had a few years ago called Sun Haven. I shall begin prepping soon.

After showcasing my short film scripts on Shooters I have to admit I was a little disappointed with the response. Only two scripts have been requested and as of yet I haven't heard back from either of the directors. Getting some of my shorts filmed is a priority for me at the moment, as not only will they give me a credit but if they are entered in competitions then it will also help to raise my profile.

A Writer Rewrites

21 November 2006

 

It seems I have a problem with further drafts of my scripts in that I don't give them the required attention that I should. I tend to write the first draft of a script, then proof read and maybe change a few scenes, etc. What I'm not doing is rewriting and rewriting until my scripts are as good as they can be. This means I'm sending out scripts that are far from ready, which is evident with Mr. Valentine. I'm gutted and annoyed then that I sent this to Celtic a few weeks ago. I should have spent more time rewriting it before I sent it out. I let my eagerness of a potential sale, and their interest in me, get the better of my judgement; the reason so many new writers fail.

I tend to think that the first draft is where most of the work is done, when in reality the real work is in the rewrites. This is something I'm going to have to pay close attention to.

The main points J.K. made about my writing where:

• Know what you plot and theme are. If you don't know how can you expect a reader to?
• Show, don't tell.
• Cut down on scene description, do not overwrite. Don't use ten words when five will do.
• Make scene descriptions more dramatic, less static.
• Use direct actions like 'Flick' instead of 'Flicking'.
• Combine action and character description. Don't go from one to the other.
• Don't direct. A director directs, you write.
• Don't tell the actors how to act. Write the dialogue and let the actor decide how he or she delivers it.
• Do not write generic locations. Try to create a sense of place. This will add to the atmosphere of your script and story.
• A good spell check saves embarrassment.

There were many other smaller points about my work J.K. made which only goes to prove that the most important part of writing is rewriting. Sending scripts out that are far from complete is a big mistake and lets the reader know you're not professional. It also dramatically reduces your chances, and there aren't that many to begin with with.

As with drug addicts and alcoholics the first step on the road to getting better is to accept you have a problem. I have a few problems with my writing. Now I have to spend a good amount of time going through all of my scripts rewriting them.

I've got a lot of work to do.

A Writer Writes

15 November 2006

The first is a ten minute drama called Body Bag (although this title might change at a later date). I've decided to write a few more shorts as practice, mainly just to keep my writing muscle in tip-top condition but also to post on Shooters for up and coming directors to film. After this one I have another one ready to go to the writing stage, called Testing.

I have also started to work on the treatment of my next feature, a dark drama about life on the streets of London. Faith is an idea that has been gestating for some time time now and the only reason I haven't written it before is that I felt its subject matter was too dark so soon after Sins Of The Father. However, I have come to the conclusion that dark drama is where my talent lies so I shall be taking Faith into its first draft in December. I like comedy, but it's so bloody hard to get right, after all what's funny to me might not be funny to anyone else.