Archives for May 2009

The First Sift

We've now completed our first sift. My team and I shut ourselves away in the WritersRoom offices for three days and have "longlisted" the applications down to 150. The rest will have received emails telling them they didn't make it this time. So, if you haven't heard anything yet, you're still in the running.

The process of the first sift involves us reading the first ten pages of each script. If we then want to read further, the script is put forward for a further two complete reads by members of the Drama Department. This is the Longlist.

We can't provide any meaningful individual feedback for the 350 entries we reject at this stage, there's just too many, so I've tried to put down a few thoughts here that may be helpful.

It's a very intensive few days. What amazes me is that the best scripts do stand out, unequivocally. A good script lets the reader know within the first ten pages why it needs to be read. There is nothing more frustrating than reading 10 pages of a script and finding yourself wondering why the writer selected these characters and this situation. Some scripts seem so intent on establishing their world that they forget that something needs to happen with this world to generate a narrative.

Personally speaking, I felt there was more variety and ambition to the scripts submitted this year. Subject-wise there was more teen drama, more horror and more funerals. No idea why that is. I blame Skins! Again, as last year, it was often the theatre play scripts that stood out for their originality, maybe because writers felt they had more freedom with the format. There were certainly many technically competent television screenplays, but some of these told rather boring stories, or that simply wallowed in depression.

I've also put down some general thoughts gathered from the team:

Positives:

- Most of the readers felt that the standard was higher this year.

- Lots of bravery - interesting original worlds.

- Sparky dialogue

- Technically accomplished scripts (although this meant the need to be stand out original was greater)

Negatives:

- Too many stage directions

- Scripts opening with several pages of monologues

- Dialogue that sprouted facts endlessly

- Spelling mistakes and hard to read script formats

So, now we begin the process of shortlisting down to the final thirty people who'll be invited to the Workshops in July. I'll report back on that process towards the end of June.

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There are still places available at the BBC writersroom unsolicited roadshow in Plymouth on Tuesday 2 June 2009.

If you've not heard of the roadshows before, they're where we go out and about across the country to answer people's questions about what the BBC does for new writers, and what we're looking for in your scripts.

As well as all that, it gives you a chance to meet other writers in your local area - and we'll also take your script and save you the cost of postage if you bring it in on the day. Make sure it meets the guidelines, though!

To find out more and book your place at the Plymouth roadshow, visit our roadshows page.

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A few things that have come up on the site recently that you might not know about...

We've got interviews with Law & Order:UK and Torchwood writer Catherine Tregenna, Slumdog Millionaire's Simon Beaufoy, and In The Loop's Armando Iannucci.

There's also a new script for the latest series of MI:High available in our Children's Script Archive: Operation Flopsy by Keith Brumpton and Ben Ward. So if you're planning to enter the CBBC New Writers competition, you should have a read.

Anyway, that's what I've been up to. How are things with you?

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A new call for original scripts from those who want to write Children's Drama has just been announced - take a look at our Opportunities page for more information

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Bob the Builder / Smack the Pony / Green Wing writer James Henry is in the middle of a series of posts about outlines and treatments on his blog at the moment. Including the development of a TV series about British Superheroes.

So if you want to see how ideas for TV series get developed by pro writers, go check out his blog. EDIT: Please be aware that James' posts on this subject contain strong language.

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Handing over this one to Hannah Rodger, our New Writing Co-ordinator, who's got a report on the recent 7 on 7 opportunity and masterclass.

Take it away Hannah:

"If you were one of the many writers that sent us in a sketch for the 7 on 7 opportunity then we'd like to say thank you. Not only did you all put a lot of effort and hard work into it but some of the sketch titles made us chuckle as we were madly logging the entries and passing them onto our readers.

Only 15 writers were selected for the 7 on 7 masterclass with Gareth Edwards and David Mitchell so we thought we'd let you know what hints and tips the team at radio comedy passed on to the writers. The masterclass began with Gareth talking about what he looks for in a radio comedy script. His key points were;

• Something that breaks out of reality (especially 2 people sitting in a room talking) after all radio can take you anywhere.
• A sketch that keeps defeating your expectations and/or has a reversal of truth is going to keep him interested too. Sometimes you don't always have a lot of time in a sketch to set up anything elaborate but there's always room to deliver the unexpected.
• He also advised that it's not a good idea to write what you think people find funny but what you find funny.

Gareth played a few examples from That Mitchell and Webb Sound to illustrate that in radio the writer is completely in control of revealing the information and the trick is to keep surprising the audience with each reveal.

David Mitchell then joined the group and talked about his inspirations and tips. The key pieces of advice he gave for writing radio comedy were;

• Establish what you are writing about, whether it is a concept based sketch or character based sketch then exaggerate it.
• If the audience agree with what they hear or are surprised by it that's when you will get a genuine laugh.

The group then went through the papers and pulled out stories that could inspire a topical sketch. The writers were asked to do the following;

• Look for an angle into the story
• Determine what they think is the essential truth
• Think about the sounds the sketch could create too

We don't yet know when submissions will be open again for 7 on 7 but we hope these tips will help your sketch writing in the meantime."

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Well, it's Friday afternoon, and a dozen entries to the college are now with senior comedy colleagues for their opinion, and to help decide which applicants we'll be inviting in for a chat. I have e-mailed the 12, and over the next week I will be e-mailing the people who nearly made it to the shortlist.

This year we received 650 entries - oddly, exactly half last year's number - explained I think by the enhanced criteria for submission. A few people with no CVs to speak of tried their luck, but the vast majority were extremely qualified, a few rather over-qualified, and the selection process has been difficult, particularly in getting down to a dozen. Five of us were involved in that process, and the final winnowing will be done by nine people and me.

In a way this is a very exciting time, and in another it's a bit miserable, because while I'm looking forward to working with six new writers, I'm very conscious that there will be 644 others who are going to be frustrated and disappointed. Telling people that not being accepted for the scheme isn't a comment on their talent or their writing isn't much consolation, but since nearly everyone who applied has a career already, they should take comfort from that. Proud as I am of the scheme, it's not the be-all and end-all and, as Jeremy Dyson pointed out in Leeds on Wednesday night, a lot of a writer's life is rejection. Though being the rejector is never enjoyable.

Jeremy and I were on a panel with Phil Mealey and Kate Rowland doing a q&a as part of the Northern Laughs scheme, an excellent project involving writers from across the north of England being mentored by Jeremy, Phil and Craig Cash, and Ian La Frenais.

Not surprisingly, the college came up, and I was asked what my criteria were, and whether the fact that I run the scheme didn't mean that the writers all conformed to my taste. I think with a number of people involved in the selection process, there's no danger of it being a solo list, and as for criteria, I think we all apply the same - is it funny, is it original, am I immediately involved? And when you've got a bunch of scripts and sketches which meet those criteria, it's then a matter of who is funniest, who is most original, and whose work is the most involving?

When we have done the interviews I'll post names and short biogs of the six, so the next blog will be at the beginning of next month.

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What's next?

Well the entries are all in - around 500 this year this year - well up on last year.

We're going to shut ourselves away now and read them all, so I won't have much to say for the next few weeks.

The plan is as follows:

- By the end of May we will let everyone know who didn't make it through the First Sift.

- By Early July we will be able to let everyone know who hasn't made the Shortlist.

- In Mid July we'll hold workshops for the shortlisted writers.

- In Late July we'll hold interviews and the final selection of eight writers will be made.

I'll report back at the various stages, and announce the final eight on this blog.

TTFN

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For all those who applied for this year's Alfred Bradley Bursary Award 2009, here's an update on how the Award is progressing. Firstly, we received an amazing 417 entries this year. From this, 67 of the scripts were longlisted, 22 were shortlisted and 9 were sent to the judges. The shortlisted scripts are below (in no particular order):

Driftwood Something Something by Paul Buie

The Call by Sophie Walsh-Harrington

Playing the Game by Chris Wilson

Faith by Alexandra Denye

Dai Hard by Terry David Jones

Maine Road by Sarah McDonald Hughes

God and That by Tom Wells

White Horses by Ben Ayrton

Bad Blood by Mark Foster

The winning script(s) will be announced at a prize giving ceremony on Wednesday 8th July 2009.

All writers who reached the judging longlist have been notified and also given feedback on their entries from a Writersroom reader. If you have not been contacted by now then I'm afraid you have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

Thank you very much to everyone who applied. It's been a pleasure reading such a varied and interesting bunch of scripts and the best of luck in your future writing to all those who didn't reach the final 9.

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Many thanks to writer and series creator Julian Jones, who has together with his pals at Shine gotten us a new script for Saturday teatime favourite Merlin.

This script is Excalibur, which is episode nine of the first series.

Enjoy!

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