Stuff to Do

Okay: I'm going to dizzy everyone now by doing two blog posts in a week, when it's lately taken me a month to get up to that count...

As you'll know, I've been working on the latest draft of my feature for Full On Films (probably, after Cannes, I will be able to talk about the content of the script a bit more, maybe even release the title - I'll have to check with the wonderful and redoutable producer-director of the project, Mark Jay). There's lots of support for the development, and lots of interest from potential partners in the production. And both Mark and I are very happy with the shape of draft 2. There's now a bit of down-time before Mark and I meet with a script executive appointed by Screen South and resume revisions. I've got lots of things planned for this time:

1) Book a ticket to the Screenwriters' Festival in Cheltenham - Hooray! Did this last night. I'll be one of the Travelodge posse for a second year running.

2) Apply to the Lighthouse/Skillset 'Guiding Lights' scheme. Boo! The initial commitment for this requires one to be in London on July 1st and 2nd. Unfortunately, those are the first two days of the Screenwriters' Festival (See point 1 above). It's frustrating that two big events and opportunities for writers are clashing, and if it weren't so close to the deadline (which is this coming Tuesday) I'd write an email to them pointing this out. As it is, it's too late. Good luck to anyone who's going for it. I will have to wait and hope that they run it again next year.

3) Apply to the BBC Writers' Academy. Oh Yes!

4) Review a contract. A very talented director with a production company wants to option one of my screenplays. Very excited. Keep everything crossed for me - I'll post more when there's more to post.

4) Resume work on the half hour screenplay that I'm working on with Lou Birks.

5) Resume some pieces of spec work - I've got a radio play that needs one more draft to polish, a short film that is still just a pile of notes and thoughts and needs to be flung hard at a piece of paper to see what sticks. Plus, a feature script I've used - quite sucessfully - as a calling-card, should really be made one of these days. I got some feedback reports on it last year, which I should use to do another draft.

6) Read people's blogs, post comments, send some emails: let people know I'm still alive.

That's quite a lot to be going on with, and I still have to post about last week's Q&A with Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharaoh, and do a little '1 year on' bit to celebrate reaching my first blog birthday. I better start work then...

Contractual Obligation Post...

...to stop Piers and Jason from drive-by shooting my blog up anymore (see the comments to the last post, if you are confused):

I am well into draft 2 of my feature for Full On Pictures. We've had a lot of feedback now, mostly good, and all constructive. Producer-director Mark Jay is working with Screen South, who are supporting the development, to arrange a script executive to work closely with us. I'm busy making a better draft to go into that process.

Aside from this, I have been trying to catch up on some films and TV, so that I'm not quite so out of touch. I've slowly caught up with series 1 of The Wire, which is a masterful piece of work, which I heartily recommend to anyone. But, of course, everyone knows the Wire's great. If I can complete my second draft on schedule by the end of March, I think I'll get myself the box set of Series 2 (yes - it really is that compulsive.)

Six degrees of Kevin Bacon. Mmm.. Bacon.

Not much to post about currently. I'm just working away on various things: mapping out the storyline for the Lou Birks short; got a meeting about draft 2 of the feature this week with producer-director Mark Jay (Mark just had a sell-out Cineworld screening/Q&A of his film 'Dolphins', which he wrote and directed. Kudos to him!); and, another director wants to option one of my screenplays - fingers crossed for that.

Idle musings meanwhile: I caught up the other week with the Extras Christmas special from my newly-purchased replacement PVR, and noticed in the credits that the make-up and hair was done by the wonderful Lisa Cavalli-Green, who also worked in the same capacity on the short film what I wrote, 'Lent'.

This means, trivia fans, that I am only two degrees of separation from Ricky Gervais. And therefore three degrees of separation from anyone he's ever worked with in Celebrity 'I'm not like this really, or am I?' cameo-stylee. Imagine - me and Samuel L Jackson, we're like that. And David Tennant too. Ooh!

Now, if only there was some way to turn this to my advantage. But, dear reader, I fear there is not.

Obviously, my New Year's resolution is...

... to not neglect my blog. Bad timing has resulted in intense periods of work (both writing and day job) interspersed with intense periods of Christmas holidays (where I had a much needed break), which have both combined to keep me from these pages. No more, dear reader (singular)... er, if you're still there. Hello!


Exciting developments have occurred in the first week of the year. My short film 'Lent', which has been in the can for some months, but needed a sound problem to be fixed, is finally on it's journey toward the screen. The producer, the wonderful Ricci-Lee Berry, is completing the distribution funding application for Screen South, and preparing the submissions to five international festivals to start with. I'm very excited, and hoping that we get into all of them!! Time will tell.

I've had a meeting in the last week about the feature project, with the director-producer Mark Jay of Full On Pictures. We discussed directions for the second draft. We're still awaiting feedback from the interested parties that were sent the script at the end of last year, but we weren't expecting much yet because of Christmas holidays. The responses that we have got are overwhelmingly positive, which is great, obviously. And Mark and I, having got some distance from the material after an intensive period of development, are still really loving this draft. More details on this anon.

Tonight, I have a meet with another director to discuss a new draft of a short screenplay we're working on, which we're hoping to be filming early this year. Again, I'll keep you posted.

It's great to be busy. Hope you are too. Happy New Year!

Where did that month go?!

Never fear - I'm back in the blogosphere! I've completed all revisions to the the screenplay for Full On Pictures, and have moved house. It's been a tiring month. The script is currently with some trusted contacts of director-producer Mark Jay, and some potential backers. We're awaiting feedback, and I'm pretty excited about what the reaction will be. I think it's a great draft, and working with Mark was fantastic

Now, I'm trying to plan a family Christmas and squeeze in some other writing projects before embarking on draft 2. And there's the small matter of catching up with what the rest of the Scribosphere's been up to without me. I'm off to read some blogs. Will post again soon!

Update

No posts for a while. Apologies - work on the feature screenplay for Full On Pictures has resumed. I'm working on the revisions to the first draft at the moment, and met with the producer Mark Jay mid-week. It was a great meeting: there's some strong interest from production companies, so Mark and I have a busy time of it over the next few weeks getting the screenplay as good as it can be, and then getting it out there.

Meanwhile, all the short films I'm working on are progressing nicely too. The director of 'Santa Baby', the wonderful Colin Stevens, has managed to get the script to an actor who would be perfect for the lead, and to his production company. Fingers crossed that he likes it.

And it looks like the sound problem in 'Lent' has finally been fixed, and over the next week or two, the producer Ricci-Lee Berry will be putting together our agreed distribution list for 2008, and applying for Film Council distribution funding. With luck, and selection, 'Lent' should be playing a festival near you very soon. I'll obviously keep the posted with any updates.

The First Draft is done!

A mad week. On Halloween night I was working right up to the wire on the screenplay, and finally e-mailed it to Mark at 11:55pm. He's on the West coast of the US, though, so he got it a few hours ahead of the deadline! I'm pretty pleased with it, and looking forward to Mark's notes.

I also went to two events at the Writers' Guild, which I'll write up in due course. After each one there were major train problems so I didn't get home until gone midnight both times. Then I was up at Six to get to the day job, where I've had two projects coming up to deadlines too. I've been running on empty for days now, and have spent most of today sleeping.

Now, I've got a very short hiatus before resuming work on the feature, where I can think about putting something together for the Channel 4 pilot scheme, if I can find the energy!

I can finally talk about it

I am officially a professional feature film writer! After a few weeks of meetings, negotiations, and intensive writing, I finally signed the contract yesterday. I’m working with producer/director Mark Jay of Full On Pictures, with some development support from Screen South. Thanks - and another beer onto the massive tab I already owe her - to Miranda Robinson, who initially put Mark in touch with me.

The project is a 1970s based coming-of-age story, and is proving to be a joy to write, and Mark a joy to work with. In fact, the only difficulty so far was finding someone in Brighton’s Jubilee library yesterday to witness the signing. We needed a person not known to either of us, and Mark’s lawyer advised trying the library; but, most of the staff there looked at us like we wanted their John Hancock on some kind of devil/soul-extraction type agreement.

Mark had to be on a plane to the U.S. mere hours after this, and I didn’t want to delay any longer either ‘cos I’ve been bursting to post about it for weeks. What would happen if we couldn’t get anyone to sign? Can I get a witness?! Luckily, the fourth or fifth person we asked agreed: we promised the library a copy of the eventual DVD as a thank-you!

As I said, Mark is now off to the States to pitch this project, and I have to have the first draft completed by October 31st before the AFM. The day job is horribly hectic, though, and can’t give me any time off. So, I am working every minute of every day, and haven’t got time to swing a cat (which as anyone who’s tried it will know takes quite a long time – you’ve got to find a pet shop that doesn’t ask questions, and all sorts).

At the time of writing, I’m up to page 85 of a 95-minute script, and today’s pages have included the words “applause”, “prison”, and “falafels”. Woo - and after having given it a certain amount of calm reflection – hoo!

On the IPod today: podcasts of Radio 4 shows. Hooray! Never normally being in a room with a radio at the right time, these new podcasts are a positive boon. And, after only a few days, I’m already addicted to The Archers. You can also get Start The Week, highlights of The Today Programme, The News Quiz… As soon as the Afternoon play is available, my listening will be complete.