algy
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BBC
Thought it went pretty well; informative, inspiring and even hopeful. And I'll take the memories of the evils of Radio Humberside and fixed incomes to the grave.
Those Grimsby Writer types do like a good moan don't they?
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4/10/2008, 9:13 am
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Edge44
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Re: BBC
quote:
algy wrote:
Thought it went pretty well; informative, inspiring and even hopeful. And I'll take the memories of the evils of Radio Humberside and fixed incomes to the grave.
I thought it was rather inspiring. I had a masterclass on my MA at Sheffield Hallam where a scriptwriter for the BBC came in to give a chat about working in the medium and you wouldn't believe how depressing it was. At one point I thought she was going to break down crying when she was telling us of her experiences of being a paid scriptwriter. Every student felt like ditching writing as a career at that point. At least Catherine was upbeat and passionate.
Last edited by Edge44, 4/10/2008, 10:58 am
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4/10/2008, 10:47 am
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algy
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Re: BBC
Upbeat but candid. Chances are you won't make it but if you do we'll be right behind you!
It was interesting to hear her keep coming back to theatre. I remember Chris sayng there was no money in it and that's why it wasn't part of the BAPW. Reckon him and Laurie might be pushing that one a bit more now.
I was also impressed by the focus on the writer. The piece of work you submit is basically an application letter. That piece will almost certainly not get made but might just get you a job. Interesting. And she alluded that a few writers don't want to 'slum' it on the soaps, so if you get in and you're willing to prostitute yourself then you're twice as likely to get on.
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4/10/2008, 7:43 pm
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Edge44
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Re: BBC
quote:
algy wrote:
Upbeat but candid. Chances are you won't make it but if you do we'll be right behind you!
It was interesting to hear her keep coming back to theatre. I remember Chris sayng there was no money in it and that's why it wasn't part of the BAPW. Reckon him and Laurie might be pushing that one a bit more now.
I was also impressed by the focus on the writer. The piece of work you submit is basically an application letter. That piece will almost certainly not get made but might just get you a job. Interesting. And she alluded that a few writers don't want to 'slum' it on the soaps, so if you get in and you're willing to prostitute yourself then you're twice as likely to get on.
I hate soaps, but tv, film, radio et all scriptwriting is a commercial venture and the idea of the 'Professional Writer' is that they will take on any work in order to get paid. The idea of writing scripts that are beneath you or 'slumming it on soaps' is meaningless in this context. The idea of forging a career as a writer, just the same as any other job, is to get paid, that's the bottom line. I hate the tone of Eastenders but if I was given a chance to write for the series, I'd leap off a mountain to do it. Everything you do in that commercial scriptwriting world is a steppingstone to something better (if you're good enough) and that something better is generally to see your own ideas produced.
Also, if you or anybody is really serious about getting work produced then you should consider radio drama. BBC Radio 4 produces more unsolicited drama scripts by unknown writers per year than any other medium in the country. If you paid attention to Catherine you will have noticed that many of the writers she's championed started out writing for radio. 
You can send your scripts to the Writersroom, but you can also listen to radio broadcasts similar to your own, get the details of the producer, and send your work directly to them. To get your radio script looked at outside of the Writersroom you need to approach a producer. This may seem cheeky, but trust me, it is the done thing.
If you're interested in theatre then Hull Truck does a free seven week tutoring program for aspiring writers, but you have to be good to get on it.
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4/10/2008, 8:40 pm
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algy
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Re: BBC
That's me buggered then.
Yeah, the 'own work' thing would be the goal, and the soap path surely not too arduous or soul destroying.
You get in with an episode of a sit-com about orange monkeys in bus stations and end up working on 'Doctors' or whatever. Five years down the line you're in a meeting and some chap says: 'What we need is an exciting new comady involving animals and public transpoprt.' 'Well,' you'd say, 'it's funny you should mention that because here's one I prepared earlier!'
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This is why we come
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When those Spurs are done
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4/10/2008, 8:56 pm
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