Updates and News
Graham Smith: Grand Schemes to break into British Comedy TV by James Alexander Allen
As a producer and commissioning editor, Graham Smith has had a hand in the creation of many beloved comedy shows, including Spaced, That Mitchell & Webb Situation, and Little Britain. His session at the London Screenwriters’ Festival was a gift for any aspiring TV comedy writers. What he gave was a clear and concise action plan for anyone looking to break in to British comedy.
Jonathan Butler and Gabriel Garza: Be the person people want to work with, by Jane Rayner
Writing partners Jonathan Butler and Gabriel Garza (The Flash) pitched 27 different projects before they got a yes. So they know a bit about what is required to keep getting meetings to share their ideas and stories. While their session focused on the challenges and opportunities franchise writers face, their advice applies to all writers whatever the project or medium. Here are my three takeaways:
A funny thing happened on the way to the 30 Day Challenge by James Alexander Allen
Once again at the LSF 365, the wonderful Pat Higgins has invited us on a quest to write a feel-good screenplay in 30 days. To all who accepted this challenge, I wish you the best of luck. I’m trying to power on with it myself. For those who may have missed it, we have 10 days write out 40 beat cards to structure our movie; 10 days to dictate each beat into transcription software, and 10 more to edit and tweak it in the screenplay-formatting software of our choice.
Jeff Deverett: A session on indie filmmaking By Anita Reid
There is a warm indie wind blowing through the Festival. Tonight, it whipped up quite a Gale. Do you want to be a disruptive indie filmmaker, taking control of production and distribution to the streamers? Then listen to Jeff Deverett and take notes.
What it Actually Means to be a Working Writer with Lee Jessup by Rebecca Robinson
Is there anything more pleasing or powerful than an intelligent woman at the top of her game? That is precisely what and who Lee Jessup is. A former screenwriter who is now a coach for all participants in the film and TV world, Lee presented some outstanding insights into how to get noticed and become successful as an aspiring screenwriter.
Lorien McKenna and Meg LeFauve on emotional truth in tumultuous times by Anita Reid
Lorien McKenna (Up, Brave, Inside Out) and Meg LeFauve (Inside Out, Captain Marvel) hope you can take the Covid experience, and whatever emotion it is pulling up in you, and ‘give it to your character and give it to your story’.
Want to succeed in Hollywood? Let Carole Kirschner guide you by KT Parker
When Carole Kirschner told her mother she wanted to be in entertainment, she was told to get a job as a court reporter, because
Impossible even for a computer? Paul Hirsch on editing before the days of Premier and Final Cut by James Alexander Allen
The Force was certainly with us at the London Screenwriters’ Festival as Paul Hirsch, editor of Star Wars, Carrie, Planes Trains & Automobiles, and many others joined us for an hour to discuss his career.
GO DO IT! Two LondonSWF365 sessions that put fire in our bellies by KT Parker
What have experienced documentary filmmaker David Nicholas Wilkinson and editor Jon Walker got in common with genre-mashing feature filmmaker John McPhail? David exudes wisdom with his Tolstoy-style beard, which is not surprising given his wide-ranging career, beginning in acting when he was fourteen, and expanding over the decades to include producing, writing, directing and distribution.
Marc Jobst is the bridge between script & screen By Lesley McGlynn
There are worse ways to kick off an LSF chat than to the sight of a leather clad Henry Cavill & his sexy chin
The Last Story Editor: Christopher Lockhart (William Morris Endeavor)
We’ve all dreamt of it: swanning into a meeting with the most famous actors on the planet to put our words in their mouths. Well that’s Christopher Lockhart’s day job.
Discussing ‘Pontypool’ with Tony Burgess by Teresa Bailey
Pontypool was born when Tony Burgess was scouting for a picture for his first book. Lost and frustrated, he took a photo of the town he
Finding the Heart of Your Story w/ John Yorke By Abbie Heath
Disclaimer: I’m a John Yorke fangirl. I’ve read his book Into the Woods many times – it’s covered in post-its and scribblings and I won’t begin a script without it. I’ve heard him talk at the LSF before and taken his brilliant two-day course. And this session was still the one I was looking forward to the most – because there is always more to uncover and learn, and John is one of the most articulate and inspiring teachers around.
Clive Frayne’s How-to-guide on Finding and Fixing the Flaws in Your Screenplay
Clive Frayne came into Sunday night spreading some amazing encouragement and knowledge in a session I will refer to as the “Economics of Screenwriting”.
Vertue, Moffat and Gattis strike again: On writing DRACULA!
Writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss, alongside producer Sue Vertue, are television royalty. With their lengthy run on Doctor Who, overseeing both Peter Capaldi and Matt Smith’s Doctors, the global mega-hit Sherlock, which catapulted Benedict Cumberbatch into the stratosphere, and now Dracula, a slice of prime-time horror that never relents, they are still at the top of their game.
Writers have to trust themselves and others by Elinor Perry-Smith
Marnie Dickens (Thirteen, Gold Digger) and Michal Aviram (Fauda, Project Orpheus) have so much in common, it’s easy to say why this discussion happened
Lifting the lid on continuing drama by Abbie Heath
This brilliant session is like sitting down in the Queen Vic with a pint, listening to a couple of mates chatting, and feeling a
A Bold Bright Light: A discussion with Linda Potgieter by Barbara Skubic
The Sunday night session with the master negotiator Linda Potgieter was just what Chris Jones, who also interviewed her, promised it to be. A fast-paced, highly charged awesome session that – at least for me – pulled together nuggets of wisdom I’ve been picking up from other speakers as well. It was not, however, without some controversy, mostly involving red lipstick.
Lessons from A Quiet Place by Pat Higgins
Screenwriters and filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods spent a fascinating hour talking us through the genesis of the silent, terrifying world of A Quiet Place, hosted and moderated by Liz Slade.
Linda Aronson: My Cheat Sheet for Deconstructing ‘Unorthodox’
Hi Everyone, Linda here. I’m going to give you some really nifty prep in this post for my webinar on the the TV series Unorthodox next week (June 4, 10pm). However, before I do, I need to share with you my latest writing motto.
Joey Tuccio: “Moving forwards, compliments are mandatory” by Rebecca Jean-Carroll
Joey Tuccio, founder and CEO of Roadmap Writers brings plenty of positivity and energy to a conversation about how best to present yourself to
The merits of AUDIO in a post-pandemic world by James Alexander Allen
In the years before Russell T. Davies brought Doctor Who back to our screens, fans were kept sated by the steady stream of audio dramas from Big Finish Productions. Even now, its productions continue to run alongside the TV show, delighting fans across the world. The LSF have brought in two of its regular writers, Matt Fritton and Helen Goldwyn, to discuss their work.
Advice From Joey Tuccio the Roadmap Master by Sam Kurd
Joey Tuccio is the founder and CEO of Roadmap Writers, an organisation dedicated to helping screenwriters hone their skills and sell their work in
Zoom Room Q & A with Nic Ransome by Lesley McGlynn
Despite it being a UK public holiday this Monday 25th, Nic Ransome was up in the morning for the festival’s keen ‘Zoomsters’ (Zoomies? Zoomdogs? Sorry, I’ll stop) looking for guidance as we all stagger through the valley of characters, genres, storylines and beat sheets.
Facing off with FACE/OFF by John Morris
Writers Mike Werb and Michael Colleary unleashed a torrent of tales, tidbits, and tips throughout FACE/OFF’s 140-minute runtime. So much so, I ended up with nine pages of notes to condense into this 700-word article.
Do characters mirror our life-cycle? By Ruth Ansah Ayisi
Many of us are experiencing a dramatic change in our lives during this global COVID-19 pandemic. Change can be scary.
Lessons from Chris Vogler’s memo by Cassi Camilleri
That legendary memo is something every writer, no matter the stage they’re at in their career, keeps a copy of somewhere. And if you don’t have it – then here you go. Most of us have heard the story but some have not, so I will recount it here because there’s a lesson in there too.
The end is in the beginning by John Higgins
All screenplays will create their own challenges and obstacles, but overall there is always a solution, as Syd Field stated in his book ‘The Screenplay Problem Solver.’ Educators and screenwriters Philip Hughes and Ted Wilkes – in this seminar titled ‘THE END IS IN THE BEGINNING – focused on the structural logistics of Three-Act Structure. They based it on Christopher Vogler’s THE WRITER’S JOURNEY, but weaved in a few elements of their own, creating a template based on a five act, rather than three act, idea.
The London Screenwriters’ Festival to receive £41,996 from third round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund
The London Screenwriters’ Festival to receive £41,996 from third round of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund The London Screenwriters’ Festival is among 925 recipients
MJ Bassett blows things up By Lesley McGlynn
We finished off Friday night’s festival fruits with a fizzy one-on-one with MJ Bassett – Director, Producer, Writer, and lover of all things that go BANG! – on our screen.
What you need to know about endings from Michael Arndt, by Abbie Heathe
Watch this twice. Trust me, it’s worth it. The first time I saw this presentation, I got that aching hand I haven’t felt since I secondary school. Michael talks fast, over rapid, clever graphics that whizz past almost too quickly to take them in. It’s brilliant, eye-catching stuff and you want to get it all down because it all makes huge sense, and it generates loads of new ideas, but it’s basically impossible.
The Legal Side of Things – “Check yourself, before you wreck yourself” by Keith Slote
Houston Howard sees the entertainment market now, not last week, not last year, not 1997 (the year he enjoys referring to) but NOW. Today. This very second. Co-founder of One 3 Creative, Houston specialises in creating stories, immersing audiences and building communities for entertainment projects, literally across the boards. He has written two books, Make your story really stinkin’ big, and You’re gonna need a bigger story, and hosts The Super Story podcast.
Alison Flierl isn’t horsing around about comedy by Savannah Morgan
Having written for Bojack Horseman, School of Rock, and Conan, you may be surprised to learn that one of Alison Flierl’s favourite shows remains her no-budget webseries called TV Guide Letter Theater – specifically the episode featuring a musical ode to NCIS. After watching an episode, I can see why: It’s impossible not to laugh as the “TV Guide viewers” parade out, singing their reactions to the show, with gems like: “I didn’t know there were so many navy crimes!”
Writing evocatively in enclosed spaces, by John Morris
In the brief clip shown of George Kay’s seminal show Criminal David Tennant’s character, Dr. Edgar Fallon, impassionately sits at the interrogation table, flanked by two detectives and his lawyer. The camera holds on him as he’s asked question after question and he merely responds with a curt, ‘no comment’.
Meeting the Mentor (and four other archetypes) by James Alexander Allen
The brains behind the “Best of the Best” scriptwriting website ‘Go Into The Story,’ Scott Myers is a modern story guru. Over the course of two hours, he focuses on the protagonist and nemesis (nemesis being a much stronger word than antagonist!). Here are the main takeaways from this goldmine of a session:
Why you need humour in your horror by Sam Kurd
There’s a reason Poltergeist is a stone cold classic horror film. It’s scary, it’s funny, it’s heartfelt – it hits every beat expertly. A key player in making that happen was Michael Grais, who along with fellow scribe Mark Victor, delivered the script for producer Steven Spielberg.
