Plan your attack!

GUEST BLOG from Screenwriter and all round nice chap Richard Dinnick

Last year I went to the London Screenwriter’s Festival as an attendee at the suggestion of my agent, Julian Friedmann. I had a truly wonderful time. There was so much talent, enthusiasm and so many opportunities that I am convinced it must have been hard for anyone to come away uninspired by the event.

Now, while it’s fine to go along and watch the great speakers (DO NOT MISS KATE LEYS), there is so much more to the festival then passively absorbing! You need to get involved. Pro-activity is the name of the game. Well, it would be if that was actually a word.

I must confess, I had a definite plan of attack and took part in various things such as the speed pitching. I actually made a list of the people I wanted to meet from the speakers list. Not go see. Meet. I wanted to introduce myself and give them a card (have cards!).

So, in a mad, stalkerish way, I took their brief bios and pasted them into a word doc. Then I Googled them and looked at their images so I would know them in a crowd and added the best photo of each to my Word doc hit list. Come the festival, I printed the list off, stuck it in my pocket and got to meet almost all my targets.

There are different levels you can take this to.

I reckon the first is the bare minimum and it’s this: ask questions. Don’t tell me you’ve come all the way to the biggest screenwriters’ festival in the world and don’t have any questions! Most speakers give you the chance to pose questions either during the panel or immediately afterwards. So make use of that time. And! A large number of them then go for Script Chats, so you can engage them even more. Plunder their knowledge, bask in their glory and use it as a springboard for your own success.

But it’s not just about the guest speakers. It’s also about all the talent around you – your fellow attendees. Remember I said I got to meet most of my targets? Well, I missed one person because I was networking in the lovely courtyard. I met a publisher and we got chatting. We swapped cards (did I mention that you need cards?) and after I had emailed him post festival, I was soon sending him a pitch. I have the contract for that gig on my desk right now as I type!

So, network. And know your “targets”. But also: get involved.

I took part in the speed pitching and got to meet some great new people – the head of ITV comedy for heaven’s sake! Wow! And I met Ashley Pharoah (a personal hero of mine)! Double Wow!

I know people who came away from last year’s event with work (including me) and some that found an agent and others who were motivated to finish their films and get them out there.

There’s so much to get out of the LSWF, but as with so much, it really depends on how much you put in!

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Thanks Richard! See you in October.

LondonSWF Team( Team LondonSWF )

Posted by a member of the London Screenwriters’ Festival team.