1. Submission of work
These our two uk based screenwriting competitions that aspiring writers can enter and often have prizes linked to them
UK Film Festival London.
The Final Deadline is January 9 2020. There is an administration and reading fee of £65.
https://www.ukfilmfestival.com/feature-script-competition/
BlueCat Screenplays
https://www.bluecatscreenplay.com/
These are UK based commissioning bodies that accept unsolicited scripts to possibly make a production.
In basics they run workshops which help you create a one hour drama script which then ‘Channel 4’ and ‘Shelley Productions’ gain rights too for six months with the possibility of them producing the script.
There's workshops with leading industry professionals and have lectures from directors, writers and producers.this is part of the first weekend, also as part of the first weekend you will come up with an idea for the script. Your script idea is then due as part next weekend activity where you develop and produce a second draft of the script. Actors will also look through the script to make sure that it's something they would like and another workshop in the requirements that channel 4 have.
https://careers.channel4.com/4talent/industry-talent-schemes/4screenwriting
The scheme tries to develop the best drama writing, it also gives encouragement that their drama could be used. It also helps them gain to producers and the BBC. “We can only promote opportunities which are free for writers to enter and don't ask for payment from writers at any stage.” Their is often opening times for the competitions that are run.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/about/drama-room
2. Background material (for concept / ideas generation)
Screenplay Format
This is a standard screenplay layout with each scene starting with a slug line (location and time of day) which then can be followed by some scene directions and then Dialogue with the characters cue above it. Every scene starts with a slug line and each scene isn't stuck to having just one slug line as it depends on what is being shown. Some scripts will have actor directions but its normal for these to be very minimal as an actor should know what their character is like.
Inspiration for narratives and story's can come from many different examples below our a few examples of the most common ways story's our made.
The King's Speech (2010)- real story - Budget 15million dollars , Box office takings - $414,242,458
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1504320/
The King's Speech was based on the real life story that came about around 1925 and was about George VI and his stammer. Taking experiences and things that have happened in real life can help and spring board ideas for a screenplay.
Deadpool - comic book - Budget, 58 million USD - Box office takings 783.1 million USD
When having a reference from a book, it sometimes makes it easier to plot the different story points but can also make it hard because you want to stay true to the book but sometimes for films budget reasons they can't.This could have been an avenue that I could have taken in adapting a book but sometimes it makes it harder to get the correct rights for characters and well for superhero films they are often made by the people that make the comic books. In the actual deadpool movie the only massive difference to the comics is vanessa who doesn't portray the powers that she has in the comics.
An imagination movie
Toy Story is a pixar film that didn't originally come from anywhere else with only details being taken from real life, it was also groundbreaking as it was the first feature length computer animated film.Toy Story's story was made just for the film and this was finished before any animation had started.
Films that are future telling (scifi)
The crazies is a film about a chemical weapon that has landed in the wrong place and has infected the water supply that starts making everyone go crazy. I talk in more detail in a post that I did about the crazies on my blog - https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7426523929368221263#editor/target=post;postID=2246740094371286821;onPublishedMenu=allposts;onClosedMenu=allposts;postNum=1;src=postname
3. Research (for an idea, once conceived)
3 forms of primary research.
QuestionnaireOne to one conversation
Talking to groups about their thoughts and other ideas.
Test screening our often used in the Film industry as its a quick way of gaging how an audience feels about each bit of a film.
E.T for example changed the ending to please the people more.
https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/51-movies-and-how-they-were-affected-by-test-screenings/
Primary research I have conducted.
Thoughts on bucket lists and reasons why from a 17 year old and an 18 year old respectively.
3 forms of secondary research.
Articles - NewsInterviews - With people from specific issues
Video - Documentaries, how to's and visual information
Research that goes into making a war film such as '1917'
some links that talk about the film and some of its processes.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/true-history-behind-1917-movie-180973800/
https://variety.com/2020/film/news/sam-mendes-1917-world-war-i-hollywood-1203453950/
Secondary research is often also used to see how much other similar films in the same genre have made and they will look at the box office takings of each film they decide our similar in style to theres. Places that show box office takings our readily found online like box office mojo and imdb.
So on a film like '1917' they could have looked at a selction of simular movies and made an estimate of how much they would expect to earn.
Secondary research I looked into for my script idea.
Articles about Bucket lists.
https://www.oddee.com/item_99343.aspx
Interviews with journalists about journalism.
https://www.brightnetwork.co.uk/career-path-guides/journalism-publishing/first-steps-journalism/a-day-in-life-journalism/
Video about journalists job roles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eOynrI2eTM
4. Prepare material (for your own idea, once conceived)
Advantages and disadvantages of primary and secondary research.
Primary research
AdvantagesMore useful as it is completed by yourself.
based more on what you actually need the information for.
Disadvantages
Takes longer to complete as you have to do it all yourself.
Can be more expensive.
Secondary research
AdvantagesIs quicker and cheaper because it has already been completed.
Can be more extensive and thorough as others may have had more of a budget and time to get the information.
Disadvantages
You can never tell if it's real and not biased.
Won't necessarily relate the information that you need.
Useful information for my script.
I watched some films like 'our souls at night' and 'it's complicated' plus remembered things that I have seen in films before to help build up an ideas and concepts . I also used some first hand observations of the older people that I see regularly and the small things that they live for in life, for example one asked for a Mcdonalds because the other half was out and they loved it but he hated it, so it was only a real treat. I had also been talking to friends about ideas and one of them was coming up with bucket list for themselves and it made sense to try and incorporate it into an idea.Disregarding some of the information I found out.
Some of the concepts in some of the romcoms I watched have two people that have either divorced or our widows. I didn't want to take this route as often the previous love stories can be complicated to explain or not explained at all. I chose to still go the fact that a love bond is found but in a more of a first love route.My method of storing work.
I used Google Docs because it's easy to access from any device, which I then move it over onto my blog. I also have a USB that I store any photocopied or lose extra documents on.
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