My Month on Amazon Prime

Having accidentally signed up to a month-long free trial of Amazon Prime, I decided to make the most of it; not only catching up with music old (Bowie, Kraftwerk, Frank Zappa) and less old (Christine & The Queens, Richard Ashcroft, Laura Mvula, Chvrches, Royal Blood), but also checking out some recent films which I never got round to seeing in the cinema. These being:

• Paddington (Paul King) - very amusing, warm-hearted take on Michael Bond’s Peruvian bear with an emphasis on inclusiveness, and excellent performances, especially from Sally Hawkins as Mrs Brown

• The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) – visually impressive spin on Thurber (and Danny Kaye) but sloppily scripted and not as interesting as it should be

• Bill (Richard Bracewell) – the “Horrible Histories” version of Shakespeare’s life; reliably witty and irreverent

• It Follows (David Robert Mitchell) – much-praised indie-teen horror with an unsubtle STD/haunting metaphor, which is well executed but fails to stand up to logical scrutiny

• The Lego Movie (Phil Lord, Christopher Miller) – very clever tribute to the imaginativeness unleashed by the classic toy bricks, only slightly marred by sentimentality towards the end

• Veronica Mars (Rob Thomas) – a seamless adjunct to the TV series, with many of the cast returning, primarily Kirsten Bell, relishing a disappointingly rare juicy leading role

• Live, Die, Repeat aka Edge Of Tomorrow (Doug Liman) –  Groundhog Day meets Independence Day, with Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, and a largely British supporting cast; surprisingly funny, even if it does sink into hard-to-fathom sci-fi action visuals

• Begin Again (John Carney) – featuring the same plot as Carney’s other films, Once and Sing Street, in which a man finds joy in music thanks to a beautiful woman, but none the worse for that; with winning performances from Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo, it even manages to survive a prominent role for that bloke from Maroon 5

• Carol (Todd Haynes) – a beautiful if somewhat leisurely version of Patricia Highsmith’s lesbian-themed novel, with cleverly contrasting lead performances from ice-cold Cate Blanchett and naïve Rooney Mara, and the author’s cynical view of human nature dialled down a notch

• Mr Holmes (Bill Condon) – a twinkly Ian McKellen as the aged Sherlock Holmes haunted by an unsatisfactorily concluded case; focussing on the man more than the detective, it is more likeable than many reviews suggested

• A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night (Ana Lily Amirpour) – vaguely feminist-themed black and white tale of drugs and vampirism; moody and intentionally opaque

• Girlhood (Céline Sciamma) – a rare look at the lives of French African girl-gang-members; compelling and gritty, even if they do all look like supermodels

And

• The Tribe (Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi) – self-consciously stylised tale of teen crime, told in long takes, and entirely without dialogue, set as it is amongst students at a Ukrainian boarding-school for the deaf; very accomplished but extremely bleak

In addition to these, there were the exciting, exclusive “TV” series – a blank-faced Riley Keough transitioning into high-class prostitution in The Girlfriend Experience; season 1 of high-tech nerd-anarchism-and-paranoia drama Mr Robot; and most impressive of all, the first two seasons of Transparent, in which Jeffrey Tambor’s retired professor comes out as transsexual, and manages not to be the most confused or confusing member of his family.

Plus, I got a discount on a Kindle Fire tablet, which was also handy.

"Say It" / Moving Poems

"Say It", the short film I wrote for the It's My Shout scheme, kicked off the Made In Wales series this week on BBC2 Wales, and is currently available to view on the iPlayer. I rather enjoyed it - excellent work from all involved.

I've also got some work featured on Dave Bonta's fascinating Moving Poems website. Which is also lovely.

"It's My Shout" - the Premiere

Last night I attended the Gala screening of the 2013 crop of BBC Made In Wales films from the It’s My Shout scheme. Having submitted several scripts over the years, I was delighted when my screenplay for “Say It” was plucked from the sub’s bench, another piece apparently having been deemed unsuitable. The resultant film was shown, along with seven others, at a rather glitzy event at the Wales Millennium Centre; a real “premiere” atmosphere, and lots of entertainment in the foyer, provided by commendably enthusiastic young people from across Wales.

In the past, the quality of the films produced has varied somewhat, so I was pleased that my project, through the efforts of director Andrew Pring, and young actors Emily Burnett and Ross Langford, not to mention the crew (there’s also a cameo appearance from former footballer Nathan Blake) turned out very well. Not only that, but all eight films were excellent; even the ones which weren’t to my particular taste were very well executed. Which just goes to show what can be achieved on miniscule budgets, if casts and crews are sufficiently incentivised – in this case by professional mentorship, and guaranteed television exposure. My film even won an award, for best trainee location manager (Eleanor Shaw) - although I don’t suppose I can claim any credit for that.

The star guest was Rob Brydon, a former drama pupil of the scheme’s supremo, Roger Burnell. As well as making a typically amusing speech while accepting the Inspiration Award, he was hanging around in the V.I.P. bar beforehand, and at the after-party, held in the iconic St David’s Hotel. Sadly, I didn’t summon up the courage to chat to him, or even to our elected leader, Carwyn Jones, who was also in attendance. But I was able to catch up with some old friends, which was lovely.

The night before saw another British Theatre Guide reviewing assignment – “Sold”, from Theatre Versus Oppression at Chapter, an avowedly didactic piece about sex-trafficking and associated exploitation. There were some excellent performances, but it was, inevitably, a bit of a wallow in despair; although, obviously, one has to respect the courage of those on whose testimonies the piece is based.

 

It's My Shout

I spent a fascinating morning on the set of a short film I’ve written for the 2013 BBC Wales “Made In Wales” series, made under the auspices of It’s My Shout Ltd. Basically a training programme for young people who want to work in the creative industries, they put out an annual open call for scripts. I have submitted a youth-oriented idea most years, and this time round my screenplay made the cut (albeit at the expense of another piece which was apparently deemed to be inappropriate).

So, I found myself in a crowded pub in Porthcawl on a Thursday morning, watching a brief nightclub scene being shot; once more impressed by the labour-intensiveness of properly funded, fully manned TV/film production (as opposed to my adventures with camcorder and laptop). The evidence - a committed crew (comprising both seasoned professionals and enthusiastic trainees); an exciting young director; what appears to be (from what I could gather) good chemistry between the two leads - suggests that it might all work out (results having been somewhat patchy in the past). Prior to broadcast on BBC Wales, all the films will be premiered in October at the Wales Millennium Centre - should be a jolly night out.

Writers' Guild - Screenwriting Event in Cardiff

Personal notes on

Writers Guild of Great Britain Welsh Committee Screenwriting Event
Chapter, Cardiff, 13^th June 2013

Supported by The Writers’ Foundation (UK); organised by Anna-Lisa Jenaer; introduced by W.G.G.B. Welsh committee chair Manon Eames.

Excellent attendance – a 50-capacity sellout. Guild members outnumbered by prospective members; important, since this is, in part, a recruitment event.

 

Afternoon session – Writers:

Rob Gittins (“East Enders”, “Casualty”, etc): Outlined his start via the open door of BBC radio drama; a play of his was heard by Tony Holland, who invited him to join the first writing team for “East Enders”. Discussed the mechanics of writing for EE; also pointed out that he has been fired twice - writers fall in and out of favour. Enjoys shows (e.g. “Casualty”, “The Bill”), where the freedom to input one’s own stories is combined with the challenge of connecting with long-term storylines. Most frustrating experience: “Eldorado”.

James Moran (“Severance”, “Cockneys Vs Zombies”, “Doctor Who” etc): Started out writing short stories; inspired to turn to screenplays by the illustrated screenplay book of Terry Gilliam’s “Time Bandits”. Won a short screenplay competition run by the Sci-Fi Channel (one of the judges being Gilliam). The resulting film helped him to get an agent, and meetings with production companies. His screenplay for “Severance” began as a successful 2-line pitch. Describes the rewriting of “Severance” as “my year of film school”. Discussed his cherished “conviction” script which may never get produced, but gets him meetings. Wrote web series “Girl Number 9” (http://www.canyousaveher.com): “if it’s good, it will get found”. Most negative experience – extremely adverse internet reaction to his killing off a character in “Torchwood.”

Debbie Moon (“Wolfblood”): Started writing while an aspiring theatre director at university, needing to adapt extant texts. Has written many short stories in various genres (“a short story is like the first act of a film”), as well as a novel which was long-listed for Welsh Book Of The Year. “Wolfblood” submitted for a CBBC open call; her first project for children; a two-year development process. Focussing on “superpowers” rather than gore – more “X-Men” than “American Werewolf In London”. A co-production with Germany’s ZDF – a positive experience. Series has just been sold to the Disney Channel. “Write what the child in you would like to watch”.

 

Evening session – Producers:

Philip Trethowan (Touchpaper Wales: “Being Human”, “Switch”). Degree in English, M.A. in Theatre Studies, graduate trainee at Carlton TV.  Became script editor of “Big Bad World”. Well-worn path from script editor to producer. Outlined development of “Being Human” from naturalistic “house-sharing friends with issues” drama to supernatural, via creator Toby Whithouse’s unrelated “werewolf” script. Benefitted from success of "Doctor Who". Relished “Being Human” cast changes, as a chance to prove that the series was bigger than its actors. Series cancellation decided before final series was written, giving them a chance to end it properly. Independent company – acts as buffer between writer and broadcaster. Touchpaper also runs “Coming Up” for Channel 4 – open entry for writers and directors. BBC3 – producers left to own devices, but little money. ITV – looking for shows which appeal to its “heartland” working-class audience.

Nikki Wilson: (BBC – “Casualty”). Did Media degree, became script editor for Lynda La Plante. Later, storyliner for series such as “The Bill” and “Family Affairs”; producer of “New Street Law”, then “The Sarah Jane Adventures”. Outlined mechanics of writing for “Casualty” – long-term arcs decided by producers, script editors, core writing team; other writers bring in “guest” stories; there is flexibility, but stories need to be conveyed via the regular cast. Writers introduced via agents, the now-defunct Writers Academy, shadow scheme. Challenge for writers – getting into the heads of established characters. Development of “urban riot” storyline in “Casualty” preceded real-life riots, which then informed the scripts. Repetition of stories in long-running series is inevitable. Her most enjoyable experience – “The Sarah Jane Adventures”.

Panel discussion. Subjects brought up included the fact that audiences are less aware of TV channel identity/demographics than the channels themselves; the success of daytime drama e.g. “The Indian Doctor”; how directors are found; coping with being “sacked” as a writer (have other projects on the go); the need for more female characters in drama who about subjects other than romance; the importance of feeling part of a community of writers (especially via the Internet); writers’ block (sometimes ideas just aren’t ready to be written; a blind alley in one script might be the solution to a problem in another).

Afterwards: networking and sandwiches.