So having been in a bad mood all day, it hit me tonight why. We spent most of the afternoon dealing with writing the death scene for a major and much loved character in ‘Rocketboy’, and then discussing how best we can inflict huge amount of angst, grief and pain on our hero. We literally […]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig0815OI9Lg Last night I caught Tarantino’s ‘Inglorious Basterds’ on TV, the second time I have seen it. Whatever you think of Tarantino as a filmmaker and screenwriter, there is no denying he is a master of the individual dramatic ‘set piece’ – a single scene that in of its self-contained-self, is absolutely electrifying. Like Hitchcock, […]
It isn’t grit or physical prowess that gives the feminine her heroic stature; it is her courageous ability to descend into the dark, forbidding places that lie within each of us in order to retrieve our essence. Strong stories aren’t masculine or feminine, they are a balance of both and understanding how to engage the […]
Guest Blog By Yvonne Grace 1. Believing you, the writer, are bigger than the sum of the show’s parts. If you are part of a writing team on a series or serial, you are an essential, but expendable element of the scripting process. The script is essential but the writer of that script is not. […]
One of the most powerful lessons I ever learned was that when someone doesn’t get what I am communicating, it’s not their fault, it’s mine. 100% my fault, and 100% of the time. I get it, when someone doesn’t understand what you are saying it’s REALLY frustrating and annoying. But it’s still your fault. This […]
Having read literally hundreds and hundreds of short scripts over last few weeks as part of 50 Kisses, a piece of advice I was given many years ago is echoing through my mind. ‘You need to put your characters through more pain…’ This advice was given to me after a close and learned friend had […]
After doing a long overdue spring clean of the LSF Delegate network, I came across a thread from David Wigram about the Raiders Of The Lost Ark story conference between Spielberg, Lucas and writer Kasdan. That REALLY happened! There was a link to this PDF – HERE – which frankly is a goldmine for filmmakers […]
A couple of years ago I was involved in Stuart Hazeldine’s cracking high concept Brit thriller ‘EXAM’. At the time we held a Script To Screen event, and we filmed it. So here’s your chance to read the script and watch the interview, and hopefully rent the movie or buy the BluRay. Here is the […]
Transplant Log Line: In the near-future and using illegal cloning technology, a cardio vascular surgeon sacrifices first her ethics, then everything that is dear to her, to ensure her desperately ill son lives. I have just completed our application for the iFeatures initiative and submitted the treatment for Transplant. Above is a short teaser from […]
If you read my blog you will know that I am all about encouraging action, and action RIGHT NOW. As I run the London Screenwriters’ Festival I am constantly being asked by screenwriters if I know any producers who would make their script into a movie – and while do know many producers, I also […]
News that Aaron Sorkin is back in the saddle (The Newsroom ,this summer – trailer above) did give me a little bit of a heart flutter because for me at least, the best writing in drama is now in TV. I suspect this is largely down to the fact that long form TV drama can […]
‘A good kick in the conventions…!’ Pete Dodd, Director This weekend we ran the 2 day 21st Century Screenwriter Masterclass with Linda Aronson. Nearly 200 screenwriters and filmmakers crammed into Tuke Hall at Regents College to listen in awe at an extraordinarily detailed seminar on contemporary screenwriting. The delegates said it best… ‘What worked 50 […]
https://vimeo.com/31804243 This weekend I am hosting a two day advanced screenwriters masterclass with Linda Aronson, The 21st Century Screenwriter. I am particularly excited about this as Linda was our top speaker at this years festival, and for once, I can actually sit in the audience and get all the good stuff that everyone else is […]
Screenwriters Slogans For The Wall… by Alexander MacKendrick © The Estate of Alexander Mackendrick www.alexandermackendrick.com At the London Screenwriters’ Festival, Paul Cronin delivered a terrific session on Alexander Mackendrick and the preverbal language of cinema. Paul also sent me some scans (above) of the aphorisms Mackendrick had stuck to his wall when he taught […]
Three years ago Rob Thorogood had spent a decade writing scripts, sold one spec that went no-where and had one radio play commissioned. He was at the edge of sanity. His relationship with his wife and kids was strained. What else could he do? And that’s when he made a choice. To find someone who […]
On Film-making: An Introduction to the Craft of the Director by Alexander Mackendrick, edited by Paul Cronin, is an extraordinary collection of notes and essays from film maker, writer and film teacher, Alexander Mackendrick. Responsible for three of Ealing Studios’ most loved films, Whisky Galore!, The Man In The White Suit and The Ladykillers, Mackendrick […]
The script leg of the ‘Four Nights In August’ competition closed last week and now we have a winner. Stop the press! WE HAVE TWO WINNERS! Yes we had a tie, so we decided to split the award. First, and in no particular order, is ‘Everything You Need’ by David Turner. And sharing that top […]
In the run up to the London Screenwriters Festival, networking becomes VITAL… and in an event where you could potentially meet 500 new contacts and partners, keeping tack is essential. With three weeks to go I am suggesting to all our delegates that they do two things. 1. Make a business card and get it […]
Highest rated speaker at the 2010 London Screenwriters Festival, Linda Aronson, is coming to town to run her landmark two day workshop on Advanced Screenwriting and Parallel story telling. When: November 12th and 13th How Much: £119 – discounted for blog readers to £65 (use code CHRISJONES) FIRST 50 TICKETS ONLY Where: Regents Park http://www.21stcenturyscreenwriter.com/ […]
Watch the short film and read the feature script now… (plus get access to extra drafts and production paperwork like schedule and breakdowns) Then on Saturday June 18th, at the Apollo Cinema, watch the movie (on the weekend of its 200 screen release), followed by a 2 hour seminar with Writer/Director Jonathan Newman. Finally, […]
(NOTE – PLEASE SWITCH TO 720P TO WATCH IN HD) Writing a short script is much harder than it sounds. Those of us who have done it can attest to this. And so I thought I would share a podcast interview with writer and producer Stephen Follows, about his script for ‘Sign Language’ which won […]
At the London Screenwriters Festival we ran a session called ‘Should You Produce?’ Then concept was simple. If you are a director, writer or actor etc… why wait for the big break? Create the big break by producing a film yourself. Lucy V Hay, who we all know, also works tirelessly for the festival, but […]
In this half hour interview, screenwriting guru Linda Aronson talks about new models and tools that can be used by 21st Century Screeenwriters. The conversation was particularly inspirational for me as it dealt with some problems I always came up against when using the three act structure or Heros Journey models (there is also an […]
So much has been blogged, ranted and hyperbole-ed over the past week or so after Amazon announced its big new idea, Amazon Studios. Many eloquent people, not least John August, have added to the debate, so I will try to avoid what has been said before. And I will keep it short too as we […]
Tweet On Sunday night, 8pm UK time, I am going to be a guest on ScriptChat, the online Twitter chat for screenwriters – and anyone with a Twitter account can get involved. The way it works is very simple. You can use your normal Twitter client, like Tweet Deck, or you can surf into the […]
