IMPORTANT: "SCREENWRITING GOLDMINE" SPAM?

A reader of this newsletter has written to me asking if all the articles about making money that he had recently started receiving were anything to do with the fact that he had signed up to my newsletter. This alarmed me - I have never, EVER, sent out such an email, nor have I passed anyone's email address on to anyone else. May I ask - have YOU been getting such emails that appear to come from Screenwriting Goldmine? If so please will you forward me one or more of the offending emails to info@screenwritinggoldmine.com - if this is really happening I need to see what I can do to get it sorted out. *** In This Newsletter: - WGAE support for television writing - BBC announce plans for its Shakespeare archive - A potential problem over children's TV writers' fees - Writer nominations for the WGGB awards - An interview with Paul Ashton of Creative England - The London Film Festival seminars - The BFI Player video-on-demand service launched and its funding to develop new filmmaker talent - Galway Film Centre hosting television drama seminar - Pitch your soap idea for Irish television - NFTS 'write a pilot' course to have Michael Grade as guest speaker - How To Write (And Sell!) A Great Screenplay - Scripts Wanted *** Hi there, I'm trying a new approach to my newsletters by pulling in some favours and getting a guest writer involved to help me introduce an industry-focused newsletter which will go out fortnightly (or every couple of weeks for US readers). Don't worry - I will still be sending out my thoughts on how to practise as a writer, as well as those InkTip script opportunities,

but I do believe an awareness of what's going on in the industry is as useful as good writing. (Possibly more so sometimes!) As my expertise is in British television, you might find that the news items veer towards that particular sector. That doesn't mean I won't be mentioning Hollywood or the movies, or other parts of the globe, but there are a lot of exciting opportunities in television right now. THE CASE FOR TELEVISION WRITING If you think I may be biased, being a British TV writer, I should point out that the Writer's Guild of America East's members see writing for TV in increasingly glowing terms. A survey http://www.wgaeast.org/fileadmin/user_upload/_temp_/freelance_survey_release_sept_25_FINA L.pdf of its film, television and digital media members asked for their opinions about the state of the entertainment industry. "Members view television as a more writer-driven medium than feature film, and a growing slate of compelling, creatively satisfying shows is being produced for the small screen," says the WGAE. "Although more than half of the respondents said they wrote feature films in the last five years, nearly 90% said they intend to seek Guild-covered work in television in the next year. "In other words, screenwriters plan to explore opportunities in TV." Of course, WGAE has done this to draw attention to the range of support and representation it can offer writers, but it is worth noting the interest that television writing is generating. A couple of comments from survey respondents are worth noting too: "What I've learned the last few years is that I have to be open to more kinds of work - feature, TV, cable, etc - and then work much harder to get the job." and "The movie end of the entertainment industry no longer wants to make dramas - i.e., movies about human beings." With the emergence of great television drama series which are

attracting A list movie actors, and with bigger budgets brought about by international co-productions, it's very clear that television is no longer any kind of poor relation. GET READY FOR THAT WILL BLOKE The BBC's new(-ish) director general Tony Hall made his first major speech this week since being appointed in April. As 2016 will be the 400th anniversary of William Shakespeare's death Mr Hall announced that "the BBC will fully digitise its Shakespeare archive, making it available for free to those in education and learning in the UK where rights allow." "We'll find the gems in our archive: our extensive television and radio collection of Shakespeare's plays and poems, programmes about Shakespeare, as well as scripts, stills and production notes. We will aim to make these available to schools across the country. Where rights allow or through BBC Store, we will make them available more widely still." It should turn out to be a fantastic treasure trove of an archive. YOU'VE HAD THE GOOD NEWS Now for the bad. The budget for BBC children's programming is being reduced in real terms by 10% to 91 million. "This will result in CBeebies and CBBC commissioning fewer original shows in the next two years." This is in line with public service broadcasting generally which has seen significantly less money spent on children's programming compared to 2006. Take heart though: while there has been a fall in entertainment commissions and a slight drop in factual output, "drama remains stable". The Writers' Guild of Great Britain http://www.writersguild.org.uk/news-a-features/tv/434-bbc-threatens-kids-writers-as-trust-getsconfused.html has also got a bit of a battle on its hands at the moment. It is fighting the BBC proposals "that would cut many children's writers' upfront pay by 20%." The pay issue stems from when the BBC decided to move all its children's content of the mainstream BBC1 and BBC2 to the daytime CBeebies and CBBC channels.

"Until now writers of drama and scripted comedy shows for children (over 15 minutes) have been paid their fee plus a subsequent use advance of 100%, recognising that most such programmes would be broadcast on both the network and the specialist channels. This is in line with the principle that 'primary' channels pay the advance while 'secondary' channels don't," says the WGGB. "Although CBeebies and CBBC are now the BBC's only television services for children, the corporation still regards them as 'secondary' and wants to cut the advance from 100% to 60% equivalent to a cut of 20% in the upfront payment. "To sweeten the pill, the BBC has offered to keep the advance at 100% for current writers for three years - at which point the cut would be imposed. New writers would go straight on to the 60% advance." TIME FOR SOME WRITERS Enough of the gloom, congratulations are in order for a whole raft of writers nominated for the WGGB Awards for 2013. We ought to mention that Chris Chibnall who created 'Broadchurch' is up against Peter Moffat ('Silk', and 'The Village') for best TV drama series. Chris was the guest speaker at the most recent Two Phils weekend seminar http://thetwophils.co.uk/. Not blowing my own trumpet, but I lost out on the Medical Journalists Association's award for best medical drama/comedy script to one of the nominees in the WGGB TVComedy category 'Getting On' by Jo Brand, Vicki Pepperdine and Joanna Scanlan. And in my new day job as script editor for 'The Dumping Ground', it is gratifying to see that two of its writers - Elly Brewer and Emma Reeves are nominated in the children's TV category. Very well done both of you! The full list of nominees can be found here http://www.writersguild.org.uk/news-a-features/general/437-writers-guild-awards-2013shortlists.html and the winners will be announced on November 13. ANOTHER FRIEND OF THIS SITE Paul Ashton is the former developer producer role at BBC Writersroom who has since joined Creative England as Senior Film

Executive - Talent Development. He has also written a book, 'The Calling Card Script' which might be of interest. Interviewed by Richard Bevan on the WGGB site http://www.writersguild.org.uk/news-a-features/tv/433-an-interview-with-paul-ashton.html Paul says that the book takes in theatre radio, television and film as he has worked in all these areas. A key message for writers is that you should not close off opportunities, with some of the best moving between the different mediums, forms and formats. He also describes the "curious twilight" world that writers live in: "It's this strange combination of extreme loneliness with what might go onto being extremely collaborative. In the writing process you lock yourself away and the feelings, what you experience can be 'I undergo severe self loathing, I get lonely and I don't know what's going on!' And that's what being a writer can feel like." The interview includes his thoughts on the biggest difficulties that aspiring writers have to overcome, what 'story' is and isn't, and what makes a great writer. THE LONDON FILM FESTIVAL IS UPON US While most people regard a film festival as an opportunity to see lots of different films, festivals are also worth attending for the talks and workshops. They are an opportunity to get your foot in the door, and build those all-important contacts. The 57th BFI London Film Festival http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-press-release-london-film-festivalindustry-programme-2013-10-04.pdf is a case in point with some sessions that might be worth seeing if you can blag your way into. Attending may help inform what you write and how you write. Sessions include a look at where the BFI sees international opportunities, another is on developing projects for an international markets with a panel of European producers (Monday 14 October). A session on Friday 18 October at 6pm at BAFTA will look at how Kickstarter has made a huge impact on funding models for film. BFI LAUNCHING ITS VIDEO ON DEMAND SERVICE

The BFI London Film Festival is also being marked by the launch of the BFI Player. This offers a mix of seven new channels "including scenes at the Festival, contemporary and archive films - including GOTHIC and Cult cinema - and, for the first time ever, the full 28 hours of rare Edwardian film footage from filmmakers Mitchell and Kenyon." For more information about the BFI Player http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-press-release-bfi-player-new-deal-foruk-film-audiences-industry-2013-10-02-v2.pdf. And note that around 60% of the content is free to access. The BFI has also announced that it is pledging 3 million each year to develop new UK filmmakers through its BFI NetWork. It is partnering Creative England, Creative Scotland, Film Agency for Wales and Northern Ireland Screen "to establish a joined-up network of experienced development teams across the UK. These organisations, with additional support and financial backing from the BFI Film Fund, will work to discover and develop the UK's most distinctive filmmaking voices, enabling them to realise their potential and ultimately prepare them for their first feature film." It will "nurture writers, directors and producers" who have yet to have a feature film produced and/or released. For more information: http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/downloads/bfi-network-boosts-support-talentdevelopment-across-uk-2013-09-20.pdf If you have a movie you want to make this all sounds well worth an investigation to me. THE GALWAY FILM CENTRE HOSTING SEMINAR ON TV WRITING Galway Film Centre is hosting a 'Talking TV Drama' seminar on October 17-18 and has added two more names to its line up of industry experts. Bryan Elsle is the co-creator of 'Skins' and 'Dates', and also worked on the 1996 adaptation of Ian Banks 'The Crow Road'. He will be joined by Tom Bidwell, the showrunner of E4's 'My Mad Fat Diary', and whose short film 'Wish 143' was Oscar-nominated in 2011. There is an interview http://www.iftn.ie/news/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4286471&tpl=archnews&force=1 with Tom, covering how he got started in the industry, working on continuing dramas (ie soaps), his views on collaborative writing and how difficult subjects can be tackled for a younger audience.

For more information, follow the links: http://www.iftn.ie/news/?act1=record&only=1&aid=73&rid=4286482&tpl=archnews&force=1 HAVE YOU AN IDEA FOR A SOAP? An opportunity like this does not come along too often, so if you have an idea for a continuing drama you might just pounce upon this. Irish television network TV3 is inviting proposals http://www.tv3.ie/careers.php?position=206 for a serial soap drama that could start airing two nights a week in 2015. "The soap should explore the lives, dreams and hopes of its characters through relationships, conflict, family, human drama, comedy, suspense and romance," says TV3. "At present we are reviewing our research into the setting of the soap. Areas of interest include community, medical, Garda-based, or any precinct-type location." As a writer you will have to submit your idea through a production company as TV3 says: "In your proposal, please outline how this changes the creative demands of the production through budget, cast, pacing, structure and character as well as audience appreciation." And you need to act fast as submissions need to be in by October 21. HOW ABOUT AN IDEA FOR A SERIES PILOT? Back in the UK, the National Film and Television School is holding a short course 'Writing the Pilot' http://nftsfilm-tv.ac.uk/news/michael-grade-give-1-1-script-advice on November 14-15. What makes this course stand out is that Michael Grade "one of the most distinguished people in show-business" and a former BBC chairman and executive chairman of ITV will be speaking. The NFTS says: "Driven by the BBC, ITV1 and Channel 4 drama commissioners' appetite for NEW drama series that can match the success 'Box Set' TV Drama such as 'The Wire', 'Mad Men', 'Downton Abbey' and 'The Killing', this course will offer writers and creative producers the chance to plan and write a 50-minute pilot

episode of an original drama series over an intensive two-week period." Course content will include idea generation, drama development, the opening scene, dialogue, future episodes, treatments, and pitching a pilot. Applications for the course need to be made by October 18. HOW TO WRITE (AND SELL!) A GREAT SCREENPLAY The London Screenwriters Festival has sold out! That's going to be an amazing event, and all power to Chris Jones and the team for making it just so successful. If you were going to buy a ticket and never quite got round to it, you might want to consider an event at the opposite end of the spectrum - a small but perfectly formed Two Phils workshop focusing on screenwriting and career building. It's in London in the middle of November - and please note, the demands my new role as Series Script Editor on 'The Dumping Ground' mean that once the current lot are gone, it is VERY unlikely we'll be running any other workshops till mid March. You can find out more details and book your seat here http://thetwophils.co.uk/ Or read comments on the last workshop from those who attended here http://thetwophils.co.uk/testimonials/ SCRIPTS WANTED And finally, here is a bumper crop of your scripts wanted job leads from InkTip. As before, it's free to apply for these jobs, just click through and follow the instructions on the web page. I'm just an intermediary for these listings, so if you have any questions on the jobs listed below please send any questions to jerrol@inktip.com ---------------------------------------------------------AKA ES Films - Seeking Nikola Tesla Scripts ---------------------------------------------------------We are looking for completed, feature-length biographical scripts about Nikola Tesla. Budget has yet to be determined. WGA and non-WGA writers may

submit. Please note that in order to protect this company from unsolicited calls and emails, and because this lead is exclusive to InkTip subscribers, we're keeping their name anonymous. To submit to this lead, please go to: http://www.inktippro.com/leads/ Enter your email address. Copy/Paste this code: gatfskx3j8 NOTE: Please only submit your work if it fits what the lead is looking for exactly. If you aren't sure if your script fits, please ask InkTip first. ---------------------------------------------------------Mpower Pictures - Seeking Action/Adventure Scripts ---------------------------------------------------------We are looking for completed feature-length action/adventure scripts. High-concepts preferred. Submissions must be from a produced writer or contest winner. When pitching, please provide your IMDb link or a list of contest wins in the resume space. Budget will range from $5-30 million. WGA and Non-WGA writers may submit. Our credits include "Bella" "The Stoning of Soraya M." and "Machine Gun Preacher" among others. To submit to this lead, please go to: http://www.inktippro.com/leads/ Enter your email address. Copy/Paste this code: 25qgxbkkh4 NOTE: Please only submit your work if it fits what the lead is looking for exactly. If you aren't sure if your script fits, please ask InkTip first. ---------------------------------------------------------Mpower Pictures - Seeking Drama Scripts ----------------------------------------------------------

We are looking for completed feature-length drama scripts. Submissions must be from a produced writer or contest winner. When pitching, please provide your IMDb link or a list of contest wins in the resume space. Budget will range from $5-30 million. WGA and Non-WGA writers may submit. Our credits include "Bella," "The Stoning of Soraya M.," and "Machine Gun Preacher" among others. To submit to this lead, please go to: http://www.inktippro.com/leads/ Enter your email address. Copy/Paste this code: q476us5rg2 NOTE: Please only submit your work if it fits what the lead is looking for exactly. If you aren't sure if your script fits, please ask InkTip first. -----------------------------------------------------------------Dear Skyyler Productions - Human Trafficking Scripts -----------------------------------------------------------------We are looking for completed, feature-length scripts that deal with the issue of human trafficking, something in the style of "Hard Candy," but set against the topic of human trafficking, something with minimal locations, can be shot on a moderate budget. It could be in the horror, thriller and/or drama genres. It should not be expansive and international, but small and contained. It must also star a sexy 20-something female lead, who could be a victim of human trafficking or relation/friend of a victim. Budget will not exceed $1million. WGA and non-WGA writers may submit. Our credits include "Night Aboard the Salem," among others. To submit to this lead, please go to: http://www.inktippro.com/leads/ Enter your email address.

Copy/Paste this code: mg82zk29x1 NOTE: Please only submit your work if it fits what the lead is looking for exactly. If you aren't sure if your script fits, please ask InkTip first. -----------------------------------------------------------------Foremost Films - Seeking 2013 Nicholl Fellowship Finalists -----------------------------------------------------------------Literary manager Jeff Belkin of Zero Gravity Management is interested in hearing from all writers who are currently entered in this year's Nicholl's Fellowship Contest 2013 (and only 2013). Genres don't matter. He's looking for those writers who made it into this year's quarterfinals or higher and are looking for a literary manager (those already with agents or attorneys are also welcome). Please only submit the title, logline, and a little bit about yourself. Jeffrey Belkin has worked in the industry for well over a decade as a senior script analyst, consultant, contest judge, director of development, and lit rep for studios, agencies as well as A-list talent. Having worked as a lit manager for Mad Hatter Films and helped develop 'Gran Torino' for Double Nickel Entertainment, he recently left his own company (Foremost Films) to join Zero Gravity as a manager/producer. Jeff has signed numerous writers from InkTip and all of the top competitions. In 2005, he discovered Nicholl's entrant Jeff Dean -whose spec was optioned by New Regency. Presently, Jeff has dozens of client projects with top production co's attached/packaging them. To submit to this lead, please go to: http://www.inktippro.com/leads/ Enter your email address. Copy/Paste this code: 1g7z90866n NOTE: Please only submit your work if it fits what the lead is looking for exactly. If you aren't sure if your script fits, please ask InkTip first. And that's it.

To your writing! Phil The Screenwriting Goldmine Shop. Everything you need to get from blank page to selling your script! http://www.screenwritinggoldmine.com/shop Tradejammer Ltd Registered in England and Wales No. 5825205 Registered Office: 63 Lansdowne Place, Hove, E. Sussex, BN3 1FL