reflections on 2009

Back in January I posted my goals for my first year in London. Not everything has gone to plan. It’s been a rough year to be honest. Money has been tight. Being a new face in a competitive industry during a recession has been tough. And just getting use to Jolly Old Londontown has been a struggle at times.

Would I have changed my decision to come to the UK? Not at all. Would I do things differently? Definitely! Can I do anything about that now? Not really. And upon reflection, do I really have that much to complain about though? No, not really.

I’m now working (part-time but at least not being exploited), living in a lovely little flat (by London standards) and looking forward to my first UK Christmas (with the promise of snow … maybe).

So, how did I go with my goals with year? Let’s see …

personal

find a borough and a flat in the UK I can call home

I’m still living in Euston above the tube lines (that rocks me to sleep every night and wakes me every morning) but have to say I love being so close to Bloomsbury and Soho. we are going to move eventually, there is only so long that we can live in a studio but for now it suits us. We could end up in Brixton, which looks affordable with a vibrant young up-and-coming community feel to it or maybe somewhere South West, but that just seems so cliché seeing as that’s where most Aussies seem to end up congregating when they move to London.

maintain a blog for the entire year

Check.

make London friends

I have, slowly. I can count friends of friends, a few ex-work colleagues and some fellow expats that I knew from years ago among my new London friends. So I’m getting there and certainly not a noddy-no-friends but submissions are still open for 2010, anyone … anyone …

stay in contact with Australian friends and family every month

This has been very important to me and thanks to Skype, Facebook, Twitter and good old fashion email I’ve managed to stay connected to those nearest and dearest to me on the other side of the globe. But come 2010 I know I have to make more of an effort to form connections here as I continue to carve out a life for myself.

keep up exercise three times a week

Now I’m not bragging but living a minimal life this year has meant that I’m in the best shape I’ve been in for years, thanks to the gym (my one big indulgence for 2009), a brutal weekly yoga class and clean living with very little excess (who can afford it!).

take better photos

I hope I have. You tell me.

cook more (does not include heating, frying or zapping)

We are blessed with a decent gas oven/hot plate cooker and don’t have a microwave so there has been no other option but to cook. And you know what, I’ve really been enjoying it. I bake a mean breakfast loaf and have been doing some tasty slow cooked meals in a ceramic hot pot that TJ got as a parting gift from her last job. Next year I hope to experiment more with England’s weird and wonderful array of root vegetables.

travel

Being financially challenged has meant that I haven’t travelled as much as I would have liked this year. But I have been to Geneva in Switzerland, Lake Stresa and Milan in Italy as well as Bristol and Brighton in the UK. Next week I’m off to Dorset for the day (to visit my Great Uncle Bill), which should be a real treat. Next year we plan to do more day or weekend trips around the UK and more travel to Europe hopefully – with it so close it would be a sin not to.

professional

Ugh, these are the tough ones …

land an opportunity in the UK that I couldn’t get in Australia

I’m not sure I can say that I have yet. There are certainly more opportunities in television and scriptwriting here in London but have I “landed” any yet? Not really. I’ve applied for a range of schemes and jobs that I wouldn’t necessarily have access to back in Australia and have also joined two writers groups so let’s call it a work in progress. Check in with me by the end of 2010 and hopefully I’ll have more to report on this front.

secure a screenwriting agent in the UK

Yeah … not so much. While important to my ongoing career I realise now that the most important thing is just to focus on producing good work and the rest will follow. My writing has gone through a lot of growth this year, which has included a lot of awkward and just plain ugly growing pains. But I can honestly say that I have produced some work this year that I am very proud of.

complete three original works

This is a box I can definitely tick. I completed a couple of sketches (let’s call that one) plus two multi-episode web series. All of these fell into place in the second half of the year after I just let go and started writing what entertained and interested me. During the first half of the year I produced some work that I wasn’t so proud of, especially seeing as they were the examples I used for several writing schemes, such as the BBC Writers Academy and Channel 4’s Coming Up programme. I hit some real stumbling blocks, let the pressure get to me, double guessed myself and just wrote some God awful stuff to be honest. I’ve been able to move past this now and reflecting back on this work I can see where I went wrong and how to rescue some of it when I comes to rewriting it.

practice pitching

I’ve done more than practice, I’ve actually gone out and pitched this year. I’m quite happy with what I’ve put together and presented in the second half of this year. It’s now a matter of waiting until the new year to see if anyone bites.

network

Where possible I’ve tried to get out and about to meet people and do the whole “networking” thing. My biggest success to date has been joining two writers groups. The London Comedy Writers and Script Tank have given me structure, a community to feel a part of and most importantly the opportunity to share my work with other like-minded peers. It has been something I have always craved and can say without a doubt it has been one of my biggest achievement this year.

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Well, that’s it.

Thanks to everyone for following the blog this year. I look forward to regaling you all with more tales in 2010.

I hope you stay safe and have a happy festive season and wish you nothing but the best for 2010.

Come January 2010 I’ll publish my goals for the year and start the whole process again.

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quick update … planet strange & couple comedy web series

Last week a slot opened up at Script Tank so I quickly whipped a couple of pieces into shape to be read. One was Planet Strange, which I had to finish writing and the other was a re-write of of my couples based web series.

Thanks to my mate Lawrence, who helped me to assemble a great group of actors, it turned out to be a great night with lots of feedback and constructive criticism that I could use.

As it’s only a first draft, Planet Strange got a great deal of constructive feedback (which I expected). To be honest I don’t mind at all. It helps to confirm what is working and what isn’t and what are the stand out elements that people really love. the read has given me confirmation on what to build on and how to tackle my next re-write.

The 2nd draft of the pilot episode for my couples comedy web series got a great response. I worked hard on this re-draft since my first read of this piece at the London Comedy Writers group and it paid off. I still need a final beat for the ending but the response was very strong – two of my favourites being “These are characters I’d like to visit again” and “smart, sexy and funny.”

I’m now busy taking a step back and formulating clear pitches for the projects I’m working on, not just for myself but also to take out and pitch to others. Things are good.

the wisdom of crowds

As the wisdom of crowds theory goes when a group focuses their efforts collectively they will nine times out of ten reach a “better” solution than if they were working alone.

When applied to writers groups where the focus is on critical feedback I can definitely say that this philosophy has worked for me.

I’ve been attending the London Comedy Writers group and Script Tank for a while now. Not only has it got me out of the house (a boon for any writer!) but it’s also where I’ve found my crowd.

Just recently I had a couple of my sketches, House Cat and The End is Nigh, read at Script Tank. They were re-writes from the last time I had them read at the London Comedy Writers group that I wanted to test out.

The reading allowed me to hear where both sketches were still slipping off track but it was the critique afterwards that proved most constructive.

The group very quickly honed in on what worked or what didn’t. This type of consensus can be harsh at times but it’s invaluable so you quickly learn to just shut up and listen and be open to what the group have to say.

Up until this point everything the group said confirmed what I was already suspected. But then I got a comment out of the blue that suddenly brought one of my sketches into sharp focus.

Someone proposed a seemingly random, even small, idea that gave me a real “ah ha” moment that I’d been looking for. Within that one idea I suddenly had the answer to a problem that had been niggling me since day dot – delivered to me by the wisdom of my crowd and I couldn’t be more thankful.

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first reading of comedy web series

Last night I had the first draft of the first ep of my comedy web series read at the London Comedy Writers group.

Before I get into that though I have to let you know that as I am writing this I’m seated at the British Library (free wi-fi) jammed between two people talking incessantly on Skype, so if I suddenly drop in the odd bit of Spanish or corporate jargon don’t worry, I haven’t suddenly developed turrets it’s just one of the many occupational hazards of writing in public spaces.

Anyhoo, back to the sketch … well to start off with I’m happy to say I avoided the “up til 3am re-writing” hell that I’ve managed to fall into before. I came close but saw the writing on the wall and stepped away ASAP. Previously I endlessly re-wrote a piece to the point that it just screamed to be put out of its misery. This time a brisk walk, a bit of house cleaning and visit to the gym helped to clear the cobwebs and got me back on track – gracias a Dios.

That said, I’m still having trouble realising on the page what I imagine the series (and style of comedy) to be. Ideas are great, they are never more fully-formed or beautifully crafted than when they appear in your head but as soon as you put them down on the page they turn into inept brain farts. It takes instinct, craft and lots of hard work to re-write it into something more palatable. And when you do it often bears no resemblance to what you first imagined. So what do you do? Go with this new creation or try vainly to capture that elusive image in your head? That’s where I’m at. I wrote something that was decent and (in parts) brought the funny but it’s no where near where I want it to be … yet.

First problem – I’m being too kind to my characters. I’m trying to make them too well-rounded – too well adjusted. I guess I’m wanting to avoid cliche stereotypes (the up-tight repressed Brit and the liberated worldly European) but after hearing the script read I realised that without some sort of anomaly or twist the character cease to be comic. Comic characters are by nature extreme in some degree (Black Adder is super-humanly sarcastic and witty, David Brent is a humongous vain sad wanker), so for the re-write I think I need to embrace the stereotypes, at least for the time being, until I find the particular characteristics that make my characters really sing. I also realised (upon hearing other people’s scripts) that what may seem old, tired or “done” to me might not to others.

The other main problem about the first ep is that it skims over several gags but doesn’t really hook into one in particular. The episode opens with a strong visual situational gag so it needs an equally strong follow-up to see it through. I’m part of the way there but have still got a way to go. I am hoping through that once I heighten the characters it will come more from them rather than from me forcing the plot.

I did discover a couple of lines that really zinged, which was great, especially seeing as they were right at key turning points in the script, so that tells me that those beats are working. The main thing that isn’t is the ending. I find comic endings hard. Especially on short pieces because you don’t have the benefit of half an hour or two hours to build to something. In a sketch the ending has to be just as punchy as the first hook and then some. Everyone is waiting on that one final punchline to bring the piece home. A tall order. Some people can pluck these out of the sky – these are the people I hate! The dynamic blue-sky talented bastards that they are. Me, I have to work at it – Perro que no camina, no encuentra hueso.

Zing! …. ugh.

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things are looking up …

Right, so it’s a bit of laundry list but bear with me …

TJ’s new job

TJ has scored a new job in a newly set up development unit at BBC Wordwide. That’s right, she is now officially working for the government. I expect it won’t be long before she’s doing a 38 hour week, counting down the days til her long service leave and working in an office with a “please don’t abuse our staff” sign on the door!

Seriously though, she’s very excited about the job and it means that for the next twelve months we have some security. She had a great time heading up development in the digital unit at Fremantlemedia but we always said that coming to London was about taking advantage of opportunities that we couldn’t get back in Australia and this is the perfect example of one such opportunity.

little luxuries

As a result of TJ’s good fortune we can finally lash out on some little luxuries – temporary blinds from BlindInABox (it’s been probably ten years since we’ve slept in complete dark and God we’ve missed it); a multi-region DVD player courtesy of eBay (the Love Films subscription comes next); plus a casserole dish and stainless wok for some slow cooked wintery meals. It may not sound earth shattering but trust me these little things will make a big difference in our life.

writing

I’ve recently found a second writer’s group called Script Tank and it’s exactly the kind of group I’ve been looking for. It compliments The London Comedy Writers group perfectly as it is more focused on theatre, feature film and TV drama and has a strong membership base of professional and semi-pro writers, such as myself.

On the writing front I’m still working up some short material as well as several TV pilot scripts. When these scripts are ready I’ll have them read and critiqued at both these groups to help in my redrafting and polishing process. Getting a decent reading is vital – it allows you to hear now a script really sounds and to figure out what’s working and what isn’t. At the moment I’m confident that I should be well on the way to hitting my goal of completing three new original pieces of work this year.

work

Coming off the back of working on Freak, I recently took on a small paid gig Production Managing a short film (Unrequited Love) for writer/director Jade Syed-Bokhari of White Fire Films. We shot out at Black Park (near Pinewood Studios) under a beautiful old oak tree with Max Irons (Jeremy Irons son) on what turned out to be a perfect day. Sounds impressive? Well let me assure you filmmaking isn’t all glamour, a big part of my day was spent at the end of a pole waving a branch to create picturesque shadows in shot.

It turned out to be a great experience as I got to apply my eight odd years of experience to the job and got to draw on some people and resources that I acquired from working on Freak, which meant that things ran smoothly and we got everything in the can in under ten hours.

networking

Over the past couple of months I’ve been to several film and TV networking nights – there’s always something desperate and dateless about these events. Two thirds of the people are guarantee to be actors and composers while the other third is likely to be people looking to meet someone who can give them a gig. So it’s a lot of people all looking from the same thing … from each other! Not the best recipe for success. Despite this, I have to say though that I did meet some interesting people who hopefully I can keep in touch with and work with at a later date.

moving forward

I’m now hoping to take on some more paid short film production managing/producing gigs to get some money in and also to keep building my network. The more gigs like this I do the more I will learn and the larger my network will grow – which can only be a good thing, both in terms of leading to some full-time paid work and also when I’m ready to start shooting some of my own material. That’s the plan anyway, Ill let you know how I go.

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‘House Cat’ sketch read at London Comedy Writers meeting

Tuesday was my comedy writer’s group again and not only was ‘House Cat’ and another sketch read but also a piss-funny animated sitcom ‘Blames Direct’ by Alex Howley. You can read how it went down over at the London Comedy Writers blog.

The night was a real hoot with plenty of new faces and lots of energy in the room. The group has been on fire recently and I’m looking forward to what the next meeting brings.

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So, how did ‘House Cat’ go down I hear you ask?

Good. There was plenty of feedback and hearing it read with audience reaction was invaluable. It all gave me plenty to work on for the next draft.

It didn’t get a raucous response or endless praise (writers – they’re a tough crowd!), not that I was hoping for either but there were laughs where I hoped there would be, which was a good sign. There was feedback about what worked and what didn’t and suggestions on how to punch it up, which is what I was really looking for in the end.

The lead in to the sketch is still a bit too long, I need to get to the set-up and first real gag quicker. This is something I’m still learning with my comedy writing and a tip that’s applicable across all genres – get to the set-up and first genre defining moment (be it comedy, drama, horror, sci-fi) as quickly as possible to tell your audience what story they’re in and where it’s headed.

My main comic character can be punched up some more as well. This was reassuring feedback to get as I was worried he was too big. I tend to write quite naturalistically and so I have to remember that comedy gives you the license to go big – to push characters and scenarios to the extreme.  I’m quite happy to do another pass and make him much more devilish.

There was some discussion about whether or not the sketch was too long and whether it was one or two sketches. The group was quite divided on this and I wasn’t left with a definite answer. A lot of the debate got down to personal opinion more than craft and since the reading I’ve been mulling over it.

Most sketches are usually short – the general rule being ‘the shorter the better’. After thinking about it I still believe it’s one sketch but I can see where I can set up the mid-point twist a bit more at the start. I can also now see where I can cut.

The one unanimous response was that the sketch finished on the right punchline and didn’t overstay it’s welcome. Whew!

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Overall I count the reading as a success. Yep, there’s more work to be done but the structure and characters are there. Now it’s about re-write, trimming and tweaking.

I’ll keep you posted on my progress.

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brainstorming

Following up on my previous post about the current projects I’m working on – yesterday Lawrence and I got together to brainstorm the interrogation scene that we plan to workshop together into a showreel piece ( to showcase his acting and my writing) and then eventually shoot.

We started off with the basic premise of two men in a basement/bunker with a table and two chairs. We talked about our characters, the situation that brought them together, threw around ideas, discussed themes, explored motivation – bouncing things ’round to see what sticked.

We ended up settling on an idea that Lawrie threw out there at the start but I wasn’t necessarily so keen on. What made me change my mind was that we hit upon a theme that linked everything together. Suddenly I could “see” it and it all fell into place. Later I realised this is what we were looking for all along – a hook that set up a compelling situation and connected the characters to the story and theme in a dynamic way. Without this hook we would have been left with just another interrogation scene featuring two guys in a room.

I also found myself reacting at one stage to something Lawrence suggested and thinking “That’s such a Lawrie idea!” I wasn’t so keen on it or I should say, it wasn’t my take on the point of view of one of the characters. I admit, this was completely my own prejudice at work here. Again later though I realised this difference in opinion could be used when developing the scene because it could help create a real sense of tension between the characters.

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So, what did I learn out of this?

For the most part brainstorming is just about throwing around ideas until you find something that resonates with you and what you want to say. It’s not about finding the right idea, it’s just about finding something that works for you. And when working with two or more people this is vital. If everyone isn’t on board then you’re always going to double guessing yourselves or at odds with each other.

Find a hook or a theme that’s central to your characters and the story. It will give you the thematic backbone that will underpin your story and give you a clear direction to go in – reminding you what to include and more importantly what not to.

And lastly, when working with a writing/creative partner a difference of opinion can be very useful – especially if you can bring it to life through your characters. Do this and then suddenly your characters will start making a stand for what they believe in and arguing their own unique point of view. It doesn’t matter if it’s right or wrong, it just matters if it feels authentic. You’ll get some great dimensional characterisation out of it plus the opportunity to hash out an opinion that you the writer feel passionate about without having to resort to exposition.

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Come back here for more updates on our progress and feel free to leave a comment with your own take on brainstorming and what you’ve gotten out of it.

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current projects

I’ve added a new section to the left listing the current projects that I’m working on. Feel free to check it out.

I’ve been developing two sketches, House Cat and The End Is Nigh, for a little while now and they’re pretty much done. I’ve been fortunately enough to have several mates who are smarter and funnier than me read through them and give me feedback. I’ve also been doing several readings/workshops with my mate/actor Lawrence and via the London Comedy Writers group. Coming from a drama background I love nothing better than hashing something out with another writer or a couple of actors and have been very grateful for all the feedback and help I’ve received. Thanks everyone.

I’ve also been working a very silly sci-fi comedy piece called Planet Strange. I have NO idea what form it’s going to finally take (i.e. television, theatre, web series, radio) or what the overall theme is but it amuses me immensely every time I work on it so at this stage I’m just going to keep chipping away. Usually I’m much more structured in my writing so I’m kinda enjoying working a bit more organically. And quite frankly I don’t want to jinx it, especially while I’m having so much for with it.

The other thing that I have just started on is a small web series idea about a British guy and Dutch girl living together in their small studio flat in London. Why British and Dutch characters? They’re both alien to each other, which helps heighten the comedy of the sexes thing. They also bring with them strong personal and cultural perspectives and prejudices, which is great material for comedy. And it’s a pairing I haven’t seen a lot of. At the end of the day I just find it plain funny and can see the wealth of material that can be mined from it.

Like most writer’s say, the characters aren’t really based on anyone I know but there are certain real life situations and observations that I’m drawing on as inspiration or dropping the characters into to create the stories for the series. That’s the advantage of having two strongly defined characters, you know they’ll react when throw them into something and if they do that then half your work is done.

Like I said, I’ll keep you all updated about my progress.

Cheers.

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upcoming uk script deadlines

If you’re like me, while you’ve got one eye on your latest script you’ve got the other on upcoming play and screenplay submission deadlines.

For the most part these opportunities are great motivators to get something completed and out in the world. But they can also seriously mess you up, especially if you find yourself at the last minute desperately trying to shoe-horn your latest script (that’s only a 2nd draft and is riddled with serious character flaws) into some sort of shape that resembles the submission guidelines. I’ve done this. One too many times. And it never turns out well.

My solution, know what deadlines are coming up nice and early, that way you can pick and choose which ones suits you and your writing. Granted, this can also lead to procrastinating or being overwhelmed by too many options and if this is the case then you’re just going to have to wait until your undiscovered genius is … um … discovered … somehow.

Anyhoo, for the rest of us we just have to bite the bullet send off our babies to the slaughter. So with this mixed metaphor in mind, I thought I would list the sites that I currently use to track upcoming submission deadlines. If you know of any others, please feel free to share.

BBC Writers Room

http://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/opportunity/

SCRIPT

http://www.scriptonline.net/home_news.html

The London Comedy Writers

http://www.londoncomedywriters.com/opportunities/main.html

Some other deadlines that may not be on these lists are:

The Sitcom Trials

http://sitcomtrials.co.uk/

Sitcom Saturday

http://www.sitcomsaturday.org.uk/

Sequel to Cannes Film Script Competition

http://www.prequel.biz/ (as reported by Lucy at Write Here, Write Now)

The Liverpool International One-Act Play Festival

http://www.writenowfestival.co.uk/

There you go, now you’ve got no excuse, get writing.

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busy busy busy

I’m busier than ever this week. I started submitting material for the new BBC Radio 7 topical comedy show Newsjack. They provide a great opportunity for new writers to submit material for consideration and so I have made a commitment to submit something every week for the next six weeks that it’s on air. Will I get something up? I don’t know but the routine of writing and submitting stuff will be a good experience. From experience, it will take a couple of weeks to get into a groove and get the feel of the show so here’s hoping that towards the end of Newsjack’s run I hit the mark and get something on the wireless!

I’ve got a sketch being read tonight at the London Comedy Writers group. A slot opened up and was perfect timing for me as I had a sketch that I was wrestling with and needed some feedback on. I wouldn’t say that I’m naturally a comedic writer but after my experience working on and writing on the side for NEWStopia I’m preapred to give it a go and learn as I go at this stage.

Wednesday I’m off to another networking night – this one is called People in Media. I was put onto it by someone I met up with through Shooting People – an ex LA DOP who, like me, is here in London trying to get a leg up.

Then finally on Thursday I’m off to see The Moon The Moon at the Southwark Playhouse.

I’ve still got my web series and a few other things that I’m developing but at the moment I’m enjoying working on some shorter pieces of works, switching between them and actually getting something finished – which is all getting me closer towards my goals for this year.

It’s great to be so busy and while I’m still hunting for work the best thing I can do at this stage. It’s much better than sitting around at home (or the British Library) trolling job sites!