By Ian Kennedy
I was asked to take over as Screenwriters’ Forum Chair earlier this year (2015), and now we’re agreeing our plans I wanted to let followers of this blog know what we’re doing and how we can help you and your colleagues. The script development schemes we’re putting together will aim to provide an accessible, affordable way to develop writers and projects for anyone committed to developing industry-quality films and productions this year.
Screenwriters’ Forum was set up as a sister organisation to the Producers’ Forum in 2007, working by and for the commissioned professional writers for TV, film and video games in the region. Our members have a wide range of specialisms and many decades’ industry experience behind them, so if you’re serious about making your next film, TV or video project succeed, it’s worth looking at our members to see if there’s someone whose advice and experience could make all the difference – our profiles will soon be updated at screenwritersforum.org. Working with the right person and receiving the right questions early on can often save producers months and years of misplaced work.
I’m also keen to create a monthly Development Group, for anyone looking to achieve industry-quality scripts for the screen over the next year. This would be at monthly sessions chaired by an SWF member, where you can come with your idea or draft script and get supportive guidance, constructive criticism and industry insights from professional screenwriters and your peers. Each session would also have a guest speaker to discuss their experience and tips for success in their area of expertise. The sessions would be affordably priced and the goal for each attendee will be to get them an industry commission or investment. If sessions like these could be of interest to you or your colleagues, email me ian@iqkennedy.co.ukand I’ll get in touch.
Meanwhile, the other projects we’re running this year may also be of interest to you…
- We’re producing a cinema-quality short film to showcase our talents and our collaborative approach. PF founder member Gabe Crozier is directing and providing his top-spec equipment and expertise, and I’m script editing and producing, on a film for which at least 6 of our members are contributing a minute each of script. As it stands, the film follows an ageing man struggling to find his place in modern life – but the collaborative approach means it may take further turns we’re not expecting yet, before it’s complete!
- Creative Skillset’s Dan Lawson attended our last meeting to talk to us about opportunities for funded career development for our members, and we’ve settled on the sort of high-level mentoring support that would be most useful to us. We’ll be working out the details with Dan soon.
- Publicity and marketing support: we’ve created a Twitter account, @screenwritersfm, to engage us in the wider conversations around industry issues and to publicise the work of ourselves and our members. Follow us and @mention us to get us involved in your own publicity activity or writing queries!
- Podcasts to share screenwriting and industry insights and experiences: we may use many of our future meetings to create fun and lively podcasts on interesting discussion points around screenwriting aspects and issues. Watch this space!
So all in all, we hope that this year’s projects will make us and our members a vibrant part of the industry in the region. We’re all in it together, and as PF members already know, collaboration and partnership are make us all stronger and more successful. Contact me at ian@iqkennedy.co.uk if you’d like to get involved too or find out more.
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