Finding filming locations

My local compadre Andy - from Nocturne Films - asked me to tag along on his location scouting trip. What a find. Out near Sopley and run via the guys at BH24 Productions it is an old RAF base that is falling into ruin in parts, while other parts are being done up.

Even as a writer I think finding cool places and looking around is a great inspiration. For three main reasons.

1. It gets your mind out of the modern domestic environment.
2. It makes you more comfortable to write scenes that may seem out of reach for a low budget.
3. Best of all, it just gives you ideas by being there - in a storydust manner.

Certainly it gave myself and Andy an idea for a new web series even though I was partly thinking about Friend Request locations and Andy was looking for music video locations. He has done one there already. Check it below.

How a writer becomes a director.

At the most recent Southern Script Fest myself and Danny Stack talked about  the journey that some writers take - that of becoming a director.

It is a common path, and perhaps not the best path. Personally I feel there are two better areas to grow into. One is becoming a producer, which gives you more power - you can fire the director. Secondly, if you are looking for a skill set that is nearer to a writer I could say it would be to become an editor.

If you were there on the day of the talk then here is the Prezi we used which you may find a useful refresher.

Writers to Directors on Prezi

If you weren't, then have a zoom around the Prezi by all means. But the summary is this...

One: You already have a "director's vision". You have it as you write. Don't be scared of this term or think it means something special that you don't have.

Two: Watch out for the "writers disease" - that is directing too closely to the script, pointing the camera at the dialogue all the time. Filming the speech isn't the best way. Hear the speech, see something else.

Three: Know the stages of production - now you have to see the film all the way through.

Four: Get ready for collaboration. You don't need to know everything technically, but you do need to know how to listen to people who know their stuff.

Five: Just do it. You can't learn this second hand. Like writing, you have to give it a go and take it from there.

Free downloads for writers

Every now and again I look at my blog stats to see which posts people like the most. It wasn't really a surprise I suppose to find that it was the free downloads. These are tools, which you can download and use at no cost. Cool! The top ones are:

1 - Free storyboard template, in a word doc format.
This has been the most popular - I think because it seems like such a simple thing to create, but making one that is simple and clear takes a little time. And why bother when you should be drawing your storyboard and telling stories instead? Go to the original post here.

2 - Free word template to help you with your film treatment.
This blog post contained two examples of simple, but effective, layouts for your treatments. Now, of course, the most effective kind of treatment is a well written treatment. This is where 99% of your effort should go, on the words and the unfolding of the story. But, hey, if it looks good too, all the better. You can download the two examples from the original blog post.

3 - Everything you wanted to know about writing a script - via Alexander Mackendrick.

This handout / poster collects together the cards of Alexander Mackendrick. These are the ones he used during his many years of teaching after making films such as The Ladykillers. There are a range of ways to download it via the original blog post.

4 - The screenwriting podcast.
Myself and Danny Stack offer a totally free podcast where we discuss classic writing questions; how do you find work as a writer? How can you make you script better? What does a good script look like? How do successful writers create their scripts? And so on. Our most listened to episode of late was when James Moran joined us. You can find more and listen at the Facebook page or via iTunes.

5 - How to be a successful writer - the Scriptwriter's Life diagram.
Still very popular after several years is the free download of the Scriptwriter's Life diagram. This was my effort to put all of the key skills that writers need into one place. Find out more at www.scriptwriterslife.com or just download the pdf here.

For more cool stuff check out my blog buddy Danny Stack who has a ton more free pdf downloads on scriptwriting lessons and techniques.

Setting up the POVCam

We are getting used to setting up the POVCam quickly these days - thanks to some practise sessions. So long set up times has been removed as a barrier to filming in this way. Check it out.

Podcast Episode 20: Mailbag

This podcast, myself and Danny Stack delve into your questions and answer as best we could!

A few links we mentioned:
Nicholl Fellowship
Peter Ustinov Award
iFeatures
BBC Writers Room
Danny's short film award
My POV feature
My past blog posts on writing for games
Skyrim!
BAFTA TV Noms

How to be creative and think of new ideas

If you suffer from "writer's block" or feel that you are too busy doing stuff right now to think of new ideas then you will like this early 90's video with John Cleese.

In it he looks at how to get yourself in a zone where you are open to ideas. To paraphrase his 5 steps...

1 - Space. Cut yourself away from the emails and phones.
2 - Time. Give yourself time to ponder the issue - an hour and a half is best.
3 - Time again. Do this on a regular basis.
4 - Confidence. This must be a risk free environment. So expect to go down dead ends and make 'mistakes'. It is all part of the process. It is close to how kids play; freeform and willing to go in any direction.
5 - Humour. Have a laugh. Jokes often come from joining two different meanings and forcing the brain to make new connections. This is the same for new ideas. Working together can help - but pick good 'play mates' who are up for this way of working too.

Good stuff. And balanced out by his call to not do this all the time. You need hard graft too.

Lastly, there was one phrase in there that I liked was the "Intermediate Impossible". Most of the time we work through a problem where each stage of thinking is solid, it makes sense. But we should challenge that methodology. Sometimes you can leap frog to a better idea by having a stage that doesn't stand up on it's own. It is too crazy. But it helps you get where you need to go.

Using story techniques for documentary

I've been helping out on the edit of a long-form trailer for a TV documentary. It is a fun piece, layered on top of a topical issue. I can say no more here as the trailer is being created in order to win further funding from broadcasters.

Being a factual piece you may imagine there is nothing to bring from the storytelling craft to these projects. But there is. It is still a story, it is just a real story with real people. So while you can't get involved in the finer points of dialogue (this is not a Made In Chelsea style affair) you can bring many elements of story structure into play.

We worked on ensuring our trailer had these, very familiar, elements to them...

• Who are the heroes?
• What is their world?
• What adventure have they been called on?
• What barriers are getting in their way?
• Who is the villain? (the villain can be circumstance / external forces)
• Will they overcome the barriers and defeat the villain?
• What in their characters helps them succeed? (or is it working together?)
• Will the world be changed after? Or for whom? For everyone?

Not that squeezing all that in is easy of course. But it acts as a guide when you get stuck. And helps you overcome those editing barriers and continue your story journey. (sorry!)