Sad News

Blogger Doris Dungey, who wrote under the pseudonym "Tanta" at CalculatedRISK, has passed away after a serious illness.CalculatedRISK appears on our "live feed" in the sidebar. The mainstream media and the finance/economics/bubble blogosphere embraced, respected, and relied upon Tanta's genius, analysis, and wit in her writings.Read the memorial post at CalculatedRISK and the article in The New

Professional Screenwriter, Step 5: Get an Agent

A lot of new writers consider ‘getting an agent’ to be the Holy Grail of their screenwriting career. Once they nab an agent, then they’re official, and the work will flow. This is not true. Having an agent is indeed a significant and crucial factor of your professional profile but it does not define who you are or what you can achieve. Indeed, a lot of the time, you’ll ‘get your own work’ from personal recommendations and word-of-mouth opportunities, leaving your agent with the cosy job of tidying up your contract and negotiating your fee.

Of course, an agent will champion you and your work around town, and set up meetings with key players and producers but the agent does not ‘get you the work’. YOU always get the work. An agent sets up the meeting, or sings your praises and looks out for suitable gigs. After that, it’s all down to you and your writing. An agent’s reputation will go some way in reassuring a producer or exec that you’re a solid writer, and no doubt your spec script will reflect well on the agent’s tastes, but when it comes down to it, the producers only react to the quality of your writing, nothing else. So, the key question: how do I get an agent?

Well, hopefully you’ve been working feverishly away on step 2 (writing), and you’ve developed a decent portfolio of scripts. Hey, you may have even won an award or been paid tuppence to write a treatment for a producer, so that shows some professional reward. It’s time to approach an agent. Write a query letter. In this day and age, an email could suffice (and most agents’ emails are on the net), but treat it as a query letter, not an ingratiating message that invades their in-box.

In your query letter, tell them who you are, what you’ve done/what your ambitions are (“I don’t do TV, dahling”, “If I don’t write for Holby, I will die”), and why you think the agent/agency is a good match for your ambition and talent. That’s just a basic structural template. Add your own personal touch or flavour to it, but don’t veer away from the point. Be brief. Don’t enclose any scripts. Ask them if they’d like to read a few samples - end your letter with a question as that might prompt them to reply a bit quicker than normal.

Now wait a couple of weeks. If you haven’t had a reply, phone their office and make a polite enquiry with the assistant whether your letter has been received and read. If you did get a reply, and the agent wants to read your scripts, then send them as soon as you can.

Now wait a couple of months. At least. You could get lucky and the agent will get back to you quickly (this depends on how ‘hot’ you are; whether you’ve won an award or already written an episode of Doctors, or whatever) but generally it’s going to take them a few months. Don’t sweat it. Give them time, and then follow it up with a polite email/phone call to give them a nudge.

If an agent is interested in you, they will invite you in to their offices to see the colour of your eyes and get a feel for you as a person. They’ll have pretty much decided that they want to represent you at this stage but if you come across as a flaky psychopath, then that might deter them from offering you a contract. Be nice, charming, funny and friendly. Show that you’re ‘normal’ but don’t be afraid to demonstrate your ‘passion’ either (apostrophes included especially for Mr Arnopp). After a quick chat and a cup of coffee, the agent will offer you representation. Let the commissions begin!

Well, er, not exactly. It’s going to take time to build momentum and shop you around town. Scripts need to be sent out to producers. They need to read them, and like your writing, in order to invite you in for a meeting. These could be typical ‘meet and greet’ affairs or specific ‘would you like to write for EastEnders’ get-togethers, depending on what you and your agent are gunning for, but the bottom line is that this, like everything else in the business, is going to take some time.

One final word: don’t approach an agent ‘flat’. There’s nothing worse than: “Hi, I’m a new writer. Here are a few of my scripts. Would you like to represent me?” While it’s a common approach, it doesn’t do a lot to prickle an agent’s interest. They get a lot of query letters every week. Make yours stand out from the crowd. Not by being bolshy, but by showing that you’ve already achieved something, and you’re on your way, and now you need an agent. It’s easy to spot the writers who simply ‘want an agent’. They’re everywhere. But if you’ve got some decent chops about you, and you’re already hustling opportunities, then an agent will be more inclined to check you out because of your dynamic or proactive qualities.

Links 11-26-2008 Thanksgiving Weekend

HOUSING PRICES AND SALES October National Existing Home Sales DropOctober National New Home Sales Lowest Since 1982The Case-Shiller Index, the widely-watched aggregator of prices 20 housing markets, has fallen 17% over the Third Quarter from 2007. This report comes from the period before the stock market crash in October.LOCAL NEWSThe City of Charlottesville will have to cut Capital Improvement

Fed Announces It Will Buy $600 Billion of Debt; Mortgage Rates Drop

The Federal Reserve announced Tuesday that it will buy $600 Billion in mortgage assets from banks (total Bailouts now stand at $7 Trillion, btw.) By the end of the day, mortgage rates dropped significantly to 5.5% for a 30 year fixed.The move is aimed at helping to lower housing inventories and try to stabilize the market in an attempt to finally find a bottom because housing prices keep

Professional Screenwriter, Step 4: Industry Insider

As a lot of ‘getting ahead in the biz’ is about who you know, then getting work within the industry makes a lot of sense, especially if you want to broaden your basic experience (if you’re a recent graduate, say, or a young newcomer to the scene). So, get a job. Don’t worry, I’ll keep it focused on the screenwriting-related areas. Save the application form for Mickey Ds as a last resort…

Script Reader
Often referred to as an ‘entry level’ job, this position is preferable if you want to consume yourself with scripts, and learn a whole lot in the process (see step 1). However, script reader jobs are rarely, if never, advertised, so it’s a case of sending query letters, emails and polite phone calls to see if you can get your foot in the door. Beware, it pays a low part-time wage, even when you’re working flat out, so it might not suit everyone. It’s got a shelf-life of one-two years but can go on for much longer, and forever, if you want it to. Check out this post for further details if you think it really might be your bag.

Researcher
More of a TV job but still useful for all sorts of reasons; it’s fun, you get to meet some cool and interesting people (most of the time), and you can make great contacts. Researchers usually exist on a freelance basis but the contacts they make normally keep them regularly employed. Previous TV experience is necessary, as a runner for example, but a bit of guile and intelligence can bypass this lowly rung of the ladder. The TV evolution chart goes: runner, researcher, assistant producer, producer, commissioning editor. Film food chain: runner (reader), assistant, junior development exec/development co-ordinator, development executive, producer, head of department/studio.

Assistant/PA
Despite being a ‘media secretary’, this one’s a really good job to get. You’ll deal with the day-to-day issues of your boss, who will probably be a reputable producer/development exec, and so you get the inside track on how things are done, and why. Also great for making contacts. The job’s got a shelf-life of about two years before you should advance to the next stage of your career, whether that be a researcher/script reader or whatever it is that really excites you.

Production Crew
Become a locations assistant. Or a best boy. Or an assistant cameraman. Or offer to work on short film shoots. To get a break in this field, you’re going to have to work for free, and you should be more than willing to do so. If you can’t get lucky, don’t feel too snooty to be a runner. Despite the menial tasks, a runner meets and mingles with EVERYONE, and it’s really a cool position if you use it wisely enough.

These are just a few examples of the kind of work that is out there, and isn’t impossible to get, despite what you might think. I started out in Channel 4’s Duty Office (complains/enquiries), and that was thanks to a media temp agency. I worked my way into C4’s comedy department when stuff like Spaced and Ali G were being made. And then, I was a researcher (Ali G) and a production assistant (Black Books) before becoming a full-time script reader (to pay the bills as I focused on my quest to be a full-time freelance writer).

Don’t be on the outside looking in, thinking ‘the industry is against me’. Get a job in the biz, and amass some proper knowledge, experience and contacts.

Daily Progress Article - "Our Economy: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly" - And Some Perspective

Sunday's DP has a feature about the local economy. We offer some perspective on the numbers relating to housing.The bolding is ours, as are the comments in parentheses and the color red. Otherwise, the material is from the article, which categorizes the local economy as a "mixed bag" and then subdivides issues into the good, the bad, and the ugly.*11:30 a.m. There's an update at the bottom of

Citi Bad & Needs Rescue; Regulators Naughty; Obama Stimulus Plan

These links appeared on our sidebar on Sunday, November 23.Federal Gov't Plans On Some Kind of Citigroup Rescue (We're shocked, shocked!)Citigroup Saw No Red Flags Even As It Made Riskier Moves. (Blinded by $$$.)Obama, Dems Plan $700B Stimulus Over Next Two Years. (Much larger than any discussed during campaign.)Bush Admin Bank Regulator Played Advocate Instead of Enforcer. (No! Really?!)

Econ Links 11/24 - 26

These links appeared on our sidebar.National Existing Home Sales Drop. Median Home Prices Now back to 2004. Median price fell 11.3% (MP is now $183,300) from a year earlier. This is the largest year-over-year existing home price decrease since records began in 1968.Months of Inventory stand at 10.02. This makes it the highest year-end inventory since 1982. And the C'ville area has 18+?!Comrade

Stocks Up Looking Forward to Obama Announcement of Treasury Secretary & Econ Team

Whew! No Black Friday. After two disastrous days (and many weeks now), stocks ended up 500 points in a late afternoon surge to close at 8046.42. The drop was 5.3% for the week due to renewed concerns about the global economic slowdown and the fate of major firms saddled with bad credit bets, such as Citigroup, which lost another 20% of its value.Many are attributing the optimistic rise to the "

Updates on Giant Mortgage Losers Fannie & Freddie

These entities, which own or back a huge number of American mortgages, announced they will suspend all Foreclosures for single-family properties from Nov. 26 to Jan. 9.Can the FDIC and big banks be far behind?The cynics and responsible homeowners among us are of course disgusted about mortgage mods already.Additionally, we wonder if this is just a device to get more consumers to spend their money

List of Banks Receiving TARP Funds; Jobless Claims Reach 16 Year High

These links appeared in our sidebar on Friday, 11/21.What Banks and "banks" have received Bailout Funds? Check out the TARP list. Includes some in our region: SunTrust - $3.5 Billion and BBT - $3.1 Billion."Extraordinary Popular Delusion."New jobless claims reach 16-year high.

Professional Screenwriter, Step 3: Networking

As a writer, most of your life will be spent indoors, whether it be at home or a hired office, beach hut, log cabin overlooking the lake, whatever. For the sake of your sanity, and for your career, you’re going to have to get out once in a while. If you’re following these steps, then you’ve read a lot of scripts, and you’re developing a decent portfolio of your own screenplays. Now, it’s time to network. But what does this mean, exactly? And how do you start? Where?

The easiest and most common place to network is at an ‘industry event’, where influential, and not-so influential, industry insiders gather for a specific media shindig. These events typically break down as film screenings, film festivals, script readings, writing festivals, and so on. If you’ve never heard of the Bafta Rocliffe Forum, Brief Encounters or the Screenwriters’ Festival (to name but a few), then you’re missing out on some golden opportunities to rub shoulders with people who may be able to help your career.

One of the key things about networking is not to expect anything from it. Just get out there and meet people. Say hello. Exchange business cards (most of your new contacts will be fellow writers). Follow it up with an email saying it was nice to meet you, and keep in touch, if reasonably possible, or beneficial. Soon, a large stack of business cards will emerge on your desk but after a while, you may forget who these people are. Here’s a tip I got from Cannes two years ago, possibly from Tim: when you exchange business cards, write something on the back of the card to remind yourself who the person is, and what you spoke about, or anything that will help you months down the line when you’re staring at the card, thinking: who is that?? You could even make a joke about it in front of the person: “handsome, clever, witty” or simply scribble something down once they’ve moved on.

If you’ve developed a key contact, like a producer or script editor, be careful not to bombard them with constant emails, especially if they’re just pointless: hi, how are yous? The minimum amount of time for keeping in touch with a useful contact is 3 months. That’s my ballpark, and that’s the minimum. Anything between 3-6 months is good, and the emails should be news about what you’re doing, or something specific about keeping in touch. If it’s longer than 6 months, then a little recap of who you are and where you met is helpful, and what you’re up to now. You may get replies, you may not. Keep going but use your contacts wisely. Don’t exhaust their goodwill or time with needy emails or over-friendly notions of communication.

I went to Cannes in the summer of 2006 and met a variety of producers. Six months later, near Christmas, I dropped one of the producers an email, saying that it was nice to have met her (she had read one of my scripts at this point, and had liked it) and perhaps we could get to work together if a suitable project emerged. She replied, saying she was in London in the New Year, developing an internet drama, and would I be interested in that? Yes, please! And that’s how I got the gig for Sofia’s Diary.

And I’m pretty sure I’ve bored you to death with the story of how I got to write for The Amazing Adrenalini Brothers: I went to a short film screening where I didn’t know anyone else but the director. I said hello to a guy who was also by himself, thinking ‘what’s the worst that can happen?’ We got talking and exchanged contact details. A few weeks later, a casual comment on email reveals that he’s working on a new CiTV series, and did I know any good animation writers? Bingo!

These are the shorthand anecdotes. I still had to attend meetings, have exec producers read and approve my spec scripts, and pitch ideas in order to get the gigs. But none of it would have happened without the simple ‘Hi, I’m Danny’ that started it all. (And I’ve got work out of the blog, too. The script editor of Badly Drawn Roy was a fan of the blog, and we met a few times, kept in touch, and he thought of me when they were looking for writers.)

If you find yourself at an industry event but are not sure who to approach, and feel a bit shy, make it your mission to speak to ONE person. Just one. If you come away that night with one business card, you’ll have succeeded. But by approaching that one person, you’ll quickly realise that it’s not that bad, and saying hello can lead to an introduction to someone else, and before you know it, you’ve had a great time meeting new friends and contacts.

Network, hustle and flow, but don’t be pushy, needy or desperate. Enjoy yourself.

A? Black? Friday?

What's on tap for today? Citigroup gets a bailout or goes bankrupt? Citigroup has lost half its value in four days. Shares of Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase are down 30%.Dow below 7,000? S&P sheds %s?Read this brief article about how bad it is--and what could be done to help.

Worst Crash Since Great Depression

Sadly, this isn't even Our Humble Opinion. It's numerical fact.The Dow industrials fell 445 points, or 5.6%, to 7552.29 amid another selloff in financial stocks. Citi shares lost 26% and J.P. Morgan Chase dropped 19%. - WSJSee David Leonhardt's "Stocks and Earnings Racing to the Bottom" - NYT(And UVIMCO is really thinking of selling off public equity or shares in hedges? What? Probably not any

UVa's Endowment Fiasco Detailed in The Hook

At last, some local reporting on UVa's endowment fiasco by somebody who knows what she's talking about and explains it very clearly for the unschooled reader.It's the cover story, Missing Billion, by Lisa Provence in this week's Hook.Provence very carefully explains the history of the endowment's investing, defines hedge funds and private equity, and explains how UVa lost $1B.No Wahoos are

Haircuts Continue - 702 Belmont Avenue

702 Belmont Avenue came on the market in May of 2008 for $519,000. 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2000 sq. ft., tiny lot, neighbors an armspan away.Of course IOHO we thought the Asking Price was bubbly, given the neighborhood, the economy, the previous selling price (pre-"flip" renovations), and nearby "comps." We went on about these issues in this post.In August, the price had dropped to $479,900 and

Wednesday Econ News: Deflation, Home Prices Declining

The following links appeared in our sidebar 11/19.Wednesday: Stocks plunge. Again. Below 8,000. Where's the Bottom? More losses feared.Stocks hurt by latest fear: declining prices. Here's a primer on Deflation.Home prices decline 9%. Foreclosures & Short Sales account for nearly 40% of transactions nationwide. Sales in the South are down.

New Construction Housing Starts in October: Lowest Level Since 1959

Nationwide housing starts fell to their lowest since the US Census Bureau began tracking the numbers in 1959.There's a nationwide overhang of inventory. In the Charlottesville area, the number of new and existing unsold houses is at a 15 month inventory level (or higher)--meaning it would take this long to sell off all of the properties.This doesn't include unfinished new houses and condominiums

Mid-Nov. Econ News: UVa Endowment, Landmark Hotel, Whole Foods Market, John Casteen, City Budget Woes

These links appeared on our sidebar from 11/16-18UVa has lost about $900 Million in Endowment investments since August. The school has over $1 Billion of further exposure due to private equity investments. President Casteen wants to reassure folks that everything is fine.At least Everything is Fine with Casteen, who pulls down $800,000 per year. There's only one other public U prez who makes as

Treasury Secretary Comrade Henry Paulson Thinks He's Doing A Good Job With the Bailout...

...And lets us all know this in an OP-ED in the New York Times.The entire piece is reproduced below. Don't miss reading/skimming the hundreds of comments that follow at the original site, including this one: "Translation (and Readers Digest version): We don't have the faintest idea of what to do." -- John G., NYCFighting the Financial Crisis, One Challenge at a TimeOP-ED CONTRIBUTORHENRY M.

What Should Happen to "Underwater" Mortgages?

Barry Ritholtz offers a plan at The Big Picture:My...suggestion is to develop a plan that recognizes this simple truism: People paid too much for houses, and banks lent too much against value that simply isn’t there. The LTV needs to be adjusted to reflect this simple reality.That’s why carving out a new realistic mortgage relative to home values, plus a 10 year balloon payment for some of the

2400 Pine Garth Run. "New Listing," New MLS #, New Price, New Agent. Again.

Back in August we had a post about 2400 Pine Garth Run. It was part of the "Accidental Landlord" series: owners who could't sell their houses were listing them as rentals.2400 Pine Garth Run was available for $799,900 to "own," or $3,000 a month to rent. It was a FSBO (For Sale By Owner). You can read the post linked above, but of course the Craigslist rental and "for sale" ads have long

Finance/Econ News 11/16-17

There's so much finance/econ news in the past 48 hours that we took it off our sidebar for the sake of streamlining.Stocks fall on concern that US Recession will deepen.Kansas Fed Reserve Bank Prez says the Fed has "done as much as it can do" to revive the economy....Bush admin will not seek remaining $350B in Bailout funds; it's left for the Obama admin.OUCH. The Securities and Exchange

When Did myCAAR.com Become a Rental Site?

We're not the brightest blog on the block, and what with the election and upcoming holidays and worldwide financial meltdown, we've been distracted like crows to the shiny.So we must have missed the announcement that the property search website of CAAR, the Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors, is now listing rentals.We first saw the pictured property in this ad from Craigslist, which

Professional Screenwriter, Step 2: Writing

You can probably bypass a bit of step 1 by doing a general overview of what’s needed to prepare and write a screenplay. This will usually mean attending a script course of some sort (McKee etc), and reading a few screenwriting books, perhaps even downloading a couple of your favourite scripts from Drew’s Script-O-Rama. But if you really want to get ahead, don’t skimp on step 1. For book writing, it’s widely accepted and encouraged that aspiring writers should have a passion for reading, and so the same should be for film & TV. We all love to WATCH, and this is an important part of the process, too, (to watch & consume a lot of film & TV) but we learn more by READING. After all, this is how your work will be judged, so it makes sense to swot up as much as you can. You quickly discover that your Shane Black-style and killer premise isn’t as clever as you once imagined.

Now, step 2. Writing. Start developing your ‘portfolio’. Shorts, TV episodes, feature specs, whatever floats your boat. The important thing is to write, and keep writing. Finished one script? Great, congratulations! But you need more. Rewrite the script. Start a new one. Improve your work, especially with what you’ve learned from the ongoing process of step 1.

I met a few students the other day to talk about what it’s like being a freelance screenwriter and one of their more pertinent questions was: “do you have a social life or how has that been affected by pursuing a writing career?” It may sound like a trivial matter but it’s not. The thing is, once you decide to give writing a go, a decent and proper go, your social life takes a big hit. You don’t really go out anymore. Friends and family are reduced to emails and phone calls. Not because you’re being rude but because you’re busy writing (and don't have any money, naturally). And here’s the crucial factor, YOU ENJOY IT. You don't mind. You don't really feel it because you're compelled to write or you're determined to succeed.

Janel Maloney, the actress who plays Donna in The West Wing, once asked Aaron Sorkin what he did at the weekend. He just looked at her and gestured ‘typing’ with his hands. To her, it was inconceivable to work so hard, especially at the weekend, but in truth, writers, and busy working writers, work all the time. Morning, noon and night. Seven days a week. Yes, it's difficult to fit in sometimes, and life can get in the way, but there's no avoiding the fact that if you want to be a writer, then you have to write something. Otherwise it’s just talk and bullshit and procrastination. Keep at it. Find the time in your schedule or tell your family/friends that they may not see you for a while. It's not easy, especially at the beginning, but it simply cannot be overlooked. That said, there's more, much more, to building your career than just writing.

Next up, step 3: networking.

Econ News, 11/10-15

These links appeared in our sidebar this past week.LOCAL NEWS:Charlottesville loses 500 Jobs in one year. And then there's Luck Stone, Lexis/Nexis, and Circuit City which are shedding jobs. And let's not forget the REALTORS who aren't going to make any money in the coming months, either. (That is said with 0% snark, fwiw.) Retail sales, and thus sales tax revenues, are down in the City and the

ANOTHER BAILOUT for Mortgageholders: The FDIC's Version

As we posted the other day, the Federal Housing Finance Administration has a mortgage modification program for troubled borrowers from the extremely troubled Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (each posted gigantic losses this week. Again.). In that post, we also mentioned that Citi, Bank of America, and JPMorgan Chase also have programs in place.But the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the

Professional Screenwriter, Step 1: Reading

Here’s the first of a quick guide on how to become a professional screenwriter, starting with the absolute basics: reading scripts. I am always surprised when I meet new or aspiring screenwriters and they proudly declare that they don’t read scripts, either because they can’t be bothered (‘it takes up too much time’) or, shock, they’re just not interested. And yet, they expect others to be interested in THEIR screenplays; their finely honed works of art that shows off their ingenious style and devastating use of craft. Not.

It’s easy to tell the difference between writers who don’t read many scripts to the writers that are pretty much obsessed by screenwriting. Those who ‘DON’T’ usually employ a standard style and format where all your basics are covered but there’s nothing particularly distinctive or original in the way they dramatise their work.

Those who ‘DO’ usually demonstrate a solid understanding of style and drama that sets it apart from others in the slush pile. Quite often, there will be a palpable sense of immediacy to the writing that says: ‘something’s going on here, check it out’. Lean description, crisp imagery, a funny or dramatic turn of phrase, and a story that draws your eye to the page. In his recent interview on the BBC writersroom, Russell T said about Paul Abbott's scripts that you could tell how the scenes were going to play by how they appeared on the page. This is 100% true, but difficult to explain. We all know about ‘vertical writing’ and having ‘white space’ on the page (less is more etc) but it’s not just about cutting down on your description. It’s about understanding the balance between the pace, characters and dialogue of each scene, and the story as a whole.

A well-written scene, or script, will LOOK promising by simply how it appears on the page. But more than that, each line of action or dialogue will lead you on to the next with an easy flourish, using either a comic touch, an intriguing line or plain good old fashioned compelling drama. It’s a highly advanced level of screenwriting, and only one that can be achieved by READING LOTS OF SCRIPTS. It doesn’t matter if they're amateur or professional screenplays. If you read a hundred scripts over the course of two months, you probably wouldn’t need to buy or read a book about screenwriting ever again. Reading scripts sharpens your instincts and awareness of the whole process, and hopefully inspires you to raise your game to a whole new level.

Next up, step 2: Writing.

National Existing Home Sales Drop 19% From September to October 2008

Housingwire reports:"Stress in the real estate market caused U.S. home sales to fall sharply between September and October, according to a national survey of more than 2,500 real estate agents conducted by survey firm Campbell Communications Inc. in early November."Nationwide, sales were down 19% from September to October. In areas with higher foreclosures, sales were down even more: Florida 22%

Treasury Has Turned Itself Into the 4th Branch of Government

We have the Executive, the Judicial, and the Legislative branches of the United States Government, a "checks and balances" system that does everything we need it to. Or so we thought.Who knew that Treasury, under the guidance of Comrade Secretary Henry Paulson, could become its own branch of Government? Which seems to be what's happening right before our eyes.Remember the hullabulloo about

Albemarle County: Building Permits, Taxes

The Daily Progress reports that building permits are down in Albemarle County. No surprise. But this is good news. The necessity for new unsold houses is pretty much zero when there are already-built, never-lived in houses that are unsold, as well as the gigantic inventory of existing houses.The bad news is that, partially due to real estate values plummeting, Albemarle County is facing a

The Federal Housing Finance Admin Has a New Plan For Fannie & Freddie Troubled Mortgageholders

The Federal Housing Finance Administration, which was created with the Bailout of Giant Mortgage Losers Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, has announced a "streamlined mortgage modification program."From the FHFA Press Release:"As housing prices have fallen, delinquencies on mortgages have tripled, not just for subprime and Alt-A, but also for prime mortgages. Foreclosures have increased almost 150% from

Bloggy blog blog

About a month ago, you may remember that Hilary Wright guest blogged about 'Time Travelling Writers' (an event with Ashley Pharoah, Steven Moffat and Marks & Gran to discuss time travelling on TV), and that Hilary promised us a blog of her very own. Those of you with a sharp eye for detail (or perhaps a bit anally retentive) will have noticed that Hilary LIED! There was no blog. I could provide no link. The blogosphere was bereft. But lo, is that a blogger I see before me? Why yes, it's none other than Hilary Wright's blog, in full daylight, for all to see and enjoy. Balance to the universe is restored.

Hilary was a finalist of last year's Red Planet Prize with an amusing and engaging story about the invention of the very first vibrator. The logline went something like this: "London, 1888. A repressed gynaecologist overloaded with hysterical patients, invents the world’s first electromechanical vibrator." So, the premise was certainly catchy and Hilary followed it up with a clear and sharp style, making the script an easy and enjoyable read, hence her getting through to the shortlist. I'm currently in the middle of this year's batch of Red Planet submissions, and have writing stuff of my own to get on with, so it's all fairly bleary-eyed and busy at the moment, which is just the way I like it. Also, I have a shiny new iMac to help me with my workload. It's so sleek and efficient, I feel uber-professional and indestructible. Goodbye PC and your stupid annoying fan-whirring, and your slow and frozen responses! Behold the dawn of a new desktop:



My life is now complete.

Well, almost...

That Was the Week That Was

A historic week. We collected a few links. Politics:Barack Obama's Victory Speech. John McCain's Concession Speech. Mark Warner takes the Senate Seat.Tom Perriello Claims Victory for the 5th District, though Virgil Goode has not yet conceded the Congressional seat (Nov. 7), and may call for a recount after the current vote count is certified on November 24.Local News:*The UVa Endowment

OBAMA - BIDEN - VICTORY

Not Going Out

Last December, the producers of Not Going Out, the BBC sitcom starring Lee Mack, had an open call for writers. The offer was simple: write a spec script (for the show) and if they liked it, you, or your jokes, then you'd find yourself as part of the writing team for the next series. Recognising it as a good opportunity and not one to shirk away from a challenge like this, I threw myself into the task of writing a spec episode.

I wasn't wholly familiar with the show but I swotted up on what I could, and Avalon, the production company, kindly sent a few episodes on DVD. There was a two-week deadline. I was in the middle of a whole host of other things at the time (and reading Red Planet stuff) but I thought: "what the hell, give it a go, see what you can do."

First, develop an appreciation and interest in the show. That wasn't hard. Likeable lead character. Ditto female lead. A basic but effective 'will they/won't they' situation plus scope for secondary characters and subplots to create lively comedy. Oh. And gags. Loads and loads of gags. Everywhere and at every opportunity. Some hit, some miss, but always keeping the comic pace bouncing along at a rapid level. Puns, witty asides, quick put-downs, visual humour, verbal jokes and broad comedy slapstick were all fair game. Shit. This was going to be HARD.

Next, figure out a plot. I scour Andrew Collins's blog about writing for the show and how he plotted the first series with Lee Mack. I try to come up with an idea that focuses on the lead characters' 'will they/won't they' vibe, but also giving the secondary characters room to shine without stealing the limelight (as per the brief). I bash out a quick beat structure of what needs to happen. The development exec at Avalon has offered to be at hand for any questions, so I decide to give her a call. I break down my story and tell her what I have in mind. She seems to like the idea, and I feel positive going to script.

Now, write the script. Get those gags in. Whenever possible. Don't think. Write. Ah! Is it funny? I have no idea. Keep going. Finish. Phew. Read back. Not bad? Yeah, not bad. Polish some gags. I like to think I can do comedy but the level of jokes needed for this show is huge, and I'm not sure I'm a 'gag kinda guy'. I show it to my agent and she thinks it lacks depth but otherwise has some merit. A thumbs up! I think. The deadline arrives so I send the script. A couple of months later, I get a friendly email which tells me why they didn't go for my idea (reproduced here with permission):

"We didn’t think you had the characters quite nailed and although the idea itself was promising, we’re trying to focus on the characters already in place so we want to get away from introducing even more characters.

The main premise was that due to Lee’s carelessness and forgetfulness, he and Lucy have an argument and fall out. As a result of this, Lee and Tim also fall out. The trouble with this happening at the beginning, the stakes aren’t very high because we didn’t see him getting on with either party terribly well to begin with, therefore why should we care if they’re now not speaking? More importantly, now he’s fallen out with two of his closest friends, there’s nobody left for him to banter with, apart from a new friend with whom he only plays the playstation."

It's a fair assessment and the crucial factor, in my opinion, is that the characters aren't quite nailed (due to me cramming for the show). No, no gripes from me. Actually, I very much enjoyed the opportunity. A lot of writing gigs are borne out of this type of spec request, so I consider it time well spent. If you'd like to read my script, visit my website and click 'blog downloads', and you'll find it there.