Wednesday night the
BBC’s Writersroom rolled into the Sherman Theatre,
Cardiff.
Due to the theatre we were in being needed for a performance, Paul Ashton’s presentation took place at a break neck speed but he did a good job at dispelling myths -- readers are all freelancers in the industry and are not work experience trainees -- and expanding on the theme of the Perfect 10 that he is currently blogging about.
Paul stressed that it is important not to think of the Writersroom as a means of getting your script to screen but a way of getting your voice and flair out there -- the script is your calling card. Therefore the aim of Writersroom is simply to discover new talent.
When it comes to sending in script into Writersroom it was advised not to include any gimmicks with them. Paul gave some examples that made you fear for the sanity of your fellow writers in their desperate attempts to grab the readers attention (A hose?!? Who in the name of William Goldman could possibly think wrapping a hose around a script is a good idea?).Similarly it was recommended to keep covering letters simple. At the end of the day the script should speak for itself.
On average, the Writersroom receives 10 000 scripts a year. Of that number, 75-80% of scripts are not read beyond page ten. That means over 7500 scripts are sent back without any feedback because they failed to hook the reader. The importance of the first ten pages is simple – 10 minutes is about the amount of time a show has to hook in its audience otherwise they will flick over to another channel or radio station. That is why Paul is currently blogging on Writersroom about the Perfect 10 – ten areas a writer needs to master in their script that will get it into that top 25%..
As mentioned at the top, there was time constrictions placed upon the talk so Paul was forced to rattle through “The Ten”. As a consequence under some of the headings there is little written about them so for a better insight check Paul’s weekly blog or get yourself down to a roadshow -- next stop Hull on the 7th of January.
- Medium and Format
- Choose the right form – in a cover letter do not put I can imagine this as a TV show or a radio play. Think what medium will best do justice to your story.
- Script = blueprint
- Say what you mean, mean what you say. Make your intentions clear. A common response to negative feedback is “The reader didn’t get my story” however it is more likely that the script did not express it.
- Write what an actor can show. Show don’t tell – keep character descriptions brief.
- Don’t direct from the page – avoid camera directions.
- Get the Story Going
- Hook the attention, hit the ground running.
- Show characters in action. This means drama and not a James Bond opening sequence. You understand people by seeing what they do.
- Don’t preface, set-up, introduce.
- Beware exposition/backstory
- Coherence
- Know your world and story.
- Know your genre and tone. Genre is what gets people into the cinema, follow its conventions and then break it. Avoid throwing a bunch of genres together.
- Character is Everything
- Vivid and compelling on an emotional level.
- Want to spend time with them.
- Active journey, goal, obstacle, dilemma. Avoid passive and reactive characters – ask “What do they want? What stops them from getting it?” and then you have conflict. Furthermore ask “What do they want in this scene/tomorrow/next year?” Add reversals – have them realise what they want isn’t what they necessarily need.
- World through their POV. Great sitcom characters have a narrow world view. Conflict occurs when something happens outside it.
- Emotion
- Stories matter on human level.
- Explore concept via character. Characters first, not concept.
- Make the reader/audience have an emotional response.
- The Squelch Effect – if you can make the audience laugh till their sides split, scared until they sweat, sad that they cry. If you can make them feel a physical response you’re onto a winner.
- Surprise
- Cliché/predictability kills story.
- Finite number of archetypes.
- Structure is Key
- John Yorke spends thirteen weeks teaching structure to the Writer’s Academy.
- Begin it in the right place.
- Story must be going somewhere.
- Be clear about form and format. Formulaic isn’t a dirty word but the challenge is to add things to it that make it unique.
- Structure can be taught.
- Exposition and Expression
- People don’t tell each other things they already know in obvious ways.
- Good dialogue expresses character.
- Bad dialogue simply relates/explains.
- Don’t write on the nose – subtext
- Passion
- Does it keep you up at night? (I hope the “it” is writing)
- Are you compelled to write?
- Don’t try to be expedient -- what the Writersroom want is a great script that could only have been written by you.
- Don’t try to second guess.
- Be Yourself
- Individual, distinct, original voice.
- Write a script that no other writer could have written the way you have written it.
- Don’t be sub-anybody.
The final but most important message that we were left with was that the Writersroom wants our scripts but not before they are ready. I think if your script matches the ten points above you’ve got a good chance of getting your reader to page eleven.
The Perfect 10 blogs published so far…
Session One
Session Two
