Stephen May, the Director of The Screen Arts Institute,  in collaboration with Ealing Studios, will be holding two Script Labs during the upcoming London Screenwriting Festival (Sat 27th and Sun 28th October).  16 writers will be chosen from applicants to develop their feature/TV ideas.  The idea/writer that is deemed the strongest will win the opportunity…

Donald Pleasance is Blofelt Over the years people, movies, novels, stories have handed down to writers a few “tricks of the trade”-  I’m going to pass them on to you.  None of them are new – they’re as old as the hills.  None of them are fancy.  They are obvious.  They’re not complicated.  They are…

We are delighted that Nick Marston has agreed to join our illustrious industry council.  Nick is the Chairman of the Media Department at the Curtis Brown Group. Nick is responsible for several of the largest film rights sales in UK history including his record-breaking deal for “The Horse Whisperer”.  He represents directors as well as…

Amy Ricker (producer, graduate from Steve May’s MA programme in 2011) has a new feature in post, “Having You”, starring Anna Friel and Romola Garai.  This is the feature directing debut for the actor Sam Hoare (Captain America, Borgen). http://www.finitefilmsandtv.com/having-you-film-2012/ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2397390/

Dan Smyth (graduate from Steve May’s Screenwriting and Producing programme in 2007) has two reasons to celebrate.  His short, “Gummy Man”, has been picked up by the Virgin Shorts Competition and is online.  And his feature, “The Prefect”, has been selected for the iFeatures2 programme.  The producer, Marcie MacLellan, is also a graduate from Steve…

The Screen Arts Institute (London) launched its “Storytelling for the Screen” programme in February this year.   Based in central London’s Portland Place, the programme is designed to help emerging film talent develop, package and sell their movies and TV programmes in the most efficient manner possible. Ten filmmakers joined us in February to develop feature…

Yesterday, Amy Ricker (class of 2010/11) won the EU’s 3D Film Mart Competition with her film “Billy and the Goblin Rebellion”.  The script was developed as her major project on the MA Screenwriting & Producing programme.The win guarantees her a Euro 3,000 further development deal and links her to financiers, sales agents and distributors. http://www.3dstereomedia.eu/en/film-festival-mart/3d-film-mart          …

So here’s the thing.  Has Robert McKee (McKee, R, Story, Methuen, 1999) and all his work made one bad writer a good one?  Or, indeed, a good writer a better one? Has his work helped one film script, one movie, to be better than it would have been without his influence?I’m a huge admirer of…

The writer/director Joanna Hogg has cemented a reputation as an auteur after just two movies (“Unrelated” & “Archipelago”).  Working with no script and muttering a “When you’re ready…” rather than screaming “Action!” she’s putting actors at the centre of the creative process. She’s made a fully-fledged star of Tom Hiddleston (“Thor”, “The Deep Blue Sea”,…