Script Factory News2.Main Content
New training project for West Midlands-based writers launches with a Short Film Masterclass
Toby Macdonald's Je t'aime John Wayne
Tue, 16 Sep 2003
The Script Factory and Grand Union have teamed up to bring a brand new screenwriting project to the West Midlands which will nuture 16 writers through the development of a short film script, and subsequently give 4 of them the opportunity to collaborate on a multi-strand feature film script. The programme will be launched on Sunday 21 September with a Short Film Masterclass in Birmingham, including screenings of several award-winning short films and a panel of filmmakers, programmers and short film developers engaged in debate about the short film form.
The event will kick off with several short film screenings, including BAFTA-nominated short Bouncer starring Ray Winstone and the Turner Classic Shorts and European Film Award winner, Je t’aime John Wayne, followed by a panel debate between filmmakers, film programmers and developers about what kinds of story ideas work best for short films. Panellists include Mark Cosgrove, Head of Exhibition at Watershed Media Centre in Bristol, which hosts Brief Encounters one of the world’s top short film festivals; BBC Four’s Pamela Casey who also has years of experience in short film programming and development with Atom Films and the UK FILM COUNCIL; and Michael Baig Clifford, director of Bouncer and Brown Paper Bag, which premiered in August at the 57th Edinburgh International Film Festival.
Tickets for the Short Film Masterclass which will be held from 1-2.30pm at MAC Arts Centre, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham cost £3 and can be purchased through the MAC Box Office on 0121 440 3838.
The Short Film Masterclass is open to everyone, and writers and filmmakers in the audience will have the opportunity to quiz the experts about what qualities make a short film great, and gain inspiration for their own short film treatment ideas and/or scripts, which are to be submitted for the project by Wednesday 22 October 2003. From these submissions, we will be selecting 16 writers to take part in the development and training programme detailed in the document which can be downloaded below.
BROAD STREET STORIES, is funded by Screen West Midlands and the UK Film Council through the Lottery, and is a unique opportunity for West Midlands based writers to pool their ideas and talents to capture the vibrancy of contemporary life in the heartlands of the UK.
Click here to download full details of the Broad Street Stories Programme
Click here for an application form (this file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)