This is the End (kinda)...beautiful friend

Yesterday saw the end of the final taught trimester (unofficially anyway) of the MA course. We're technically still on the course over the summer with our major project to work on - mine's a feature, almost certainly a comedy - but that's basically our classes finished. Good fun it was too, bit of an industry pub quiz with wine at the Screen Academy (which may I just say - WE WON - thanks to the rest of 'Team Roger' - Irene, Len, Arnie and Fiona), then on to a local pub for more drinking and fun. It felt like everyone was breathing a collective sigh of relief because this Trimester has been hard going work-wise, with the infamous Research Dossier to produce along with writing projects. Mine stretched to 57 pages, and is yet to be marked so I'll hang fire on commenting how that went, and I'm due to get feedback on the 90 minute thriller I submitted for the writing part of the course, this Wednesday. The Summer won't be entirely tutor-less though as we have industry mentors arranged to help with first drafts, and also contact in the main with our tutors if and when required. Thoughts were presented last night too about setting up a regular meet at the Screen Academy to encourage targets to be met through the next 3 months - I think it's a good idea.

A few of last years graduates turned up too, Laura, and I finally met David. I think a few in my class were feeling a bit down about the end of the structured part of the course, but unless I'm in denial, I'm still feeling fired up for the script I have to write over the Summer, and the presence of successful students from last year proved that links don't have to be entirely severed.

Subjects covered in the course of the evening included: icing, lady gardens, Doctors, awkward students, illicit sex, those little silver balls for decorating cakes, Estonian spas, sculpture, ditches, the clockwork orange, and the influence that Kelly McGillis and a sponge had on adolescent boys.

I left after midnight and walked through a night smelling of lilacs - perfect. Missed 'Peep Show' though, damnit.

The magnificent Geraldine by Glasvegas on Jools Holland

Turn it up LOUD!

Life on Mars US trailer : it's old school

Not sure if this has been posted elsewhere, but here's the "Life on Mars US" trailer :

To brad or not to brad.....

I try try try TRY not to be negative, but this series of 'Doctor Who' is starting to bore me. I'm not laying the blame anywhere - maybe it's just not my cup of tea at the moment, but is it just me?

On another note, what IS the most acceptable way to hold a feature script together in the UK? I'm aware of some of the conventions, including the US one where you punch 3 but only brad 2, and then use smart little washers to prevent desk-scrapeage, but what's the standard here? Though there's zillions of pronouncements about the standard font, spacing and formatting, there's a sort of vagueness about the punching and presenting.

Of course it goes without saying that I'll make sure my scripts have floral card covers with my birth-sign on them, a florid font in pink, and an accompanying cd with 'Mood songs' in a special little sleeve beside it, but should I include a photograph of me in a prom dress, and a sample of the cloth that the lead character's hat is to be made of?

Whistle while you work

I haven't been blogging much because I've been working like a mad woman. 90 minute first draft of a feature script just handed in for 1 assignment, and am in the throes of putting together a Research Dossier now for another project, now I'm nearing the end of my MA course. Just 2 official classes to go now, and that along with some mentoring meetings and the odd get-together at the Screen Academy over the summer will, as they say, be that - eek!

My final assignment is a feature script from scratch over the summer. I'm actually desperate to start this as I have my idea and it's already buzzing away in my brain BUT I have vowed nothing will be written till I get the Research thingummy done. It's been the most time-consuming and the most 'awkward' of the assignments, but is oddly satisfying as there's just no way round actually doing the graft - you just have to do it. I've been researching goldsmiths and alchemists in 15th century Italy, and the research has taken me along many more avenues than I expected. The script that the research is for, will take MUCH longer than the summer to write though, as it needs even more research so it'll have to go in a drawer for now until I have more time.

The feature for the summer is a comedy on the bawdy side, and set in Scotland. Had a meeting with tutors about it, and along with lots of puns regarding the subject matter (which I'm not discussing as for once, I'm being cautious), got some useful suggestions so should be able to start that in around 3 weeks.

I'm estimating that I might be able to knit a dalek by Christmas 2008, you see if I don't!