Opportunity for Young Film Makers in the North East

Calling all young film-makers and aspiring film-makers in the North East; do you want to learn more about how distribution and exhibition really work and learn how to get your film on-screen?

If so, First Light and The Independent Cinema Office are working in partnership to offer an Exhibition and Distribution Lab especially for young emerging filmmakers aged 16-25 in the North East.

Taking place at the Baltic, Gateshead over 3 days August 21-23, the Lab will offer advice about how the UK film distribution and exhibition industry really works and follow the journey that a film takes from script to screen.

The Exhibition and Distribution Lab is suitable for younger filmmakers, producers and directors and those keen to work in film distribution, marketing and promotion who are aged 16-25. The organizers are looking to nurture enthusiastic, committed young people with a passion for the industry and are particularly interested in hearing from applicants currently under-represented across the filmmaking sector in the UK: women, young people from BME backgrounds and those with disabilities.

Free for successful applicants, the Lab will be taught by industry experts currently working in film distribution and exhibition. Participants will gain insight into the UK film distribution and exhibition industry through a mixture of interactive practical workshops, talks, case studies, networking opportunities and screenings.

Successful applicants to the scheme will look at how films are distributed, how cinemas programme films, examine new trends in exhibition, including pop-up, event and participatory cinema, analyze different funding models and look at the potential to market and distribute films online.

The course runs August 21/23 . Apply now at http://www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/training/secondlightexhibitionanddistributionlab . Applications close on August 7th.

Calling all young film-makers and aspiring film-makers in the North East; do you want to learn more about how distribution and exhibition really work and learn how to get your film on-screen?

If so, First Light and The Independent Cinema Office are working in partnership to offer an Exhibition and Distribution Lab especially for young emerging filmmakers aged 16-25 in the North East.

Taking place at the Baltic, Gateshead over 3 days August 21-23, the Lab will offer advice about how the UK film distribution and exhibition industry really works and follow the journey that a film takes from script to screen.

The Exhibition and Distribution Lab is suitable for younger filmmakers, producers and directors and those keen to work in film distribution, marketing and promotion who are aged 16-25. The organizers are looking to nurture enthusiastic, committed young people with a passion for the industry and are particularly interested in hearing from applicants currently under-represented across the filmmaking sector in the UK: women, young people from BME backgrounds and those with disabilities.

Free for successful applicants, the Lab will be taught by industry experts currently working in film distribution and exhibition. Participants will gain insight into the UK film distribution and exhibition industry through a mixture of interactive practical workshops, talks, case studies, networking opportunities and screenings.

Successful applicants to the scheme will look at how films are distributed, how cinemas programme films, examine new trends in exhibition, including pop-up, event and participatory cinema, analyze different funding models and look at the potential to market and distribute films online.

The course runs August 21/23 . Apply now at http://www.independentcinemaoffice.org.uk/training/secondlightexhibitionanddistributionlab . Applications close on August 7th

Script Treatment Competition – entry form

SFF entry form

Sorry for delay, here is the competition entry form for SFF script treatment competition. Entries should be returned to press@showfilmfirst.com

Watch the Olympics in Vue Cinemas

Watch the Olympics at Vue!

Vue Cinemas are proud to be broadcasting the London 2012 Olympics live onto our giant screens, free for the entire nation to enjoy between 27th July and 12th August.
Using the most advanced digital cinema technology available – ‘Breatht4king Sony 4K’ – sports fans can experience every second of the action from the Games, with crystal clear images and unbeatable surround sound quality, in real-time on the big screen.
From every drop of sweat from Mo Farah’s brow to every strand of Jessica Ennis’ hair, Vue offers you a unique perspective of the Games that’s totally impossible to recreate at home, down the pub or even in the stadium itself – it’s just like being there, only better!

What’s more, you can sit back and enjoy all the highs and lows of the Games in our super- comfortable, SuperVue stadium-style seats, stepped in tiers to guarantee you the perfect view of every inch of the giant screen events.

From the hotly-anticipated Opening Ceremony to the best event finals, don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join fellow sports fans and cheer on team GB at our truly uplifting series of live and Vuenique Olympics screenings!

Opening Ceremony – 27th July
Don’t miss a second of the show everyone’s been talking about – the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony – live and completely free at your local Vue.

Start your celebration of the greatest sports event of the summer in style, up close and personal on the big-screen – with Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle in charge, a best of British soundtrack and an 80,000 strong crowd, this is one world-class event you’ll want to be part of!

Synchronized Diving – 30th July
Don’t miss young homegrown star, Tom Daley, represent the nation live at our free real-time screenings of the Olympics Synchronized diving event.
And with only eight teams left to compete in this straight Final, it really is all to dive for on 30th July!

Evening Coverage – 4th August
Make a date with the Women’s Heptathlon Final, streamed live and direct from the Olympics stadium to a Vue near you on 4th August.
Join the British team’s poster girl, Jessica Ennis, as she tackles the hurdles, high jump, 200m and more in her personal bid to make the nation proud!

Evening Coverage – 5th August
Catch a nail-biting selection of our favorite Olympics Finals in live evening coverage on 5th August.
From the record-breaking Men’s 100m to real-time Tennis Finals, there’s a treat in store for every type of sports fan at Vue – plus, enjoy exclusive extended all-day coverage if Andy Murray stays in with a winning chance!

Evening Coverage – 9th August
Enjoy live world-class Athletics in the comfort of your local Vue on 9th August and find out first if Usain Bolt can smash another track record as he takes on the Men’s 200m Final!
Plus, catch the Triple Jump Final and more in our Olympic-packed evening agenda.

Evening Coverage – 10th August
Track fans are in for a real treat at our live Olympics Athletics screenings on 10th August.
Kick-off your evening with the Men’s 4x400m Relay – always a breathtaking race to the finish line – followed by the Women’s 1500m Final, guaranteed to keep you on your toes!

All Day Coverage – 11th August
Get closer to the best of the Olympics Finals action at Vue, live on 11th August.
From Diving and Hockey to Football and Gymnastics Finals, our fantastic big-screen selection means it’s easy to make a day of it, whatever your favorite event.

All Day Coverage – 12th August
See the Olympic winners over the finish line live at Vue with our all-day real-time screenings of the Men’s Marathon on 12th August.
Plus, cheer on both the Men’s and Women’s Basketball and Volleyball teams as they go for gold in the Finals!

Closing Ceremony – 12th August
Wave a fond farewell to the ultimate summer sports event at our special screenings of the London 2012 Olympic Closing Ceremony.

With James Bond composer, David Arnold, and Lady Gaga’s costume designer in charge, there’s sure to be plenty of spectacular surprises in store – catch it live for one night only on 12th August.

See links below to download tickets for each event:

· Olympic Coverage – Opening Ceremony – 27th July
To download tickets: https://www.showfilmfirst.com/pin/270454

· Olympic Coverage – 30th July
To download tickets: https://www.showfilmfirst.com/pin/283452

· Olympic Coverage – 4th August
To download tickets: https://www.showfilmfirst.com/pin/580681

· Olympic Coverage – 5th August
To download tickets: https://www.showfilmfirst.com/pin/180813

· Olympic Coverage – 9th August
To download tickets: https://www.showfilmfirst.com/pin/139137

· Olympic Coverage – 10th August
To download tickets: https://www.showfilmfirst.com/pin/873436

· Olympic Coverage – 11th August
To download tickets: https://www.showfilmfirst.com/pin/972460

· Olympic Coverage – 12th August
To download tickets: https://www.showfilmfirst.com/pin/342108

· Olympic Coverage – Closing Ceremony – 12th August

To download tickets: https://www.showfilmfirst.com/pin/382007

SFF Treatment Competition

Win a year’s Cineworld Unlimited Pass.

If you’ve got a great idea for a film now is your chance to enter ShowFilmFirst’s competition and write your own Film Treatment.

The treatments will all be read by professional script readers and the winner will be chosen from a shortlist, by Metrodome.

The winner, as chosen by Metrodome will be the treatment with most potential, in their opinion, to be developed, will get a year’s unlimited card for Cineworld so you can see as many films as you like for the next year!

Who knows, Metrodome may even want to work with you to develop it! (no guarantees though!)

What is a Film Treatment

A treatment is a written condensation of a proposed film. It needs to persuade the reader that this project needs to be made. Treatments should be attention-grabbing and interesting to read. They are usually written in the present tense and tend to read like a short story.

Step1
Film Title – What are you going to call your project – think about the poster or tells audience what the film will be about

Step 2
One paragraph overview – short snappy synopsis

Step 3
Target audience i.e who’s going to go and see it, What genre would it come under.

Step 4
The whole story showing how the characters develop, the locations, providing a sense of pace and finishing with a fantastic ending!

All in ONE page!

Here is the full details and Terms and conditions. For entry form simply email: press@showfilmfirst.com heading your email: SFF treatment entry form request

SHOWFILMFIRST SCRIPTWRITING PROJECT FOR NEW TALENT
As a means of encouraging new and a greater diversity of screen writing talent in the UK, SHOWFILMFIRST (in collaboration with Metrodome and Film London) is delighted to be hosting the first LONDON SCREENWRITING WORKSHOP on Saturday, July 21st.
Upon completion of the programme, SHOWFILMFIRST are inviting participants to enter a competition to write a “film treatment”; (that is a brief outline, no more than a single page) for an idea for a movie.

All entrants will be read by a panel of film industry experts and the authors of the best 20 “treatments” will be given to Metrodome to read and select the winner.

STATEMENT OF INTENT
• The opportunity amounts to a statement of intent by SHOWFILMFIRST to encourage new writing talent in the UK and to provide a route for new work to reach industry professionals for their consideration.
• SHOWFILMFIRST undertake to ensure
o that ALL entrants are read and/or considered by industry professionals.
o that a maximum of 20 entrants will be selected for submission to Metrodome to choose a winner
• Please note that the potential acquisition of any or all eligible films treatments will be dependent upon commercial considerations and on the author securing an acquisition deal from a distributor which cannot be guaranteed. SHOWFILMFIRST are simply guaranteeing that all entrants will be read by UK film industry professionals and that the six qualifying “film treatments” will be read by a representative selection of UK independent film distributors.
• It is anticipated that in the event of an acquisition, any deals that are done will conform to industry practice.
• The acquisition of the treatment to be negotiated between author and the relevant interested film distributor and subject to their contractual negotiations.
• In the event of the commercial exploitation of the winning idea, (following completion of development process and subject to any acquisition agreement) it is anticipated that the winner’s contribution will be equitably remunerated according to the extent of their contribution in accordance with standard industry practice.
• Their contribution will also be publicized and will include an on-screen credit dependent upon, and relevant to, their contribution to the final script.

COMPETITION TERMS AND CONDITIONS

• By submitting their entry, the writer(s) of the winning treatment s agree to abide by the terms and conditions of the competition as set out by SHOWFILMFIRST.
• All entries must be submitted electronically to press@showfilmfirst.
• All entries must conform to a single format, which should be no longer than a single page of text, with a font size of 11 or 12 and 1.5 line spacing.
• Ideas should be suitable for commercial exploitation across a UK audience.
• Closing date for entries is: 31st August 2012
• All entrants will receive acknowledgement of entry.
• SHOWFILMFIRST will NOT enter into correspondence with entrants following submission of entries.
• The names of the winner will be announced on the SHOWFILMFIRST blog.
• The Judges decision will be final.
• All rights will be retained by the authors pending any potential acquisition deal.

1). The Entry must be an original idea, unless

- the original/underlying work is in the public domain. (Entrants may be called upon to demonstrate that the underlying work is in the public domain should their entry be short-listed).

2). must be the author’s own work, it may be a collaborative effort but all people must be credited. Collaborative work is eligible, provided all contributions are credited, and all collaborators confirm participation.

3). The decision of the Judges is final.

4). By submitting an entry to the competition, the entrant agrees to abide by the rules set out by SHOWFILMFIRST.

5). By submitting an entry to the competition, the entrant warrants that their entry;

- is their own original work and that they have the right to make it available to SHOWFILMFIRST for all the purposes specified above; and
- does not infringe any law;
- agree to indemnify SHOWFILMFIRST against all legal fees, damages and other expenses that may be incurred as a result of any breach of the above warranties; and
- waive any moral rights in their idea for all the purposes specified above, including its submission to the competition and its development and potential production.

THE CONTEST

• This contest is open to anyone.

• Entries will only be accepted utilising the official entry form.

• A contact email address MUST be included

• Entries MUST be emailed.
Format: One page in 1.5 line spacing and font of 11 or 12 pitch

• Multiple entries are permissible, but each entry must be accompanied by a separate Entry Form

• Entrants must be 16 years or over .

• Contest applicants must accept without reservation the decisions rendered by the judges.

• The work or submitted material must not have been previously optioned, sold, or produced for
profit.

• Entrants should retain at least one copy of the submitted material, and understand that all
material received will not be returned under any circumstances.

• Entries should be submitted by end of day (GMT) 31st August 2012, by email to press@showfilmfirst.com, headed: SFF Treatment Entry.
Receipt of entries will be acknowledged by email.

LIABILITY

No liability, financial or otherwise lies with SHOWFILMFIRST arising from this contest.

SHOWFILMFIRST is not responsible for late or lost submissions.

• By entering this contest and in the event you are declared a finalist, you understand and accept that we will be free to use your name and likeness for advertising or promotional purposes without additional consideration.

• If you are a finalist you agree to give permission to post on the SHOWFILM FIRST
web site your treatment’s logline

Submission of your treatment to the competition amounts to acceptance of these rules.

Showfilmfirst Script Writing Competition

Thanks everyone for coming along to the Empire today. We will be posting full details on the competition tomorrow!

SFF

Showfilmfirst Film Day

We are delighted to offer tickets to our Showfilmfirst Film Day: 

 

SATURDAY, JULY 21ST AT THE EMPIRE LEICESTER SQUARE

 

Have you ever thought about writing a script?   Do you wonder how you can get a film made?  Whether you are thinking about making your own film, just interested in the process or would like to find out more…

 

SFF have put together a day for film lovers!   Starting with a script writing workshop, you will get a chance to  to hear from industry professionals covering the art of script writing, how to get your first feature made.

 

As ever, we will have a preview of a forthcoming film followed by a Q&A with the film maker. There will be a panel discussion with Writers and Directors sharing their experiences of film making.  

 

Finally, we will also be announcing an exciting SFF competition for all budding script writers.

 

We only have the venue from 9am to 3pm so breaks will be short as we want to fit in as much as we can!

 

Tickets are £25 to the general public, but we have an allocation for Showfilmfirst members for just £12.50  (fine for Showfilmfirst members to buy at this price for friends!)

 

Book now!

 

http://showfilmfirst-com.ticketbud.com/showfilmfirst-film-day

 

 

Through the link you can pay on paypal or credit card ? please note this goes direct to paypal, so you need to register there or use the credit card system, it is not related to your SFF log in.    Tickets are then emailed directly to you. 

 

Any queries:  help@showfilmfirst.com

Script Writing Event

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Showfilmfirst.com

We will be posting details of our script writing event shortly, but getting in the mood, you may like to read this article by professional script developer  - Pete Daly:

 

TEACHING GRANNY TO SUCK EGGS

What Every Screenwriter Should Know

 

OK – a lot of this you will know; some of it you will know even if you don’t realise that you know it.  But it really is worth rehashing.  Many scripts fail because of very simplistic flaws.

 

Writers love to eschew the rules and avoid being formulaic.  That’s fine, but you need to understand the basics first (Tarantino achieves distorted narrative paths and offbeat characters because of his in-depth knowledge of film and, especially, his understanding of genre rules).  Too many writers now fail to watch and learn.  It really is essential to view as many films as possible – good and bad – to see what aspects worked and what didn’t.  The established classics are not top of the best-ever lists for nothing, and it is extremely difficult to be original when you don’t know what went before.

 

European writers in particular are also prone to showing off – trying to make their work look complex and clever.  As Kevin Spacey’s Verbal says in The Usual Suspects “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist”.  The major skill in screenwriting is making the complex seem simple and accessible.  Look at Shrek.  Just a kids’ movie, a piece of fun?  Don’t make me laugh – this is a work of almost genius that plays to every level (age, background, nationality) simultaneously.  There is hardly a word in the whole screenplay wasted, and that really takes talent!

 

So … where do we start?  Well, every script has to have a beginning, middle and an end.  Sounds simple, but you’d be amazed how many people overlook this simple law of storytelling.  Once you remember this you can play with it.  Coming back to Tarantino, Pulp Fiction started in the middle, worked through to the conventional ending and then went round to the start for the conclusion.  He knew the rule, and had the talent then to use it for his own means.

 

Talking generally one page of screenplay will take a minute of on-screen time (as long as you have kept your stage instructions to the basics).  A movie should be 90 minutes.  This is the perfect length for someone to sit in a darkened theatre with a group of strangers.  If your script is over 100 pages there better be a good reason for it (Ghandi was an epic deserving of three hours, many others are not).  Apart from the audience attention span and the length of the drama, commercially you must remember that if you go much above 100 minutes the theatres will lose one showing a day, which makes your project less attractive to all concerned.

 

Usually the opening of the story should take roughly a quarter of the running time to set up character, situation and story; although opening acts are becoming shorter and shorter in the desire to immediately capture the attention of the MTV generation.  The finale should also take up 25 per cent, leaving half of the film for a middle section.  Stories come in all different forms and shapes, but they need an “inciting incident” to kick off the narrative and lead to act two.  Basically something (preferably interesting) has to happen to someone (or somewhere).  This then leads to a plan of action to try to overcome this change or restore status quo.  Like it or not you auteurs, the story has to be about something, with a goal at the end, or it lacks interest.

 

During the middle section we have to see the narrative progress, with extra layers of complexity added to increase the stakes and maintain audience interest.  A baby that stays as a baby starts to become boring (to everyone except the medical sciences).  An audience want to see development and a route to a goal.

 

Movies have to have a protagonist – again, if they don’t the writer should have considered this and there should be a good reason why not.  This can be more than one person, and for the more experimental amongst you it could even be an inanimate object.  But we must know whose story this is.  They do not always have to be sympathetic, but they do have to be intriguing.  The protagonist should want to do something, and there should be some force of antagonism trying to prevent this.  This provides the conflict that makes the drama. 

 

A film has to have some impact on the audience – emotionally it should make us laugh, cry, feel sad, romantic, amorous … whatever, but you need to make that connection.  There also has to be some form of intellectual bond (the genre basically states whether this is more important than the emotional clout).  We must be prepared to go with the story and, at times, it should make us think.  There has to be some suspension of disbelief for a film to work.  This is easier for some stories than others but if in doubt, think Groundhog Day.  This was a truly preposterous premise, but it was logical at every step so we went along with it.

 

Movies on the whole benefit from having at least two contributory subplots to help vary tone and pace.  You should also know what you’re writing, and what effect you want to have on the audience.  It is very useful to have a broad range of movie references to your fingertips, but be yourself and be original; no one likes copies. 

 

Oh – and you also need talent: talent to write dialogue that doesn’t feel wooden when spoken, to know when to increase the pace or slow the momentum down, to enter the story at the right time and leave it at the right moment.  But if you’re not aware of the basics all the talent in the world cannot save you.  You can’t break rules without knowing what they are.  Happy writing!