Farah Abushwesha - Rocliffe Notes for Screenwriters: A Professional Approach to Screenwriting and Scriptwriting

Rocliffe Notes is a compendium for screenwriters and filmmakers which brings together tips and opinions from over 140 film and TV industry professionals, and provides a step-by-step, common-sense guide on how writers and writer-directors can best present themselves to the industry. Including insider insights from award-winning industry players, it details their habits, writing processes, daily passions and preoccupations, whilst also looking at the nuts and bolts of the industry, aiming to motivate writers on their own creative journey, maximise networking opportunities and encourage a professional approach to writing. An essential armament in any writers store, contributors include: Moira Buffini, Danny Huston, David Parfitt, Jack Thorne, Sarah Gavron, John Madden, John Yorke, Nik Powell, Peter Kosminsky, Christine Langan and Asif Kapadia.

Farah Abushwesha is a writer, producer and founder of the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forum. Rocliffe, in partnership with BAFTA, has showcased the work of emerging screenwriting talent at Guardian Edinburgh International Television Festival and the New York TV Festival. A champion of new writers and directors, Farah writes the popular blog Farahs Rocliffe Notes, and regularly runs screenwriting courses and speaks on industry panels at events around the world.

So many people helped with this book with suggestions and encouragement, particularly my wonderful friends who spurred me on. A special thanks for their never-ceasing support over many years to Louisa Hopkins, Antonio Mendez, my sister, Yasmin, my dad, and two amazing women my mother, Orla Woods, and my grandmother, Aine Woods. Thanks to my diligent researchers and transcribers Hope Kemp, Stephen Casey, Jessica Ostley and Jessica Reid; to Susan Jacobson, Nicola Woods and Stephany Ungless who at various points read or proofread variations of this book; to those who gave great suggestions and leads for contributors: Clare Bateman-King, Mariayah Kaderbhai, Kam Kandola-Flynn, Camille Gatin, Andrea Cornwell, Kristen OBrien, Kate Kinninmont, Wendy Mitchell and so many receptive agents; my agent, Susan Smith, my commissioning editor, Hannah Patterson, and my editor, Anne Hudson, for making a goal a reality. And lastly the very generous contributors!

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Working Out Your Creative DNA

ROCLIFFE NOTES ON Getting Started

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Inspiration

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Writing a Good Screenplay

ROCLIFFE NOTES on A Professional Approach

ROCLIFFE NOTES on How to Help Yourself and Script Housekeeping

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Writing and Creating a Web Series

ROCLIFFE NOTES from Paula Milne

ROCLIFFE NOTES on

What to Consider When Filling In Forms

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Writing a Short Biography

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Creating Characters Backstory

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Treatments

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Storylines and Episode Guides

ROCLIFFE NOTES on The One-Line Synopsis

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Overcoming Nerves for a Meeting, Pitch or Presentation

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Meetings

ROCLIFFE NOTES ON Finding Collaborators

ROCLIFFE NOTES on What to Look for in a Developer or Collaborator

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Who to Send Your Script to

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Why Your Script Might Be Turned Down

ROCLIFFE NOTES on How to Approach Agents

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Meeting With a Prospective Agent

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Killing Those Blues

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Networking

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Setting Up a Table Read

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Setting Up a Writers Group

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Writers Block

ROCLIFFE NOTES on Different Online Content Outlets

UK Agents Who Accept Unsolicited Submissions

UK Agents by Referral Only

US Agents Who Accept Unsolicited Submissions

This book would not exist without the generosity and patience of these amazing contributors:

ALAN FRIEL: Writer-Director (Commercial Director & Emerging Film-maker)

ALAN MCKENNA: Writer-Producer (Pressure, Slammer), Actor (Belle, Happy Valley, The ABCs of Death 2)

ALEX COOK: Senior Manager, Talent Development, British Academy of Film and Television Arts

ALEXANDRA ARLANGO: Development Producer, Cowboy Films & Curator of the Brit List (The Duchess, Cheerful Weather for the Wedding, Severance)

ALEXANDRA BOYD: Actress (Mr Hollands Opus, Titanic, Coronation Street), Writer-Director (Boxer on the Wilderness, Widows Walk)

ALISON MILLAR: Producer-Director (The Disappeared, The Shame of the Catholic Church, The Father, the Son & the Housekeeper)

AMANDA BERRY OBE: BAFTA Chief Executive

AMIT KUMAR: Writer-Director (Monsoon Shootout, The Bypass)

ANDREA CORNWELL: Producer (Suite Franaise, Last Days on Mars, Micro Men)

ANDREA HUBERT: Writer

ANDREW NEWMAN: Producer & Chief Executive, Objective

ANGELINE BALL: Actor (Shameless, The General, The Commitments)

ANNA EMERSON: Writer & Performer (Mission Improbable [Series 1 & 2], Off Their Rockers [Series 2])

ANNE HOGBEN: Deputy General Secretary of the Writers Guild of Great Britain

ANNE-MARIE DRAYCOTT: Writer

ARAB NASSER AND TARZAN NASSER: Writer-Directors Nominated for a Short Film Palme DOr (Cannes 2013)

ASIF KAPADIA: Writer-Director (Senna, Far North, The Warrior)

BEN STEPHENSON: Controller of Drama Commissioning, BBC (The Great Train Robbery, Top of the Lake, Happy Valley, The Honourable Woman)

BERTRAND FAIVRE: Producer (more than 30 films including Ratcatcher, The Warrior, Le Week-End, A Little Chaos)

BOB BALABAN: Producer (Gosford Park), Director (Bernard and Doris, Parents), Actor (Monuments Men, Moonrise Kingdom, Deconstructing Harry)

BRONA C TITLEY: Actor & Writer (Off Their Rockers, 50 Kisses, Narcopolis, How To Lose Friends and Alienate People)

CAMILLE GATIN: Producer (Shadow Dancer, Endeavour, Anthony)

CAT VILLIERS: Producer (The Narrow Frame of Midnight, The Proposition, No Mans Land, Ivansxtc)

CATHERINE WILLIS: Casting Director

CHARITY TRIMM: Writer

CHARLES GANT: Film Journalist

CHARLES STEEL: Producer, Cowboy Films (The Last King of Scotland, Marley, Top Boy, Black Sea)

CHARLOTTE KNIGHT: Literary Agent

CHRIS SPARLING: Writer (Buried, Sea of Trees, ATM), Director, Screen-writer & Co-Producer (The Atticus Institute)

CHRIS SUSSMAN: Commissioning Editor, BBC Comedy (Bad Education, Cuckoo, Rev, Him & Her, People Just Do Nothing)

CHRISTIAN MANLEY: Writer

CHRISTIANA BROCKBANK: Writer

CHRISTINA PICKWORTH: