This year, the 大象传媒 Writersroom launched the pilot of the Write Across programme, a development scheme focussing on one location in UK. For the first Write Across, we worked closely with various partners in the Liverpool city region to identify fresh talent and create accessible entry points to the 大象传媒 for new writers in the area. One of the participants, Julie Skeat, tells us of her experience of the programme.
For me, Write Across Liverpool started as a very exciting announcement on the twitter feedback in February when I had just finished their Write to Work course. The night of the opening event, I abandoned my taxi in match traffic and ran the rest of the way to find one of the last seats down at the front to listen to the captivating tell us why Liverpool had to be the first place for the 大象传媒 to search for new voices. Of course, we already knew why.
Whether you鈥檙e a real Scouser or an adopted one like me, you know the city is brimming with stories and plenty of people eager to tell them. What followed for me was a month of non-stop writing and not much else as I put together my very first script (there was a lot of pizza consumed that month, and not a great lot of cooking!) When I got the invitation to take part, I was astounded 鈥� it was so exciting to meet 15 other writers in the city who were trying to get their stories out there too. The cohort was incredibly talented: writers, filmmakers, actors and activists, all full of ideas and with a diverse range of experiences sparking thoughtful discussions.
Write Across Liverpool ran as a blended programme of Zoom and in person sessions offering us the best of both worlds: the opportunity to meet a wide range of incredible talent across the industry (in their living rooms) and the chance to meet each other (with free sandwiches!) The face-to-face sessions were spaced evenly across the two month programme and kicked off with a get-to-know-you workshop in Liverpool where we met the Writersroom team, took part in a full-day class on the fundamentals of scriptwriting with Beth McCann of Scriptwriting North, and found out what we all liked to watch on telly. We left feeling energised and fizzing with ideas.
Knowing we鈥檇 have to produce an original series outline by the end of the programme, we soaked up every little bit of insider info from the Zoom sessions comprising of masterclasses in character and applying John Yorke鈥檚 10 Questions from script consultants Selina Ukwuoma and Josie Day, plus a debunking of the routes into TV writing from Writersroom alumni Laurence Clark and Paris Ventour. Other amazing opportunities came up along the way with an insightful session on spec scripts from Hollyoaks writer Jayshree Patel and Joe Griffiths from Leopard Pictures, and the chance to attend the premiere of 大象传媒 Three鈥檚 Red Rose including a chat with its writers, the Clarkson twins.
By the time our second in person session came, we were ready to show off our learning in a mock writers room where we pitched ideas for the series we would go on to outline for the rest of the course. After this, it was time for us to get to work on our series idea by making sure our protagonist was sufficiently flawed, checking the story against the 10 questions and placing our inciting incident in just the right spot. If we hadn鈥檛 quite got it right, the Writersroom team were there to ask why not and what could we possibly do to get it right? Over the final few weeks of the programme, Jess Loveland, Usman Mullan and Alice Ramsey held 1-2-1s with the writers to help us grow our two sentence logline into a full series outline with a pilot episode beat sheet, which we鈥檒l use to write our spec script. So the hard part is done, now all we have to do is go away and write it!
The final bit of face to face learning was a frank and revelatory round table with screenwriter Collette Kane before our closing ceremony at the Liverpool Everyman at which we pitched our series to the group and representatives from all the local partner organisations (Liverpool Film Office, Liverpool's Royal Court, 20 Stories High, DaDaFest, Writing on the Wall, Everyman & Playhouse Theatres, Unity Theatre Liverpool).
We finally had the chance to chat to all the project鈥檚 supporters who鈥檇 championed Liverpool as the place to pilot the Write Across programme. We couldn鈥檛 have been more grateful to them and the 大象传媒 for this fabulous opportunity. In just two months, the once daunting process of refining our scripts and getting them out to the right places had been completely demystified and we were left feeling like it鈥檚 no longer just a dream. We know it鈥檚 still a bloody long journey, but at least we鈥檙e heading in the right direction.
Chris Moll, Executive Producer at Liverpool Film Office adds:
鈥淚 believe that Write Across Liverpool has not only been a rewarding experience for the 16 writers who鈥檝e taken part but also for the partners who came together to promote and deliver the scheme alongside the 大象传媒 Writersroom team. It has certainly strengthened the working relationships between the key organisations involved in new writing in the city 鈥� Liverpool Film Office, Liverpool Everyman, Liverpool Royal Court, Unity Theatre, Writing on the Wall, 20 Stories High and Dada 鈥� by encouraging us to better share information and knowledge, and to start to build a much more holistic, cross-sectoral approach to how we support the professional development of the many talented storytellers that hail from this amazing city. We鈥檙e already discussing future initiatives and collaborations so Write Across Liverpool is just the first episode of something that I hope will run and run over the next few years.鈥�
The 大象传媒 Writersroom's Write Across programme will return after a review of the pilot scheme. Further information will be available in due course.