May Drinks - Building Developer/Agent Relationships

A huge thank you to all who made it along last month, particularly our special guests, screenwriters' agents Tanya Tillett and Katie Williams. Both were incredibly open to questions and generous with their time, and we are thrilled that they could join us. 


Our host venue Century’s beautiful bar was a wonderful setting for the night, and we’d like to extend our appreciation and thanks to all there, too.

Sarah and I had just returned from Cannes (and I was recovering from a flat move), so this was a great chance to unwind (and escape all the boxes…), with another inspiring mix of people in attendance. These included up-and-coming producer, Maria Forsstrom, from Vita Nova Films; April’s special guest, script consultant, Philip Shelley; emerging screenwriting talent, Chris Hill, whose credits include Skins;  Eastenders script editor, Suzanne Cowie and Nik Powell, Director of the National Film and Television School, one of the UK’s leading producers, and legendary raconteur!

Photographs of the night are again courtesy of multi-talented writer, Jeremiah Quinn. When he’s not capturing images of our events, he’s building an impressive slate of screenplays – including the BAFTA Rocliffe selected The Clerk of Madras (pdf). Excitingly, we've just had news that he is currently developing his nautical thriller, Dead Reckoning, with Poisson Rouge Pictures - with Christopher Granier-Deferre attached to direct. We’ll be adding Jeremiah to our Profiles section soon, so watch this space. 

We’re also very pleased to learn that professional relationships are already forming through In Development, and would love to hear more of these stories - plus feedback on what we’re doing, and ideas for future nights. You can contact us here.

Our next event is coming very soon: we’ll be discussing Script Editing Comedy on Tuesday 28 June, with Andrew Ellard (The IT Crowd, Red Dwarf), and Paula Hines (After You’ve Gone, The Smoking Room). Check your inbox for further information!

If you work in script development, would like to join us at our next monthly drinks, and aren’t already on our mailing list, please do get in touch. 

Script Factory Development Course Offer! 16-17 June

Our friends (and former tutors) at the Script Factory have sent us details of a great, new two-day training programme for script developers, readers and producers - and, what's more, they're kindly offering In Development members a discount:

Wrestling the Redraft: Practical Script Development

Now booking for:

Thursday 16 June & Friday 17 June

It’s true what they say: writing is re-writing.  Good script development is the single most important task for writers, developers and producers but is still the area with the least clarity about its processes. A solid understanding of screenwriting theory is essential but translating that theory into practice is not always straightforward. Each movie project raises its own unique set of challenges - of course, that's why it's fun, but it can also be frustrating and can sometimes feel like you're moving backwards.  Having worked in active international development for over 10 years, with both experienced and emerging writers, Script Factory directors, Lucy Scher and Justine Hart  have devised a brand new programme that comprehensively examines the potential problems and explores how to navigate through the tricky development process avoiding the common pitfalls and setting the next draft on course to exploit all the potential strengths of a movie idea.

This two-day course is primarily aimed at script developers, readers and producers. However, if you are a writer with a script that hasn’t yet been optioned then this course contains valuable tools for analysing and improving your own work. 

We’re delighted to offer members of In Development a 10% discount – making the price £202.50 +VAT (normally £225  + VAT).

Call Sheena on 07908 815 665 to book