Mirrorball TV

"mirrorballtv brings together creatives from across the music video, animation and design spectrum to share ideas and promote ground-breaking new work." to see the stuff from cutting edge promomakers like Mike Mills and Spike Jones go and sign up at the website.

interested in being a TV researcher?

C4 Talent has just done a profile on my friend Stuart Brown about being a freelance researcher in TV.

Paul Abbott's Writers Studio

"The talent base needs to grow," said Paul.

Which is why he's set up his own Writers' Studio, taking up to five new writers at a time, and teaching them how to hone their craft.

"The Writers' Studio is an obscenely expensive experiment that I've put together, a building where people are trained. They don't go home at the end of the day but they stay there for five or six days, so everyone is talking about the project all the time. It's a completely different, unique experiment. I almost staple people into the building, and bring out the best in them!" he explains.

"Writers don't talk to each other, which I don't think is right," adds Paul. "Writing is a really weird job to take on. I work an average of 10 hours a day and usually I'm on my own, although you have to learn to be on your own with 500 voices in your head. And it's one of the toughest jobs in the world.

"You have got to learn to sit on your own and put your heart on paper. You really do have to give a lot of yourself every time you write a script, so you have to be tough with yourself," he explains.

Asked by Lynne McCadden how would-be writers could get involved in the Writers' Studio, Paul's reply was simple. "Write a top-notch script and get it to us," he says. "The ones who are determined to get through, get through."

More at Netribution.

Screen writing courses

Adrian Meade occasionally holds them in Scotland and London. I've done Adrian's course before and so have several of my friends. He's inspirational and motivational. More about making a living as a screenwriter and writing TV more than just short films though.

"These classes give an insight into the business side of things (which I think a lot of writers tend to ignore or not think about). Adrian shares his industry knowledge and expertise, and while giving an honest overview of current trends / demands still manages to encourage his audience. His passion for the industry shines through and is deeply infectious. As such, these events not only provide you with loads of insider knowledge, but inspire and encourage. Even if you decide against trying your hand as a writer for TV, many of the tips are equally applicable to other career aspects! Having done both of these classes I came away fired up and probably bored my friends rigid as I couldn't stop raving about it for weeks! I can't recommend this enough!"Jane Walker, Edinburgh

More info at the MeadeKerr website.

Script smart

Found this link at the BBC to free downloadable screenwriting template software.

There is also a blog at the Writers Room which has some info about the open submission process at the BBC if you are interested in writing for TV.