My reviews of





Graceling by Kristin Cashore

and



Lord Tophet by Gregory Frost

are up on SF Site

MA Screenwriting at The London Film School

MA Screenwriting at The London Film School: Skillset Bursaries Available
'LFS is a vibrant, hands-on film-making environment, producing 160 films a year. Where better to learn about the practical craft of screenwriting?' -Mike Leigh, writer/director and LFS chairman and alumnus.

The London Film School offers a unique one-year screenwriting course within the context of a diverse filmmaking community. The emphasis is on developing the writer's original voice through small group and one-to-one mentoring from industry professionals, with the core practical activity being the development of a feature screenplay. Places are limited to 12-15 students. Successful UK qualifying applicants may apply for Skillset funded bursaries, offering contributions to course fees and cost of living allowances. The school is particularly interested in recruiting students who have been writing in other areas, and who would like to address screenwriting as a specialisation.

Although the course is only three years old, graduates have already started to make their mark on the industry - securing development deals, winning prizes (including an Emmy), and seeing their work screened at international film festivals.

'LFS helped me to find my voice as a writer. Being part of a film school you're seeing the whole process, writing not just for the page, but for the screen.' - Ines Braga, 2007 graduate (currently developing a feature with the UK Film Council Development Fund).

Mentors and visiting lecturers are leading industry figures, including:
- William Nicholson (writer: Shadowlands, Gladiator)
- Pawel Pawlikowski (Director: My Summer of Love, Last Resort)
- Tony Grisoni (Writer: Death Defying Acts, Brothers of the Head)
- Rebecca O'Brien (Producer: The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Ae Fond Kiss)
- Laurence Coriat (Writer: Me Without You, Wonderland)
- Bille Eltringham (Director: Mrs Ratcliffe's Revolution, This is Not a Love Song)
- Tony Garnett (Writer/Director/Producer, World Productions)
- Olivia Hetreed (Writer: Girl With a Pearl Earring)
- Don Boyd (Director/Writer/Producer: Andrew and Jeremy Get Married, Twenty One)
- Sandy Lieberson (Producer: Performance, Jaberwocky)
- Udayan Prasad (Director: My Son the Fanatic, Gabriel and Me) amongst many others.

Next entry is in September 2009 and the application deadline is 1 June. The course is accredited by Skillset and is validated by The London Metropolitan University.

Further information and application forms from London Film School - URL, email and telephone details below.

Want a taster session at LFS? Then sign up for our special free Q&A@LFS screenwriting event, a preview screening of Bronson and discussion with writer Brock Norman Brock, chaired by Brian Dunnigan LFS Head of Screenwriting. We have a limited allocation of places for external guests.

Details below: register at www.lfs.org.uk/qa
Wednesday 25 February, 5.30pm at LFS
Preview screening of Bronson (director Nicolas Winding Refn, 92 mins, 2008) followed by Q&A with writer Brock Norman Brock.

'Bronson is about the UK's most violent prisoner, Charles Bronson, but it's in no way a biography. A nihilistic tribute to Kubrick and A Clockwork Orange; a hyper-violent showcase with strong theatrical elements, propelled by a muscular - literally - performance from an almost-unrecognisable Tom Hardy.' - Screendaily

Contact name: John Sibley
Organisation: London Film School
Phone: 020 7836 9642
Email: screenwriting@lfs.org.uk
Website: http://www.lfs.org.uk

Review: Nurk by Ursula Vernon

My review of Nurk by Ursula Vernon is available on SFsite.com

I am mopey today

Life is all...lifey and my hair persists in just sitting on my head instead of assuming what some call a 'style'. I spent ten minutes staring at my work in progress and wondering dubiously if it really REALLY needed a boat.

This cheered me up.




SEMEN COOKERY!

I once spent two hours discussing the nutritional merits of semen with the next generation of Irish poets and storytellers - I drag conversations down to the gutter, if it's not semen content then it's the coroner story - but this guy actually wrote a book about it.

A book I would buy if only to go "Look! SEMEN COOKERY!" at people in the street. OK, that isn't actually true. I would be forced to go out and source some semen for the recipes just to see if they worked. Don't judge me.

I wonder how you'd store it. Chilled? I know you can freeze sperm, but while it might remain biologically viable could it still be used for cuisine?

My review of The Painted Man by Peter V. Brett is available on SFsite.com.

Calling all Innoventive Storytellers

Missfit Mondays is a four-month-long mini festival celebrating innoventive writing in theatre, poetry, storytelling and moving image/film.

We’re proud to present an original line-up of tellers, poets, visual makers, playwrights, improvisers, dreamers, idealists, rebels, and - our favourite of all - misfits.

Get involved as a participant or audience member.

Missfit Mondays take place on consecutive Mondays between 16 February - 25 May 2009.

Events start at 7.30pm at the Troy Bar, 10 Hoxton Street, London, N1 6NG.
£6/£5

Part of the proceeds will be donated to a new charity called DYS(the)LEXI which supports and develops original work by dyslexic and dyspraxic writers.

It’s not too late to get involved either as a participant or an audience member.

For more information, visit www.missfitproductions.org or www.geocities.com/touchwaves or email us at missfitmonday@gmail.com

To apply to perform, email missfitmonday@gmail.com for an application or download it from the website.

Make it on a Monday!

Contact name: Leon Conrad
Organisation: Touchwaves
Other contacts: missfitmonday@gmail.com
Email: conradvoiceconsultancy@yahoo.co.uk
Website: http://www.missfitproductions.org

My review of Paul Kearney's Ten Thousand is available on SF SITE.



My review of Marlene Perez's Dead is the New Black is available on Green Man Review




My review of Ian McDonald's Cyberabad Days is available on Green Man Review