Its the ultimate dream for any scriptwriter, that their idea is picked up by a producer and taken onto the big screen.
For many writers it remains just that, a dream, but the independent film-making sector in the UK is enjoying something of a renaissance and that means there are more opportunities than ever before.
Which offers hope to people like Nick Bassington and Mike Jarvie, of Darlington, in County Durham.
Nick, who runs his own business, and Mike, who works at the local railway station, have spent the past nine months collaborating on a film script and will soon start trying to attract interest from film companies.
Mike already has experience of the film industry through his work on Flipper’s Side, the autobiography of wheelchair-bound Darlington football fan Paul Hodgson. The book, co-written with Paul, was published several years ago and Mike is one of four directors of Down Among the Dead Men, a company set up to secure funding for the project. Their efforts have included trips to the Cannes Film Festival to talk to potential funders and they have attracted interest from film makers.
Now, Mike is also working with Nick on the script for a black comedy feature-length film set in an 1970s school, which he hopes will also interest those responsible for financing movies.
Both men, who have known each other since schooldays, believe that one of the keys to success is putting effort into getting the script right before they even think about approaching industry professionals.
Mike said: “We believe that we need to get the script as good as it can be, which means rewriting and rewriting it.
“We work really well together. We think working as a team is a good way of writing. When it comes to scripts, it is usually a case of two or more writers working together. That is how it worked with the likes of Monty Python and The League of Gentlemen team and scriptwriting partnerships like Dick Clement and Ian la Frenais.”
Nick said: “We have known each other since school and started writing together because I knew Mike worked on books and we talked about the idea of developing a film script. We meet several times a week to write.”
To develop their work, they also attended an event sponsored by Northern Film and Media, one of the agencies that operate around the country to support the film industry. That event offered the chance to discuss their ideas with film professionals.
They also attended a Film Council-sponsored event in the North-East, where again advice was offered to help them prepare their script so that it can be effectively pitched when it is finished in several months time.
Nick said: “We came back from that and reworked what we had done, We really are learning as we go along and one of the lessons we have learned is that you need to examine every word in the script and be prepared to constantly rewrite until you get it right.”
Their tips for anyone trying to pitch an idea are:
* Identify what kind of idea you want to pitch be it High Concept (a simple easily identifiable idea, like the blockbuster movie Snakes on a Plane or Indiana Jones series), a treatment, which is a detailed synopsis of the story, or a script itself. They suggest that for people just starting out, a script is the best approach.
* Understand the likes and dislikes of the film company to which you are pitching your idea so that you are approaching them with something that fits in with their needs.
* Hone the script so that it is as good as it can be.
* Have two other strong ideas as back-up and prepare a treatment on both of them so that, if the script is rejected, there is something else to offer.
* Stress why your idea is different.
* Take advantage of networking events staged by organisations such as screen agencies and the Film Council, to obtain an insight into the industry and meet potentially useful contacts.
Mike said: “We know that probably less than one in 100 pitches makes progress but we feel that if we can get our script right, and ensure that we have other good ideas as well, then we will give ourselves a chance.”
Northern Film & Media is the regional screen agency for the North East of England and part of its work is to help bring together aspiring filmmakers with those who can support their projects.
Two people it helped are North-East writer and director Duane Hopkins and producer Samm Haillay, of Newcastle-based Third Films, whose film Better Things was part-funded by Northern Film and Media, and which was selected to be screened at the 61st Cannes Film Festival during May this year.
The film tells the story of a group of young people living in the rural Cotswolds and their experiences with boredom, sexual awakening and drugs. Better Things was also funded by Film4, UKFC, EM Media, abacus and arte.
Attending events like Cannes are crucial to success, said Duane, adding: “I’ve always followed what is released at Cannes. It has a long history of premiering challenging work. To be invited to premiere there when you are aware of the history is, of course, an absolute honour.
“For our film it is important because of the level of exposure Cannes gives you. It is a very public platform and making audiences aware of films like this is not easy. I believe there is an audience for this type of cinema but they have to be reached. Cannes helps us to do this and is another reason why it is culturally so important.”
Samm Haillay, who worked as producer on the film, said: “Cannes represents an important platform for artistically-driven film and we are very proud to be part of a distinguished history of films that have been invited to premiere at the festival.”
In fact, two of the three British films selected for the Cannes Film Festival had input from regional producers. Screen South, Northern Films and Medias southern counterpart, has backed Sam’s work because she is from Brighton, and Hove director Thomas Clays second feature, Soi Cowboy, had on its production team Daniel Nixon, who has also received support from Screen South.
Northern Media, is one of 13 agencies supporting new film-makers.
The nine English Regional Screen Agencies provide funding for production, screen commissions, cinema exhibition, training, archives and education, based on £7.5m allocated to them each year by the UK Film Council. There are also three agencies for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
To find out more about all of them, go to ukfilmcouncil.org.uk, click on About Us then on Funded Partners, on the left side of the screen, where direct links are available to the agencies in each area.
The site also includes details of Warp X, an initiative in Yorkshire which gives opportunities to new film-makers with a focus on writers, directors and producers working in the low-budget field.