Coming Up in Belfast

Northern Ireland Screen has teamed up with Channel 4 and Touchpaper TV to host a special Coming Up event in Belfast on Wednesday 19th May.

Coming Up is the only talent scheme currently in the UK where emerging film-makers have the opportunity to make an authored drama with a guaranteed network broadcast.

Ben Stoll, Channel 4’s Coming Up commissioning editor, Elinor Day and Emma Burge, Touchpaper producers, will be in Belfast along with local writer Ronan Blaney, who wrote Boy one of the successful 2010 Coming Up films. Three of this year’s diverse 30 minute films will be screened, including Boy.

Applications are now open for Coming Up 2011, after the screening Ben will explain what Channel 4 is looking for. Emma and Elinor will discuss how the production works and Ronan will speak about his experience of the scheme. There will also be time to network following the event.

This is an excellent opportunity for writers and directors who are trying to break into the film and television industry.

The event is free of charge and Northern Ireland Screen strongly encourage all local writers, directors and emerging short and feature film makers to attend. Places are limited so please contact ursula@northernirelandscreen.co.uk as soon as possible to secure a place.

Date: Wednesday 19th May
Time: 6.00pm
Venue: Moviehouse Cinema, Dublin Road
Contact: ursula@northernirelandscreen.co.uk

Further information on Coming Up can be found here.

Meet Channel 4

Channel 4 is organising a series of regional briefings, one of which will be held in Belfast on 30th September.

These briefings will give you the opportunity to learn about Channel 4's respective plans for 2010, meet the commissioners, hear what they’ve learnt from 2009 and share some background on the projects commissioned so far as well as answer your questions on any of the above.

The sessions should be really useful for start-ups, agencies, production companies or freelancers in the digital media sector thinking about pitching an idea to Channel 4.

Belfast briefing date: 30th September, 2:00 pm - 5:30 pm

Request an invitation
There’s limited room but if you want to come along send an email to belfast-briefing@4ip.org.uk

Channel 4 will confirm whether you've got a place and other details via an email reply. You must include your name, role, company name, and a contact number in the email.

C4 Looking for New Drama

The Stage reports that the upside of Channel 4's decision to axe the reality TV show Big Brother is that the broadcaster is going to inject an extra £20 million a year into its drama budget.

Director of television and content at Channel 4, Kevin Lygo, said the extra funds in the drama budget would allow the broadcaster to deliver more "event dramas" such as this year’s Red Riding and The Devil’s Whore, but added Channel 4 would be looking for "more quirky, returnable series aimed at younger audiences".

In addition, he revealed that Channel 4 was looking for a long-running comedy drama and single films that can sit "at the heart" of themed seasons.

"Channel 4 is at its best when it does things that others don’t or won’t. This is a fresh opportunity to reach out to audiences underserved by drama on the more mainstream channels. We don’t want to be prescriptive about themes or formats. We just want the most creative ideas from Britain’s best new and established drama talent," Lygo said.

4iP Launches Funding

Channel 4's Innovation for the Public fund - 4iP - has joined forces with UnLtd to announce a package of funding and support to champion fresh ideas from new talent across the UK.

Our joint scheme is aimed at individuals looking for up to £5,000 to get their socially motivated digital media idea off the ground. It targets those who need mentoring and support to take those first steps.

From its launch, 4iP has set out to support innovation at all levels. Ideas that are early and risky, small and focused or big and crunchy. This means working with both talented and promising individuals producing their first ever digital media idea to large organisations delivering flagship projects.

UnLtd's experience of supporting and developing social entrepreneurs as a force for change in the UK combined with 4iP's focus on innovation in public service digital media will:

• help individuals develop early stage ideas and prototypes; and
• build the skills, capabilities and partnerships to turn prototypes into businesses.

This partnership is a fantastic opportunity for 4iP to reach a rich vein of untapped potential. Using UnLtd’s pan-UK infrastructure to support talented individuals, 4iP will share its digital media expertise to maximise the potential of their projects.

Please read the terms and conditions carefully. Information on how to apply is on the web site.

ITV May Get License Fee

The BBC reports that under proposals in the British government's Digital Britain report there are plans to divert 3.5% of the television license fee to ITV and other public service broadcasters from 2013.

The BBC Trust has come out against the government's proposals, saying removing part of the licence fee would "damage BBC output".

Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons said it "must not become a slush fund to be dipped into at will".

"This would lead to the licence fee being seen as another form of general taxation. The trust will not sit quietly by and watch this happen," he added.

Lord Carter, author of the Digital Britain report, said that a proposed merger between BBC Worldwide - the corporation's commercial arm - and Channel 4 would not be "a forced marriage", but that the government "would be ready to facilitate it".

Referring to a consultation, he said the government would not be "running a referendum on it" but would take the views of licence fee payers into account.

Channel 4's chief executive Andy Duncan welcomed the report, saying it "offers crystal clear acknowledgement of Channel 4's vital role in ensuring public service competition to the BBC".

Skin Up

E4 is running a screenwriting competition for young writers, and the prize is the chance to write a Skins mini episode, which will be screened online (and possibly on TV) in summer 2009.

Each entry must be a short comedy-drama under 1,600 words that doesn't use an existing Skins character, but contains a minimum of three characters in fewer than five locations. The deadline for entries is 6pm on December 9th 2008.

Before you get too excited about this opportunity it's best to read the restrictions: entrants must be aged between 18 and 23 years and resident of the UK. Proof of age and identity will be required.

A set visit will take place one day between 15th and 19th December 2008, which you will be required to attend.

On the 12th January, you will be required to attend the first meeting with the rest of your team. Another three meetings will be arranged subsequently, and will take place between January 13th and 16th March 2008.

Your time attending the writer's room will begin mid January. We expect you to attend a maximum of 10 sessions. There's a chance that once these 10 sessions have been attended, you may be invited back to the writer's room as a contributor, this decision is at the discretion of Company Pictures.

The filming of the Skins mini episode will take place between 16th March and 20th March 2009 in Bristol. You will be required to attend the four day shoot where you get to witness the mini episode being filmed.

For all meetings, set visits and shoots, accommodation and travel (if necessary) will be paid. You will also be paid a day rate for your time (amount to be confirmed with the winner).

4Talent 2008

Channel 4 is once again on the hunt for new talent with its 4Talent Awards 2008. There are 20 categories, and applicants have to pitch for one slot. Of specific interest to our members are:

• Dramatic Writing (Required: up to 3 scripts + 50 word synopses)
• Comedy Writing (Required: up to 3 scripts + 50 word synopses)
• Off-Air Radio (Required: audio showreel (up to 10min); Optional: up to 3 scripts + 50-word synopses)

The main restriction is that all entrants must be 30 years old or under on 31/12/2008, and resident in the UK.

Further information and entry forms can be downloaded from the web site. The closing date for applications is August 29, 2008.

Channel 4 Talent Search

The Stage reports that Channel 4 has launched a search for new talent for their TV series Hollyoaks.

The winning entrant will be commissioned to pen an entire episode of the soap that will be broadcast to coincide with Channel 4's forthcoming New Talent Month, which aims to give a different newcomer the opportunity to make their TV debut - whether behind the camera or infront of it - on each day of August this year.

Channel 4 commissioning editor for drama Camilla Campbell said: "Hollyoaks is a vibrant and innovative soap that appeals to its young audience. This competition gives one of those viewers a chance to write for the show that they know and love so well and in so doing, continues Channel 4's commitment to finding and nurturing new talent wherever possible."

Entrants for the competition are required to write and submit four scenes based on an old storyline from the show. One writer will then be commissioned to write their own episode and will work alongside the production team of Hollyoaks to have their script produced and transmitted on air as part of the talent initiative in August. The winner will also have exclusive access to the soap's future storylines.

Channel 4 Invests in Youth

The Stage reports that Channel 4 will invest £10 million into creating new programmes for children aged between 10 and 15 years old.

Channel 4 said the strategy underlines its commitment to "maintaining its public status and preserving its unrivalled ability to connect new talent, voices and ideas to mainstream audiences".

The overall strategy will be used to help the broadcaster negotiate for funding to replace the gifted analogue spectrum it currently receives, which it says will become valueless when digital switchover is complete by 2012.

As part of Next on 4, Channel 4 said it will increase the number of dedicated slots it has for new talent across all of its platforms and will launch a New Talent Month later this year, which Channel 4 director of television and content Kevin Lygo said would see "someone getting their first break on television every day". He said this might include "a script by a new writer or a first performance by a new comedian".

The broadcaster is also planning to invest £10 million a year into supporting a range of schemes through 4Talent.

Lygo added there would be an increase in the talent Channel 4 works with off screen too and said: "We want to ensure we're working with the best talent from across the UK by increasing spend in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by 50% in the next five years."

The company also unveiled plans for a new strategy called Four Innovation for the Public fund, which will involve a £50m fund that will create public service content for new platforms, enabling "UK audiences to access high-quality content at the time and on the platform of their choosing".

Now would be a good time for writers to consider new projects for Channel 4.