Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award

Each year the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation awards the Sir Peter Ustinov Television Scriptwriting Award.

The competition is designed to motivate non-American novice writers under the age of 30, and to offer them the recognition and encouragement that might lead to a successful career in television scriptwriting.

The winner will be flown to New York City to be presented with an award and a US$2,500 prize at the International Emmy World Television Festival on November 20, 2010. The winning script will be read by actors in front of an audience at the Festival, and the winner will be invited to take part in the red carpet festivities at the 38th International Emmy Awards on November 22, 2010.

To enter, you will need to create a completed half-hour to one-hour English-language television drama script suitable for a family audience.

The deadline is 1 July 2010, and an application form can be downloaded from the web site.

BBC Writers Academy

Applications are now open for the BBC Drama's Writers Academy

Outline

The training you receive from BBC Drama’s Writers Academy will give you the specific skills required to write for some of the BBC’s most popular series such as Doctors, EastEnders, Holby City and Casualty, and a springboard to write across all the BBC’s drama output.

To be eligible for this scheme, writers will have already had at least one professional (paid) drama commission in film, television, radio or theatre.

The Writers Academy will train up to 8 writers a year, over a period of twelve months.

Course Breakdown

The course will break down as follows:

Introduction to Writing for Continuing Drama Series

This is a 3 month training course in writing for Continuing Drama Series which will consist of a number of workshops and lectures accompanied by intensive writing exercises and analysis.

During this period each writer will write a broadcast episode of Doctors.

The training course will be lead by John Yorke, Controller, Drama Production and New Talent, and other industry experts from all areas of drama production.

Course participants will be required to attend classes at the BBC premises in Elstree for three days per week, and one day at Television Centre in London.

Some expenses will be paid for writers based out of the London area for this period.

Writing for Broadcast

After you have completed the initial training and the Doctors script, your work will be assessed. If you have reached the required standard for production on Continuing Drama Series you will begin the next phase of the training.

Writers will rotate across Casualty, Holby and Eastenders in turn, writing a broadcast episode, spending a maximum of 12 weeks on each show.

At the end of the 12 months, each writer will have written for each of the four shows.

Core team & HQ

The course will be run and administered from BBC TVC in London W12 and BBC Elstree Studios. The course will be overseen and run by a Course Producer.

The deadline for applications is: May 5th 2010. More information and how to apply is on the web site.

McGuinness Play on TV

The Stage reports that Sky Arts has announced its successor to its Theatre Live! series, which saw six novelists make their playwriting débuts in 2009.

This year it's called Sky Arts Playhouse - Live, and will bring new work by established playwrights to the screen, including Irish playwright Frank McGuinness, whose credits include Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me.

The plays will be broadcast live every Wednesday from June 9, with each production being previewed at the Riverside Studios in the UK for four nights prior to transmission.

As with Theatre Live!, there will be a special company of directors and actors formed for the series, which will be overseen by Sandi Toksvig as artistic director, and Pip Broughton, who is creative director.

Toksvig said: “With Playhouse - Live, we’re staying true to the theatrical experience whilst simultaneously ensuring that we successfully marry the components of theatre and television that make each experience so unique. We’re thrilled to have such an extraordinary range and calibre of playwrights on board, and are delighted about partnering with the Riverside Studios to give the creative teams an opportunity to preview each play.”

The schedule is:

• June 9; The Typist, by Rebecca Lenkiewicz; directed by Bijan Sheibani.
• June 16: Ghost Story by Mark Ravenhill, who is also directing the play.
• June 23: Hens by Alia Bano; directed by Peter Gill
• June 30: Crocodile by Frank McFuinness; directed by Toby Frow.
• July 7: Ensler's Here by Eve Ensler; directed by Josie Rourke.

Roy Wins RTS Award

The Guardian reports that the BBC children's television comedy, Roy (JAM Media for CBBC), won a Royal Television Society award for Children's Drama.

Roy is a live action television series incorporating animation, and is based on the award-winning Irish short film "Badly Drawn Roy". The show continues to have a strong Irish connection with several Irish writers on the series, including Danny Stack, Neil Leyden, Alan Keane and Declan DeBarra.

Siobhan Miley Obituary (1965-2010)

Siobhán Miley (far left) in rehearsals with other members of the Fishamble company during SHORTS, on which she was one of the directors

by Elizabeth Moynihan

The Actress, Writer and Graduate of Trinity College Dublin, Siobhán Miley died on Friday morning, the 5th of February 2010.

She came into my life 15 years ago as a fellow actor on a performance piece entitled Fishbelly White. Our collaboration at that point bore none of the hallmarks of the defining relationship that it would become for me over the next ten years. It wasn't until 1999 that the seeds of a long and intimate friendship were sown in the rehearsal rooms of the Gate theatre's production of An Ideal husband, where she played the leading role of Lady Chiltern. My lowly turn was over by the interval and so, every night I spent the second act watching her from the wings, as she spun out the character of the politically and morally upright Lady Chiltern, with such precision, truth and humanity that it became clear to me any other choice would have been so much less interesting, less engaging less.... well brilliant! And from that moment I wanted to yell from the roof tops "Siobhán Miley is the best actress to ever come out of Ireland." Many of my actor friends have told me since then that having seen her in the role of Pegeen Mike in the Abbey's production of The Playboy of the Western World, that they too were affected deeply by her extra ordinary talent. And so I cast myself in the role of fan, which developed into what became a deep and lasting friendship when we holidayed in Mexico post show. Prior to that she thought of me as just another annoying blond that talked too much!

In Mexico we bonded, and I learned to shut up and let her talk.

There she swam with Dolphins and shoals of Barracuda, never showing fear as I cowered on the deck of the little boat we rented. We had many more trips together that involved hours of chat and laughter under a foreign sky. On one trip to Cyprus we sat pool-side in the sweet heat and it was only when dusk hit at 7pm that we realized we had been talking, laughing and basking in that oh-so-rare simpatico we were lucky to enjoy for 8 hours straight.

Siobhán had a passion for storytelling. Be it on a beach towel, as an actress or director and finally writing for RTÉ's Fair City. Inspiring me and anyone lucky enough to be called her friend. It is as a result of Siobhán's devoted friendship that I had the courage to dip my toe into literary waters. As she had the ability to instil confidence and passion for the arts in those around her. Wanting to share her knowledge and talent. Encouraging you to be the best you could possibly be.

In recent years her greatest love has been television. Watching it and making it. She was working on her own drama series and had also adapted it for the stage on the encouragement of Jim Culleton, a close friend.

Siobhán Miley was loved so deeply not just for her enormous talent as an actor and writer or for her incredibly sharp intellect but also for her humanity, her compassion, her gentleness and wit.

Many afternoons over the years I sought solace on Siobhán's sofa after one of my failed romances. There she would ply me with dark chocolate, tea and sympathy. Then cover me with a blanket and let me sleep off the heart ache.

Darling Friend, may I now cover you with a blanket of my love and let you sleep off your heart ache. Rest, rest in peace my sweet and beautiful Siobhán.

---

Siobhán's funeral mass will take place at 11am on Thursday, the 11th of February, at Corpus Christi Church, Home Farm Road, Drumcondra, Dublin 9.

Monitoring a Changing Industry

NPR in the US reports that advertisers are now pushing Nielsen to start monitoring online viewing of television shows, as offered by web sites like Hulu.

Kate Sirkin, who directs global research at the media planning and buying firm Starcom MediaVest Group, says advertisers are starting to demand more comprehensive tracking of viewers across platforms.

"I'm not sure if that metric is the only metric we need going forward," she says of traditional Nielsen television ratings. "We would love cross-media measurements."

Sirkin says she would like measurements that aggregate regular TV and online ratings. She suggests Nielsen may be falling behind right at the moment when the ways people watch television are multiplying.

Her firm is part of a consortium of powerful ad agencies and TV networks pressuring Nielsen to evolve along with the habits of television consumers, who don't just watch shows on their television sets, but also on their laptops and other mobile devices.

Nominees for IFTA 2010

The Irish Film and Television Academy has announced the shortlist of nominees for the 7th Annual Irish Film and Television Awards, which will take place on Saturday 20th February at the Burlington Hotel, Dublin.

The nominees for the two screenwriting awards are:

Script Film
John Carney, Kieran Carney - Zonad (Element Pictures)
Margaret Corkery - Eamon (Zanita Films)
Neil Jordan - Ondine (Octagon Films)
Billy Roche, Conor McPherson - The Eclipse (Treasure Entertainment)

Script Television
Frank Deasy - Father & Son (Green Park Films)
Frank McGuinness - A Short Stay in Switzerland (BBC)
Eugene O'Brien - Pure Mule - The Last Weekend (Accomplice Television)
James Phelan - Rásaí na Gaillimhe (Great Western Films)

A full list of all the nominees is available on the web site.

IPSG Budget 2010 Press Statement

The Irish Playwrights' and Screenwriters' Guild welcomes news of the continuation of government support for the Film Industry and the Arts as announced in the budget.

Cuts of 5% and 6% respectively in the budgets for the Film Board and the Arts Council will undoubtedly exacerbate the current difficult situation in the Arts.

However, in the context of the financial problems faced by the country, this level of cut implies a welcome acknowledgement by Government that the Film Industry and the Arts in general, in addition to their importance to society, are a valuable source of employment; a fundamentally important aspect of growing tourism revenue; and an important contributor to Ireland’s international reputation.

The decision to retain the artist tax exemption scheme is particularly welcome. In the last two years, the average income of Irish writers for the stage and screen from their writing work was less than €10,000 per annum. The tax exemption is of baseline importance to those creative individuals who produce the raw material that fuels the arts.

The IPSG expresses its particular thanks to Martin Cullen TD, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, who has been unequivocal in his belief that support for art and artists makes economic and cultural sense, even in difficult times.

David Kavanagh
Irish Playwrights' and Screenwriters' Guild
Art House
Curved Street
Temple Bar
Dublin 2

Dialogue Writing

FÁS Screen Training Ireland is running a one and a half day Dialogue Writing course starting on December 17th in Galway. The tutors are Bobette Buster and Iain Morris.

Participant Profile:
This course is designed for professional television scriptwriters, screenwriters, script editors and development executives working in the Irish film and television industry.

Course Profile:
The purpose of this course is to explore the craft of dialogue writing across all genres in film and television.

Day One:
Tutor Bobette Buster will give participants an overview of the dialogue writing and editing process, and provide participants with tips and techniques that will hone their dialogue writing skills. The course will cover the following:

• Dialogue where, when, how, why, what for?
• Writing to reveal subtext
• Writing to reveal character
• Tone
• Dialogue to advance plot
• Combining dialogue with visuals

Day Two (morning session):
Iain Morris will speak about his approach to dialogue writing for comedy. This will include capturing the voice of the character, timing in comedy writing and working with a co-writer. This course is in association with the Galway Film Centre.

The course costs €100, and details on how to apply are on the web site.

2009 ZeBBie Award Winners

At a packed and sparkling Ceremony at the Sugar Club in Dublin the 2009 ZeBBie Award Winners were announced:

Best Television Script
Frank Deasy for Father and Son (Episode 1)

Best Radio Script
Elizabeth Moynihan for Cider Queens

Best Theatre Script
Elaine Murphy for Little Gem

Best Film Script
Enda Walsh for Hunger

Honorary Services to Writers Award
Rough Magic Theatre Company

Actor Stephen Rae rushed from his performance this evening in Sam Shepard's Ages of the Moon at the Abbey to speak about Frank Deasy's career. Frank died earlier this year after failing to obtain a liver transplant. There was also a video montage showing highlights from his award-winning body of work.

Our thanks to Senator David Norris for serving as an excellent Master of Ceremonies, and to our fine Award Presenters: Film Editor Emer Reynolds, Director of Photography Ciarán Tanham, Producer Edwina Forkin, Film Director Declan Recks, and the Minister for Communication Eamon Ryan.

The celebrations are still on-going!

2010 Tony Doyle Bursary

The Tony Doyle Bursary for New Writing provides a fantastic opportunity for writers new to television. Previous winners of the prestigious £2,000 television writer's award are Bill Murphy, Brian Dungan, Dominque Maloney, Danny Stack, Abbie Spallen and Martin McSweeney and Martin McNamara.

The judging panel for entries will include John Yorke, Kate Rowland, Liam Cunnigham, Lorcan Cranitch, Peter Norris, Sally Doyle, Emma Norton from Element Pictures, Sarah Stack and Tina Kellegher.

The bursary's core aim is to assist the development of new writers. To achieve this, the chosen finalists will take part in a residential seminar where they will undergo intensive, structured, script sessions with members of BBC Northern Ireland Drama's development team and with top script writers and producers.

The aim of the bursary
The aim of the bursary is to encourage television drama about Ireland by writers new to the medium. This may include writers experienced in other forms of fiction as well as new writers.

Prize
The winner will receive a cash prize of £2,000. The winner along the finalists will be invited to a residential seminar run by the BBC Northern Ireland Drama Department. The aim of the seminar is to introduce the writers to the world of television drama through a series of intensive sessions with the BBC Northern Ireland development team and experienced practitioners - producers, directors, actors and fellow writers. The winner and runners-up will be announced in January 2010.

All submissions should be received by 4th December 2009.

Further information and the rules of entry are available on the web site.

2009 Review of AudioVisual Industry

The Audiovisual Federation, the IBEC group that represents the feature film, television and animation sectors, launched its 2009 review of film and television production in Ireland last weekend.

In 2008, 266 audiovisual productions were completed in Ireland, with a total production value of €246.8 million. This was a significant increase on 2007 (€195.7 million). Estimates for 2009 are, however, showing a fall to €217 million. Animation performed well with its production value increasing from €38.9m in 2008 to an estimate €43m this year.

Speaking at the launch, Audiovisual Federation director Tommy McCabe said: "Notwithstanding current pressures, the audiovisual sector remains vibrant and continues to make a significant contribution to the Irish economy. The sector is one of Ireland's great success stories and it is critical that public policy continues to support the industry, to ensure that this momentum is not lost.

"In 2008, the net benefit to the economy was €25.7m, which is the highest return since 2003, and over 1,631 people were employed in full-time equivalent jobs. The level of production activity for feature films increased to €71.9 million in 2008, up from €19.3m in 2007, but estimates for 2009 show a fall to €65m. Films produced in 2008 included Cracks (starring Sinead Cusack and directed by Jordan Scott), Five minutes of heaven (starring Liam Neeson and James Nesbit), Ondine and Triage (starring Colin Farrell)."

Other highlights of the sector in 2009 are:

• Golden Globe awards for Irish actors Colin Farrell (In Bruges) and Gabriel Byrne (In Treatment);
• Emmy Awards for Brendan Gleeson (Into the Storm) and Dearbhla Walsh (Little Dorrit);
• Academy award nominations for In Bruges and New Boy;
• Upward trend in independent television productions, including major TV drama;
• High standards in Irish animation, exemplified by Ballybradden, Niko and The Way to the Stars and Life Boat Luke.

Kevin Moriarty, MD of Ardmore Studios and Chairman of the Audiovisual Federation database committee, which produced the report, said: "The film and television industry continues to have great potential: economically and culturally. We applaud the government for taking measures to restore competitiveness and enable Ireland to continue to participate in the huge international growth of the industry. Despite the current economic climate, it is vital that the Government continues to support this industry, as it can yield tangible benefits for Ireland."

Andrew Lowe, Director of Element Pictures and Chairman of the Audiovisual Federation added: "This review demonstrates that our industry is experiencing significant challenges to maintain the level of production we enjoyed during 2008. We are heartened by the commitment and support of the government, both in terms of extending and improving section 481 and the expected retention of the Irish Film Board. The current economic crisis is an opportunity to take stock as an industry and identify steps that we can take collectively to build a stronger, more internationally competitive, and ultimately more successful sector, both creatively and commercially. We look forward to working with all the members of the Audiovisual Federation to meet those challenges together in the year ahead."

Teresa McGrane, Deputy Chief Executive, Bord Scannán na hÉireann said: "It should be noted that as a result of changes and improvements implemented to Section 481 there was very little production for the first three months of the year while the improvements were going through Government to become legislation. This is one of the reasons why production is down in 2009."

ZeBBie Awards Ceremony

The 2009 ZeBBie Awards Ceremony is taking place from 7.30pm on Thursday 26th November in the The Sugar Club, 8 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2.

The evening is not just about the announcement of the winners of the best scripts in television, radio, theatre and film, for which Senator David Norris will be our lively master of ceremonies.

The Irish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild, with the support of the Irish Film Institute, will also project a presentation of old short films, which include early newsreel, drama and comedy. These films were first seen in the Volta Cinematograph in 1909 under the management of James Joyce. The IPSG and the IFI are delighted to celebrate the cinematic endeavours of Ireland's greatest writer with this centenary programme, which will feature the live musical accompaniment of the highly talented septet, 3epkano.

And after this evening of culture there will be free pizza, thanks to Domino's Pizza!

Tickets for this fabulous shindig cost €10 each, and you can purchase your ticket(s) online, via PayPal, at the IPSG office, or on the door.

We look forward to celebrating the 2009 ZeBBie Awards in the company of our members!

Vote in the 2009 ZeBBie Awards

A final reminder that voting in the ZeBBie Awards closes today at 6pm GMT.

It's the last chance for members of the Irish Playwrights and Screenwriters Guild to read and vote for the best script in Television, Radio, Theatre and Film in 2009.

The winners will be announced at the 2009 ZeBBie Awards Ceremony on Thursday the 26th of November, at the Sugar Club, in Dublin.

Tickets for the ZeBBie Awards Ceremony are €10 each, and can be purchased online here. No one will be admitted to the ceremony without a ticket.

Enjoy reading and voting!

IFTAs Open

The Irish Film and Television Awards, presented annually by the Academy, are a platform to honour and celebrate outstanding Irish creativity, talent and achievement; to encourage a high standard of arts and technique in work produced.

The Call for Entries for the 7th Annual Irish Film & Television Awards is now open. Submissions are invited for categories in film, television, shorts and animation.

The deadline for submissions is 5.30pm, on Monday 23 November 2009.

More information on the nomination process is available on the IFTA web site.

ZeBBie Voting Starts

Voting in the 2009 ZeBBie Awards has commenced.

All members of the IPSG should have received their individual IDs and passwords that will enable them to log in securely and read the nominated scripts.

The final ballot must be cast by 6pm on Monday, the 16th of November.

The winners will be announced at the ZeBBie Awards Ceremony on Thursday 26th November 2009 in the The Sugar Club, 8 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2. Each ticket costs €10. No one will be admitted to the Awards Ceremony without a ticket.

You can purchase your ticket(s) online, via PayPal, or you can drop into the IPSG office in Art House, Curved Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 and buy them in person.

2009 ZeBBie Awards Short-List

The short-list for the 2009 ZeBBie Awards has been announced.

Television

• Frank Deasy for Father and Son (Episode 1)
• Lisa McGee for Raw (Episode 2)
• Peter McKenna for The Clinic (Series 6: Episode 1)

Radio

• Shay Linehan for The Lottery
• Elizabeth Moynihan for Cider Queens
• Eugene O'Brien for Numb

Theatre

• Gary Duggan for Trans Euro Express
• Elaine Murphy for Little Gem
• Billy Roche for Lay Me Down Softly

Film

• Lance Daly for Kisses
• Mark Doherty for A film with me in it
• Enda Walsh (with Steve McQueen)for Hunger

Congratulations to all the nominees!

Members of the IPSG will be able to log on and read the scripts, and voting will commence from Monday, the 9th of November and end at 6pm on Monday, the 16th of November.

The winners will be announced at the ZeBBies Awards Ceremony on Thursday 26th November 2009 in the The Sugar Club, 8 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin 2. Each ticket costs €10. No one will be admitted to the Awards Ceremony without a ticket.

You can purchase your ticket(s) online, via PayPal, or you can drop into the IPSG office in Art House, Curved Street, Temple Bar, Dublin 2 and buy them in person.

A special thank you to the agents, producers, broadcasters, publishers, and nominees, for their assistance.

James Parriott Interview

On the BBC Writersroom web site there is an extensive interview with US screenwriter and showrunner James Parriott (Grey's Anatomy, Ugly Betty, Sons of Anarchy).

In it he talks about pitching, how the Writers' Room works in America for creating television series, and the changes he foresees in how television programmes will be funded in the coming years.

The piece is well worth reading.

RTE Call for Ideas

RTÉ Entertainment is looking for ideas for high energy, popular entertainment programming for 9:30pm on Saturday evenings on RTÉ ONE.

For all information click here:

RTÉ ENTERTAINMENT CALL FOR IDEAS SATURDAY NIGHTS.doc

RTÉ requests that producers submit proposals into the eCommissioning system no later than noon on Friday 16th October 2009.

TG4 Drama Competition

Údar is a new development scheme that offers Irish-speaking writers/directors an opportunity to adapt a well-known piece of work for television and to bring it from the basic script stage to the broadcasting stage.

The scheme, which is co-sponsored by TG4 and Skillnet, is open to Irish language writers from all over the country, whether they have screen experience or not, and to directors who wish to gain experience in television drama through Irish.

To start the process each applicant must choose an original piece of work in Irish, for example a recognised short story. The applicant can arrange the work in his or her own way by building on the outline of the original work (adhering to the time in which it is set) or by bringing it up-to-date. The most important development, however, is to make the work suitable for the television screen.

The outline of the story and 12 pages of sample script (a number of scenes) must be enclosed when sending the application form to us.

Additional information is available by ringing 091-558492 or by emailing christine@greasannamean.ie

Applicants will be competing in a script competition. From this competition nine will be selected to attend craft master-classes conducted by a script editor where each proposal will be developed further.

6 dramas will be chosen for television production from the nine proposed scripts. These will be developed in the directing workshop before being produced and broadcasted on TG4 in 2010.

Application forms are available from the web site, and the deadline is midday, 16 November 2009.