EUROSCRIPTERS' ACHIEVEMENTS

Here's a small selection of stories we've recently received from people who've been working with Euroscript, telling us how their careers and stories are progressing. Please get in touch if you'd like to share any news about your own achievements.

For the most recent achievements - check out Euroscript's GRAPEVINE page

Euroscripter Kristi Barnett has embarked on a novel idea: a horror story told entirely on Twitter. Start following @KarenBarley and stay tuned until the end of June when, we're told, "something strange starts happening to her" (you can also follow it by "liking" her fanpage at www.facebook.com/KarenBarley.Hurst). We know as much as you about the story, but it should be an interesting experiment...

DIANA TOWNSEND'S DEADLY INTENT

2011. After working on a pitch for a thriller called Deadly Intent at Euroscript's pitching sessions run by Charles Harris, Diana Townsend developed her idea into a full-length script, started her own company called Redcliffe Productions, and is now producing the film herself. Shooting starts in August, and Diana is in discussion with some major companies about distribution. We await further events with great suspense.

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COMPETITION SUCCESS FOR EUROSCRIPT'S WASHDAYS

2011. Director Simon Neal's short film Washdays, script-edited for Euroscript by Ian Long, has gone on to win several awards, including Best Short Film at Rushes Soho Shorts and a nomination at the BIFAs. "Your analysis was very useful;" said Simon; "I made quite a few changes to the screenplay based on your comments. So thanks for that!" Now in the pipeline is Simon's follow-up, The Dinner Party.

SUCCESS UNDER THE SKULL AND CROSSBONES

2011. Past Euroscript Competition winner Stephen Curran has just scored two more successes at ScriptVamp with Black Jack, an epic pirate script he's been writing in our development workshops. His original screenplay has now won First Place for Epic/Historical and Runner-up for Action/Adventure.

Funny Bone Success

2011. Success sometimes comes from unexpected directions. Euroscript screenwriter Jan Woolf found Euroscript workshops The Mental Game for Screenwriting Success and the Comedy Writing Weekend led to success on the printed page as her short stories, Fugues on a Funny Bone found a publisher last year. 

As Jan says, she'd been stuck developing the book for 10 years, but the Mental Game course "unplugged something - and the book got born" to great reviews. The stories have been called moving, funny, sexy and provocative.

Jan also praised Fenella Greenfield and Paul Bassett Davies' Comedy Writing Weekend for providing "another useful shift in my writing. They taught me to pare things down to the bone. I can't recommend highly enough how important it is for fiction writers to learn from good comedy writers."

Opportunity Nokia

2011. No sooner had Lynwood Shiva attended Euroscript than his proposal to make a short film for Nokia N8Productions Competition was accepted - not only that but part of the prize was to take delivery of a new Nokia HD Cellphone.

Hidden Apartheid on the Screen

2010. A few years ago, a New Zealand writer and film-maker broke the record for the distance travelled to one of our events! Now her powerful and emotionally charged movie has been given a private screening at the ICA this month and is starting on the festival circuit.

Mandrika Rupa came half way round the world to to be trained by us because she had a vitally important story to tell and needed help telling it. A victim of vicious "caste" discrimination because of her Indian low caste background, Rupa was burning to tell the story of how so-called "untouchables" are abused, raped and killed in India and now increasingly around the world.

She went on to book consultancy on her project and was helped to make contacts in the TV industry here. Now her finished film Hidden Apartheid is an impressive and moving testimony to her story, and her determination. Watch for it at festivals near you.

Success in Cannes for Euroscript writers.

2010. Joint runners-up in the International Cannes pitching competition for two Euroscript writers this year, plus good reports from other members.

Excellent pitches led to Penny Macleod and Will Dingli winning joint second place with their strong performances in Raindance's pitching competition in Cannes 2010. Other of Euroscript's members also had very positive showings. These followed the Euroscript pre-Cannes evening, Selling Your Script training and Pitching with Power Masterclasses, which were scheduled for the weeks leading up to the world's greatest film festival and market.

Cannes is still then number one place to strut your stuff. A number of other Euroscript writers, directors and producers have had an excellent Cannes this year and we are still receiving emails about their successes.

One writer gained serious interest from two major agents who have now asked to see his work, as well as a number of producers. Other writers made excellent contacts and are currently sending treatments and scripts, following their work at Euroscript trainings.

Shrouded in Darkness

2009. Euroscript member James Walker finished in first place (of 500+) in the Cinestory competition (www.cinestory.org) with his script Shrouded in Darkness. His success in the competition, which is sponsored by the Academy of Motion Pictures, takes Walker to a retreat outside California for four days to receive some one on one tuition re this script and one other, and to meet producers and agents. "Thanks once again for your help with this script and the others," Walker says. "I doubt I would have reached the final eight let alone first place if it wasn't for your input."

Philippa Fordham