MIMA

Middlesbrough's first Northern Screenwriters Conference is being held on the weekend of 24th and 25th of February at MIMA, Cineworld and The BBC Open Centre.

Professional screenwriter Ian Fenton, who's worked on Byker Grove and Emmerdale told us all about it.

What is the conference all about?

It's about giving screenwriters based in the North East a better understanding of how to develop a long-term career in the business.

So not so much nuts and bolts stuff about how to write a script – but more about understanding how the business works, the role of an agent, how to target ideas at specific producers etc.

Why did you get involved?

Basically I got involved because when I started to write ten years ago there wasn’t any help or assistance like this in the region.

Then a couple of years ago I was teaching a screenwriting class for Northern Film & Media and the UK Film Council at Teesside Uni that led to me arranging some guest speakers for the course.

When the course finished there was still a hunger for events so I came up with the idea of having some kind of conference.

Tell us about your background...

I’ve been working as a professional screenwriter for almost ten years.

In that time I’ve written over 25 episodes of Emmerdale, half-a-dozen episodes of Byker Grove as well as several feature film scripts that are in development.

I’ve also written and directed several short films - the latest of these (Black Dog) won the North Start Prize at the Northern Lights Film Festival last year.

What opportunities are there for writers in the North East?

There are lots of opportunities for writers to get a start in the industry in the North East through schemes such as NFM’s Stingers or some of the New Writing North initiatives, but as far as sustaining a career there are very limited opportunities in the NE, so to make a career out of it they’re going to have to look elsewhere. 

Most writers I know don’t live where the work is, they just live where they want to and make sure that they’re connected to the industry via an agent or by networking themselves.

How possible is it to make a career out of writing?

It’s absolutely possible so long as you’ve got bags of tenacity, some talent, and a desire to learn the craft of writing.

We all wish we were geniuses who could just do it at the drop of a hat, but actually we’re not so the only way to make a career out of it is through hard work and commitment.

What are the highs and lows of being a screenwriter?

I’m sure every writer has their own take on this, but for me it’s the constant battle to be disciplined – to sit at your desk and to write, day in and day out.

Then the other battle to get what you’ve written read by people who can get it made. That’s how you’re going to get paid, which is the whole point.

If people are reading this and want to get into screenwriting, what would your top tips be?

The conference is already sold out but there are lots of places to go to find out more (see the 'see also section'), but reading scripts might be the best start and there are plenty places on the internet where you can do that.

It's best to avoid the ones that have ‘transcripts’ – they’re just written up by fans - you want to get your hands on what the actual writer put on the page.