We’ve got two Zoom outings planned for the merry month of May — one tomorrow, Wednesday, 5, and another in three weeks’ time on Wednesday, 26.

It’s a packed programme this Wednesday (see below for details), but we’re open to offers for our late-May and June dates. Following our hit Pitch Night on 21 April, we’re keen to hear more of your loglines and 500-word summaries for your scriptwriting projects in the pipeline — see the Pitch Night listing in last month’s newsletter for the pitching particulars. Get in touch using our ‘Book a workshop slot’ form if you have a pitch or script extract to share at an upcoming online session.

Here are the four simple steps to join us on Zoom:

  1. Tap or click the ‘I’m attending’ button in the meeting listing below. A panel headed ‘I’m attending on…’ will appear.
  2. In the ‘I’m attending on…’ panel, tap or click the PayPal logo and follow the instructions to contribute your £2 subs using your debit or credit card.
  3. When you’ve made your payment, check your email inbox for a message from Southwest Scriptwriters titled ‘Thank you for your subs payment.’ If you don’t find this email with PayPal’s payment confirmation and you’ve checked your spam and junk folders for it, please be sure to get in touch using our ‘Email us’ form to let us know it hasn’t arrived.
  4. The ‘Thank you for your subs payment’ email includes the Zoom meeting ID and password. If you’re unsure how to use these to log in to the meeting, follow our handy guide.

Save the date!

This will be our last update until our June bulletin, so please set a personal reminder to sign up for our 26 May session. We’ll post the ‘I’m attending’ button for 26 May in the listing below after Wednesday’s meeting, and will also put it on our What’s on page. Please don’t wait for another newsletter to sign up!

Wednesday, 5 May at 7.30pm on Zoom: Open Workshop

Tonight’s session features script extracts from John Upward and Mike Daly.

John’s podcast script, Another Future, asks, ‘How does the ambitious politician, Torrington Denny, get to the top?’ He begins by deciding on the direction in which public opinion is heading and infiltrates the relevant local party. Next, he murders the sitting MP and bribes the press and other MPs to support him. Finally, he leads a vote to have government funds directed to his company. But will journalist Kathy find him out?

Mike’s early draft screenplay is based on historical research he carried out for his PhD.

Wednesday, 26 May at 7.30pm on Zoom: Open Workshop

Get in touch using our ‘Book a workshop slot’ form to share your scriptwriting work in progress tonight or on either of our June dates below.

Wednesday, 16 June at 7.30pm on Zoom: Open Workshop

Wednesday, 30 June at 7.30pm on Zoom: Open Workshop

 

Get set for September Sitcom Night

Living Doll by Lesley Bown and Ann Gawthorpe, Southwest Scriptwriters New Writing Festival 2005

Following the success of last month’s Pitch Night, we’re planning another themed session, this time featuring your sitcom scripts, in September.

A perennial staple of the television networks — and of radio schedules for even longer — writers are now turning out sitcoms for online consumption as well as traditional broadcasting. The variety of settings is almost infinite and they contain some of the best-loved and instantly recognisable characters in popular culture — from Del Boy to David Brent, Denise Royle to Geraldine Grainger.

If you’re situated to script some serial comedy, now’s the time to get cracking on your idea. BBC writers room and Industrial Scripts have some hot tips to get you started here and here, and we look forward to seeing if you can pull a few belly laughs out of the bag come September!

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