Kickstarting our Script Lab programme at this year's festival
Published:
12 Oct 2022
Film Hub North’s annual short film script development programme returns and it’s bigger than ever.
This year, 20 writers will take up residence at Aesthetica Short Film Festival as part of FHN x ASFF: Script Lab 2022 and we’ll be opening up our programme of events for festival goers to take part in. From screenwriting fundaments to breaking genre rules, join us in York from 2 - 3 November as we examine the writing process through a series of masterclasses and playful sessions.
Access to these events is available to ASFF ticket holders - visit the festival’s website to find out more. And read on for full details of what to expect from us at this year’s festival.
Screenwriting Fundamentals with Philip Shelley
Telling a compelling story within the confines of a short film can be tricky! Leading Script Consultant Philip Shelley will draw on his 20 years experience working with new writers to cover the essentials of writing shorts from the basics of story structure, character and dialogue as well as a host of top tips and insights. Philip runs script consultancy www.script-consultant.co.uk and has worked with some of the best new talent in the UK via his CHANNEL 4 Screenwriting course. Aimed at new and early career writers this session is essential for people looking to develop their craft to the next level.
Long standing friends and writing partners Paul Abbott and Sean Conway talk us through the writer’s journey from pen to screen. Exploring the highs and lows of creating some of television’s most compelling drama. Paul and Sean have worked together on Shameless and the Chloe Sevigny-transgender fronted mini-series Hit & Miss. Abbott’s expansive multi-BAFTA award winning career includes British Television classics Cracker, Touching Evil, Clocking Off and State of Play. Conway is the co-creator and executive producer of Luca Guadagnino’s new HBO series We Are Who we Are and previously he worked as writer and executive producer on Showtime's hit series Ray Donavan. Chaired by Alice Ramsey, assistant commissioner for Drama at the BBC we’ll unearth solid gold advice on creating authentic drama whilst exploring the origin stories of some of TV’s best loved characters.
The relationship between a writer and a script editor can be one of the key relationships in a successful production. We’ve brought together a panel of experienced script editors to look at some of the fundamental questions used when assessing scripts and how you make the most from the process. Roger Hyams is a freelance writer, filmmaker and script editor previously Head of Drama Development at Talk Back Productions and script editor for the BBC. Anna Seifert-Speck is currently lead tutor for the National Film and Television School’s (NFTS) Script Development Diploma, a Script Consultant for the British Film Institute (BFI) and script editing a bespoke slate of projects for independent producers.
How you can use genre to be innovative and think out of the box when developing your short script. We’ll explore how you avoid tropes and make work that surprises and excites audiences. With genre bending films gaining both critical and commercial appeal, self-taught and subversive writer-director Luna Carmoon (Shagbands, Hoard) and BAFTA nominated and Sundance award-winning Filmmaker, Visual Artist, and Music Curator Akinola Davies will be discussing what made their films work and how synthesise genres to your creative advantage.
Chaired by Leeds based self taught filmmaker Kate Graham. Whose recent work, Little Grasses Crack Through Stone, premiered at Leeds International Film Festival 2021, exhibited in York Art Gallery over the summer and was a finalist for the Aesthetica Art Prize 2022.
