Thrilling, inspiring and full of exciting encounters! That was Serial Eyes’ trip to London from 26 February to 9 March 2017, a great mix of hands-on workshops, networking events, lectures, case-studies and visits to some of the most fascinating companies in the UK TV industry.
After setting up our headquarters at the London Film School (LFS), located in the picturesque Covent Garden neighborhood, the first three days of the trip were all about working with our British film school friends. Under the direction of BAFTA award winner Brian Hill (Falling Apart) and screenwriter Anna Maloney, the Serial Eyes participants were divided in groups and spent the first day writing a scene based on a real event. The following day the writers collaborated with some LFS directors, actors and sound recordist to shoot the scenes. After spending the morning editing the scenes, we finished off with a grand screening of all three projects. Not only did our writers get a chance to see their words turned into action and learn to collaborate closely with other creative talent, but the writers could also reflect on how potential shortcomings in the writing could be adjusted and improved during the filmmaking process.
After the LFS workshop our participants got a chance to meet with some UK-based TV producers. Warp Films’ Ruth McCance presented her company, known for its edgy, auteur-driven content, and discussed upcoming TV co-productions. Then, the participants visited the offices of Catalyst Global Media, which, officially launched in 2015, creates and finances original film and TV content and has a development deal with Warner Music Group. CEO and founder Charlotte Walls and Development Coordinator Emily Barttelot discussed their current project in development, Cognition, a TV crime thriller that they are partnered on with John Woo’s A Better Tomorrow Films. The Serial Eyes talents were thrilled to learn that the company is actively looking for content in several genres that may just coincide with what some of our writers are working on.
Another company in search for new original content is Lionsgate UK, the British division of the US American studio responsible for some of the most popular TV series, including Mad Men and Orange is the New Black. In the meeting our participants got a chance to pitch their projects to Lionsgate’s Marc Lorber, Creative Director Steve November and Executive Producer Sarah Conroy.
Getting a chance to pitch to a UK producer without having an agent is a rare occasion. So we called on some agents to find out how you actually get representation: Emily Hickman and Jonathan Kinnersley at The Agency, and Pauline Asper of Pauline Asper Management. After providing an overview of recent trends in the UK TV industry, Jonathan and Emily talked more specifically about the relationship between writer and agent and the opportunities afforded to foreign writers working in English these days. In addition, Pauline Asper was able to provide a helpful overview of common deal terms in contract negotiations.
The London trip was comprised of compelling case-studies, too. Veteran producer Paul Trijbits (Casual Vacancy, Fish Tank, Tamara Drewe) held a case-study on the financing of his TV mini-series Dancing on the Edge, delving into the intricacies of international presales. The Original Ben Harris and Luke Franklin illustrated the structure and core elements of a procedural show through an in-depth analysis of their CBS/TF1/Global TV show Ransom. Afterwards, the participants had to come up with their own pitches for a procedural show. After this experience the group agreed that “procedurals are really hard.”
A Serial Eyes trip to London wouldn’t be complete without paying a visit to Big Light Production. There, we had the pleasure to meet BLP’s new creative director Katie McAleese and former Serial Eyes Head of Programme Lorraine Sullivane, now Development Producer at Big Light. Sitting in Frank Spotnitz’ spacious office (aka the Ransom writers’ room) was a special treat for the participants.
Notwithstanding the fascinating meetings the group had, the masterclass with Jed Mercurio was without doubt the highlight of the trip. The showrunner of Line of Duty — the critically acclaimed British police procedural, now in its fourth season on BBC One — talked about the role of a showrunner and his daily responsibilities, from writing and leading a team of writers to restaging a flagging scene during production. The Serial Eyes participants were also able to explore more technical questions such as crafting layered characters with an experienced and artful writer. Based on his own previous experience as a doctor, Mercurio was able to provide encouraging tips to our participants on how to pursue a career as a showrunner coming from a different background.
Our trip to the capital of pubs was not all hard work, though! In the evenings our participants enjoyed chatting over drinks with their tutors, mingled with LFS directors and screenwriters, and got a chance to participate in the Women in Film and TV Networking Event. All in all, our trip to London was a brilliant and inspiring investigation into a thriving TV market where we made valuable contacts for the future.
We wish to thank Jane Roscoe and Dan Lawson of the London Film School for hosting us and all our tutors and guest speakers for dedicating their time to Serial Eyes. Cheers, mates!