Paul gave us an interesting lecture based on his experiences in the TV industry. He give us lots of useful things to go away and research, along with some advice.
He said that there are BBC graduate training programs. I don't know how useful this will be as a writer/director, however it's an avenue worth exploring nonetheless.
Paul said that radio is a really good way into comedy. This is a very interesting idea as it is something I have never considered before. Quite a few of my films are comedies, but I don't know if they're the type of comedy that radio would be looking for, because they generally tend to be black comedy.
However, when my ears perked up was when he started talking about ways into drama as a director. He said that he would recommend trying to get a job as some kind of production assistant, for example, a runner. Then working your way up to an assistant director. Until eventually, you'll get to direct things yourself.
I'm not too sure about this. I'll need to research it, but I don't like the idea of spending half my life working in a role I don't really want on someone else's film. Needs more research I think.
Paul says that you’ve got to get movies made and get them into festivals. This I understand. After all, the only way you can prove that you are able to make movies is simply by making movies. You need to make as much as you can and show it to as many people as you can.
I've written scripts for other directors before, for example The Man Who Ran Away, however it's not really something I would want to do long term. However, Paul did have some suggestions for writers too. He recommended trying out BBC Writers Room, however he said they rarely take on complete newbies. He recommended a post-graduate too. It's a nice idea, but I wouldn't have the money for one right now, so I wouldn't be able to go straight into one anyway. He did say, however, that it's nearly impossible to generate opportunities as a writer without an agent.
Paul then gave us a whole list of useful networking tools:
Website
Vimeo (Only your best work)
Bafta Guru
Bafta/BFI Crewing
Screenskills
Screennet
Postgraduate
Showreel
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