Being from rural Northern Ireland, yeah I mean rural as in the sheep carry flick knives opportunities and openings are few and far between. After an industrial accident I had while working as a Carpenter which resulted in one finger going AWOL and another needing rebuilt like Robocop I decided this was a sign that maybe Carpentry was never meant to be my natural profession and made the obvious jump to Screenwriting. Hey they are similar in many ways! My recovery was spent training myself to type with one hand and bashing out little short scripts. Jump to five years later and I build up enough courage to start shopping my scripts around........ and around..... and around in Northern Ireland to no avail. Was this wasted time? Thankfully no. After spying a short script I had listed an English/ German Producer decided my little script about a Haunted Wardrobe needed to be made and funded it with me as first time Director. I was flown to Bristol and the film got done and played at many big Festivals and then another got made in London and all is great. I have been lucky as I have been hired to writer features in England, USA and even Asia. Hell I have even done Children's books in the USA. But still I struggle to get anyone to even read my material in my home Country, Northern Ireland. What I am trying to say is that don't let your limitations or location stop you, just go where you need to go and find that person wherever they are from to make your project come to life. And this is advice I offer so you don't all have to loose a finger to find out ;)
Screenwriting : Open your mind...... and horizons. by Neville Steenson
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I love this story of yours. And weirdly, I'm going to Ireland soon to write about a man who came to the US in 1862. I have the script already, now it's time for the novel.
Hi Jan that sounds like a very interesting project. Which part of Ireland will you be visiting?
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I'm staying in Co. Kilkenny, but spending most of my time just outside of Carlow Town. Should be an interesting few months.
Very nice part of the country. Please keep me updated with your adventures and I hope you have a fantastic time and most importantly I wish you the very best with your project. Very nice to meet you btw.
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Nice to meet you too. It's a lovely country all around. I spent several weeks there last New Years, and really looking forward to going back.
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Good job. The market for scripts in Ireland, North or South, is 'select', to put it mildly. Getting a short made is tough, but if you're fortunate enough to have a producer and director who believe in your material, it will happen. Keep on truckin'.