Tuesday, December 11, 2012

The Script Doctor At Large is in the House

In 2010 I had the pleasure of launching my novel with a group of debut authors known as the Class of 2k10, originally founded with Greg Fishbone and the Class of 2k7 which helped launch the careers of authors like Cassandra Clare, Rosemary Clement-Moore and, well, more. I'm please to say that the Class program is still going strong and the Class of 2013 is already out there getting known in the writing world.

The benefits of joining such a group in your debut year just keep on coming. From sharing our initial publishing experiences, to touring New York City during Book Expo America and physically meeting for the first time, to being supportive our of continuing career highs and lows - there's nothing quite like the Class.


Take, fellow classmate and middle grade fiction author, Rhonda Hayter - you gotta "love" her and not just for her Canadian roots - although she now lives in Los Angeles, Rhonda was born in St. Jean, Quebec. There's her quick wit, the way she can command a crowd of keen bloggers at a book launch, her bewitching way with words, as seen in her novel, The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams, and now,  her no-nonsense bedside manner as The Script Doctor At Large.

She even graciously agreed to an interview. Here goes:


You worked as a story analyst for a major Hollywood production company and have read thousands of scripts…and you called that your day job….lol…JEALOUS! With all that experience under your belt, what’s the most common flaw you saw in the scripts you read?

Well, Larry Gordon, the producer I worked for, originally got famous with action movies like Die Hard and 48 Hours (although he also made Field of Dreams so he has lots of heart too.) And during my tenure, our biggest hits were the Tomb Raider and Hellboy movies so I read a LOT of tent-pole action scripts. And what I learned, to my extreme boredom and ever-increasing irritation, is that the worst possible thing a writer can do is stuff in a lot of empty action that’s all about the car crashes, or the CGI, or the stunts, without connecting it to the urgent objectives and emotional arc of the protagonist. Because directors and producers love their toys, sometimes the movie may even get made (though not if I have anything to do with it and never by Larry Gordon either.) But it will tank at the box office because audiences just won’t care. The same holds true with comedy. Jokes that aren’t tied into behavior and someone taking an action to achieve an objective will fall flat every time. Any of the great stuff that’s been out in recent years, like the Judd Apatow movies, get all the comedy out of behavior and characters in honest, painful, emotional need.

Great insights. I agree, a film, or series of films (STAR WARS PREQUELS) can have all the fireworks in the world and fall flat if the characters aren't ones we root for.

Personal script / plot pet peeve?

YES! I hate when people make romances between psychiatrists and their patients. I run across it all the time in scripts and it drives me nuts. I went to a screening of 50/50 last year, which I thought was a lovely, lovely film. But there was one horribly false note in it, which is that the young therapist, who’s so incredibly heartfelt and ethical and desperate to help this young man whose case is way over her head, someone who’s trying to do the right thing all the way through the movie…ends up in a romance with guy at the end. Will Reiser, the writer of the film, was there and he gave a talk in which he said that he’d been forced to make a few changes in the script to please the studio and I didn’t even have to ask whether that was the change that was foisted off on him or not. Bogus!

Good to know...and now I'm wishing I'd asked you about screenwriters and egos. Obviously a screenwriter has to be prepared to make certain compromises and to understand that there will be many hands massaging their script.

Can you explain the term “coverage”?

Basically, it’s the reader’s advice to the executives as to whether they should bother to read the script or not. So be nice to the readers, people! Don’t test their patience with typos and over-writing and borrowed plots. Speaking more specifically, coverage is a log line, a detailed synopsis, and generally a page of critique discussing what’s good and what’s bad. And then there’s a final button on it, which is ‘pass’ or ‘consider.’ (There’s a ‘recommend’ too but I think I only used that once or twice in my entire career.)  And I’ll tell you a little secret; if a producer trusts his reader, he’ll look at whether it’s pass or consider and if it’s a pass, nine times out of ten he won’t read more than the log line. But even if it’s a pass, if there’s something about the log line that intrigues him, he’ll bestir himself to read the coverage after that. So it pays to have a concept that can be boiled down into an interesting line or two.

Coming from the publishing world, then coverage is akin to interns or junior editors / agents going through the slush pile and moving manuscripts up the chain of command. Important to wow readers in both industries. Got it, thanks. ;)

Having written a ton of loglines, do you have a formula or method of composing those tough little suckers?

No, I really don’t, I’m sorry to say. It’s a case-by-case thing, in which you really have to get to the kernel of what the movie’s about.

I was really hoping for a different answer on that one. ;) The idea of generating a logline is deceptively simple - condense your plot into one brilliant line of text - yet they are difficult to master. But as we all know, hard writing makes easy reading.

Favourite script you got to read / work on?

I really think it had to be the first Hellboy. I loved it from the first second I read it… and then I read one hundred million incarnations of it as time went on, and I still loved it because it had all the action and CGI stuff and all that, but it was so funny and human and heartbreaking at the same time. He was a boy from Hell, nurture had overcome his nature, and he was looking for love!!! Come on!! And then to see it all come to life, with the great, great Ron Perlman, was really a thrill.

I'm kind of starstruck just thinking about this. I loved the first film - for it's steampunk elements, but also the great writing, the love triangle, the "ah craps", and yes, Perlman. 

You’re going freelance and offering your services. Yeah! Can you explain what a scriptdoctor can do for screenwriters?

I thought you’d never ask. First of all, we all need an outside eye on our work because when you’re face deep in the creative process, objectivity goes right out the window. And they’ll simply tell you what’s working and what isn’t in terms of character, plot, style, structure, and all the other elements and give you concrete suggestions on how to fix it. Someone who knows what they’re doing will be seeing your movie play out in front of their eyes as they’re reading and when the movie stops running the way it should, they’ll know the reason why.

Thanks so much for answering a newbie screenwriter's questions, Rhonda! I know patients will be lined up outside your virtual door. 

Got script? Need some professional eyes on it before you send it off into the world? Contact Rhonda via her WEBSITE.

Follow Rhonda on Facebook. Learn more about her fiction HERE.



Monday, September 24, 2012

Ferocious Screening: Calgary International Film Festival



This weekend I attended my first film screening during the Calgary International Film Festival and I know I'll be back next year for more. My husband and I drove seven hours from our Northern town to check out the adult thriller, FEROCIOUS, written and directed by Calgary's own, Robert Cuffley.

I'm no paparazzi, but I did my share of picture snapping as the cast arrived to cheers from the crowd:



Once seated inside the theatre, Cuffley introduced the film, and then...we watched. Seated close to the cast, it was fun to hear them laughing and razzing each other during certain scenes - enjoying their inside jokes. Ferocious had many dark comedic moments as we dove into the world of the main character, Leigh Parrish - an actress with a sex tape to cover up. Here's a blurb: "Leigh Parrish, a likeable, small-town girl, now famous actress, takes increasingly drastic steps to protect her fame."

I enjoyed the standout performances of veteran actor, Kim Coates, holy hell that guy can be twisted and creepy, Michael Eklund, who is edgy, sympathetic, and cool, as well as Katie Boland, a young actress with loads of attitude.

A major highlight of the night - the question and answer session with the cast that followed the film. The banter between these actors was proof they had a blast while on set. Mindboggling that they completed shooting the film in just eighteen days - a testament to Cuffley's passion for movie making.

Watch for Ferocious screenings in YOUR town, or on Canadian television networks in the future.


Friday, August 17, 2012

Fun Announcement


Author Dawn Dalton and I have multiple projects on the go, from solo to team efforts as with our Most-Wanted Monsters young adult series. Note - I write paranormal fiction under my pen name, Judith Graves. 

But the fun doesn’t end with print media. We also collaborate in the writing and development of scripts for film and television, and to further complicate things, Dawn also writes under the name, Dawn Ius. A writer by any other name...

We're keen to announce we've signed with film/tv literary agent, Anna Archer of Lucas Talent for our screenwriting projects. Lucas Talent is one of Canada’s leading talent agencies and we're thrilled with the professionalism and comfort level we've experienced thus far. 

Here’s to navigating TV Land!

You can follow our fiction writing and screenwriting careers on our blogs:


Judith Graves: http://judithgraves.com/

Monday, August 13, 2012

Screenwriting Resources to DIE for


SCREENWRITING RESOURCES TO DIE FOR


Below is a list of materials I'd be lost without. If you're into screenwriting, you may find some (or all!) or them useful:

CRAFT

Save the Cat: The last book on screenwriting that you’ll ever need – Blake Snyder. Ironically Save the Cat was the first book on screenwriting I’d heard other fiction writers talk about and thus the first one I purchased…but I do return to it again and again.
Save the Cat: Goes to the movies. The screenwriter’s guide to every story ever told – Blake Snyder. Main plot points of films identified so you can make them happen in your own tales.
The Coffee Break Screenwriter – Pilar Alessandra. Fantastic resource for plot structure and dividing the task of writing a complete script into bite sized, manageable sections.
Your Screenplay Sucks: 100 ways to make it great – William M. Akers. I find this to be the best revision tool around. I use it for fiction manuscripts as well. It helps you identify problem areas and kick the snot out of them.
Four Screenplays. Studies in the American Screenplay: An analysis of four groundbreaking contemporary classics – Syd Field. Wonderful breakdown of Thelma & Louise, Terminator 2, The Silence of the Lambs and Dances with Wovles. In terms of understanding what makes a story work – this beast is priceless.
Cinematic Storytelling: The 100 most powerful film conventions every filmmaker must know – Jennifer Van Sijll. You’ll never watch a movie the same way again…and it will help you place your fictional cast on your stage with more finesse and creativity than ever before.

SCRIPTS

The Shooting Script series – as with writing fiction, the best way to learn what works is to READ. Here are some of the scripts I’ve purchased, but I also follow the Scott Myers blog http://gointothestory.blcklst.com/ for script evaluations and industry insight.
A Knight’s Tale – Brian Helgeland – great example of how to incorporate music, as well as take on a period piece with humour.
Dan in Real Life – Pierce Gardner and Peter Hedges – heartwarming example of family drama / romantic comedy.
Stranger than Fiction – Zack Helm – seriously brilliant…and offers tons of insight into the creation of the script.
Juno – Diablo Cody – groundbreaking, wicked cool and reads every bit as quirky as the film.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Once more with feeling (the musical script book) – Joss Whedon – includes the sheet music for the songs Whedon composed for this episode, that’s right – words AND music, the background to its creation and then…the very cool script itself.
SIDE NOTE: I also study other script formats, such as graphic novels. Here are some resources if you’re interested…
Graphic Storytelling and Visual Narrative: Principles and practices from the legendary cartoonist – Will Eisner. Great insight in the development of comics and how to combine words with images.
Panel Discussions with industry storytellers – Durwin S. Talon. Everything you’ve wanted to ask about graphic novels…with real answers.
Panel One: Comic book scripts by top writers – Nat Gertler. Featuring scripts by Neil Gaiman, Jeff Smith, Kurt Busiek and more!

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

WriteOnCon


Do you write middle grade or young adult fiction? Want fresh eyes on your query letter, first five pages - possibly eyes lodged in the noggins of literary agents? Want insider info on the publishing industry - from authors, publishers, editors, agents?

Want all these goodies for FREE?

Then get thee to WRITEONCON!

This August 14th to 15th sees the third annual WriteOnCon - a weekend of live events, forums, podcasts, videos, "...created by writers - for writers." Here's a blurb from the site:

"During the conference, keynote addresses, agent panels, and lectures are presented as blogs, vlogs, moderated chats, webinars, podcasts, and livestreaming. There is also a critique forum, where participants can post query letters and writing samples to receive helpful feedback and comments from their peers and industry professionals. And, as if that weren’t exciting enough, there are also daily contests, giving random winners everything from books to personalized critiques from agents."

This conference provides networking, critiques, and all the industry tips you can handle - without the cost or time commitment of travel. I've followed WriteOnCon since it's inception and always find it of value. 

My profile: TracyB2 - cya there!

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Dare to Dream

Me and Dawn and Leia. 
All the hard work that my brilliant writing partner, Dawn Ius, and I have put into screenwriting may be about to pay off. We've signed with a TV / Film agent who will rep us as a team, as well as take on our solo projects, we have interest in our work, and we've told anyone who'll listen - WE JUST WANT TO LEARN. We know we're green, but good freaking god, we'll work our asses off to produce worthy material. Just point us in the right direction and you'll see...

Because, we dare to dream.

Maybe we'll get to write other shows, have a spec script or tv series pilot sold or put into production someday. Actors might make lines we write - come to life - or demand rewrites...lol... Directors and production crews may take the stuff of our imaginings and turn them into stunning visuals.

Because we dare to dream.

If Dawn and I had talked ourselves out of giving scripts a go - if the prospect of having to learn a new writing medium through trial and error, and more error had seemed too much for our fragile writerly egos - we wouldn't be at this magical point in our lives. Characters and their worlds are being analyzed, our commitment to those characters and worlds is being tested, and at the end of the day, even if our projects go into production, there's no guarantee they'll be picked up by networks or get distribution.

But we dare to dream. And I can't wait to see where those dreams take us.

Where will yours take you?

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Canadian TV on Canada Day


On this overcast, muggy Canada Day, I found myself skimming through YouTube videos for some classic Canadian TV clips to post on my Facebook page. After I indulged in a little Bob and Doug Mckenzie reminiscing, I soon clicked my way down memory lane. 

There were clips from: The Littlest Hobo, Beachcombers, Degrassi Junior High, SCTV, King of Kensington, The Kids in the Hall, This Hour Has 22 Minutes, You Can't Do That on Television, The Friendly Giant, Danger Bay, The Hilarious House of Frightenstein, The Outer Limits, Hammy Hamster, and The Nature of Things.

Damn, I actually watched a lot of Canadian TV when I was a kid.

Now? Not so much. 

I might take in the odd episode of the Rick Mercer Report, Sanctuary, Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, or Lost Girl, but that's about it. To be fair, I don't watch much TV, period. The only show I watch during it's current season is TrueBlood - everything else I want to see, I purchase on DVD and binge watch seasons at a time.

Here are the shows I've purchased in full / to current on DVD:

US:

Boardwalk Empire
Bones
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the first show I started purchasing on DVD)
Carnival
Entourage
Game of Thrones
Greatest American Hero (don't judge, it's a classic!)
Heroes
Reaper
Roswell
Supernatural
TrueBlood
Walking Dead
Warehouse 13

UK:

Being Human
Doctor Who

And the only Canadian show I've purchased in full, on DVD: Blood Ties.

But there are some great Canadian shows out there that I SHOULD be watching, or at least grabbing the DVDs - ones that represent MODERN Canadian efforts: Being Erica, Slings and Arrows, The Tutors, Degrassi (the reboot), Rookie Blue...

On this Canada Day, I just might have to go on a buying binge. I'm hopeful I'll be pleasantly surprised.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Summer Workshops


If you’re local AND a writer looking to hang out / share / learn from others, please join us for the first meeting of the Cold Lake Writing Club. Here are the details:

Lots-A-Books / Cold Lake Writing Club

Our local indie bookstore wants to help establish a community for writers in the Cold Lake area. Please join me and Ben, from Lots-A-Books, in this initial gathering. Bring a short sample of your work to read / share and let’s come up with a plan to kick off a thriving, welcoming, productive Writing Club!
Date and location: Saturday, July 7 at 1:00pm at Beantrees Coffee House

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Banff World Media Festival 2012

Alright, so I admit, this Banff thing is a mite intimidating. Suits, beautiful people at the top of their game, gadgets, loglines, sizzle reels and names dropping more than testicles during a baby boom. This festival is fancy, competition is fierce, and Dawn and I have often found ourselves floundering.

But we're getting the lay of the land, finding our feet (despite Dawn's cute / impractical-for-mountian-ranges shoes) and hell, this is our first Banff experience. It's supposed to be nerve racking. As one panel speaker said at the "Rookie in the Rockies" intro session, "If you're not scared, there's something wrong."

As a writer, used to banging out words in my PJs while my dogs snooze on the couch, Banff is a look at the business suit side of the film and television industry. The number crunchers. The movers and shakers. The meeting breakers and career makers.

I should be disheartened. There's little movie magic in conversations that revolve around algorithms, trends in digital content, network executives wondering how to deal with YouTube and Netflix - but you know what?

There IS magic here.

There are newbies, like us, who are learning the ropes and tossing each other life lines as we go. Networking opportunities abound. And in every session we've attended so far, Dawn and I have been relieved to hear - loud and clear - a message that all writers will appreciate.

It's all about the story.

The media tie-ins, multiple-format platforms, social television integration - the audience and the money won't be there without characters people care about and tales that transport us from the daily grind. So yeah, Dawn and I may not quite blend, we may feel as out of place as an elk in a china shop. We aren't fancy. But damn, we have stories to tell and we're here to make sure they get heard.

Here are a few vlogs of our adventures thus far:

Day 1

 

Day 2


 

Friday, June 8, 2012

Booktrailers and Sizzle Reels

Prepping for Banff has become all consuming. Daily there's a new major task added to our list of shit to do. And we already had loads on that list. But we're keen, krazy, and ready to kick ass in the mountains.

Or we will be by Sunday.

I was a little freaked out last week when I noticed an announcement on the Banff Media Fest Facebook page, indicating that if you were doing face-to-face meetings with executives, agents, producers - you need this fancy thing called a "sizzle reel".

I'd never heard of them.

But a quick Google search and I got it. Ah...they're like booktrailers! Mini movies or visual presentations that sum up a project in a hip, visual way. Perfect, it just so happens that my writing partner and I also recently launched Bridge Social Media - we make trailers for authors.

I quickly set to work choosing images from the talent pool known as Flickr and requesting permission to use photos (the BEST way to obtain amazing graphics on a limited budget). Then it was a matter of working some Final Cut and Motion magic. I found this reel challenging as we have not one, but five separate projects to feature. Here's hoping we pulled it off:


Monday, June 4, 2012

It's Bella White and the Brad Pitt Look Alike

I can't take credit for my post title, that wicked combo was a snarky comment my husband made about ten minutes into watching Snow White and the Huntsman, snapping me out of my awe and into a more critical viewing mode.

Don't get me wrong - I loved the film. Will likely purchase the DVD and re-watch it a million times - but there are lessons here. Lessons on how to mosh up tropes and iconic scenes from other films, as well as how to modernize folklore to suit changing social norms. The great mythologist, Joseph Campbell would have a field day analyzing this film. Don't know who Campbell is? If you're a writer - you should. Start here and then get some of his books and READ them.

Snow White and the Huntsman is beautiful with lush imagery, costuming, accents!, twisted lore, and wowza, Charlize Theron is quickly becoming my favourite actress. This woman stretches herself - isn't afraid to look ugly on screen or to reveal the ugliness within - as in her stark depiction of Mavis, in Young Adult, and her splendorous performance as, Ravenna, the evil queen. And yet, we've seen such sets before, of course, in Lord of the Rings and the token, Tolkien, march along a snow-capped mountain, and fantastical flora - what is it with jelly fish plant life? - as in Avatar.

The Star Wars comparisons can't go unmentioned. The dwarves tasked with lifting the castle gate and the ewoks charged with destroying a shield generator. Han Solo, I mean, the Huntsman - with a little Achilles (Brad Pitt in Troy) thrown in for good measure.













And the standout nod to George Lucas? Snow White's coronation as compared to the award ceremony in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. Since Lucas based Star Wars on motifs in old Hollywood Westerns, which he considered to be the last American fairy tales, I guess this brings us full circle.

Oh, and for a truly unique spin, check out Snow White in New York, a retelling set in the Jazz era:


Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Screenwriting Serendipity

Serendipity = a happy accident.

I like the word serendipity, always have. It's tossed around in library school as a known phenomenon. You enter a library (or bookstore), wander the stacks, and something draws you to a specific shelf. Or perhaps a pile of books tumble to your feet. Or an angry library biffs Volume 5 of the Encyclopedia Britannica at your head, ninja star style. Either way - magically - by the will of the fates - by serendipity / happy accident - THERE IT IS! The book you didn't even know you were looking for.

Well, serendipity struck yesterday and once again, I'm thankful. Instead of using my prize money from the wonderful Alberta Screenwriters Initiative award (and hawking a guitar)  for my writing partner and I to buy (and split) a pass to the Banff Media Festival - I'm suddenly sponsored to attend. Turns out a pass was part of the prize.

Go figure.

Now we can pitch our TV series pilots with impunity! All willy nilly and confident, because it didn't break the bank to get us there.

What a lovely, happy accident. I wish many such occurrences for all my writerly friends.

Here's a short / silly / homemade film from my old band, Rustic Charm, featuring our tune - you guessed it - Serendipity:

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Random pitchin' is bitchin'

Writers are always testing their ideas out on unsuspecting victims. Might be a subtle, What if? question casually interjected into water cooler discussions. Or a full-on attack. "So, I've got this brilliant idea for a book/TV series/film...".

And then we spew out as much info as possible, fingers and butt cheeks crossed our victims don't get the glassy-eyed look of death that pronounce our idea SUCKS and it's time we KNEW IT.

But random pitchin' is bitchin' - it helps solidify ideas we haven't even written down yet, provides instant feedback / possibly a smack upside the head, and more importantly, provides invaluable experience delivering our loglines.

If you can't say your logline out loud for the world / your cat to hear - and make it sound like the next big thing - you need to get on board with random pitchin'.

Want to know how others are presenting their pitches? Well, my friends, there are a bevy of brave souls who have filmed their pitches and posted them YouTube. That's right - you can watch and learn - all from the safety of your home.

But someday, if you're serious about this business of writing, your going to have to send out a query letter, or attend a conference and pitch directly to an agent / manager, and you want to do it like the Brownies do it.

BE PREPARED.

Jay Leno did a pitch feature his show, Pitch to America. You'll be appalled, shocked, thrilled, and mildly nauseous from some of these pitches. However, I NOW realize how I sound to friends when they innocently ask "How's the writing going?"and end up on the receiving end of a mini pitch fest. The words mentally disturbed come to mind.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Alberta Screenwriters Initiative Award

Not even a raging case of sinusitis can keep a snot-laden chick like me down when there's news to share. Just saw the official posting from the Writers Guild of Alberta that my edgy screenplay, Losing It, has nabbed first place for the Alberta Screenwriters Initiative award.

So very cool! I can't wait to see who I'm matched with for the workshop aspect. The more brains I can freekly pick, the safer YOU are. ;)

Here's a link to the full press release. And the smidge that makes my aching eyes feel almost human again:


This year’s jury had this to say about the winner: “Losing It is a refreshing story with a distinctive writing style that avoids the pitfalls and expected patterns of most teen comedies, to be fresh, quirky and unique in story structure, characters and writing style. The characters are memorable are well-developed and the situations manage to be both comic and affecting.” 

Love!

Many congrats to the second and third place scribes, Aaron Langvand and Jarrod Hills. Now let's all go and make some freaking movies. And somebody get me another box of tissue, it's getting messy around here...

Monday, May 21, 2012

Banff World Media Festival

Funny story.

A long time ago, in a far away land known as Edmonton...I worked in a legal library and my job included anything from shelving books, updating filing, updating statutes, tracking them back to British law, conducting lit searches,  database searches in Quicklaw-LexisNexis to find precedents in case law, scads of photocopying...you name it.

Everything was a rush. Suits abounded. We chewed on stress like bubblegum. Without it, I couldn't function.

Then my husband and I moved to this small, wonderful town of Cold Lake, where he landed his first teaching job and I scooped up an elementary school library position. I went from highlighting lines in Vriend v. Alberta to reading picture books aloud to young children. Talk about culture shock.

Anyway, during my time at the law firm, writing fiction was a merely a hobby of mine and most of my creative energy went toward the very cool little band I was with at the time, Dark-Eyed Junco. But I was intrigued when one day it was announced that a lawyer at the firm, Greg Ball, was leaving to pursue other things.

Screenwriting things.

Greg Ball and his writing partner, Steve Blackman, had written a pilot episode for a legal drama and pitched it at the Banff World Media Festival - successfully. The resulting show, The Associates, ran for two seasons. Ball also earned writing and production credits for shows like NYPD Blue and Bones. Here's an article on The Associates worth reading.

How I wish I'd been into scripts back in the day - I so could have picked his brain. ;) But I should get to the whole point of my rambling - the method Ball and Blackman used to pitch in Banff.

They were winging it all the way. Discovered at the last minute that meetups with executives / producers had to be scheduled in advance, could only afford to stay at a motel and not in the beautiful Banff Springs Hotel, almost got kicked out when it was discovered they didn't pay for the entire festival. They crashed the party, took risks, and won.

Here's the full scoop on their adventure in a Writer's Guild of Alberta article.

Now, this is an odd, inspiring story to me on many levels. My writing partner, Dawn Ius, and I are about to embark on our own Banff World Media excursion - this June - to pitch several TV series treatments.

Here's hoping we have even a portion of Ball and Blackman's success.