Script To Screen
Saturday, 14 May 2011 - Reported by Marcus
Back in March, the BBC announced their Script to Screen competition, which opened for entries on 23rd April to tie in with the return of Doctor Who to television.
The aim of the competition is to submit a three minute script that can be acted out in the TARDIS console room featuring the Doctor, who will interact with a brand new human character (contemporary or historical), and/or one of either a Judoon, Cyberman, Ood or Weeping Angel.
The competition is open to primary schools, who may submit one script written by a group of 2-4 pupils (who must be aged between 9 and 11 before the 31st August). The script must be original and, and entirely the group's own, and has to be suitable for broadcast to a family audience including other children.
The writers of the winning script will get to travel to the BBC's Cardiff studio, where they will see their script brought to life by the Doctor Who team and cast including Matt Smith. Doctor Who Confidential will also be on hand to take viewers behind the scenes to show how the script gets developed from paper to big screen - from the first script meeting, a cast read-through, on set filming all the way to the final edit.
The BBC have also released a video introduction featuring the Doctor, Amy and Rory, plus 'real-life' observations on the writing process by head writer Steven Moffat and further suggestions by script editor Caroline Henry, executive producer Beth Willis, and producer Marcus Wilson.
The competition closes on 13th June 2011; visit the competition page for details on how schools can enter, and for full terms and conditions see BBC's Teachers website.
Neil Gaiman, award winning fantasy author and writer for the most recently broadcast episode, The Doctor's Wife, provides his own suggestions on how aspiring writers should approach writing a short script and for the character of the Doctor.
The aim of the competition is to submit a three minute script that can be acted out in the TARDIS console room featuring the Doctor, who will interact with a brand new human character (contemporary or historical), and/or one of either a Judoon, Cyberman, Ood or Weeping Angel.
The competition is open to primary schools, who may submit one script written by a group of 2-4 pupils (who must be aged between 9 and 11 before the 31st August). The script must be original and, and entirely the group's own, and has to be suitable for broadcast to a family audience including other children.
The writers of the winning script will get to travel to the BBC's Cardiff studio, where they will see their script brought to life by the Doctor Who team and cast including Matt Smith. Doctor Who Confidential will also be on hand to take viewers behind the scenes to show how the script gets developed from paper to big screen - from the first script meeting, a cast read-through, on set filming all the way to the final edit.
The BBC have also released a video introduction featuring the Doctor, Amy and Rory, plus 'real-life' observations on the writing process by head writer Steven Moffat and further suggestions by script editor Caroline Henry, executive producer Beth Willis, and producer Marcus Wilson.
The competition closes on 13th June 2011; visit the competition page for details on how schools can enter, and for full terms and conditions see BBC's Teachers website.
Neil Gaiman, award winning fantasy author and writer for the most recently broadcast episode, The Doctor's Wife, provides his own suggestions on how aspiring writers should approach writing a short script and for the character of the Doctor.
It's heart-breaking in a way, because you try and tell a story, and stories depend on surprise, stories depend on shocking people, stories are the moments you didn't see coming - those are what live in you and burn in you forever. If you are denied those, it's vandalism.
I can understand Steven's frustration, because he heads a team of people who work incredibly hard throughout the year to make the BBC's flagship show and it should be their choice in how that story is digested by the viewers: the funny bits make you laugh, the sad bits make you cry, and the twists and turns - of which there are many, and many more coming up later in the series - they should be allowed to shock people. If someone goes online and spoils it for other fans ... but also then often journalists will trawl the Doctor Who forums to find stories to put in the newspaper that can reach the national press, it's a bit of a rubbish thing to do.
Of course, the Doctor has already visited the Olympic Stadium on screen, with his tenth incarnation arriving in time for the Opening Ceremony (Fear Her, 2006). Indeed, it was the Doctor himself who saved the Games by carrying the Torch to its final destination - and lighting the Olympic Flame!
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