For Film Hack #3 we were joined by Jamie Wolpert of Rocket Pictures and Andrew Steggall (Departure, 2015) to talk us through their collaboration on Departure, and how best to approach connecting a story to your audience.

1. SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT
USHERU - #FILMHACK

2. Jamie Wolpert
Vice President, Creative Affairs - Rocket Pictures
Andrew Steggall
Writer & Director, ‘Departure’

4. SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT - ROUGH OVERVIEW
▸ Who we are, what we’ve done
▸ Departure - a brief case study
▸ Development
▸ what development exec. does
▸ tips
▸ the main pitfalls and hurdles
▸ Q&A (but you can ask during too)

5. SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT

6. JAMIE WOLPERT

7. BFI NET.WORK

8. ANDREW STEGGALL

9. DEPARTURE

10. THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
▸ What is a development exec.
▸ The development process
▸ When to move to the next stage
▸ Who reads it when
▸ When to go to cast and crew
▸ When to get filming

11. DEVELOPMENT - TIPS AND PITFALLS
▸ Plot vs. Story
▸ Who to collaborate with
▸ Who’s your audience?
▸ Read it back
▸ How To books
▸ Research later
▸ Kindness and confidence
▸ “Write what you know”
▸ Character bios, place descriptions/photos
▸ Keep the first draft
▸ Time and place to write

12. FILM - CAREER NOTES
▸ Being a writer-director
▸ Collaboration - don’t spread too thin
▸ Short to feature
▸ Know people’s worlds
▸ Broadcasters
▸ Production companies

13. Q&A