Write. Shoot. Cut.: Film Night On March 12th & Ongoing Short Film Blog

It seems alumni of the short-film writing course I’ve just completed are in hot demand. One of my colleagues there, the film-devouring Ross McLean has already been snapped up as host of a monthly short film showcase called Write. Shoot. Cut.

Another alumni of the course, although this time from back in the day, was the writer/director of one of the six short films which made up the screening.

Gareth Peevers is the writer/director of Somebody’s Daughter, a project that was first written as the end-of-term project for the Writers’ Factory Introduction to Screenwriting Course.

The film is an intelligent response to the genre of American road horror. I was particularly interested in it because I’m exploring the idea of urban myths at the moment, and there are so many urban myths about lonely car journeys, hitch-hikers, and evil petrol pump attendants.

There’s something intrinsically horrific about car transport. The way the shell of the car is at once protection from the outside and a wall that stops you from seeing what it lurking in the car park. The way the ability to move means you can drive away from danger, but also away from protection. And that’s even before we start talking about service stations, or “cathedrals of misery” as Bill Bailey so aptly described them.

My favourite film featured was Office Romance 2.0, which is a romantic comedy about a lonely office worker and, ahem, a photocopier.

This is exactly the sort of film I wish I was writing am writing.

An interesting nugget gleaned from the post-screening discussion (each film had a representative writer or director that was interviewed by Ross) is that the script was originally written with no spoken dialogue at all. Apparently the director added some in – though quite why he did that I’m not sure.

Perhaps the actors needed speaking roles in order to get onto the IMDb?

Overall it was an excellent night, Ross’s interviews with the writers and directors were very interesting. I’ve suggested to the organisers that they consider making them available to non-attendees in some way, perhaps on their blog or on Soundcloud.

You may have noticed that this post is slightly late in the day considering the event was on March 12. I beg the StAnza Poetry Festival as my excuse.

If you’re liking what you’re reading you should learn about upcoming screenings and follow the excellent Write. Shoot. Cut. blog. www.write-shoot-cut.com The next Write. Shoot. Cut. screening will be on April 2 at the Banshee Rooms.

The Screen Academy Scotland, which is some complicated autonomous hybrid of Edinburgh Art College and Edinburgh Napier University, runs several courses that you should look at if you’re interested in writing for screen.