Whether you're writing a novel or a screenplay, I think script/story editors are essential. They're also much maligned. If a project is struggling, it's very easy for a writer to lay the blame at the door of the person who has to act as sounding board, critic and mediator. Script editing is also a very particular skill.
Some, such as the very talented and down to earth Helen Raynor are also writers* but the best ones always understand the difficulties in making a script work. They ask the right questions, offer suggestions rather than prescriptions and leave a writer feeling energised rather than drained.
Lucy V Hay is a terrific script editor. She's also a producer on this new feature which means that any advice she gives is grounded in the reality of getting a project made rather than abstract theory. In short, she's good.
Not much other earth shattering news. Film projects ticking along okay; getting an outline of a new thing ready for a bit of peer review from some very talented writers and writer/directors and my meeting yesterday with a fairly new but very succesful production company went well (I think).
Had the chance to pitch a few projects without hopefully outstaying my welcome.
I'm also loving The Killing, an award winning Danish police drama on BBC4. On paper it's nothing revolutionary- a 20 part murder investigation with each episode more or less taking place over 24 hours- but it's all in the details. The acting is uniformly fantastic and,unlike a lot of TV murders, you really feel the grief of the victim's loved ones. If you liked Prime Suspect, Wallander (the Swedish version) or State of Play, it's well worth catching up on.
* Quite why Baker Boys, a genuinely warm, touching and relevant drama, was only shown on BBC wales rather than across BBC1 is beyond me.
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