麻豆约拍 Writers FeedKeep up to date with events and opportunities at 麻豆约拍 Writers. Get behind-the-scenes insights from writers and producers of 麻豆约拍 TV and radio programmes. Get top tips on script-writing and follow the journeys of writers who have come through 麻豆约拍 Writers聽schemes and opportunities. 聽2020-10-23T10:48:23+00:00Zend_Feed_Writer/blogs/writersroom2020-10-23T10:48:23+00:002020-10-23T10:48:23+00:00/blogs/writersroom/entries/ad7c8906-bb70-4f34-b231-33801b208a76Brad Birch<div class="component prose">
<p><strong><a href="/taster/pilots/monster">Monster</a> is an innovative audio experience for Halloween created by 麻豆约拍 Research and Development and written by Brad Birch. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Our Development Producer in Cardiff, Helen Perry, introduces Monster, describing how Covid derailed the original plans for Monster to be a site-specific experience, but 麻豆约拍 R&D rescued the project in a way that makes it available to everyone. Writer Brad Birch explains why the story is still the most important thing and why horror is the perfect genre for this kind of technology.</strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="/taster/pilots/monster">Experience Monster on the 麻豆约拍 Taster website</a>聽or <a href="/sounds/play/p08xg1rk">Listen now on 麻豆约拍 Sounds</a></strong></p>
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<em>Watch the trailer for Monster</em>
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<p><strong>2020 has been an extraordinary year. We鈥檙e all living in a horror of sorts. And although the creative process is never smooth, little did we know how much our innovative audio project with 麻豆约拍 Research and Development would be affected by the current crisis. Less known still was how, like a snake eating its own tail, art would imitate life. We began the creation of <a href="/taster/pilots/monster">Monster</a>, written by welsh playwright Brad Birch with the intention of hosting it as a one-off installation at 麻豆约拍 Cymru Wales' newly opened Central Square. We were going to create a theatrical 鈥榟aunted house鈥 experience incorporating the latest technology whilst utilising everyday devices to make an immersive sensory drama about a global pandemic in which homes become invaded by the undesired.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Fast forward to an unprecedented Covid world and the whole nation finds themselves effectively trapped in their homes through lockdown. So with a bit of recalibration, and via 麻豆约拍 Taster, we are now able to bring the monsters to the listeners. We are enabling you to create your own 鈥榟aunted house鈥 within your own home.</strong></p>
<p><strong>Monster is a lights down, listen closely, innovative drama that can be experienced from the comfort of your living room. Though quite how comfortable you鈥檒l be will depend on how much you want to immerse yourself in the drama - connect more devices & position them where you want in order to orchestrate the level of horror. You make your own unique experience without ever having to step outside!聽</strong></p>
<p><strong>Here鈥檚 the writer, Brad Birch鈥檚 own take on the project:</strong></p>
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<p>As a scriptwriter, it鈥檚 rare to be learning the technical capabilities of a medium whilst writing for it. As tempting as it was to use every tool and trick available to us, it felt important that Monster was more than just a parlour game. We all felt the experience had to be rooted in story, and that the characters and the world had to be vivid enough for this to be able to stand on its own as an audio drama. We couldn鈥檛 allow ourselves to think we could paper over cracks with flashy technology, and we also understood that the best showcase for multi-device orchestration would be with an engaging story.</p>
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<img class="image" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/320xn/p08w4pys.jpg" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/80xn/p08w4pys.jpg 80w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/160xn/p08w4pys.jpg 160w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/320xn/p08w4pys.jpg 320w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p08w4pys.jpg 480w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/640xn/p08w4pys.jpg 640w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/768xn/p08w4pys.jpg 768w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/896xn/p08w4pys.jpg 896w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/1008xn/p08w4pys.jpg 1008w" sizes="(min-width: 63em) 613px, (min-width: 48.125em) 66.666666666667vw, 100vw" alt=""><p><em>Delyth played by Demi Letherby</em></p></div>
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<p>I think horror is the perfect genre for this kind of technology. Horror changes our relationship to our environment. When I was a kid, my bedroom always used to give off a weird kind of hostility whenever I鈥檇 read a Stephen King before sleep. And the living room felt that little bit colder whenever I used to stay up late and watch a movie like Blair Witch. Or at least that鈥檚 how it felt. It鈥檚 not that the spaces became more alive, it鈥檚 that I became more aware of their deadness, of the fact that I, with my breathing and movement, was a disturbance. I had unsettled the order of the room. As a genre, horror sets fire to our senses. The creaks and groans of the house become part of the experience. Horror affects the whole body 鈥 it鈥檚 the perfect genre for pushing the boundaries of what is possible in this medium.</p>
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<img class="image" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/320xn/p08w4p71.jpg" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/80xn/p08w4p71.jpg 80w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/160xn/p08w4p71.jpg 160w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/320xn/p08w4p71.jpg 320w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p08w4p71.jpg 480w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/640xn/p08w4p71.jpg 640w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/768xn/p08w4p71.jpg 768w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/896xn/p08w4p71.jpg 896w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/1008xn/p08w4p71.jpg 1008w" sizes="(min-width: 63em) 613px, (min-width: 48.125em) 66.666666666667vw, 100vw" alt=""><p><em>Newsreader in Monster played by Sule Rimi</em></p></div>
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<p>I wanted to write a story that would evoke the kinds of ghost stories I grew up with. Stories about haunted houses tend to be about order and disorder, things out of place. This is the story of a mother and a daughter in crisis, trying to make sense of what has happened to them while the world around them - and around the audience - turns upside down.</p>
<p>The show had a necessarily long gestation, allowing for back and forths between us and technical team 鈥 sharing and responding to ideas, offering solutions and finding new ways of thinking about how we all do our jobs. As the writer on the project I knew I had to be adaptable. I had to be prepared to be told that some things wouldn鈥檛 be possible and have to scale back. But in actual fact, I found that the majority of the conversations were about pushing further, adding more, testing limits. I think we鈥檙e at a really exciting moment for audio drama. There were things that were possible but we decided against using on this project, so I look forward to whatever comes out next.</p>
<p><strong><a href="/taster/pilots/monster">Experience Monster for yourself now on the 麻豆约拍 Taster website</a>聽or <a href="/sounds/play/p08xg1rk">Listen on 麻豆约拍 Sounds</a></strong></p>
<p><a href="/rd/blog/2020-08-audio-drama-monster-interactive-sound"><strong>Find out more about creating Monster on the R&D blog</strong></a></p>
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2020-03-12T09:19:00+00:002020-03-12T09:19:00+00:00/blogs/writersroom/entries/aaf91503-5a85-4659-9830-ff2adce0f7faAlys Metcalf<div class="component prose">
<p><em>Here at <a href="/writersroom/">麻豆约拍 Writersroom</a> we have always been interested in new forms of storytelling and what effect they could have on the evolution of scripted narratives for broadcast to a mass audience. So when the 麻豆约拍鈥檚 R&D department approached us as they were looking for writers for an AI storytelling project, involving an interactive Chatbot and a new product called Charisma.ai, we jumped at the chance to be involved.</em></p>
<p><em>As a result two interactive stories have now been published on the 麻豆约拍's Taster platform:</em></p>
<p><em><a href="/taster/pilots/the-act"><strong>The Act</strong></a> written by Alys Metcalf聽</em></p>
<p><em><a href="/taster/pilots/catfish"><strong>Catfish</strong></a> written by Sonia Jalaly. </em></p>
<p><em>Have a go at both now and let us know your feedback by answering the questions provided.</em></p>
<p><em>We also asked Alys to explain some of the challenges of developing and writing a story in an unfamiliar medium.</em></p>
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<img class="image" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/320xn/p086f7kt.jpg" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/80xn/p086f7kt.jpg 80w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/160xn/p086f7kt.jpg 160w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/320xn/p086f7kt.jpg 320w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p086f7kt.jpg 480w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/640xn/p086f7kt.jpg 640w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/768xn/p086f7kt.jpg 768w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/896xn/p086f7kt.jpg 896w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/1008xn/p086f7kt.jpg 1008w" sizes="(min-width: 63em) 613px, (min-width: 48.125em) 66.666666666667vw, 100vw" alt=""><p><em>The Act written by Alys Metcalf using Charisma.ai</em></p></div>
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<p>I have a fuzzy memory of being around eight-years-old, sitting in front of a computer screen practically half the size of my entire body, staving off tears of frustration. Despite typing into the keyboard as many verbs as my childhood brain could muster, nothing seemed to get me out of the 鈥榩itch black room鈥 that was supposedly 鈥榮pinning very gently鈥 around my head.</p>
<p>Those of you familiar with the <a href="https://ifdb.tads.org/viewgame?id=ouv80gvsl32xlion">interactive game version</a> of <a href="/programmes/b03v379k">The Hitchhiker鈥檚 Guide To The Galaxy</a> may appreciate my frustration (though I鈥檓 guessing you probably got a lot further than the initial dark bedroom!) That was my first taste of interactive storytelling, and since then I鈥檝e become increasingly interested in the medium, particularly how it hands over a degree of creative control to the 鈥榩layer鈥, giving them the opportunity to influence the narrative for better鈥 or for worse. Instead of passively digesting entertainment, interactive stories endow us with a level of control, forcing us to engage with the characters and their journeys on a much deeper level: creatively, psychologically and sometimes even morally. Black Mirror鈥檚 characteristically dystopian episode <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Mirror:_Bandersnatch">Bandersnatch</a> is a perfect example of this. Whether you liked it as a form or not, I鈥檓 sure a lot of us were left questioning our own moral compass by the end. We reflect on the story as a viewer, but the interactive element means the direction of the story also reflects on us.</p>
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<img class="image" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/320xn/p085fc60.jpg" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/80xn/p085fc60.jpg 80w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/160xn/p085fc60.jpg 160w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/320xn/p085fc60.jpg 320w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p085fc60.jpg 480w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/640xn/p085fc60.jpg 640w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/768xn/p085fc60.jpg 768w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/896xn/p085fc60.jpg 896w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/1008xn/p085fc60.jpg 1008w" sizes="(min-width: 63em) 613px, (min-width: 48.125em) 66.666666666667vw, 100vw" alt=""><p><em>Alys Metcalf (r) developing her story with Producer Sophie Sampson (l)</em></p></div>
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<p>I was called into a 麻豆约拍 writing workshop last year, under the ambiguous understanding it had something to do with A.I. My first reaction was one of shock, um鈥 think you mean someone else, right? After all, I generally write comedy / drama, and my technical abilities basically extend to turning a laptop off and on again when it鈥檚 frozen. As far as A.I. is concerned, the advancement of robots properly freaks me out and somewhere deep down I do sort of think, in spite of all its incredible achievements, that we鈥檒l inevitably exploit technology until it outsmarts us; leading to our ultimate downfall. I mean, if Hollywood sci-fis have taught us anything鈥t鈥檚 that鈥ight?</p>
<p>However, I was pretty relieved to discover that this particular workshop had nothing to do with summoning the likes of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093870/">RoboCop</a> into the writers' room. Instead, we were to learn how to use a new piece of programming software, called Charisma.ai, in order to write a two-hander interactive story to be played online.</p>
<p>Charisma.ai is a platform that enables writers to intuitively program character dialogue and player responses through a series of connected nodes. The result is essentially a narrative-driven conversation, that is somewhere between a traditional chatbot (check out <a href="https://www.cleverbot.com/">cleverbot.com</a>) and a choose your own adventure. Despite sounding a bit complicated (and it definitely was a learning process to get to grips with), the basics were relatively fast to learn and I鈥檓 pleased to say there were surprisingly few moments of slamming the computer keyboard like an eight-year-old.</p>
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<img class="image" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/320xn/p085j8vq.jpg" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/80xn/p085j8vq.jpg 80w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/160xn/p085j8vq.jpg 160w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/320xn/p085j8vq.jpg 320w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p085j8vq.jpg 480w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/640xn/p085j8vq.jpg 640w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/768xn/p085j8vq.jpg 768w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/896xn/p085j8vq.jpg 896w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/1008xn/p085j8vq.jpg 1008w" sizes="(min-width: 63em) 613px, (min-width: 48.125em) 66.666666666667vw, 100vw" alt=""><p><em>Under the bonnet of Charisma.ai - just a small section of the connected nodes that make up Alys's story The Act</em></p></div>
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<p>At the end of the two-day workshop we were asked to pitch potential story ideas that would be made for the <a href="/taster/">麻豆约拍 Taster</a> online platform. I wracked my brain for something that played into my strengths (no sci-fi then!) and pitched a comedy idea called The Act. The premise is that the 鈥榩layer鈥 is the Artist Manager of a world-renowned popstar, who is shortly due to perform a big arena gig鈥ut has gone AWOL. The 鈥榩layer鈥 needs to get to the bottom of the popstar鈥檚 problem and to convince them to perform. If the 鈥榩layer鈥 is successful then the popstar will perform, but there are various other roads to go down and different outcomes, some more ridiculous than others! I wanted to introduce a level of jeopardy into the mix 鈥 that the 鈥榩layer鈥 will potentially lose their reputation and have to face the fans鈥 wrath if they don鈥檛 manage to convince the popstar to perform. This is partly to motivate the 鈥榩layer鈥 to keep invested in the story and also to up the tension and excitement, so they feel that there is something at stake.</p>
<p>I wanted to flesh out the popstar role, 鈥榋eejee鈥, as a three-dimensional, nuanced character, with various quirks and hang-ups. He is charming and funny, but insecure about his abilities as a singer and can sometimes be overly-dramatic and petulant. From time to time, 鈥榋eejee鈥 resembles the stereotypical diva-ish popstar, with ridiculous demands on his rider and the need for constant reassurance. But ultimately, the 鈥榩layer鈥 has the opportunity to get to know the real man behind the fa莽ade. We never see 鈥榋eejee鈥, as the interaction is all through typing, so I had to work hard to bring him to life in other ways - one of which was by hearing him sing a section of his new song, after the 鈥榩layer鈥 helps him come up with some new lyrics.</p>
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<img class="image" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/320xn/p086f5x3.jpg" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/80xn/p086f5x3.jpg 80w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/160xn/p086f5x3.jpg 160w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/320xn/p086f5x3.jpg 320w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p086f5x3.jpg 480w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/640xn/p086f5x3.jpg 640w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/768xn/p086f5x3.jpg 768w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/896xn/p086f5x3.jpg 896w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/1008xn/p086f5x3.jpg 1008w" sizes="(min-width: 63em) 613px, (min-width: 48.125em) 66.666666666667vw, 100vw" alt=""><p><em>Catfish written by Sonia Jalaly</em></p></div>
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<p>It鈥檚 taken me slightly longer than originally anticipated to write The Act, for a few reasons (鈥nd for once it had nothing to do with self-discipline鈥lthough my living room is always curiously clean when there鈥檚 a deadline!) One of the challenges is you need to program many diverse responses for 鈥榋eejee鈥, to respond to whatever the 鈥榩layer鈥 types, and it鈥檚 almost impossible to second guess what someone might write. So I took a good amount of time coming up with a range of reactions. When programming the potential 鈥榩layer鈥 responses, there鈥檚 the option of inputting a 鈥榳ildcard鈥 node, which accounts for any unanticipated phrases or words. It鈥檚 important to make the 鈥榗haracter鈥 responses to these wildcards sound specific and tailored.</p>
<p>It鈥檚 hard to road-test your own story, as inevitably your own mind works in a specific way and someone else鈥檚 is entirely different. Helpfully, The Act was sent out to some people for play-testing, who kindly looked for any bugs, problems in the programming, or strange moments in the dialogue. Fingers crossed anything like this has been ironed out! Top tip: if you break the game, you could always try turning it off and on again?!</p>
<p>It鈥檚 been a really enjoyable experience getting to grips with this piece of technology and learning a new skill. I wonder if interactive storytelling really is the way forward for mainstream media, in dramas, sitcoms and films?</p>
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<img class="image" src="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/320xn/p085fh12.jpg" srcset="https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/80xn/p085fh12.jpg 80w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/160xn/p085fh12.jpg 160w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/320xn/p085fh12.jpg 320w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/480xn/p085fh12.jpg 480w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/640xn/p085fh12.jpg 640w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/768xn/p085fh12.jpg 768w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/896xn/p085fh12.jpg 896w, https://ichef.bbci.co.uk/images/ic/1008xn/p085fh12.jpg 1008w" sizes="(min-width: 63em) 613px, (min-width: 48.125em) 66.666666666667vw, 100vw" alt=""><p><em>Alys Metcalf (l) writer of The Act and Sonia Jalaly (r) writer of Catfish. Both interactive stories are available now on 麻豆约拍 Taster.</em></p></div>
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<p>Broadly speaking, we鈥檝e become accustomed to having zero input when watching TV / online programmes, other than to turn the volume up. With the development of A.I. in storytelling (including Virtual Reality), we鈥檒l soon have the ability to dictate the direction of our favourite drama, whilst sensorially being a part of it too. In terms of audience enjoyment, I suppose it depends on what you鈥檙e after - whether you want that level of agency and immersion. I recently watched cheerleading documentary <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11426660/">Cheer</a> on Netflix (hope it鈥檚 not blasphemy to mention Netflix on a 麻豆约拍 platform?!) and my god, I would not want to have any interactive part to play in that series. Not unless I had hefty health insurance and a history of being tossed into the air like a devil stick and landing to tell the tale.</p>
<p>But there is something in the thrill of losing yourself in an interactive story. In the chance to step out of your own shoes for a moment and walk in another鈥檚. To speak to characters and temporarily live in worlds you may never otherwise experience. Socially, it may even help build empathy and understand each other鈥檚 perspectives a little better鈥 or perhaps it鈥檒l create a league of amoral sociopaths鈥ho knows!</p>
<p>For now, using Charisma AI has given me a fantastic opportunity to explore a different form and discover that, ultimately, the player has as much of a part to play as the writer as I do.</p>
<p>There鈥檚 something weirdly fulfilling and freeing about that.</p>
<p><a href="/taster/pilots/the-act">Try <strong>The Act</strong>, written by Alys Metcalf on 麻豆约拍 Taster</a></p>
<p><a href="/taster/pilots/catfish">Try <strong>Catfish</strong>, written by Sonia Jalaly on 麻豆约拍 Taster</a></p>
<p><a href="/rd/blog/2020-03-writing-tools-interactive-stories-charisma-ai-makerbox">Find out more on a blog post by R&D Producer Sophie Sampson</a></p>
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2020-03-05T15:11:00+00:002020-03-05T15:11:00+00:00/blogs/writersroom/entries/e450fac7-f9c7-477c-8447-c308ad0b1051Thabo Mhlatshwa<div class="component prose">
<p><em>Thabo Mhlatshwa is the writer behind the first series of <a href="/cbbc/curations/the-dumping-ground-my-dg">MyDG</a>, one-minute shorts which show stories from C麻豆约拍's <a href="/cbbc/shows/the-dumping-ground">The Dumping Ground</a> from a different point of view. Viewers can also post their comments and get replies from the characters. Thabo explains how he got involved and what he's learnt from the process.</em></p>
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<p>As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a storyteller. But having had my lack of directing skills ruin a number of decent short scripts, I finally had the humbling epiphany that maybe I wasn't meant to be the one calling the shots whilst behind the camera. And so I decided to stick to screenwriting - something, I felt, that I was at least passable at. And having had scripts get to the full read-through stage and receive positive feedback in both the <a href="/writersroom/send-a-script">comedy and drama script windows</a> of the <a href="/writersroom/">麻豆约拍 Writersroom</a>, as well as getting shortlisted, or placing in other writing opportunities I gained confidence that like Craig David, I was 鈥楤orn To Do It鈥.</p>
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<p>But writing for a kid's show? Nah, surely not me. Which is actually a weird thing for me to say because my work tends to be concerned with the issues that young people face. I love the raw emotions that youngsters display, before society and adulthood gets them to suppress their feelings - they can laugh at the funniest joke anyone has ever told, cry at the saddest story anyone will ever hear and fall in and out of love with their soul mate - and they can do all of that before they鈥檝e had their first mouthful of Corn Flakes. But when I heard about an opportunity to write online content for C麻豆约拍鈥橲 drama, The Dumping Ground I have to be honest and admit, I was not sure I was the right fit.聽</p>
<p>At this moment I feel I should bring it back for just a second, and tell you how this opportunity landed on my lap. <a href="https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0624137/">Sue Needleman</a> - not only is she 'The Dumping Ground鈥檚' casting director but, in another, admittedly lesser-known role, she is also my Ambassador of Quan - I call Sue this every time I see her, despite having my doubts about whether she has ever even seen <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116695/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1">Jerry Maguire</a>, and even if she has I reckon she does not remember Cuba Gooding Jr's character using that term in it. But calling her that is better than screaming 鈥楽how me the money鈥 each time we meet. Anyway, I met Sue through my 9-5, which thankfully happens to be adjacent to the creative industry. I eventually spoke to her about the fact that I'm an aspiring screenwriter, in a genuinely conversational, non thirsty kind of way. Sue, perhaps thanks to my not being pushy, then asked to read one of my scripts. I wasn鈥檛 sure she would be a fan but I was wrong. Not only did she love it, but she stuck her neck out by mentioning it to various producer friends of hers, which has led to that project getting an option with <a href="https://www.limepictures.com/">Lime Pictures</a>. As I said, she鈥檚 my Ambassador of Quan.</p>
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<p>Sue then mentioned my writing to The Dumping Ground鈥檚 Exec Producer, who was kind enough to give me advice about some of the opportunities that open up for new voices on the show. At this point I felt that I should really get acquainted with the show. So one weekend I blitzed a whole load <a href="/iplayer/episodes/b03ps789/the-dumping-ground">on the 麻豆约拍 iPlayer</a>. For those of you who don鈥檛 know, The Dumping Ground is set in a kid's care home, and was given the name by perhaps its most well-known, former resident, <a href="/cbbc/shows/the-story-of-tracy-beaker">Tracy Beaker</a>. As the show stars children from the most broken of homes serious issues are never far from the fore. With its disparate group of characters and thought provoking issues, the show kind of reminded me of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163437/">Byker Grove</a>, a programme which I can still quote from, despite having not seen an episode in over 20 years. Clearly Byker had a strong impact on me, and I could see how The DG could have a similar effect on today鈥檚 younger generation. The show finds a way for its big laughs and tear-jerking moments to sit alongside one another, without ever appearing jarring. A feature I try to incorporate in my writing. 鈥淢ake them laugh, Make them cry鈥︹</p>
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<p>So when the <a href="/writersroom/">麻豆约拍 Writersroom</a> - at the urging, I鈥檓 sure, of The Dumping Ground鈥檚 Exec' - alerted me to the fact that they were looking for writers to work on an online spin-off entitled, <a href="/cbbc/curations/the-dumping-ground-my-dg">MyDG</a>, I was by then a fan of the show, and I knew I had to give my all to be involved.</p>
<p>The aim of this spin off was to have a character give a retelling of a storyline from each episode via a voiceover, and for this retelling to give the audience a new perspective on what they had just seen. All this was to be done in a social media format - I guess like what you would see on an Instagram story. Oh, and this all had to be done within one minute. This opportunity is an example of how shows are continuing to increase their online presence, keeping fans hooked by allowing them to engage with original extra content, and (just as importantly!) providing us writers with additional opportunities to work with the characters and world in a creative environment. So, I threw my hat into the ring, by pitching two MyDG episodes based on previously aired episodes of the show. Thankfully the team liked what I sent them and called me in for an interview, and then they liked me in person and so I was commissioned to write the first 12 episodes of MyDG. After getting sent previews of all 12 episodes of the current series, I had to pitch which character I wanted to write for, and what angle I would take. And that鈥檚 when the really hard work began.</p>
<p>Now I know what you鈥檙e thinking because I thought the same - one minute to tell a story? I鈥檇 be able to knock these out in my sleep. Especially as I had a half-hour episode to draw from for inspiration. But that thought process led to my first mistake. The self-congratulatory pats on the back I gave myself when completing a first draft quickly morphed into something more violent when I realised I hadn鈥檛 just allowed myself to be inspired by the main episode, but had fallen into the trap of simply writing an abridged version. I was tasked with giving a fresh perspective. The only way the audience was going to go online and watch my creation was if they felt that MyDG was giving them bonus material, that was not to be found in the main broadcast. A truncated version of what they had just seen wouldn鈥檛 cut the mustard.</p>
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<p>And so to allow the characters a fresh take on the episode I employed the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashomon_effect">Rashomon effect</a>, where no two accounts of the same event will ever be identical. And to set this in motion I imagined how the characters might relay the event if they met a friend outside of The Dumping Ground over a couple of pints鈥 of milkshake. This allowed for their personal motivations to influence their retelling, and helped give me that fresh look we were all looking for.</p>
<p>With this being my first C麻豆约拍 commission, I was obviously keen on making a good impression. The way to do that, I told myself, was to let loose with some million dollar, showy writing. Flip the characters, on their head, and show a side to them that might not have existed previously. Really put my stamp on the show. That would be good right? Wrong. The reinventing of a character was not my job. What I wrote had to fit into a universe that existed long before I joined it, and will carry on long after I have left it. For the brief moment I was part of it my job was to be a custodian of these characters and leave them in a good place for the next step on their journey. Sometimes the best way to make a good impression is by just simply sprinkling a dash of salt on to what is already a well prepared dish.</p>
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<p>So, just a few months after hearing about this opportunity, I had pitched, interviewed, got commissioned, and written 12 x 1 minute long episodes, all of which I am really proud of. And these episodes cover topics that range from losing a parent, relationships, pressures of social media鈥 basically, a lot of heavyweight issues. So in that short space of time what did I learn?</p>
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<li>Children鈥檚 TV is not to be sniffed at. It definitely required some adjustments from me, but once these were made I found that young people naturally provide a rich source of drama and comedy, and for a writer, both of these go hand in hand. And as an audience young people's tastes are as sophisticated and demanding (perhaps even more so) than adults.</li>
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<li>Sometimes what we write does not have to be perfect - This is slightly controversial, but as writing is such a collaborative process, sometimes it makes sense to just get your ideas out there, even if you feel they are not quite on point, rather than struggling (and more than likely failing) to get them to that perfect state where we all feel they should be. A fresh pair of eyes reading your work will bring fresh ideas, that will allow your story to get to a place that might be different from the one you had imagined, but is more often than not infinitely better. Just get it done and get it out there. Remember, a half decent, finished script is of more use than a half finished banger!</li>
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<li>ABN - Always Be Networking. I know that like pitching, networking is something that fills so many of us writers with dread. Especially as the word networking is so often followed by the word event! I get it, it all feels so forced. But the fact of the matter is that no one will be more passionate about your voice and your work than you. So do it. All the time. Until it's organic, and feels as natural as you talking about what you had for dinner. At that stage you might find yourself casually talking to a friend who you would never normally dream of networking or pitching to, and that friend might become your Ambassador of Quan.</li>
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<li>And (this is one thing that I didn鈥檛 really touch on above) the importance of writing in a character's voice - No matter how good your story is, if the voice it is written in is not quite there, the audience will not be able to buy into it. So if you are ever invited to write for a continuing show, engrain yourself into it. Read the scripts. Watch the extra online content. Get to know the nuances of each character. That extra work can be the difference between hearing 鈥榤mm, something doesn鈥檛 feel right鈥 to hearing 鈥榯hat鈥檚 a really solid draft.鈥</li>
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<p><strong><a href="/cbbc/curations/the-dumping-ground-my-dg">Watch MyDG now</a>聽on the C麻豆约拍 website - whole series (episodes are unlocked after each episode of The Dumping Ground is broadcast)</strong></p>
<p><strong><a href="/cbbc/joinin/the-dumping-ground-my-dg-series8-episode-1?collection=the-dumping-ground-my-dg">Join in the conversation and read the character's replies to each episode</a></strong></p>
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