ROCLIFFE STORIES: A SCREENWRITER'S PASSAGE - JOHN HICKMAN

This is a brand new strand in this blog, by our featured writers, telling their journey. We begin with John Hickman. The BAFTA Rocliffe selection process is completely anonymous, so we never get to know who the person is behind the voice until we decide upon the winners. We first met John after the panel cast their votes, his script THE THINGS was entered into the Writing for Children initiative. Here's his story: 

I won't just go on about the difference BAFTA Rocliffe has made to my professional life beyond saying I've got an agent now – Georgina Ruffhead at David Higham – and people want to see my work! I will take a little bit of time to go over how I got here. Wherever “here” is.

I've been writing for years. Around 8 or 9 at this point. At the start, I was an angry, frustrated young man. I'd discovered my passion: writing. It was all I wanted to do. I was so angry that I wasn't allowed to do it. Time and money were in my way. If only I could get paid to do the thing I loved, everything would be OK. I'd be happy. But I couldn't. I didn't have any industry connections. I grew up on a council estate. My dad was a labourer and my mum was a cleaner. Writing for a living was never going to be for someone like me. That made me angry.  

I had to harness my anger, focus it. It took time, but eventually I came to the conclusion: I didn't need to make money from writing to write. I just had to write. It didn't matter that I didn't have connections or creative theatre-loving parents. It didn't matter where I came from. Nothing could stop me writing. Once I realised that, I felt a lot less angry and frustrated and I started to feel OK. All I had to do was make a plan: how could I write more? I sat down and I came up a 5 year plan:  

• Train as a social worker – 3 years. 
• Practise as a social worker full-time – 2 years.
• Go part-time as a social worker and write part-time.

Looking back, it wasn't the most efficient of plans. I didn't need to earn money from writing. I could do something else, like say, be a social worker. I love working with people (I was a support worker at the time) and not only would I be doing something useful, I'd be learning new skills, and gaining life experience. All that good stuff that I could pour back into my writing.

I stuck to my plan. I trained as a social worker, all the while writing whenever I could. I practised full-time, writing for an hour each morning before work as well as weekends. I learned a lot from the job. Most of all, to be empathic, and see things from someone else's perspective. Which in turn, gave me a real sense of perspective.Then I worked part-time and I wrote part-time, writing for more than half of my week. I wasn't making money from my writing, but I was writing. Because it felt like I was losing money to write, I made damn sure I wrote on those days. I sat down from 9 to 5 and I wrote like it was my job. Well, my part-time job at least. Because of my social worker job, I valued my writing days even more, I looked forward to them, enjoyed them. If you think writing's hard, try being a social worker. Or a nurse. Or probably lots of other things that matter.

That's how it went for a while. I was enjoying writing, and I was getting better. I was also doing lots of other things to make me a better writer. I joined a writing group. I did a Creative Writing MA. I put on plays, made films with my mates. Year-on-year, I could see my work developing. I was learning the craft, finding my voice, everything that writers who know what they're talking about, tell you. I knew that if I kept on writing and getting better, that one day someone would notice. One day someone would pay me for all this hard work. One day, this would be my job. In the meantime, I didn't care about that, because I was writing and improving. Then I realised, I wasn't angry or frustrated any more. Far from it. I was happy.

So I wrote and I rewrote and I rewrote, until my scripts were all nice and shiny. Then I sent them out. Competitions mainly. In September 2014, I got a call telling me I'd won the BAFTA Rocliffe's Children's TV Writing Competition, and a couple of months later I won the BBC Writersroom Scriptroom 7 competition. I was really happy. Over the moon, in fact. Although I’d have been happy even if I hadn't won, because I was writing. And that's what really makes me happy. Don't get me wrong, there are days when it's tough. I think about being a social worker, and all my friends who are still social workers, and everyone who doesn't get to do what they love, and I crack on.

When I look back now at that angry, frustrated young man, I know I wasn't ready. I hadn't learned the craft, I hadn't found my voice, I wasn't enjoying the ride. So thank you BAFTA Rocliffe for noticing my work. The competition really has made a difference to me. Now, I'm ready.

Bring it on.

~ John

ROCLIFFE NOTES ON CREATING A SCRIPT

BUY THE BOOK

I wrote an article for the Irish Star on writing a film script, and how to get started. It appeared on 07 January 2015. 

There is an age-old saying that we all have a story in us. It’s as true as the day it was first uttered. Everyone is a budding writer – be it for books or scripts.

People often approach me with a great idea for a novel or film but when I ask them for a script or an outline they shrink away.

The issue is that people talk about it but don’t make it happen - the reality is it’s just talk until you start writing. There’s nothing more disheartening than someone telling you about a project they’ve never written. Believe it or not, you need to sum up your project in one line verbally or one page.

You must commit your idea to paper. Too often we fill our days, clutter our time with reasons not to do this - writing is writing, it’s as simple as that – starting with a blank page.
When I set out to work in the film industry, I would constantly puzzle about how to break in. Was there a big secret? Was forging a career in this industry impossible? It was only asking around that I discovered I was looking at it in all the wrong ways – it wasn’t impossible; in fact, the possibilities were endless if you sought them out.
People will help you if you help yourself because most have a passion for the work and want to support those trying to make their way.

Writer DANNY BROCKLEHURST (Shameless, The Street, Driver) says, ‘If someone asks, I don’t want to be the lad that pulled the ladder up behind them. PAUL ABBOTT (State of Play, Shameless, Cracker) helped me, and you want to help and show encouragement to new talent and to nurture it.’

I was lucky when I started out in this business; I was curious and asked questions.

All the mistakes I made I put into this book, from briefing the wrong meeting, to selling my idea in 45 minutes instead of 45 words.

I discovered that there was nothing stopping me making my dream a reality except me and confidence.

ROCLIFFE NOTES taps into the experiences of 150 successful writers, producers, actors and directors – those in the know across the globe – sharing a variety of perspectives on topics from writing habits, pitching and ideas, to agents and application forms.

I love describing it as eavesdropping on 150 conversations. I learned that the mystery is that there is no mystery - that’s the big secret anyone who wants to write should know. Best bit is you don’t need to read my entire book, you can just dip in and find what you need.

JIM SHERIDAN (My Left Foot, In America), at the Austin Screenwriting Conference in October, told the audience that the first ten pages are pretty much like his advice on dating – don't say much in the first ten minutes.

His review of my book had even less words “It’s brilliant” he told me on the flight from New York to Texas - although he called me a bitch for keeping him awake as he was knackered but couldn’t stop reading it. Other great advice is like Sharon Horgan who says of sitcom pilot scripts to get as many jokes on the page. It’s obvious but true – comedy needs to be funny!

And it’s never too late to start - LENNY ABRAHAMSON (What Richard Did, Frank) in an article, not to me, describes himself as a late developer.

But don’t give up the day job just yet. According to MOIRA BUFFINI (Byzantium, Jane Eyre, Tamara Drewe, Handbagged), it takes time: "if you want to be a writer, you have to write. Keep writing. Make it a discipline. Write every day. It took me ten years doing waitressing jobs, acting jobs, temping jobs, other things, but I wrote consistently during that time."

‘DO IT! Don’t wait for permission. There are no red lights,’ says Wolverine and Big Eyes actor, DANNY HUSTON, but I would add to this: work won’t find you. 

ROCLIFFE NOTES ON GETTING STARTED:

Find a reason to write – for pleasure, work or to explore a truth. You need to write with purpose.

Start by writing a one page outline – a beginning, middle and end – and then fill it in.

Buy a notebook. Write down your ideas. Eavesdrop on conversations – take out those headphones.

Note things that make you laugh or cry, write it down. You will forget it otherwise.

Get screenwriting software. If it’s a script, it must look like a script. Celtx is free

Throw everything into your first attempt but remember at the heart what you want to say with your story.

Get someone to read it and ask them to mark an X where they get bored or confused (a tip from JULIAN FELLOWES, writer of Downton Abbey).

Set a time each day to write. Put on the alarm clock an hour before you usually do. Use that time to write. If you can't work within the time frame of an hour, set goals of page count, scene count or word count. Don't let yourself walk away until you have achieved your goal.

Know when you write best – morning, afternoon or evening. What environment makes you the most prolific? Cake helps me!

Think of writing as spending time with someone you love: if you hate writing or what you are writing, why would you spend time doing it?

Once you’ve written a script, it is about getting your work read and about meeting people, engaging with them, them wanting to read your work, seeing potential and then wanting to work with you! 

Be pro-active:

Go to festivals and attend the Q&As of writer-directors.
Information is key and knowledge puts you in a better position.
Sign up to to newsfeeds – Screen, Variety, Deadline, Hollywood Reporter, BAFTA, film bodies (e.g. Film London, Northern Ireland Screen, IFB, BFI), - it’s all relevant.
Read scripts, watch films, watch short films and research your subject matter.

Excerpts From: Rocliffe Notes: A Professional Approach for Screenwriters and Writer-Directors. Available from Amazon and most book stores.

SCRIPTWRITING CHECKLIST - HOW TO QC YOUR WORK BEFORE SENDING IT OUT

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I believe that getting ahead is a combination of talent + connecting with collaborators (commissioners, producers, development execs) + determination. The talent is your script and it's up to you to make it make a great impression – it doesn't have to be perfect but it does need to be well-presented. Create the halo effect with your work. There are things you can put right to avoid being written off before being fully read. This is a crude but effective checklist and you'll see within five pages if the script needs more work.

Rocliffe Notes Writing Checklist

A first draft of anything is never good enough! Don’t send your work to be read by someone just because you’ve finished writing the script! You get one chance to be read. Why send out something that is mediocre? Casting Director Catherine Willis agrees "don’t send stuff that’s not ready, an early draft that isn’t complete. Send something that’s ready – it needs to be working on paper." Kate Rowlands concurs, quoting Tony Grounds "Don’t think about the first draft, think about the first read". She adds "what’s the impact that your script is going to have? Are they going to commission the first draft?"

The title page are the very first words people will read of your work. Nothing raises my eyebrow more than to see "story by XYZ & written by XYZ & created by" all the same writer's name. Simply put the script title by the screenwriter's name. Modesty becomes the writer. That's all that is requited unless someone else wrote it with you or it is based on an original story by someone else. I hate endless credits on films for the same person, especially on shorts by an unknown filmmaker. It just spells EGO to me. 

Often you will be asked what's your film called. Is your title is clichéd or difficult to understand? I believe a title should tempt a reader - be distinct, enticing, mysterious and stimulating… a sort of promise of potential by the story-teller to entertain the reader. Before you go listing examples to prove me wrong, ask yourself this: why make it even harder to get your work read when you have yet to get a producer, then finance and then a release? Here's a blog listing what they consider the worst film titles - I'm torn between I DISMEMBER MAMA and THE GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI. 

Camera or edit directions in a script - ie CUT TO, PAN UP, CLOSE UP, FADE IN. It suggests the writer is unaware of how films work. A writer's craft is to write, not to tell the cinematographer and editor how to do what they do. Everything is possible through images rather than camera directions. Award-winning actor Danny Huston: "don’t show me a cut and paste job that has been patched together. A collage of ideas is fascinating, but when it feels patched it can be really distracting and unattractive. Too much camera description feels very amateurish. I have read good scripts that have ‘pan to’ or ‘fade in’ or ‘fade out’, but when the writer is describing the camera movements you’re not seeing the images – you’re being told them. If I read ‘the retina of an eye’ I know to get out a micro lens. If it says ‘the Amalfi coast’ I know it’s a grand shot. How you present things creates the shot. Don’t tell me how it will be shot."

Poor presentation and punctuation with spelling mistakes and incorrect formatting. A script with typos is annoying. There are so many resources out there – both free (Celtx) and paid (Final Draft, Screenwriter). Software that will correct it for you and the blessed spellcheck – seemly much underused but never underrated. There is no excuse. Company Pictures Head of Development Serena Bowman commented: "not proofreading scripts and sending them in with mistakes and grammatical error shows you really don’t care. If you don’t take the time to proof it then I won’t take the time to read it."

Using the ‘ing’ in action words such as ‘is walking’ instead of ‘walks’ – go back through your script and see if you have used the ‘ing’ and change it.

The overuse of the word ‘feels’. How does the character show how he or she feels when they are sad/happy/angry – what emotional action will demonstrate this? Show us how they are feeling, don’t tell us. Give the actors something to do. Similarly with the word ‘looks’ – what kind of look – is it a glance, a stare, a glare or are they peering? I love these word cheatsheets for 'walks', 'emotions' and 'looks'. 

Excessive swearing indicates amateur writing – actors will add swear words if it feels natural within the script. It doesn’t make the character harder or more edgy nor does it add realism to the script. Occasional use is fine but you need to be aware of watersheds and PG ratings, and if you are not you should be. Read Bang2Write on swearing in scripts.

How long does it take to get started, when does the set up stop and the real heart of the film begin? Would you sit in a cinema waiting for a film to get going? A busy reader won’t keep reading, waiting and hoping for the script to start. Don't make reading it like work. A development exec will stop reading after a few pages. It's tough but true. 

You really only have one chance to make a good impression - many of our panellists feel that whilst the ideas are brilliant – the writers aren’t pushing themselves enough. Be bold and brave and quality check your work. 

All quotes are excerpts from Rocliffe Notes: A Professional Approach for Screenwriters and Writer-Directors.

"I write one page of masterpiece to ninety-one pages of shit," Hemingway confided to F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1934. "I try to put the shit in the wastebasket."

Keep writing! 

ROCLIFFE'S GIFT LIST FOR WRITERS & FILMMAKERS (for all budgets)

This time of year invariably the discussions I seem to be having always lead to presents and what to get people. 

In my family, we adults do Kris Kindle. We buy a gift of £50 for one person and small stocking fillers of £10 or less for everyone else. This means everyone gets one good gift and four small gifts. I am notoriously bad to buy for - I can feel my family rolling their eyes in agreement. Whilst I know this defeats the purpose of receiving, I like to get things I need rather than things I will never use... So family if you are reading this, check out the mid-range list please! 

As a writer and producer I have a few writing and producing buddies of my own to buy for, so I asked for a bit of help compiling this list. Thank you to all of Rocliffe's twitter followers who helped with suggestions. There were a few who'd clearly helped themselves to Christmas spirits before posting their ideas so I've left them on twitter. Others we're asking Santa for help with, as soon as he finds de-procrastination pills - we'll let you know. 

So here it is my list of best gifts for writers and filmmakers to suit every budget. For the aspiring to the established writerm there's bound to be something befitting. Happy shopping, it's a great way to procrastinate. 

STOCKING FILLERS

1. Character Maps & Mugs – from £4.50

2. Story Cubes 

3. Writing Journals, Iphone & Laptop Cases - £7.50 - £16.50

4. Rocliffe Notes: A Professional Approach For Screenwriters & Writer-Directors from [Kindle 7.95 | Paperback £11.13 - £16.58] Number 3 on Amazon Best Seller list.

5. Complete Screenwriting Course: Teach Yourself (Teach Yourself: Writing) by Charles Harris  [Kindle 7.99 | £8.13] 

MID-RANGE PRESENTS

6. Laptop Stand £14.95

7. Phone & tablet charger £29.95 


8. Foot warmer mat £23.95 

9. Laser Projection Virtual Keyboard £39.95 

THE LUXURY END & EXTREMELY GENEROUS GIFT

10. Contribute towards a course, conference or script report:

• London Screenwriting Festival – amazing festival all about writing, you'll be buzzing after
• Rocliffe Full Script Report or Submission Report – Give the gift of feedback 
• Writers Gym Writing Course - I loved this course, it changed me as a writer
• LOCO 2015 - Kickstart your Comedy Career - comedy conference
• Candidate Member of Writers Guild of Great Britain - Open to new writers - brilliant support

11. Subscriptions 

• The Writer
• Writers Store - Gift Voucher

12. Screenwriting Software or updates [£30-£155] Full list with reviews in link - here's the ones I've tried but the list is by no means exhausted.

• Final Draft 
• Scrivener
• Trubi
• Writer Duet for those who collaborate 
• There are free software too like Celtx. All available online.

“The only gift I have to give, is the ability to receive. If giving is a gift, and it surely is, then my gift to you is to allow you to give to me.” Jarod Kintz, The Titanic would never have sunk if it were made out of a sink.

Enjoy the season, use the time well to kick start those creative habits. 

Keep writing!

JON CROKER'S TIPS ON WHAT A WRITER SHOULD KNOW

On 2 September, we launched our annual Call for Film Scripts, the final script call of 2014. This year we set a creative brief - submissions must include a scene with two women having a plot-related conversation not about a man or men. This has generated much discussion on social media forums - some positively embracing the challenge, others less so. There have been comments that writers will struggle by having to shoehorn a scene into an existing script. Try adapting the script to meet the brief; change the gender of some of the characters. If it doesn't work - don't send it in. After all, creative beings shouldn't limit their ability to rise to challenges of creative briefs. They are full of ideas, just lacking the confidence to believe in them. My advice to those struggling or dismissing the brief as too difficult - go away and see what you come up with, you might surprise yourself.  Good characterisation can define your work and that for me lies at the heart of all good writing. New writers need to write, keep writing and hone their craft. These briefs are good for stretching that muscle.

Our guest blog contributor is writer and script editor Jon Croker, whose new films include Women in Black 2, Desert Dancer and Paddington. As one of last year's film panellists, and a contributor to my soon to be published book the Rocliffe Notes, Jon's tips give a unique and fresh perspective on the writing process that I've not read elsewhere. I'm delighted to share them here and the best bit is you don't need to be as experienced as Jon to try them out. 

ROCLIFFE NOTES FROM JON CROKER ON WHAT A WRITER SHOULD KNOW

Try to spend time with actors, cinematographers, and editors and get to know all the many different aspects of filmmaking. Try to understand the film from their point of view. They are the ones who in the end are going to have to make it. If you understand their jobs and the way they approach a film, then it will broaden your perspective. If you don’t know any people in those jobs, then read interviews and watch DVD extras.

Don’t get lost in “development speak”. There are a lot of ugly, meaningless phrases and as a writer you should detest ugly, meaningless phrases. It’s useful to know them, but dangerous to rely on them.

Always remember the films you love and the ways in which they break every supposed rule, and always remember the experience of watching them before you analysed them.

Don’t forget the audience. And don’t forget what it’s like to be part of one.

Screenwriting manuals can be helpful, but only as a part of your armoury. My personal favourite is “On Filmmaking” by Alexander Mackendrick, because unlike a lot of gurus, he made some great films himself.

Make sure you know the difference between sympathy and empathy. The former is useful to feel towards your characters, the latter is vital.

Always ask yourself: what might this look like? Do I want to know what’s going to happen next? Has anything surprising happened in the last five pages? Has anything happened at all?

The ‘three act structure” is a fancy way of saying “beginning, middle and end”. While obviously true, it’s not particularly helpful when trying to write, and often leads to scripts that just start, hang around for a while, then stop. Think about your story in smaller units. What are its five acts? What are the seven basic events in your story, which have to happen? Are every ten pages (not just the first ten) as rich and full as they could be? At the bottom of every page, is there enough to make you want to turn to the next one?

Stop writing. Look back at the page you just wrote. Is that really the best it can be? Did you just write it like that because lots of films do it that way? What if you approached it from a different angle?

‘Genre’ is a much-abused word. But it’s just French for “type of”, so try not to use it as a catch-all (“hey, it’s only a genre movie”, or “I love genre cinema”). Be more specific. Are you writing a horror film? A romantic comedy? An adventure? A drama? A tragedy? Be very, very careful when calling your film a “thriller”. This too often means a slow moving family drama where nothing happens until right at the end. Slow moving family dramas where nothing happens until right at the end can be great, but not if you’re reading it expecting it to be a thriller. If you want to write a thriller, make sure it’s thrilling - and that on every page either something thrilling happens or is about to happen.

~ Jon Croker 

Next Deadline Call for Film Scripts - 5 October 2014. 

Keep Writing!

ROCLIFFE NOTES ON THINGS I WISH I KNEW MY FIRST DAY ON SET

SET ETIQUETTE & THINGS I LEARNED THE HARD WAY

There is nothing more exciting than giving someone new their first experience of being on set. You watch the excitement and newness of it all, through their eyes. For some they become disillushioned by the tedium, others are thrilled by the experience, but never forget this is actually work. It's work we enjoy doing and hard with long hours. I am a great believer in bringing new people on a set, to learn and experience. I give them a sheet with a list of things of they need to know. Largely because I wish I’d been told them when I started. Manners and attitude will get you well-liked and asked back. Be polite to everyone. It’s a team effort and there is a management system to it all – more often than not that means starting at the bottom and it doesn’t often live up to your expections. There is nothing worse than hearing a newbie say ‘that’s not my job’, ‘I didn’t sign up for this’, ‘that’s outside of my job spec’ – if you find at the end of the day it is not for you then by all means say that but not during the day when it is at its most stressful.

ROCLIFFE NOTES ON THINGS I WISH SOMEONE TOLD ME ABOUT WORKING ON SET: 

Communication is key. People love problem solvers – people who think on their feet, who help and keep busy. This is part personality, part-attitude, part-common sense and part-ability to do the job that will make people want you around. Someone commented on set recently that you can work with inexperience but it's very hard to work with a bad attitude.

An eager, upbeat personality will be well appreciated – no one likes a faffer but having a cheery personality on your team can really brighten the day. Eagerness to get going – runners are called that for a reason because to run is often a requirement of the job.

This is a performance or results driven industry. I learnt two things from this firstly you need to do your job well and secondly the tough bit that came as a shock to me is people who do their job brilliantly but are really unpleasant (ie abrupt, rude) this will be tolerated as they get the job done and well. 

Sets are very flirty environments and friendly places. Don't read too much into it - people are amusing themselves passing the time. Over-familiarity can be out of place and certain terms of endearment can cause offence. If someone acts inappropriately to you then report it to your HoD, if that doesn't work then let someone in production know, as no one should feel uncomfortable in their workplace.

You should be reimbursed for travel you undertake on behalf of the production ie for runs and for any calls you make from your mobile. This should be agreed in advance. Should you be working for free most productions will cover expenses which refer to travel and lunch but check what your lunch allowance is. Avoid buying anything for a production out of your own money. Ask for a float and KEEP all receipts. 

Understand and adhere the hierarchy whether you like it or not – directors are like the Prime Minister (producers are on this level too but not necessarily on the creative level), ADs rule the floor, heads of department are next and everyone else are the workers.

It is your responsibility to get yourself to and from set, a location, and within plenty of time. Print out a map if needed. If you are really lost then call someone like the coordinator or production secretary, not the producer. Ultimately you are responsible for getting yourself to set on time. A 1^st AD I work with says 10 minutes before unit call is 30 minutes late. 

With regard to transport in my experience people are good at giving each other lifts if it is a remote location so ask around if you don’t have any means to get there or home. 

Be mindful of personal hygiene, wear deodorant and shower each day - personal hygiene is essential. Sets are crowded and confined spaces - someone will tell you to wash – it's horrid but true.

Wear sensible flat shoes on set and bring weather-proof clothing for exterior shoots - shooting crew need it and you’ll appreciate having it in wet or cold conditions.

Sets are a mine of gossip and suggestion. Crews love it – how else do you fill in the time between takes? If you tell one person something chances are an entire crew will know. Avoid.

Don’t stand by the sidelines watching it go on around you – no matter how complex film-making may seem – there’s always someone needing help. Look and be busy. Ask who’d like a tea/coffee, remember how they like it. Cables to be tidied, boxes to be moved, bins to be filled or emptied, tables to be wiped, kit to be lugged somewhere, a stand or a flag to be held. Ask what can be done, needs to be done next and prep accordingly.

Don’t make excuses – no one wants to know. People are stressed, tired, working to a demanding schedule only give explanations when asked and that is to clarify. Take responsibility, not the blame, as no one likes a cover up. Say sorry and get on with it. Unfortunately, with the tight time factor many of us suffer from the perfection complex so want things done perfectly. A task that normally takes 15 minutes to do but takes you 30 don’t explain why – apologise and say it won’t happen again. People will get it.

Crew welcome questions and curiousity about how something is done. It’s a given on a set that newbies will do that and eagerness is respected. There is a difference between curiousity and badgering. Downtime - on arrival and breaks between set ups is good. Let people have their lunchtimes. Talk to the department crew you want to work in, not necessarily the Head of Department (HOD) ie camera talk to the assistants, the grip or lighting, speak to the electricians (sparks), want to direct go to media or video village, ask to help lift things. Sets are busy places, dawdling, being disruptive, giddy and simply hanging around on set during shoot will be frowned upon.

Language and terminology on sets differ especially terms and names for equipment. Asking is key but remember the answers. Enquire how to do something rather than figure it out, ask where something goes rather than putting it down anywhere. Anywhere or over there can mean it is lost, if it can’t be found. 

Key phrases are ‘mind your backs’, usually means watch out someone is walking towards you with heavy kit. DFI – don’t follow instruction. Breakfast refers to the first meal of the day, lunch is the main meal of the day and these don’t follow a time pattern if on splits (starting in the middle of the day) or nights.

Should you be sent on an errand or a ‘run’ - ask where should you bring the item back to and who should you hand it to. Get a VAT receipt. Give the change to the person who gave you float and quite literally hurry up and run if necessary!

At meal times always allow cast and shooting crew ahead of you, you shouldn’t be first in line any way. Don’t plonk yourself beside the director, producer and DOP offering suggestions. Bring it to your HOD. If it is a safety issue, go straight to the 3^rd AD – again with this one common sense prevails.

There is always something that needs to be done and no excuse for doing nothing. When watching on set - check that there are no cups or rubbish lying around – have your eyes pealed. It will be noticed.

DON’T BE SURPRISED IF YOU END UP DOING SOME OF THE FOLLOWING:

Fill the photocopier with paper

Tidy general areas – put things in bins

Clearing plastic cups being mindful they are not left on set and could end up in the film – do a circuit of the set at least once an hour

Check bins – fill them and empty them

Check there is toilet paper and hand-wash and that they are tidy

Runs to shops

Making tea/coffee/bring cups of water

Photocopying

Standing by a door way or blocking off areas ie manning a door and not letting anyone in

Research general topics