Tag: podcasting

Freelance Journey

How To Become a Freelancer – February Update

Christy.E.SLeave a comment

Intro:
Apologies for not releasing this until there’s only ten days left of the month! Turns out January and February were full on in more ways than one!

First, the good bits: recorded the episodes of The Legend of Aramelle and am currently editing them for release from 8th March. Am also keeping track of the budget for the show so I can see how much money I have to make back before I would be able to do a second series.

Also found two new writing competitions that Troy script would qualify for – Roadmap and Oxford 42 – and received new notes on the pilot from my writing course, that I hope to work through before submitting the script.

Finally, I have had to stay at my mum’s since the middle of January, as I badly burnt my legs – note to everyone, check your hot water bottles, please – and after initially thinking the burns were extensive, but not too deep and that I’d be back in work after a week, I actually ended up having a 5 day stay in hospital and am still having to walk with crutches after a skin graft operation!

Unable to get into work (warehouses aren’t built for crutches), it should be the perfect time for me to write. However, it turns out growing skin is hard work. Doctors regularly tell me to make sure I’ve upped my calorie intake (I’m bad at eating at the best of times) and I’m still having to have around three naps a day, but the healing is happening!

So on to the update!

Scripts Update:
The Legend of Aramelle podcast is recorded and apart from some sound effects that still need adding, the first episode is ready for release!

Troy script is being worked on ahead of two competition entries and time travel script will be one entered into Scribe Lounge Elevate this year.

Other scripts have fallen behind a little as I recover, but am not too worried as don’t have any set competitions to enter them in before at least July, so would rather focus on the ones that do have set competitions while my body heals!

Things Learnt:
Editing practice is going well, and am also learning to edit audio on Garageband for the podcast.
Have made a finance tracker for the podcast. Have found it very useful to track unexpected costs – such as having to get scripts printed for the cast on the day of recording and extra travel costs to reimburse after cancelled trains.


Have also recorded some – though not all – of the needed sound effects for the show and realising the best ways to record things like people falling over has been fun. The answer is, to avoid hurting your cast, to make them go near to the floor and bascially sit down hard on the floor, while saying “oof” or some such. Played back in context, it sounds pretty realistic!

Freelance Journey

How To Become a Freelancer – January Update

Christy.E.SLeave a comment

Intro:
In December, I sent out the scripts for my podcast to the cast and booked the recording space for January

I also finally got that new computer, meaning I was able to download Adobe Premier and start practising editing (my previous computer was too old for such a program).

So on to the update!

Scripts Update:
The rehearsal and recording spaces for The Legend of Aramelle podcast are booked and I am going to work on my Troy script on the writing course which starts tomorrow.

I have been working on my goldrush script as well as a screenplay about two sisters. I know where I want to go with them both now. However, editing has been slow as I have been concetrating on sorting things for the podcast. I hope to set aside a day each for both these scripts in January so I can get back up to speed with editing them.

I have also been practising editing on Adobe Premier, which has been fun to learn. I have been teaching myself with footage from the film course I’m doing. I’ve edited the footage in a variety of different ways to learn how to use editing to tell different stories with the same footage. Though I am still very slow at it, and it would be a lot easier if I had a separate mouse for my laptop rather than the trackpad, as I keep mis-clicking.

Things Learnt:
As I have more files to work on, I’m learning the use of keeping things properly stored. Though my file system makes sense to me, it’s rather difficult for anyone else to understand, so making it easier for others to find my files, if I am working with them on a project is definitely a useful skill!

I also signed up to WriterDuet – the full version. It’s a subscription and I would prefer to buy it outright, but I’ve found it the easiest way to organise all the podcast scripts. I was using Scrivener before, where I could either have one big manuscript or 12 different files – one for each episode!

Freelance Journey

How To Become a Freelancer – December Update

Christy.E.SLeave a comment

Intro:
In November, I finalised the cast and recording dates for my podcast and we will record in January!

I also signed up to a screen-writing course in Brighton in January and had my interview for it, so January is looking set to be a busy month!

So on to the update!

Scripts Update:
I finalised the scripts for The Legend of Aramelle podcast and have sent the scripts to the cast today!

I put in one of the first scripts I ever wrote – What Came Before – to the BBC. I admit it’s not a great script for competitions, hence why I haven’t entered it to the BBC before. However, I thought as I was writing the podcast scripts – which are too short at 15-20 minutes an episode – then I could either put in an old script, or put in my Gold Rush script before it was ready. Submitting What Came Before means I can still submit my Gold Rush script in their next submission window, when it will be better. As What Came Before is a small part of a very large story, I may as well submit it to a free competition as it’s likely to never be made until I’ve made lots of other things first!

In my interview for the writing course – I did reveal to the interviewer my plan for the Trojan Horse. It’s the first time I’ve told anyone and they said it was a fascinating idea. Apologies for not repeating it here, but one day I hope you’ll find out!

Things Learnt:
Am still learning sound on the film course and getting better at it. Yesterday we were filming a short film on the beach. In December. With both the waves, wind and seagulls to contend with, I was worried the dialogue wouldn’t be hear-able at all. I couldn’t do the boom mike operating myself as well as the recording so did have help from a fellow student. Meanwhile it was my job to make sure they were pointing it in the right direction, and what levels to put the sound at so the sea is in the background and the words are in the foreground! The director listened to some of the recordings afterwards and said they sounded perfect, so I guess I’ll keep learning!

I also helped to produce that short film. The director is interested in writing themselves, so I pointed out where things could be re-written or changed but allowed them to decide how to actually re-write them. I also got to write call sheets for everyone and went about getting permission from the council to film on the beach! I did have to ring the events officer directly when I hadn’t had an answer for a few days, but that was easy once I’d found their number!

Had to promise the council I’d give everyone a H+S briefing about the sea. So here I am telling everyone to not touch the sea!
Freelance Journey

How To Become a Freelancer – November Update

Christy.E.SLeave a comment

Intro:
In October, I met with someone who is interested in helping me produce my fiction podcast, and we have begun pre-production on it!

I also managed to get onto the latest TallStoryPictures script callout and received feedback from it, as well as feedback from Bafta for my plague script.

So on to the update!

Scripts Update:
I wrote some sides – mainly short monologues for The Legend of Aramelle podcast – and have already begun to receive some audition tapes!

This is the first time I have heard any characters I’ve created be performed back at me (not counting writers reading aloud my scripts) and I enjoyed hearing them so much that I spent my Friday evening making notes!
The auditions are still open until 13/11 if you would like to send in your own tape!

Received feedback from TallStoryPictures on my Troy script, though I had given them a version prior to me (once again) re-writing the beginning after a brainwave, the feedback was very useful. It made me realise that the script is worth pursuing still even if it’s not quite there yet. Plus I will take comfort in receiving the following feedback: “you’ve got a great knack for creating characters that immediately feel like flesh and blood.”

I also received feedback on All Plays Prohibited which I submitted to the Bafta film competition. Didn’t get shortlisted, but receving such detailed feedback makes me feel like it’s worth entering again and going back to edit that script again! Plus received a specific note that I have received on this script before, which shows people do enjoy reading it, even though I am aware it needs further editing! “This is a great idea for a film because it’s a storyworld that most people aren’t very familiar with, and one that’s placed in a traumatising situation we are all very familiar with (a pandemic).”

Finally am still editing my Gold Rush script, so it’s ready for BBC Writers room which opens in November. I’m putting it through the Full Script Group on Scribe Lounge, which hopefully will help me work on the ending.

Things Learnt:
Am learning sound on my film course; the subjects I most want to freelance in are: Screenwriting, Sound and Video Editing. Doing sound does take some getting used to. You are wired up quite heavily and have a microphone cable to drag around with you most of the time, too. It’s made slightly harder by the fact that I’m under five feet tall, so a boom mike usually ends up being twice my height.

However, I am getting better at managing the cables, figuring out the correct levels to record at for different scenes and setting eveything up at the beginning. I next need to learn how to put everything away again, safely, and remove all the cables on the first go. (They have various clips and buttons to make sure they stay in place, so just pulling them out isn’t an option!)

Freelance Journey

How To Become a Freelancer – October Update

Christy.E.SLeave a comment

Intro:
In September I submitted my time travel script to the Channel 4 Screenwriting scheme and have begun a Film-Making Diploma that takes place on Saturdays.

I also went to the TV and Film Meetup in London on 14th September, where I managed to make contact with an actor who is interested in my fiction podcast.

So on to the update!

Scripts Update:
I met with an actor about my fiction podcast idea and have been advised by them that the next best step is to write some sides for potential auditions. I am hoping to do this within the next week.

Having someone else interested in the project has given me new drive for it and it is highly possible that I will be able to record the project in January!

Am also editing my Gold Rush script, so it’s ready for BBC Writers room which opens in November. The story is there now, it’s just the ending that still needs work.

Things Learnt:
Have begun to build myself a profile on fiverr for freelance work, as I think it will work better for me than Upwork’s system does. I am likely to be busy over the next month (all those general life things I’ve been mentioning for months are all coming to fruition before Christmas) but, once that dies down, I can give myself the Christmas present of a freelance profile!

What a good way to start the new year!