Whilst clearing out my mother’s house recently we found a few letters written by my parents to my great aunt in June 1973. They report on the progress of making the original EMI movie of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ in the Lake District.
Stephen Grendon as the Boy Roger, Sophie Neville as Able-seaman Titty and Simon West playing Captain John Walker beside Derwentwater in 1973 ~ photo: Daphne Neville
My mother had been given headed writing paper designed for members of the production to use on location by Brian Doyle, who managed the film publicity.
It looks as if my father used his children’s felt pens.
It is interesting to learn how much my sisters earned as film extras when they appeared in the scenes shot at Rio (Bowness on Windermere).
Kit Seymour and Jane Grendon watch the filming on the jetty whilst Tamzin and Perry Neville eat ice creams with the one man in Cumbria willing to have a short-back-and-sides. You can just see the period cars parked in the background
They made £5 a day, which was the same amount as the green parrot. I calculated that those of us with leading parts, who he describes as ‘the 6 children’ earned £7.50 a day. This was probably because we were only meant to be on set for a couple of hours. As Dad mentions, I effectively worked twelve-hour days but seemed to be thriving.
Until reading this letter, I didn’t know that the movie (or ‘picture’ as Mum called it) was originally due to be released in time for the Christmas holidays. It was launched in ABC Cinemas but not until April. You can read about the film’s release and premiere at what was then the ABC in Shaftesbury Avenue on my website here.
On Sunday 9th February 2025, I was invited to join the Projections in Time panel since I worked on ‘Doctor Who’ in the summer of 1984 .
An email arrived with this wonderful invitation:
“Over the last few years, I have been part of a team at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, organising screenings based around a number of television series, but the most popular and regular of these events have been based around Doctor Who.”
“In conjunction with the Doctor Who Appreciation Society, the next event at will be a screening celebrating Vengeance on Varos, a Doctor Who story made in the studio at BBC Television Centre.
The story will be shown, followed by Q&As, as well as a photo studio session, in which fans can have a photo with the guests, and an autograph session. So far, Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Nabil Shaban, Gerladine Alexander, Stephen Yardley and Forbes Collins will be joining us. You can buy tickets here.
“I always do my best to include crew at these events as I think they have more of an overall impression.” Apparently those on the production team have been very popular and do well at the autograph table. I’ve been thinking up some stories.
Sophie Neville working on the set of Doctor Who in TC6 with Nibil Shaban, Martin Jarvis and Forbes Collins
Below is a plan of the day after, lunch for the guests, with two panels of guests.
“At the autograph table we’ll provide photos to sign, although attendees normally bring their own items. There are normally a handful of posters of the event, which we ask all of the guests to sign, which are then sold for charity.”
The story was recently re-released on a Bluray – with studio footage.
In 1983, I worked for the director Andrew Morgan on the BBC adaptation of Arthur Ransome’s books ‘Coot Club’ and ‘The Big Six’ that was screened under the title ‘Swallows and Amazons Forever!’ and is now available on DVD.
Swallows And Amazons Forever! (Coot Club & The Big Six) SPECIAL EDITION [DVD]
Andrew cast Colin Baker as Doctor Dudgeon. I had found Henry Dimbleby to play his son Tom Dudgeon, the hero of the story.
Colin Baker as Doctor Dudgeon in ‘Coot Club’ – photo Sophie Neville
I also took this photo, below, of Patrick Troughton who played Harry Bangate the eel man in in ‘The Big Six’.
Patrick Troughton playing Harry Bangate the eel man in ‘The Big Six’ – photo Sophie Neville
Many of those working on our crew worked on episodes of Doctor Who at some stage, including Di Brookes, Liz Mace and the sound recordist Colin March. I have written about the Doctor Who connection here. Having read Andrew Morgan’s memoir, I remember that Colin found out that he’d been offered the part of The Doctor while he was with us on location in Norfolk. He was thrilled.
Assistant Make-up Designer Penny Fergusson with John Woodvine who played PC Tedder in ‘Coot Club’, having appeared in ‘Doctor Who’
If we could promise a big enough audience, I could ask if Riverside Studios would host a similar event celebrating ‘Swallows and Amazons Forever!’ Please let me know if you’d be interested in coming in the comments below. I’ll ask Colin Baker if he could come when I see him on 9th February.
Those who played Time Lords had other incarnations. As a researcher, I invited Peter Davidson to sing on the chat show Russell Harty’s Christmas Party, which was fun, and appeared with Tom Baker in Sherlock Holmes. He was brilliant in that role. I wore rather a tight corset.
Sophie Neville with Tom Baker in ‘Sherlock Holmes’
You can read more about the adventures I had working in film and television in ‘Funnily Enough’, now also available on audible.
Funnily Enough – the paperback with black and white illustrations
I’m posting this collection of images with immense gratitude for all the help, support and encouragement I received in 2024.
I was unwell for the first six months of the year with one chest infection after another, but whilst languishing in bed I managed to improve a couple of screenplays I’ve been working on and the novels that accompany them.
My biopic on Freddie Mercury’s teenage adventures in Zanzibar won about ten international script awards and was selected for many more including the Best Feature Screenplay at the Berlin Art Film Festival
My WWII story set in East Africa, Burma and Japan won about seventeen awards including the Page Turner Award for Best True Story.
Sadly, I contracted Covid quite badly and couldn’t get to more than one awards ceremony but did make it to a Hollywood party in London.
Fundraiser Caroline Dolby with Sophie Nevillle.
This story was well received in Europe, particularly in Germany.
I proudly loaded some of the laurels I was sent on my website here.
The cast of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974) gathered for the 50th Anniversary – photo Lee Pressman of the Cinema Museum
One of the highlights of the year was celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the release of the movie ‘Swallows and Amazons’. The original cast and screenwriter David Wood gathered at the Cinema Museum in London for a Q&A with Brian Sibley when I was invited to read out a message from Virginia McKenna. You can watch a recording of the often hilarious event here and David Wood’s interview here.
I wrote an article about appearing in the film for Hampshire Life magazine.
The Puffin copy of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ brought out to accompany the 1974 film
I then received a message out of the blue from someone I’d never met:
“I was so excited tonight. Your episode of Antiques Roadshow came up. I had to down tools to watch you! Loved all your memorabilia.” Suzie Eisfelder in Australia.
This took me by surprise but there I was on BBC One being interviewd by Marc Allum on the shores of Windermere.
GRUMPYBUG from North Yorkshire commented,’Most actors just take a bit of something for a memento. She nicked half the props.’ The truth was that Richard Pilbrow had sent me the flags from America. The exciting news was that Swallow and Amazon, the dinghies used in the film, have survived and are being renovated for anyone to sail from Hunters Yard on the Norfolk Broads where we made the BBC serial ‘Swallows and Amazons Forever!’ back in 1983.
The broadcast coincided with an online Q&A with the writer David Wood OBE and top Hollywood make up designer Peter Robb-King. All this was great pre-publicity for 50th Anniversary celebrations of the film in Cumbria when I met film fans, signed copies of my books, gave a couple of talks and was interviewed by John Sergeant, president of The Arthur Ransome Society who hosted the two-day event.
A good account of the weekend was featured in Flip the Media. It was covered by BBC News, there was an item on Look North, North West News and BBC Breakfast television.
Sophie Neville, Suzanna Hamilton and Kit Seymour on BBC Breakfast
After chatting on BBC Radio Cumbria I was interviewed by Luke on CalonFM radio.
I returned from the north to write a Foreword to Dr Anthony Mitchell’s book ‘From Dust to Trust’, which describes life around Lake Turkana in Northern Kenya.
I then helped Paddy Heron to raise funds to help a little boy called Max get medical treatment in Germany by auctioning two signed copies of my books and later auctioned another book for BBC Children in Need.
As an ambassador for the UK charity Schoolreaders I was invited to an amazing event at the House of Commons hosted by Giles Brandreth and gave three talks on Zoom.
Having spoken at the Royal Thames and Army & Navy clubs in London, Arnside Sailing Club in Morecambe Bay and Royal Southern Yacht Club earlier in the year, I gave an illustrated talk at Yarmouth Sailing Club on the Isle of Wight before going on a trip the Galapagos Islands.
I returned to news that my mother had collapsed and focused on aspects of life that weigh-lay us all: hospital visits, repairs and redecorating, general admin and clearing out my mother’s house. She’s made a remarkable recovery. I’m left exhausted but am looking towards the year ahead with hope.
An original hardback copy of my book on how we made the 1974 film of Swallows and Amazons was sold in Paddy Heron’s online auction for £86 to raise funds for BBC Children in Need 2024.
It exceeded bids for the autobiographies of Theresa May, Michael Ball, Charles Spencer, Tim Peake, Lynda La Plante, Father Alex Frost and a number of amazing biographies.
An unframed print of a portrait of her playing Titty executed by C. Assheton was also sold in the online charity auction, which raised a total of £14,705 – which is fantastic.
Paperback and ebook editions of my same story are also available at Waterstones and online from all the usual stockists including Amazon
Neville Thompson acted as the online producer on the 1974 film of Swallows and Amazons. He choose an excellent crew and took daily responsibility for scheduling the production on location in the Lake District and later at Elstree Studios where the film was edited and post-synced.
Producer Richard Pilbrow and Production Associate Neville C Thompson on Derwentwater in the Lake District in 1973
Neville was born in Ipswich in 1933. Although gregarious at times, he was a quiet man who was once a maths teacher in Scotland. He had five children to support, but decided to go to RADA and become an actor. When a pair of twins came along he moved the family to Croyden and went into film production. He began work as a location manager for Mike Newell and became a production manager for Ken Russell.
Richard Pilbrow gained the rights and film finance for ‘Swallows and Amazons’ but came from a background in theatre and knew nothing about film production. He asked Neville to help set everything up.
Neville C Thomas (top centre) with Richard Pilbrow, Claude Whatham et al
Neville came to Burnham-on-Crouch for our sailing audition when the dinghy ‘Swallow’ must have been purchased from the boatbuilders William King.
Second Assistant Terry Needham, Associate Producer Neville C Thompson and Production Manager Graham Ford with the unit radio on a sunny day in June 1973
Neville was passionate about film making, becoming known as ‘the last gentleman producer.’ He would have been the one making the executive decisions, the man ultimately in charge of the schedule, personnel, safety, insurance and bringing the film in on budget.
Claude Whatham, Richard Pilbrow, Gareth Tandy, Peter Robb-King, Ronnie Cogan and Neville C Thompson with Kit Seymour and Lesley Bennet trying on hats
His daughter, Mandy, told me that he was a wonderful Dad but had been away a lot. ‘He had eight children in nine years and was keen for them to make their own way in the world.’ Mandy became an occupational therapist, George became a ballet dancer, Chris Thompson went into film making. Neville was diagnosed with Lukemia at the age of 47 but lived another twenty years, ending his days in Woodbridge in Suffolk.
Neville Thompson relaxing on set – photo taken on Sunday 24th July 1973, by Daphne Neville
Neville established a production office at the unit hotel on Windermere. By the time he reached the location he was often exhausted. Everything he’d set up was in motion so, like an experienced parent, he could relax and enjoy the boats.
Richard Pilbrow and Neville Thompson ~ photo:Daphne Neville
When Neville died in Woodbridge in Suffolk at the age of sixty-nine in 2002, Richard told me that ‘Swallows and Amazons’ was broadcast on television as if in his honour.
You can find an impressive list of Neville C Thompson’s production credits on IMDb here
Sophie Neville looks on as Stephen Grendon organises his costume helped by Jane Grendon with Claude Whatham and Neville C Thompson when filming pick up shots near Epsom.
You can find details of how to purchase ‘The making of Swallows and Amazons’ here on line or listen to it on audible and other audiobook platforms.
On Wednesday 27th November at 3.00pm, I will be giving another talka about ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons’ on a Zoom hosted by the national child literacy charity Schoolreaders.
You can join us by remailing s.glasgow-smith@schoolreaders.org
Since the original film of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ has been out for fifty years, and screened on television more than any other British film, it has a loyal fan base. Paddy Heron of the fundraising charity ‘Children in Read’ says, ‘I have seen that film I don’t know how many times through the decades, with my brother and sisters, with my own kids, and with my grandkids. That film will stand the test of time for ever.’
Jane Whitbread, who founded Schoolreaders ten years ago, tells me that a love of reading is a proven key to future success in life. Around a quarter of all children in England leave primary school unable to read well and yet good literacy improves all round academic achievement. Arthur Ransome’s series of twelve ‘Swallows and Amazons’ books is great for reluctant readers – those who learn to read but fail to develope an interest in books.
Although my handwriting outshone others, I was deeply embarrassed about not being able to read until the age of nine. I battled to crack the code but once through the barrier, soon gained fluency and was captivated by imaginary worlds. Like me, Andrew Harvey said that he was helped by the Arthur Ransome books, “which provided the inspiration to get me through my (undiagnosed) dyslexia.”
Since it was launched ten years ago, Schoolreaders has helped about 80,000 children to read fluently and develop an interest in books by giving them one-to-one support.
It’s clear that lives are transformed by reading. The author David Cooper says: ‘I found Ransome when I was six, and that was a revelation. He wrote with the same high standards as apply to writing for adults, which is why people of all ages are attracted to them. It only took a few chapters of Swallows and Amazons to make me want to be a writer.’
You can watch a precious talk with Schoolreaders on Youtube:
If you could volunteer to listen to children read in school for a year, think of contacting the charity Schoolreaders: www.schoolreaders.org
It’s fascinating to hear about links people have with the original film of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ made on location in the Lake District in the early 1970s.
Art Director Simon Holland painting labels for cans of Pemican ~ photo: Daphne Neville
Amanda Currie wrote to say, ‘My family had quite a lot to do with the film. My cousin’s bro-in-law was the art director… My Dad was one of the Lake Wardens he had great fun keeping tourists away from the filming on the lake. Captain Flint stayed at our friends’ hotel and boy did they have some funny tales to tell. The couple who owned it were called Tim and Eileen, they would be in their eighties now I would think. Of course we were all extras.’
She added, ‘We were all massive Swallows and Amazons fans long before the film, as when my Grandma lived in Blackpool they used to stay at what was the Blackett’s house, and on occasion bumped into Arthur Ransome.’
Jean our driver and location nurse operating the radio with Sophie Neville ~ photo:Martin Neville
Jean McGill, our unit driver, used to pick up Ronald Fraser every morning, a difficult task as he was always drunk. “Dreadful man, swearing and shouting around the place,” she said. “Appalling behaviour.” Jean had been the Chief Air Stewardess and cabin services superintendent in Bahrain for what is now Gulf Air. “I had to leave because I wouldn’t marry the general manager, who was having a nervous breakdown.” She was going out with the Captain of the Sir Galahad, the ship that went down in the Falklands, “along with the coffee pot I’d given him.” She also told me that they had a known terrorist one of her flights, “who then got on the BOAC flight that landed in the desert.” He had wanted to free Lela Kallard.
Do you know where the Peak of Darien can be found? photo: Roger Wardale (with permission)
The Arthur Ransome Group have been discussing the true model for the Peak at Darien. Mrs Ransome told the film producer Richard Pilbrow that you could find it on Windermere.
Paul Flint says that, ‘good contenders are Brathay Rocks and Gale Naze Crag on Windermere’, pointing out that both were well known to the Ransomes. It would be interesting to know what islands you can see from these.
Friar’s Crag on Derwent Water was used for the opening titles of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974) Stuart Clague informed me that it is a dolerite dyke intruded into softer Skiddaw slate, as mentioned in the book Lakeland Geology.
This is the platform at Haverthwaite station on the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway in Haverthwaite, Cumbria. Manuel Gurtner points out that the heritage railway also appears in ‘Without a Clue’ (1988), the witty movie starring Michael Caine as Sherlock Holmes and Ben Kingsley as Dr Watson. You can spot the carriages at scenes shot in the Lake District in the film trailer.
Simon West, Suzanna Hamilton, Sophie Neville & Sten Grendon in ‘Swallows and Amazons'(1974)
Julie Lamming wrote to say, ‘I used to drive my family mad singing “Spanish Ladies” after watching the film for the first time.’ This was the original movie of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ made on location in the Lake District in 1973 and released by EMI Films fifty years ago in 1974.
It took me a while to realise it, but the traditional British naval song Farewell and Adieu to you Fair Spanish Ladies is sung in a number of other feature films from The Buccaneers (1957) to Jaws, which was released in 1975, a year after the original film Swallows and Amazons.
The Buccaneers (1957) and Jaws (1975)
Robert Shaw sings a little more once at sea:
The ships crew come together singing it as a shanty in Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
A Boston version is also sung in this television drama, Patrick Jane:
Can you think of anymore examples? Please add links to the Comments below.
I classic version of the song can be found here:
I’m afraid I sang it badly and made the mistake of muddling the words, Adieu and Farewell to you Fair Spanish Ladies rendered onto the LP of the film.
You can now listen to the audio book on ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons’ that explains how the 1974 movie of Swallows and Amazons. It’s available on all the retail platforms and Audible here.
On 6th April, the original cast of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974) gathered to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the film’s release in London with David Wood who wrote the script.
It was unexpectedly amusing as can be seen in this recording kindly brought to us by Lee Pressmen and volunteers of the Cinema Museum where the original movie was shown before we were invited on stage by Brian Sibley.
Brian Sibley talks to Simon West, Suzanna Hamilton, Sophie Neville, Sten Grendon, Kit Seymour and screenwriter David Wood – photo Lee Pressman of the Cinema Museum
As soon as self-confessed ‘super fans’ arrived, the venue began to buzz with the question, “What was your favourite line from the film?”
“They’ve got India rubber necks.”
“They’re girls!”
“… must be a retired pirate. He’s working on his devilish plans.”
Sten Grendon, who played Roger, said it was undoubtedly: “I said – ‘Yes’.”
I’ve always liked: “X marks the spot where they ate six missionaries.” Although I often use, “Here we are, intrepid explorers making the first ever voyage into unchartered waters,” I think “I’ve got her. I’ve got her!” is the most appealing.
One viewer on Instagram claimed their favourite line was: “Titty that way.”
What is your favourite line?
Do add your line to the Comments below.
A recording of Brian’s interview with the screenwriter David Wood can be watched on this website here.
I began with working on book adaptations in 1971 with Laurie Lee’s memoir Cider With Rosie and went on to appear as Titty Walker in the 1974 film Swallows and Amazons when the screenwriter David Wood worked with Mrs Ransome to abridge her husband’s well-loved novel into a 90 minute movie.
I’ve written about how the film was made and include pages from David Wood’s script of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ below. It is fascinating to see the original 1973 screenplay. Those who know the film well can appreciate how it was changed whilst we were on location.
By 1983, I was working in television production on book adaptations such as Coot Club and The Big Six by Arthur Ransome, set in East Anglia.
My Family and Other Animals shot entirely on Corfu.
One by One, David Taylor’s memoirs of a zoo vet.
James Ellis as Paddy O’Reilly in the BBC vet series ‘One by One’, which ran to 32 episodes ~ photo: Sophie Neville
I also worked on The Diary of Anne Frank, Doctor Who, Eastenders, Rockcliffes Babies (a police procedure series), a Shakespeare play – Titus Andronicus and Bluebell – a costume drama based on the true life story of a dancer from Liverpool called Margaret Kelly.
I then wrote/edited – five documentaries and two drama-docs that I produced for BBC Education, and one that I made for Channel 4. In all I’ve worked on about 100 different television programmes in 7 different countries and appeared in 100 others but am still learning how to write scripts.
Sophie Neville directing a sequence with BBC cameraman Lorraine Smith
I’ve submitted numerous tv and film proposals. ‘Dawn to Dusk’ became a major Natural History series, broadcast on Thursday nights at 8.00pm.
Series originated by Sophie Neville, Produced by Alastair Fothergill
It is very difficult to get a new series or film accepted. George Marshall said, ‘Hollywood is like a whale, indiscriminately glupping plankton.’ He optioned one film script I’ve written.
‘But I’d love to get my books adapted for the screen’
You can pay someone to adapt your work – and then edit and market it yourself. But watch out for scammers.
‘How do I do it myself?’
It’s going to be a slog – and expensive – so ask yourself WHY you want to do it. You can always self publish a novel but there is little you can do with a script that won’t sell. The transposition exercise helps you improve on your prose, but it is a lot of work. Take a first step and record your novel as an audiobook. I have narrated two at Monkeynut Studios.
You need to build up a CV to give producers confidence. The easiest thing to get accepted is an item in a long-running magazine programme eg: BBC Antiques Roadshow. This cost me no more than my time and petrol but I had two (historical fiction) stories accepted instantly. They were repeated and got me in the Mail Online and OK magazine. You can see the photos on this website here.
‘That’s not my pigeon!’ But it’s what viewers want. Start small and move on to providing Countryfile with an historical story. ‘But I write Biblical fiction.’ OK – Horrible Histories.
2. Buy Final Draft software – (they give you a free trial) and read up on how to format a script. Free software is out there such as celtx or WriterDuet. MS word has a screenplay template but most professionals send each other manuscripts on Final Draft.
The formatting gives you the length: 1 minute a page – 90 minutes for a screenplay – ie script of 90 pages.
100 pages = a short story. When I transposed a screenplay into a novel, adding description, it was only 30,000 words long. It took me another five years to finish it.
3. Never submit rough work. Perfect it. One of my first jobs – aged 22 – was to put together A Russell Harty Christmas show starring Esther Rantzen, Peter Davison and Matthew Kelly. This was the first time I wrote for television: a pantomime piece. I walked into the rehearsal room with a rough copy and it was a disaster. They gave the commission to Nicholas Parsons – and paid him well.
4. Write plays for the stage or radio – they are cheaper to make and accept historical and biblical fiction with BBC Writer’s Room offering an open door. Write low budget material. Come up with a story that’s set in a church or an inexpensive venue.
5. Think Netflix. Think episodic: Would your books be suitable for a TV series? What kind? How long would each episode be?
A serial = long-running story with something happening in each episode. eg: we made My Family and Other Animals into 8 x 28.5 min episodes. (Interestingly Ep 2 looked weak on paper but turned out to be quirky and eccentric.)
A series = each episode a story with a continual tread. The James Herriot books made a good series: Each 50 min programme could stand alone as a TV film. Different characters in each. Silent Witness – a dramas with pairs of episodes within a series.
“I want to make one book into a feature film.”
6. Look at the market.What is selling? It’s difficult to get a film accepted, particularly an epic one. If you have an idea for one set in a swimming pool in LA it would be easier. The US market is looking for formulaic Christmas movies – 50 get made a year. High concept Rom Coms. Netflix series. Many filmmakers begin with shorts. Look up the length. See what they want.
The script for the movie ‘Swallows and Amazons’
It can happen! David Wood was asked to adapt Swallows and Amazons at the age of 28 in 1972. He added jeopardy – which was cut firstly by Mrs Ransome, secondly by time restraints and ultimately the producer and his assistant, who stuck to the simple story that had been a bestseller since 1931.
Sophie Neville and David Wood talking about films on CBBCTV
7. Do you write for children? Again, think in terms of sales and marketing. David said, that since parents tend to be very conservative, it is a good idea to adapt well-known stories, like the Tiger Who Came To Tea rather than attempt to devise your own. It’s easier for the producers to raise funding. Movie finances are far more risky than books. Bestsellers can still lose money.
Ransome began studied storytelling in Russia. Perhaps try adapting fairytales, traditional or out of copyright stories to make a name for yourself before you try to sell your own novel as a script.
8. Watch on catch up and take note. Watch good writers. What do you like? What don’t you? Who is producing what? Talk to writers. Gerald Durrell advised us about things like sound, encouraged us to edit the truth. Brian Sibley said that it’s good to begin with a journey. The dubbing editor on Swallows and Amazons amplified Titty’s imagination (cheaply) from the sound of wind in palm trees, parrots, chattering monkeys…
Gerald Durrell with Sophie Neville in 1987
The producer Joe Waters told me to ‘Put your money in front of the camera’ – the visual impact of steam trains, traction engines, period cars, horses and boats.
9. Get a job as a trainee script editor. All BBC producers work with a script editor. There were two on Eastenders when I worked on the series. See if you can work in this capacity. (NB: Script Editors are different from Script Supervisors who oversea continuity on location and script co-ordinators.)
The original screenplay of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ adapted by David Wood in 1973
There’s a lot to learn. eg: You need to number the Days. These examples are lacking. It should read: EXT: LAKE – DAY 2 . Remember the script will be ‘broken down’ by the costume, makeup and set designers.
Expect re-writes – hundreds. They will want Spot the dog.
The script of David Wood’s adapation of Arthur Ransome’s classic book ‘Swallows and Amazons’
What do you do with your finished script?
Screen writing competitions and pitch sessions. Page Turner in the UK offer a book adaptation as a prize or will adapt your book for a fee.
I have entered numerous screenwriting awards on FilmFreeway – winning 25 to date. Again, beware of the spammy ‘Film Awards’ offering discounts.
All the big American awards can be entered on Coverfly. You can register and set up a profile free of charge. I have accumulated 17 accolades and have a profile here.
The costs can mount up. Have a budget. I met someone who spent 3 years writing 4 feature films and sold nothing but remember that it can happen. Swallows and Amazons was made by very young professionals and it’s still being broadcast.
Remember: Script writing is a craft. The huge comfort is that Jesus was a carpenter. He knows how to put things together, so they last, and are finished well.
A page of David Wood’s original screenplay: ‘Swallow & Amazons’ (1974) that was completely changed.
Just do it.
As a young actor, Julian Fellows formed a partnership with the drama director Andrew Morgan when making Coot Club on location in Norfolk. Just when the Head of BBC Drama Series and Serials said ‘No more children’s book adaptations!’ they collaborated on two period costume drama serials for children: Little Lord Fontelroy and The Prince and the Pauper. He then won an Oscar forGosford Park.
Julian Fellowes as Jerry in ‘Coot Club’ photo: Sophie Neville
He’s the only writer I’ve encountered on location. ‘I’m like a make-up artist, ready to tweak.’
Sophie Neville 