Phil Peel

Film, video, photography, sound and story

Archive for July, 2012

BBC Television Centre Sold

Posted by Phil On July - 17 - 2012
I only worked at Television Centre  occasionally.  I frequently got lost… It was circular so if you kept walking you ended up back where you started. Weird! You ran into all sorts of people. I remember going up to work with Ken Morse. The food in the canteen was to die for..   I’m kidding.
But it was the most wonderful place. …and I believe that in the future the sale will be seen as terrible mistake.
It was a magical factory of creativity despite the design. As Alan White says …
“Everything about the building is stupid, and no doubt  commentators who love to lay into the institution would see much that’s telling (on this subject, I always feel those who moan about left-wing bias have never worked here, where everything is chaotic, last minute – the very notion the corporation is organised enough to insert systematic prejudice into its reports is hard to swallow).”
Here’s the official announcement

The BBC has confirmed the sale of the most iconic building in UK television history, with the announcement that Stanhope, a property developer, is to buy Television Centre in west London for about £200m.

BBC director-general Mark Thompson said that the deal was sealed after the First Night of the Proms last Saturday.

…and if you want to see what all the fuss is about watch this wonderful documentary.

 

At  the Awards ceremony at Thurrock International Film Festival,  Buon Giorno Sayonara won Best International Film, Best Director and Best In Show.

Best International Film, Best Director and Best In Show festival awards

 

Thomas Kadman, Karen Hope and Junichi Kajioka celebrating.  Well done guys.

 

 

Screenwriting books – do they help?

Posted by Phil On July - 2 - 2012
screenwriting books

Some of my screenwriting books.

I used to love going into a bookshop (remember them..  before Amazon existed ) and browse screenwriting books. Each claimed to have the answers to the secrets of successful screenwriting. I would skim through several over half an hour in the bookshop, then  buy one, take it home and read it again.

I would rarely finish them though. But they are there, ready to dip into when I need guidance, crammed with fading Post-it bookmarks. I now usually cannot figure out why I put the bookmark there, but it’s an indication that something on the page resonated at the time.

Now the bookshops rarely seem to have any screenwriting books of interest. Maybe they have to stock more books on gardening or How to stop smoking. Maybe I have all the knowledge I need. Just have the problem of applying it.   I’m beginning to acquire more books online as Ebooks.  Great.. instant read… instant gratification.. Bookmarks that I can add notes to .

But deep down it doesn’t really satisfy. ..and when I need help, inspiration or guidance  I still find myself going back to my bookshelf

Incidentally for me, the most useful was the first I read ..in 1990.  Michael Hague’s “Selling Screenplays that Sell” the yellow one at the top.

The most inspirational   … “On Writing” by Stephen King, which usually sits beside my bed.