Graduate - Lynsey Stewart - MA Screen Project Development
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Before Screen Academy Scotland
Lynsey worked in film and commercials production in Australia and London for seven years before starting the MA Screen Project Development course in September 2009. Her role in production was mostly technical or as a coordinator and she wanted to learn how to develop stories.
After researching different courses on the web, including undergraduate courses, she found out about the Screen Project Development masters programme at Edinburgh Napier University. Although she didn’t have an undergraduate degree, her experience in the industry counted as ‘received prior learning (RPL)’ and made her eligible for the course.
The course was exactly what she was looking for: practically focused, looking at how to take an idea and make it into a treatment, how to develop a story. ‘It was exactly what it said – how to develop a project for the screen.’ The course does encourage the students to submit ambitious projects such as the development of a Feature Film or a TV Drama, whose proposals should include a workable treatment, schedule, and budget ready to be pitched to financiers. As such, Lynsey is currently developing two feature film projects with the skills she has learned so far through the course.
Creative Collaborations on the MA Screen Project Development
Although the course does not require students to actually produce a film, the opportunity to collaborate with fellow students on short film projects makes sense in order to put the theory into practice and meet fellow practitioners. Six months into the course, Lynsey is collaborating with two different students on the development and production of their films. She met Johanna Wagner, an MFA Film Director at Edinburgh College of Art through one of the Screen Academy regular student networking sessions, Creative Collaborations. Johanna talked about her project, The Butterfly Dreams, and explained that, although an experienced documentary director and BAFTA Scotland winner, this was her first fiction project. It was very visual and included stop frame animation, Super 8 and 16mm film. After sending Lynsey the treatment, both students decided to work together. The project was successfully shot in March 2010 and is now in postproduction for a submission deadline of May 2010.
Lynsey is also collaborating with Chris Lindsay, the first student she talked to on her first day at the Screen Academy. Chris is a part-time MA Screenwriter. After chatting regularly over a few months, both Chris and Lynsey felt they could work together. Chris sent Lynsey two scripts, including Fairground, a 10-minute script that he was developing for the course. Fairground caught Lynsey’s eye. Although Chris had had feedback from several tutors and industry professionals working on the course, Lynsey was able to take on a script editor role. As she explains: ‘The development process can go on for a long time. You have to learn to filter several opinions and different interpretations, but also to trust your own judgment. It can be a long process. Our aim now with Fairground is to get the script to the point where we can apply for funding. The course encourages us to aim high, so we are about to approach a top Scottish director with a view to making it in the summer.’
Lynsey is also associate producing the documentary: Illusionary Frontiers, directed by Patricia Delso, an MFA Directing student at eca. 'Since Patricia and Johanna are both collaborating closely on each others’ films - and both films involved similar production tools it made sense that I gathered information for both films at the same time and offered support.'
The Benefits of Professional Practice Sessions
As a student at the Screen Academy, Lynsey has benefited from a range of masterclasses from industry professionals.
Her highlights so far this year have included a marketplace of industry bodies such as BECTU, Scottish Screen, Glasgow Film Office, Edinburgh Film Focus, a workshop with BAFTA Scotland winning director Justin Molotnikov and actor Stephen McCole about developing story through improvisation (‘fun experience, completely out of the box’), a masterclass with documentary director Marc Isaacs, who broke down the different stages of his recent Storyville documentary Men of the City as part of a week long focus on story development and structure and a First AD workshop, which was practical as well as theoretical. ‘I particularly like sessions with a practical element, where you can experience how things work. Masterclasses are great but people are giving their experiences and opinions. Really, you have to make your own mind up and do it.’
Getting into Industry
In terms of the future, Lynsey is pragmatic in her outlook. ‘It’s unrealistic to think that you will produce a big budget feature straight away, you have to build experience and contacts and short films are a great route to do that and learn skills. But short films do not pay the rent so you can work as a runner/ production assistant, coordinator, production manager on paying projects whilst developing your own projects as well. I know I want to work in film so am focused in gaining paid work in that area in different roles rather than temping in an unrelated field.'
Through the course, Lynsey has had the opportunity to ‘get out there’ through a work placement at La Belle Allee Productions Ltd, a Glasgow based production company run by Karen Smyth, producer of Valhalla Rising. She was keen to learn more about distribution and was involved in putting together a distribution strategy for Karen Smyth’s latest project, Tormod. Later in the year, Lynsey will also have an industry mentor to help her develop her career further.
At the end of the course, Lynsey hopes to have a portfolio that includes at least two shorts; two developed and finance-ready feature films, an industry placement and deeper links with both the student and professional film making community in Scotland and beyond.
Lynsey’s website is www.looksshiny.com
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