Recently the Brit List scripts were announced. These are the best unproduced scripts of the year in the UK, as voted for by producers, agents and executives. Full details below.

THE BRIT LIST 2013

Welcome to the Brit List 2013.

As in previous years, a balanced mix of producers, agents, distributors and sales agents from the UK film community were invited to submit nominations of their most liked and recommended unproduced screenplays.

Their nominations have been compiled, creating this year’s Brit List. Interestingly, this year there was a wider spread of scripts nominated, with fewer achieving the 3 votes or more needed in order to appear on the list.

In order to qualify for the Brit List, a screenplay had to:
a) receive 3 or more votes
b) be unproduced (not shooting) at the time of the list’s circulation
c) be written by any writer who is non US, and
d) not have featured on previous Brit Lists

Where known, producers have been named alongside the screenplays, as have genre and summary information.

Every effort has been made to supply accurate information, and apologies are made in advance for any inaccuracies or misspellings.

SEVEN VOTES

THE SURVIVALIST by Stephen Fingleton (Independent Talent Group)
Producers: Robert Jones/Wayne Godfrey
Genre: Thriller Summary: Years after lack of resources result in much of the world’s population dying off, a survivalist is living alone on a farm until a woman and her seventeen year old daughter show up looking for cover.

SIX VOTES

TALE OF TWO CITIES by David Farr (Curtis Brown Group)
Producers: Origin Pictures/BBC Films
Genre: Drama
Summary: A bold new adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic set against the backdrop of the French Revolution.

FIVE VOTES

INVASION by Joe Barton (Independent Talent Group)
Producers: Raw/Film Four
Genre: Thriller
Summary: A US-set psychological thriller with science-fiction elements.

TRIGGER by Lindsay Shapero (Blake Friedman Agency)
Producers: Met Film Productions/BFI
Genre: Dark Comedy
Summary: A twisted detective thriller centred around a teenage boy investigating his own suicide.

WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAY by Guy Jenkin & Andy Hamilton (Berlin Associates)
Producers: Origin Pictures/BBC Films
Genre: Comedy Drama
Summary: From the creators of hit TV show ‘Outnumbered’, comes the story of a family going through a difficult divorce who turn up at a family gathering and find themselves tested by a series of extraordinary circumstances.

YOUR VOICE IN MY HEAD by Emma Forest (Casarotto)
Producers: Ruby Films/Warner Bros
Genre: Drama
Summary: Based on Emma Forest’s memoir of the same name.

FOUR VOTES

SON OF MAN by Hania Elkington (United Agents)
Producers: World Productions/BFI
Genre: Comedy
Summary: A rites of passage comedy about an obese, bullied Catholic schoolboy with a gift for art and an eccentric saint fixation, who learns what it means to be a man in the unlikely setting of a teenage pregnancy class.

THREE VOTES

BUMMER by Andrew Yerlett (Curtis Brown Group)
Producers: Escape Films
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Summary: A teenage couple, in the throes of first love, discover their parents are engaged to be married meaning they will become brother and sister, unless they can find a way to stop the fast-approaching wedding.

COMPETITION by Sean Buckley (Knight Hall Agency) & Martina Amati (Independent
Producers: Cowboy Films/Film Four Talent Group)
Genre: Drama
Summary: Visceral coming of age tale set in the world of gymnastics.

DRIVEN by David Leon & Rashid Razak (Curtis Brown Group)
Producers: Zeitgeist Films
Genre: Crime Thriller
Summary: Loosely autobiographical film based on David Leon’s childhood experiences growing up in Newcastle in the late 80s and early 90s.

FUTURES by Rob Green (Michelle Kass Associates)
Producers: Starchild Pictures
Genre: Thriller
Summary: Time-travel thriller in London’s financial world.

HARRY’S BLONDE by Caradog James (Michelle Kass Associates)
Producers: Dan Films
Genre: Comedy Horror
Summary: A teenage boy comes of age with the help of two feuding serial killers.

POSH by Laura Wade (Knight Hall Agency)
Producers: Blueprint Pictures
Genre: Comedy drama
Summary: Adaptation of Laura Wade’s hit stage play.

SECOND COMING by Debbie Tucker Green (The Agency)
Producers: Hillbilly Films/Film Four
Genre: Drama
Summary: Jackie is pregnant and knows that it’s not her husband’s. She also knows she’s slept with no-one else. She doesn’t know if she’s losing her mind.

TRIVIAL PURSUITS by Tom Nash (Berlin Associates)
Producers: Embargo Films/BFI
Genre: Thriller
Summary: A hitman befriends the children of the man he’s trying to kill.

Word has started circulating that MGM is exploring a sequel to Hot tube Time Machine”, an idea I agree with since the original was a perfectly good standalone film with the potential to make more money as a fan of the franchise. MGM, if you’re reading this please feel free to use these ideas, but keep in mind that a poverty stricken future me may launch a lawsuit so its better if you just give me money now.

The Industrial Revolution:

Going back to the era that defined western civilization, our intrepid heroes find that their steam generating machine puts them in great esteem with high society. However people soon realise a jacuzzi is a ridiculously inefficient way to generate steam so the gang falls from grace and toils away in a workhouse until they die.

The Middle Ages:

Immediately accused of witchcraft upon demonstrating their miraculous machine, they are found guilty and die.

25 AD:

Any other age and they would have been hailed as gods (or killed), however some dude called Jesus is hogging all the fame. The boys instead live a life of obscurity  working on a struggling fig farm until they die.

The height of the Roman Empire:

Ah yes, here they will thrive, in the greatest empire on earth with its plentiful public baths. Unfortunately for our bumbling heroes it also full of cut-throat politicians who engineer their downfall and claim the machine for themselves. Thrown into the Colosseum with Russell Crowe nowhere in sight, they die.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away:

Clearly earth is not working out so well, so why not visit the greatest space opera ever with the best seat in the house, great idea right? Well up until Palpatine grows enraged at his skin becoming even more pruny and Darth Vader gets jealous about being unable to join in, at which point, they die.

The Cretaceous Period:

Seeing as most eras of human civilization would prove detrimental to their health, the crew travel back to the age of giants. Unfortunately that age is full of carnivorous 6 ton lizards like the T.rex which have no understanding or appreciation for their miraculous machine and wry pop culture observations. So, they make like  Samuel L Jackson in Jurassic Park, they die.

The realistic route:

With the success of “harder” science fiction films like Looper, Source Code and Primer, perhaps going the technical route would work best. However due the lack of consideration given to the earth’s ever changing position over time our heroes end up in the freezing void of space where, fully aware of the irony, they die.

**We are open for bookings throughout Christmas & New Year with standard turnaround times on all reports. The office will be closed & phone line unmanned during this period. Happy Christmas to all our clients, friends and visitors!!**

This is a brilliant page from the Knight Hall Literary Agency – one of the UK’s leading agents representing screenwriters, directors and authors.

It’s essential reading for screenwriters in particular, and while there are some extreme (true life!) examples below, general etiquette and knowing how to deal with industry people in such a way that they think “wow, I could really work with that person” is incredibly important.

Here is their article in full:

Please note we are at the Cannes Film Festival from the 17th – 21st of May and the office phones will be unmanned during this period.

We will, however, be contactable via email and all script report, training course, and software bookings may take place as normal. Standard turnaround times apply on script feedback services.

Best wishes,

The Industrial Scripts Team

Recently, respected film journal Little White Lies focused on script editing, and Evan from our office was interviewed as part of the article.

You can read the piece in full at the Little White Lies website, here.

Industrial Scripts is currently seeking a part-time IT/WordPress Assistant to work on our growing list of projects and websites. If you match the criteria below, please email your CV in PDF form to info@industrialscripts.co.uk with IT / WordPress Assistant in the subject line.

IT / WordPress Assistant Duties:

• Basic image creation and editing.
• Editing our 2 main sites using WordPress.
• General IT administration and support to the company.

IT / WordPress Assistant Requirements:

• Demonstrable background, education or training in IT.
• London-based and able to work from our Newman Street office 1 – 3 days per week (variable, flexible).
• Some experience of HTML and CSS.
• Some knowledge of SEO.

The role is most suited to a current IT student or very recent graduate currently based in London, with an enthusiasm and desire for a career in the film industry. Salary by negotiation.

No agencies, and all candidates must be currently London-based.

THE BRIT LIST 2011

As in previous years, the UK and Irish film community have compiled a list of their most liked and recommended unproduced screenplays. Out of over 160 screenplays nominated the projects below achieved the 3 votes or more needed in order to appear on the list.

In order to qualify for the Brit List, a screenplay had to:

a) receive 3 or more votes
b) be unproduced (not shooting) at the time of the list’s circulation
c) be written by any writer who is non US, and
d) not have featured on previous Brit Lists

Where known, producers have been named alongside the screenplays. Genre and summary information has also been provided at the discretion of the producers involved with the project.

Every effort has been made to supply accurate information, and apologies are made in advance for any inaccuracies or misspellings.

10 VOTES
THE CALL UP by Charles Baker (Marjacq)
Producers: Stigma Films
Genre: Sci-fi Horror
Summary: A group of online gamers are invited to trial a state-of-the-art virtual reality sim, but what starts out like a dream encounter with cutting edge video technology – a perfect representation of soldiers in a warzone – takes a turn for the sinister when the stakes are raised to fatal. These masters of the shoot ‘em up will have to fight for their lives within a game gone too far: this time it’s for real.

8 VOTES
ORDINARY THUNDERSTORMS by William Boyd (The Agency)
Producers: Origin Pictures/BBC Films
Genre: Thriller Summary: An innocent man on the run across London is forced to go underground in an attempt to evade his dangerous pursuers. Based on William Boyd’s internationally best-selling novel.

7 VOTES
LILTING THE PAST by Hong Khaou (unrepresented)
Producers: Dominic Buchanan
Summary: A story about loss, memory, love and intimacy. A mothers attempt at understanding who her son is after his untimely death.

OLIVIA AND JIM by Henrietta & Jessica Ashworth (United Agents)
Producers: Forward Films
Genre: Comedy

6 VOTES
MAN UP by Tess Morris (Julia Tyrell Management)
Producers: Big Talk Productions/Studio Canal
Genre: Romantic Comedy

TUSK TUSK by Polly Stenham (Alan Brodie Representation)
Producers: Origin Pictures/Film4
Genre: Drama
Summary: When three children are left to fend for themselves in a London flat, things start to spiral out of control. Based on Polly Stenham’s critically acclaimed stage play.

X+Y by James Graham (Curtis Brown)
Producers: Origin Pictures/BBC Films/ Minnow Films/BFI
Genre: Drama/Coming-of-age
Summary: A funny and moving rites of passage drama that charts a teenage prodigy’s journey to the Mathematics Olympiad, and his quest to find a formula for love.

5 VOTES
SECOND IS NOWHERE by William Davies (ITG)
Producers: AL Films/BBC Films
Genre: Drama

4 VOTES
BAD TRAFFIC by Jay Basu (ITG)
Producers: David Gerson, Nick Wechsler and Rory Gilmartin
Genre: Crime Thriller
Summary: Former Chinese cop, JIAN arrives in London seeking revenge on snakehead criminal BLACK FORT, the man he holds responsible for the murder of his daughter. British undercover cop RAY picks up his trail, and must decide whether to stop Jian or let him do his dirty work for him.

BAGHDAD WEDDING by Hassan Abdulrazzak (Knight Hall Agency) and Nick Drake (The Agency)
Producers: Focus Features

BURNTHAVEN by Sebastian Foster (United Agents)
Producers: Cloud Eight Films
Genre: Action/Western
Summary: A Federal Marshal tracks his best friend’s murderer through the Utah badlands to an outlaw stronghold. To bring his man to justice, he must first take out 23 of the most lawless fugitives in the land – and their leader, a shadowy figure from his past.

LIKE A VIRGIN by Catherine Shepherd (Curtis Brown)
Producers: Kate Ogborn/Fly Film
Genre: Coming-of-age/Comedy
Summary: Mary is off her head on a night out when she is visited by the angel Gabriel who tells her that she has been chosen by God to give birth to the next Messiah. This time the Messiah won’t be born to a virgin. What happens when a girl who isn’t ready to grow up is chosen to save the world? ‘Like a Virgin’ is a coming-of-age comedy about the search for the sublime in the ridiculous, the meaningful in the mundane and the desire to believe in something bigger than ourselves.

TESTAMENT OF YOUTH by Juliette Towhidi (Casarotto)
Producers: Heyday Films/BBC Films
Summary: An adaptation of the classic First World War memoir by Vera Brittain, which tackles youth, hope, dreams, love, and loss, and tells the personal story of how one woman faces the tragedy of war, and rises above it.

3 VOTES
AVAILABLE LIGHT by Amber Trentham (Casarotto) and Thomas Carty (Casarotto)
Producers: Altered Image Films
Genre: Romantic Thriller
Summary: Joseph, a young ex-gardener is paralysed in a bike accident and his life seems all but over. When he is abducted by a brutal brothel owner to service the voyeurism of a perverse client Joseph’s life seems to have entered a deeper stage of hell. But Joseph and prostitute Ingrid fall in love and together plan to escape.

THE BUCCANEERS by Heidi Thomas (The Agency)
Producers: Ruby Films/BBC Films/BFI
Genre: Romantic Drama
Summary: Adapted from Edith Wharton’s classic, the story captures the adventures of three wealthy American girls. Unable to gain acceptance in the WASP-y East Coast society, they are taken by their English governess to hunt for titled husbands in her home country, where many an impoverished Duke and Earl will look fondly at an American girl with a fortune, wherever that fortune comes from…They soon find however that they may have bitten off more than they can chew, and Laura, the governess, is forced to make some hard choices to make things right.

THE CHINESE BUSKER by Trevor Preston (The Agency)
Producers: Kennedy Mellor Limited
Genre: Thriller
Summary: Dumas is a man without a history; a ghost operating in that no-man’s land between legal and criminal; a genius at providing unscrupulous corporate raiders with devastating information plucked from the air. Hirst is his final customer and becomes his nemesis.

FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD by David Nicholls (ITG)
Producers: DNA/BBC Films
Genre: Period Drama
Summary: An adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s classic novel

THE GOOD PEOPLE by Nicholas Horwood (Berlin Associates)
Producers: Escape Films
Genre: Horror/Drama
Summary: An American writer moves to rural England to escape his demons, only to find that he is haunted by a very real danger instead.

I, MACROBANE by Ben Wheatley (ITG)
Producers: Rook Films/Big Talk Productions
Genre: Black Comedy

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN by Abi Morgan (ITG)
Producers: Headline Pictures/Magnolia Mae Films/BBC Films/BFI
Genre: Romantic Drama
Summary: The story of Victorian England’s most famous author, Charles Dickens, and his secret love affair with young actress Nelly Ternan.

MISS YOU ALREADY by Morwenna Banks (The Agency) and Paul Andrew Williams (United Agents)
Producers: Embargo Films/Salt
Summary: Miss You Already is a film about love, loss and laughter.

A MOST WANTED MAN by Andrew Bovell (HLA)
Producers: The Ink Factory/Potboiler Productions/ Film4
Genre: Thriller
Summary: Adaptation of John le Carré’s bestselling novel. An enigmatic figure arrives in Hamburg with unclear objectives and the keys to a safe deposit box containing a fortune. He sweeps an embittered spy, a British banker and an idealistic young lawyer into a thrilling and moving mystery about his identity.

OUR KIND OF TRAITOR by Hossein Amini (Curtis Brown)
Producers: The Ink Factory/Potboiler Productions
Genre: Thriller
Summary: The lives of a young couple are changed forever after a chance encounter with a charismatic Russian oligarch. The man turns out to be the number one money launderer for the Russian mob, and his days are numbered unless the couple can come to his rescue. Based on John le Carré’s bestselling novel.

THE SLACKFI PROJECT by Howard Overman (ITG)
Producers: Matt Tolmach/Sony Columbia Pictures
Genre: Comedic Thriller
Summary: A hapless and broken hearted barrista is visited by two bad-ass soldiers from the future who tell him mankind is doomed and he alone can save them.

TAKING OFF by David F Shamoon (unrepresented)
Producers: Met Film Production
Genre: Road movie/Comedy
Summary: A funny and truthful road movie about a 50-something couple whose failing marriage is driven to its limits as they cross the US to get to their son’s wedding.

WALKING ON SUNSHINE by Joshua St Johnston (Alan Brodie Representation)
Producers: Vertigo Films
Genre: Musical
Summary: Set in the sun drenched Mediterranean, mother and daughter unwittingly fall for the same guy in this contemporary musical that features the greatest tracks from the 80’s.

Official Bedlam Productions/Takedown Pictures Press Release 30.09.11:

THE KING’S SPEECH PRODUCERS SECURE RIGHTS TO CLASSIC TALE OF RUGBY RIVALRY

Bedlam Productions, producers of the acclaimed feature film “The King’s Speech”, announced today their new project “The Grudge”. A dramatic telling of the infamous 1990 Five Nations Grand Slam rugby match between Scotland and England. The project is based on the 2010 book by the respected Irish sports journalist Tom English, and tells the story of one of the greatest grudge matches in the history of the sport.

Evan Leighton-Davis of Takedown Pictures introduced the project to Bedlam, and will act as Producer on the film alongside Simon Egan , who is also attached to direct, under the Bedlam banner.

Set against the backdrop of Thatcherism, civil unrest in Scotland and a divide that threatened to overshadow the game, the story dramatises how the hard grind tactics of Scotland coaches Jim Telfer and Ian McGeechan overcame a rampant England team boasting the likes of Will Carling, Brian Moore and Jeremy Guscott.

Takedown Pictures is the new film production arm of leading London-based script consultancy Industrial Scripts. Industrial Scripts was founded in early 2010 by some of the UK’s leading script editors to deliver high-end script development services to writers, producers and directors, and recently launched the UK’s first free screenwriter promotion programme, “Talent Connector”. Takedown will utilise Industrial Scripts’ wide range of contacts in development, and its incoming project submissions, to source commercially-attractive material for feature film production.