Free WA Event: Telemovies: Creating, Developing and the Marketplace.

12 November, 2010

In light of the success of telemovies over recent years, including Hawke, 3 Acts of Murder and Scorched, ScreenWest and the AWG are hosting a free talk and panel discussion with some of Australia's most experienced television practitioners on what makes a successful telemovie and the opportunities for production in WA. Tim Pye will give a short presentation and join a panel discussion with Amanda Higgs, Sue Masters and Sue Taylor, hosted by ScreenWest Development Manager Rikki Lea Bestall. This session is being presented as part of the Tele-Navigator program and will take place on November 3.

This is a presentation for all writers, producers and directors who have a strong interest in television drama. Experienced and newer practitioners are welcome.

Areas to be explored include the market for telemovies in Australia; generating telemovie ideas and developing the concept; budgets and case studies; how to sell a telemovie to a network; and the differences in development and production between telemovies and feature films.

When: 1:45PM - 4:30PM Wednesday 3rd November 2010
Where: Art Gallery Theatrette, James St Mall, Northbridge
Cost: Free
Booking: Your email booking should be addressed to Alan Payne, AWG WA Manager, and sent to eventswa@awg.com.auThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it In the subject heading of the email, please write ‘[SURNAME] Telemovies' and provide a phone contact number.

Your booking will be acknowledged by email. Inquiries contact Alan Payne (08) 9201 1172.

Closing Date: 5.00pm Tuesday 2nd November Early booking recommended as places are limited.

AMANDA HIGGS
Amanda produced the first three series of the television drama The Secret Life of Us. It was the most watched Australian drama in its target demographic of 16-39 year olds three years running and in 2004 won the Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Drama Series three years running. The series was nominated for 14 AFI Awards, winning three for performance; it also garnered two AWGIES and a Bronze Medal at the NY Festival Awards for Best Television Program. Amanda's script editing credits include Police Rescue, Fallen Angels, High Flyers, Wildside and Water Rats, and the feature films Praise, Walking on Water, Somersault and the short feature Jewboy. In 2004 Amanda was recipient of the Cecil Holmes Award for services to directors from the ADG. She is also on the board of the Australian Film Institute. And from 2007 worked at ABC-TV Drama as an Executive Producer and Acting Head of Drama for six months in late 2009. Amanda is currently script editing The Slap, and in development on her own television and film ideas.

SUE MASTERS
Sue is one of Australia's most accomplished producers and executive producers. As Head of Drama at Network Ten and the ABC she executive produced Mary Bryant, Jessica, Society Murders, White Collar Blue, Joanne Lees, After the Deluge, Tripping Over, Blackjack, Seachange, White Collar Blue, The Cooks, Wildside, Janus The Bite, Something in the Air as well as many other series, serials, telemovies and mini series. As a producer, Sue created and produced GP for ABC TV as well as Law of the Land for Channel 9. She produced Brides of Christ, Paper Man and The Damnation of Harvey McHugh for ABC TV and Prisoner for Network Ten following a period as Head of Development at HBO where she produced multiple episodes of entertainment and comedy specials and wrote multiple episodes of The Love Boat. In 2009 Sue was Executive Producer on The Circuit 2 and is currently story producing a 13 part drama series Dusty which is also for SBS TV. Before working in Los Angeles, Sue was a Specialist Trainee at the BBC after BA Hons in Sociology.

TIM PYE
Tim has worked in television and radio as a writer, producer, story editor and executive producer over twenty years. Tim's television writing and producing credits include: COPS: L.A.C., Scorched, Stupid, Stupid Man, Emerald Falls, Black Jack, Lockie Leonard, Erky Perky, Answered By Fire, Changi, Grass Roots, Love Is A Four Letter Word, All Saints, Seachange, Wildside, Water Rats, Fallen Angels and G.P. He has won several awards for his script writing: AFI Award - Wildside; two Australian Writers Guild Awards - Stupid, Stupid Man and G.P.; The Henry Lawson Award - Fallen Angels. Between 1999 and 2001, Tim worked as an executive producer at ABC TV Drama. Currently, Tim is working as a writer / producer on the Nine Network police drama, COPS: L.A.C. and is also developing several of his own drama and comedy projects in association with Beyond International. Tim is President of the Australian Writers' Guild.

SUE TAYLOR
Sue Taylor has been a filmmaker for over 25 years. A graduate in Anthropology from London University, her producer credits range from documentaries, children's drama, adult drama and feature films. Sue established her own production company in 2001 and has been nominated for numerous AFI, Logie and Critics Circle Awards for productions which include the children's series Minty, Time Trackers and Southern Cross, the mini series The Shark Net, the telemovie 3 Acts of Murder and the feature film Last Train To Freo. Her most recent feature film The Tree, an Australian-French coproduction, was selected to close this year's Cannes Film Festival and has sold to more than 30 countries.