Working in Development - IFTA Skills in Focus
Presented in association with Screen Skills Ireland
When:Thursday 25th February - 2PM
Where:Online (Via Zoom)
Register: Here
The Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA), supported by Screen Skills Ireland, presents Working in Development – as part of the IFTA Skills in Focus Series.
Development is a critical element in the production of a film or TV Series. The development stage is the first step in the film production process and is where stories are found, fleshed out and honed, and worked on until they are in a position to be sold, commissioned, or start filming. Good development is critical to delivering the best possible film or television series, but Development is often an over-looked, under-funded and mysterious area of production.
Irish and International industry leaders will share their unique insight and experience into the role of creative producers and development departments in delivering top-level Film & Television projects. They will discuss the skillset needed to work in Development, the practicalities of working in the area, and tips for improving collaborations.
The panel features noted Producer, Story Consultant, Lecturer and Author John Yorke (Wolf Hall, Life on Mars, Shameless) Author: Into the Woods, Head of Development at See-Saw Films Katherine Bridle (Ammonite, Lion, Top of the Lake), and Element Pictures Head of Development Chelsea Morgan Hoffmann (Normal People, Herself)
Topics on the day will include:
- Scouting for ideas/talent and Networking
- Research and developing ideas
- Script reading, coverage, and notes
- Collaborating with Writers
- 3 Key points to achieving success
Meet the Panellists
John Yorke
Producer, Author of Into the Woods
John is widely acknowledged as the UK’s foremost expert on story, and his book Into the Woods is the bestselling book on the subject in the UK. He has spent years analysing not just how stories work but why they resonate with audiences around the globe.
As former Head of Channel Four Drama, Controller of BBC Drama Production, and MD of Company Pictures, John has tested his theories during an extensive production career working on some of the world’s most lucrative, widely viewed, and critically acclaimed TV drama, from EastEnders to Shameless, Life on Mars and Wolf Hall.
Katherine Bridle
Head of Development, See-Saw Pictures
Katherine joined See-Saw Films at its inception in the UK. She is responsible for driving forward the creative development of all See-Saw Film projects to date including The King’s Speech, Shame and Macbeth as well TV drama Top of The Lake and Lion (starring Dev Patel and Rooney Mara).
She works closely with the key creative at all stages of development and production as well as securing development finance. Katherine has worked with some of the industry’s most exciting filmmakers and writers, including Steve McQueen, Abi Morgan, Anton Corbijn, Jane Campion, and Justin Kurzel. Katherine's recent work includes Francis Lee’s Ammonite (Starring Kate Winslett and Saoirse Ronan)
Chelsea Morgan Hofmann
Development Producer, Element Pictures
Chelsea Hoffmann is a Development Producer with Element Pictures, having previously worked there as Head of Development, Development Executive, and PA to Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe and Lenny Abrahamson. She worked as Script Editor across two series of Elements' hit drama Red Rock, as well as the acclaimed series Normal People, and has works across several Element films and television projects.
Chelsea has also worked as a Development Executive at Blinder Films, and previously as a stage manager and sound designer Off-Broadway and Off-off-broadway. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts at the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and an M. Phil in Irish Film, Theatre and Music from Trinity College Dublin.
Rebecca O'Flanagan (Moderator)
Producer, Treasure Entertainment
After working at Irish Film Board as a Development Manager, Rebecca established Rubicon Films in 2004. That same year she produced a number of titles including The Running Mate which won the IFTA for Best Drama Serial. She executive produced The Eclipse (2008) for Treasure Entertainment, written and directed by Conor McPherson, which won the award for Best Actor at the Tribeca Film Festival for Ciaran Hinds and the IFTA for best film
Rebecca executive produced BAFTA nominated Good Vibrations (2011), produced John Butler’s The Stag (2012) and Handsome Devil (2016) ,Paddy Breathnach’s Viva, Hugh O’Conor’s debut feature Metal Heart, and John Butler’s Papi Chulo, which premiered at TIFF 2018, as well as TV Series Finding Joy and the upcoming Smother. Rebecca lectures on the MA in Screenwriting course at the School of Film and Digital Media in NUI Galway, as well as guest lecturing at on a number of other film courses.
REGISTER HERE
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