Category Archives: Screenwriting

Tim Ferguson talks funny

Last year, prominent comedian and comic genius Tim Ferguson talked to the Australian Writers’ Guild about how to write narrative comedy.

Tim Ferguson, comedy legend and writing guru, spoke to the Victorian branch of the AWG last night. He said he felt privileged to have the eye of the screenwriting storm that was before him, and told us the rules for writing comedy that we ignore to our peril.

Tim Ferguson is a legend of television and comedy performance since the days of the Doug Anthony All Stars, and a veteran performer and writer on shows like the DAAS Kapital, the Big Gig, Good News Week and lately WTF – With Tim Ferguson, in both Australia and the UK. Tim has recently penned a definitive manual on comedy, The Cheeky Monkey – Writing Narrative Comedy. The volume covers everything Tim knows about comedy writing for performance, which is obviously a lot.

Continue reading Tim Ferguson talks funny

Best Adapted Screenplay vanishes from AACTA broadcast?

I’ve recently heard that the entire Best Adapted Screenplay category of the new AACTA Awards, formerly the AFI Awards, never made it to air via Channel 9’s broadcast. Apparently Stephan Elliott’s introduction to the award, during which he came out, was so long and controversial that audiences never got to see Shaun Grant receiving his gong for Snowtown.

True or false?

Snowtown wins Best Adaptation Screenplay at AACTAs

Shaun Grant’s screenplay Snowtown has won the first Best Adaptation Screenplay in the first ever AACTA Awards this week.

It’s significant as it’s the first feature Shaun has written. Also Shaun was a driving force in getting the film made, optioning the book on which the film was based and finding a producer in Warp Films.

Justin Kurzel also took the AACTA gong for best direction for Snowtown. And some believe the film might have taken out Best Film if it wasn’t such a gruelling viewing experience, as it had to be to tell the story of the barrel murders.

Mark