Deluxis Entertainment: The Blog

Freelance screenwriter Margit Keerdo knows what it takes to succeed in the industry. With degrees in cinematography and directing, and a masters in screenwriting, her talents have channelled themselves into such works as the award-winning series Life: Class After. Today, she shares some of her trade tips and tricks with us.

Who are you and what inspired you to become a screenwriter?

I’m a freelance screenwriter living in Leeds, UK. I also do script consulting on the side, and lately, I’ve started tinkering with other forms of fiction such as short stories and stage plays.

I discovered screenwriting through filmmaking. At first I wanted to study art and become a painter but I changed my mind. I already knew I wanted to study film when I got my first job on a film crew (it was a Production Assistant on a feature film) and I then went on to have a degree in Cinematography and Directing. During that four-year course I had to write my own projects to have something to film which is where I discovered writing – I realized I enjoy working with stories – trying to figure out how to get into a character’s head and how to make a story work. I’ve had lots of different jobs on films – from video assistant to 1st AD; I’ve shot, directed and edited which all has been a great experience. I think my training as a cinematographer also helps with screenwriting and seeing the visual side of the story. Some years ago I completed an MA in Screenwriting and since then I’ve been working as a full-time screenwriter.

One other source has had a great effect on my choice of occupation – the internet. As soon as I started taking interest in filmmaking, screenwriting was the subject on which there were absolutely tons and tons of information. So I read what was available and found out a lot more about screenwriting than I had planned. I think the internet has been an irreplaceable tool for a lot of writers – you can learn about the craft, read screenplays, see what other writers are up to, interact, and, of course, work with people who are thousands of miles away.

What are some things you wish you knew when you first started screenwriting? What inspires you to keep going?

In a way, I can’t say I wish I knew this or that because there are things that you can find out only over long periods of time, knowledge you gain through different experiences, which also makes it very rewarding. But, thinking about my first projects I think I either focused too much on plot or too much on character. I guess I wish I learned earlier how to intertwine character and plot. I used to tend to go for quirky with character-driven stories or too dark with plot-driven stories. The latter were too mechanical, just serving the purpose of an angle or a twist which probably made it difficult for the reader/audience to engage with the characters.

What keeps me going? Anger and curiosity. Anger in the sense that when some issue touches me or annoys me, either something on the news or something I read about, I know I should use it in my writing. I’m sure a lot of writers got annoyed about the ministers’ expenses scandal or the journalists’ phone hacking scandal or followed the updates on the riots in London and other cities, and I’m sure these issues will start showing up in fiction soon enough. So if I find myself ranting about some issue, I know it’s something I care about and I will try to write about it. But not just anger, also fascination (I sound like a very gloomy person, I’m not!). I’m curious. I think a writer should be. I’m curious about what’s going on in the world, I’m curious about how other people live. I don’t want to write about myself (in fact, answering these questions is difficult enough), I don’t like naval-gazing. I’m interested in psychology and social issues, and there’s an inexhaustible source of material if there ever was one!

What are some of the resources you like to tap as a screenwriter (events, sites, etc… I see in your blog that you attended the Drama Writers Festival)?

I read a lot, both fiction and non-fiction. At the moment I’m reading a book called Anger and Detachment which is a study of the works of three playwrights - Arden, Osborne and Pinter. It’s only a tiny book but it’s very insightful and it’s fascinating to read about the themes they wrote about and the techniques they used.

I watch a lot of films. We go to the cinema a lot and mostly it’s the art house cinema. I’m a fan of European cinema and American indies. I don’t watch TV at all. I haven’t owned a TV set for years. We have a neat little old TV station monitor for watching DVDs. I think it saves a lot of time and spares me from the amount of repetitive advertising you see on TV. I watch TV series on DVD which for a writer is a far more useful way of watching long-running stories because you get a lot better sense of the flow of the story in the whole season or several seasons.

I enjoy attending events such as public talks with writers and filmmakers, or discussions. The BBC has been organizing a TV Drama Writers’ Festival in Leeds which I’ve attended. There’s a Screenwriters’ Festival in London. It’s inspiring to hear other writers talk about their work and what makes them tick.

I’m also addicted to several books podcasts and a radio documentary podcast at the moment. The former have book reviews and interviews with writers, the latter is a good starting point for research as they dedicate each episode to a different issue, and it’s a good source for ideas. I think the procrastinator side of me would just listen to podcasts all day, maybe take some notes and not get any writing done at all.

I did once read a lot of screenwriting books but after a while you realize they are all about the same thing, and some try to force rigid rules on you. Books on playwriting, or any type of writing, can also be very useful. I’ve also found Stella Adler and Judith Weston very inspiring – what they say about acting and directing is very valuable for a writer as well.

What are you working on now?

I’ve got a couple of commissioned projects. One is an adaptation of a youth novel about a school kid who’s having difficulties with his new classmates, the other one is an Irish-Estonian co-production. There are several specs I’m trying to find time for – there’s a feature animation, a story about criminals, and one about a support group. I’m also tinkering with some short stories and stage plays. So much to do, so little time!

Blog (where I post notes from writers’ events): keerdo.wordpress.com

Twitter: @keerdo

No one knows more about the art of storytelling than those writing and producing stories for a living. If you’d like to be featured in a future post, please send a hello email to keane(at)deluxis.com. And be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more exciting Deluxis news.