My mathematical deductions/short anaylsis of the chances of success for writers sending spec scripts to the BBC Writer's Room.  Data taken from an article published in Ariel (BBC internal weekly paper) on the 10th of August 2010. BBC Writer's Room 10,000 scripts read per year, 200 participants hired since 2000. THUS: 200 over 10 years = 20 successful people per year. 10,000 / 20 = 1 success for every 500 scripts. OTHER POINTS OF INTEREST: 'it's a place you can send stuff.  There's nowhere else where you can send stuff.'  - Jack Thorne Responses to submitted scripts can take up to one-year.

Had lunch with a guy from the department that assesses new cameras for the BBC. Discussed cameras for me to use on the Irish shoot I’m planning in Oct/Nov. Based on my description (solo shooter, tripod shots of landscapes, tripod shots of groups (interior), tripod shot interviews (interior), time-lapse) he gravitated to the Canon 5D MkII (£1,700 plus lenses, so add another £3K).  However, when I said I was worried about usability with regard to more mobile shots this did throw up problems only possible to mitigate with extra kit i.e. a shoulder-rig and a screen adapter to create a proper view-finder (Zucato x3 mag £300).  It’s an SLR so it’s wonderful at tripod shots but lousy on the hoof (v. difficult focusing, poor ergonomics).  As it uses a CMOS sensor it (along with all cameras that use these) suffers from ‘rolling shutter’ meaning that, when the camera is moving swiftly, the top of a frame scans faster than the bottom resulting in a slanted image (creates some interesting effects but hardly desirable).  Also, the 5D can’t film interlaced, only progressive.  It also uses a codec that is time consuming to convert for editing (needs powerful crunching).  Other problem is the need ...

Rough Diamond short film on Vimeo Felicitas Frieda Asta Krage 1921-present I love my nan.  She's wise, brave, humane, and great company.  The death of my mother, leaving few pictures, or anything else to remind us of her, inspired me to create some kind of record of our nan.  This video is that memorial/denkmal. Hamburg was my nan's hometown.  Whilst on holiday there with my nan and sister, in 2004, I had the idea of filming her recollections in the locations of their happening. Whilst she was born and grew up in Hamburg, she left her difficult home to join the circus in 1935, at age 14, travelling around Europe with the troupe until war broke out in 1939. She married a German sailor (Hans Lehnert) and gave birth to my mother in 1942 (Gina Lehnert).  He was killed in the Dambusters Raid of May 1943.  She raised my mother and cared for her grandparents with little help and in a city that experienced some of the most intense bombing of the war, of any war. In 1946 she met a Scottish soldier (Edward 'Ted' Riley - grandpa) and they moved back to England in 1948; they were married in 1951.  Life, thereafter, became 'normal'.  They ...

By Karim Attia, 11th May 2009. No Spoilers. So, Star Trek.  I saw it a few hours ago and the memories are already fading fast.  The most abiding image I have is Spock.  A monochrome man – white skin, black eyes – brooding, understated: memorable.  Don’t get me wrong, the film was good: pacey direction, adequate dialogue, adequate acting, adequate plot, efficient character development, a few credible forays into emotion, decent design and effects…the most serious flaws being Simon Pegg’s clown act, some misguided attempts at humour, some poor photography/lighting, and the clumsy plumbing of whatever century this is supposed to be. I know, hardly glowing but, overall, a pleasing ride.  For me, this film best compares to a really well-made advert – slick and efficient but lacking the depth of plot, or character, to make it stick in the memory, or to make one care what happens to anyone in it. With a young cast and an alternate universe to play with, this is a decent start to what must be a new chapter in the franchise.

'Nom de dieu de putain de bordel de merde de saloperies de connards d'encule de ta mere...' Yes, but what does it mean?  Something about whores, tarts and your mother...

by Karim Attia; June 2007. These are my notes from a four-day full-time course run by the BBC for training people in the operation of the standard issus HD mini-DV Sony Z1 digital camera.  This camera is relatively cheap, simple to operate, and returns tolerable quality images.  For these reasons, it is pretty ubiquitous in the TV industry. NOTES: •    WHAT’S THE STORY? •    WHAT’S THE ACTION? •    WHAT ARE THE SHOTS? •    SHOOT FOR THE EDIT! Before leaving base: 1.    Check Kit (including menu settings) 2.    30sec test recording 3.    Always set to DV/DVCam mode NOT HD Before taking the shot: 1.    Shutter Speed (always set to 50fps) 2.    Framing (Rule of Thirds, Looking Room, etc) N.B. loss of border in view-finder! 3.    White Balance (WB) 4.    Exposure (Zebras set to 70%, ND filters, Gain) 5.    Focus (Push Auto, Expand Focus) 6.    Sound (XLR) 7.    Safety 5secs to speed Hold every shot at least 10secs Labelling Depth of Field (DOF): the zone in which things appear to be in focus.  Established using zoom and exposure. On a Z1, the hyperfocal distance (the setting that results in almost everything being in focus) is 0.9-1.0 meters whilst fully zoomed-out (very useful on fast-moving/unpredictable shoots, or where time is limited).  Also, the more light the better, as this will require a closed down/narrow iris/aperture e.g. ...