|  | Helen's just been presented with a prestigious screenwriting award by Frank Cottrell Boyce, the man responsible for screen hits such as 24-Hour Party People and Welcome To Sarajevo, she's just been appointed head of drama at a Bradford Theatre School, and is well on her way. But what's the secret to her success? HELEN EXPLAINS MORE...
So, you love movies and TV, and enjoy writing. Eventually you put two and two together (anybody would) and decide you want to be a screenwriter. Now, where to start
? Hmm.  | | "Buffy The Vampire Slayer changed my life!" |
I knew I wanted to write after leaving Huddersfield University, where I studied for my BA Theatre Studies degree. From being a small child, I always had a love of storytelling, especially the dramatised variety, but it was here at University that I discovered my desire to be the puppet-master herself. After completing my first full-length play, collecting decent grades and having a ball in the process, I stepped out into the world knowing that I wanted to write.
After a few years as a struggling playwright, subsidised by the more stable income of a drama teacher, the lightning bolt hit me! I love movies and TV, and I enjoy writing drama
and I don't really go to the theatre that much anyway. My true passion for storytelling lies with the moving image - and always did. The movies and the television always captured my imagination in a way the page and the stage never could. Luke Skywalker spoke to me, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed my life!
So, with the decision made, I looked around at my options. How does a 20-something struggling playwright/drama teacher, living in Calderdale, become a screenwriter? (Answers on a postcard please!)  I had a whirlwind year, worked very hard, met some great people, and learnt more than I thought my brain could possibly hold!  | | Helen Binns |
Well, from what I found out, there are helpful books, web communities, courses, initiatives and competitions. From The Screenwriter's Bible to the BBC's Northern Exposure initiative for new writers, the information and opportunities are out there. I myself, being a slightly lazy specimen of the human species, soon decided I needed more structure in order to learn about the craft and business of the screenwriter. I opted to go the higher education route and applied for the MA Screenwriting course at Leeds Metropolitan University (LMU). And though it's been a financial struggle, it turns out that signing up for this particular course was the best decision I ever made. The Screenwriting course is headed by Alby James. It focuses on craft, creativity and marketability (a necessary mantra for any budding screenwriter), and couples intensive lectures and study with the invaluable experience of developing your scripts with professionals from the industry. I had a whirlwind year, worked very hard, met some great people, and learnt more than I thought my brain could possibly hold!  | | "Study your competition. (Oh no, not hours of TV and movie watching!)" |
I'm now just starting my second year of the course, my Masters project. And though I don't claim to be an actual "working" screenwriter as yet, my recent success in winning the Yorkshire Screenwriters' Prize, testifies that I am finally getting ahead in the game. I've developed a feature film, and two TV series that have been well-received, one even gaining interest from a producer at the BBC. With good solid pieces of work under my belt, the portfolio is bolstered. With the knowledge and experience I gained from the first year, I am now well equipped to construct and refine screenplays. For my Masters project I intend to further develop one of my first year projects, a kids' fantasy TV series, in the hope of getting it commissioned and produced. So here I am. Still writing and teaching, but maybe not struggling quite as much. Should I be asked by another aspiring young screenwriter how to get ahead in the business, I would heartily recommend the course at LMU. Failing that, my first piece of advice would be to study your craft. In screenwriting there are theories, frameworks and rules, and they may just help. My second piece of advice would be to wilfully seek to bend those rules that you just learnt. Be imaginative, it's an industry obsessed with 'fresh'. My third piece of advice would be to write for your audience. Study your competition (Oh no, not hours of TV and movie watching!) and look at why they appeal to your audience and think about why yours will too.
But most importantly, I believe writers just need to write. If you've got an idea - get it down on paper or disk, but don't let it sit in your head too long. Writers write!
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