Kickstarting Bond
Red Dwarf's script editor takes #tweetnotes to the next level
25 September, 2020
Red Dwarf script editor Andrew Ellard has today launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for a new collection of video essays on the Daniel Craig Bond series. Anyone who follows Andrew on Twitter will be familiar with his #tweetnotes series, in which he analyses and dissects contemporary TV and film. With an output ranging from Doctor Who and Sherlock, through to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and horror movies Jigsaw and It, he always provides an insightful look at story mechanics, structure and themes, and often delivers profound and useful lessons for writers, producers, and other creatives, battling with their own story conundrums.
As Andrew explains, his latest project, VideoNotes, promises to take this even further:
I'm really excited about VideoNotes - it feels like the next step. A chance to articulate discussions in more depth, with more detail, and with the examples right there in front of you. I cut a test video about a personal bugbear, Daniel Craig's second Bond film, and posted it online, which went down pretty well and encouraged me to keep going.
I started with James Bond because I've found myself with insane amounts to interrogate about Quantum of Solace - this is a film people dislike so how come it spoke to me so strongly? - and all the Daniel Craig Bond films. It fires up my analytical brain. It's too exciting to not talk about.
Andrew began his career as the editor of this very website, back in November 2000, and held the writing baton for 11 years, before handing over to the much-missed Seb Patrick in 2011. Throughout that time and beyond, he produced and directed the exhaustive DVD extras for Red Dwarf I-VIII, worked as an associate producer on Back to Earth (where he directed the excellent Making of Back to Earth), and acted as script editor on Red Dwarf X, XI, XII and The Promised Land. So, you're in good hands.
The first time I gave notes on a script, something clicked. I'd always written, and still do, but this was something else: I wanted to understand and help. I wanted to make something work even better, and to do that you have to grasp how it works and what the writer is aiming for.
That script was an early draft of Red Dwarf: The Movie. I've seen the whole film in my head, even though it never completely came into existence.
That one moment became a career I love. Since then, I've been proud to be Doug Naylor's script editor on the Dave era of the show, and just as proud to work with incredible writers on shows I would have loved as a viewer.
With credits including Chewing Gum, The Detectorists, and In My Skin, Andrew's experience is second to none, and the level of insight he has so far offered through #tweetnotes is already a valuable resource, practically amounting to a crash course in screenwriting in their own right - so you don't want to miss this.
The Kickstarter includes a series of rewards for backers, ranging from credits and shout outs, all the way through to consultations on Zoom to develop your script, navigate your career in TV, or just discuss and enhance your storytelling technique. These rewards have limited availability so if you want to take advantage of them, we suggest you do so now.
For updates about VideoNotes and more #tweetnotes, make sure you follow Andrew on Twitter, where you can also hear all about his upcoming sci-fi comedy for CBBC.
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