An interview with BBC Head of Radio Comedy Julia McKenzie
In this exclusive interview, JYS’s Katherine Press speaks to Julia McKenzie, Head of Radio Comedy for BBC Studios, about her role at the BBC, how to submit your work to production companies and how to react to trends in writing.
Tomb Raider’s Rhianna Pratchett on women in video games
We explore the possible reasons why female talent is underrepresented in the games industry as part of our coveted guide, Three Strategies to Make Your Game a Winner. In this post, Katherine Press talks women in games with BAFTA-nominated and Writers’ Guild...
What games writers should know about design
The games industry’s most valuable writers are the ones who understand game design and production. But with few writing courses teaching storytelling for an interactive medium, nor game mechanics or collaborating within a development team, it’s hard for aspiring games writers to know where to start.
How to prevent ludonarrative dissonance in your video game
As part of their coveted guide Three Strategies to Make Your Game a Winner, the team behind the John Yorke Story: Story for Video Games online course explain why game creators must prioritise cohesion between gameplay and narrative from the very start of development.
Essential dos and don’ts for video game writers
There’s more to think about when when writing for games that simply what words to use, Caroline Marchal summarises some dos and don’ts for those looking to work in the industry.
Five things game writers should know about players
Videogame stories need to be complelling if a player is to stay engaged. Story for Games course Leader Caroline Marchal outlines the five most important things to keep in mind about your audience as you write your game’s story.
Write Advice: screenwriter Ashley Pharoah
Ashley Pharoah, award-winning writer and creator of shows including Life on Mars, Ashes to Ashes and Wild at Heart, dropped by our classroom to take questions from our John Yorke Story for Screenwriting students. Here they discuss pitching, his development as a writer and the often long wait from script to screen.
From screenwriter to video game writer – how can you make the leap?
Video games are nothing new (well, compared to the theatre they might be), but rather than brainless shoot-em-ups, gamers are demanding more engaging, emotionally affecting storylines alongside gameplay enjoyment. For this reason, television and film scriptwriters are increasingly looking at games as a new and improved medium to tell their stories. Here, scriptwriter James Henry explores how the Story for Video Games online course can help traditional writers make the leap to this burgeoning medium.
An interview with BBC Executive Comedy Producer Simon Nicholls
What’s the key to great comedy? How can you engage the audience while still making them laugh? What should a new writer look out for? Actress, writer and producer Katherine Press met up with BBC Studios Executive Producer for Comedy Simon Nicholls to clear up all these questions and more in an exclusive interview for John Yorke Story.