Help Get #EmmeToEngland!

Hello! My name’s Emme – I’m an English Literature student and aspiring screenwriter. This year I applied to the National Film and Television School’s Masters of Screenwriting – and was accepted! 

I feel that film school is the pathway that will best support me as I work to break into the industry, providing the experience and international contacts that I need to have my work read. 

I have applied for several grants and scholarships – but unfortunately, there aren’t many, and competition is fierce. I won’t be hearing back from them till November, which is when the first year’s fees are due!  I’m already in debt for my undergraduate degree – and I’ve figured out that in order to cover just the tuition, I’d need to work for at least three years full time.

I’ve always dreamed of going to NFTS, and it’s heartbreaking to have the opportunity before me – but the fees standing in the way. I hope you’ll be able to help me pay my tuition for the first (and maybe even second!) year, because I can’t do it on my own.

Here is a break-down of costs (click the figures to see where they come from):

FUNDING BREAK DOWN

Minimum (1st Year Tuition):

• Year 1 Tuition Fees   –   £26, 000  [$54, 860 AUD]
• PayPal Fees (3.5% applied to successful projects)   –    £910   [$1, 920 AUD)

Funding Target (1st AND 2nd Year Course Fees):

• Year 1 + 2 Tuition Fees   –  £ 52, 000   [$109, 720 AUD]
• PayPal Fees (3.5% applied to successful projects)   –   £1, 820   [$3, 840 AUD]

 Australian dollar calculations are based on a conversion rate of 2.11 dollars to a pound – which may shift slightly.

Totals:

• TOTAL (Minimum)   –   £26, 910   [$56, 780 AUD]
• TOTAL (Funding Target)   –   £53, 820   [$113, 560 AUD]   

WRITING AND ME

 I’ve attended multiple short screenwriting and playwriting courses at some of Australia’s top film and performance schools (NIDA, AFTRS and ATYP and Griffin Theatre), and have been continuously writing and working on my portfolio and scripts as I complete my undergraduate degree in literature and creative writing.

I take writing seriously. It’s never just been a hobby for me, it’s always been what I’ve wanted to do – a way of questioning the way things are, exploring ideas and emotions that fascinate or trouble me, and entertaining myself and others.

Even as I’ve been studying full time for the past three years, I’ve also been writing in my free time. I’ve developed a pilot episode and TV bible for an original series ‘Grey Matter’, written the first draft of a stage play, and have been serially publishing a paranormal novel on the online site ‘Wattpad’ – where it has raked up hundreds of thousands of views, and achieved a highest rank of #3 in the site. 

JUST SO YOU KNOW, I’M A LITTLE NERDY – AND I WRITE, A LOT

I’ve always loved academics and writing, which is why a Masters of Screenwriting is such a perfect fit for me. Here’s a summary of some of the prizes I’ve won, and the things I’ve been involved in.

My short story on post-natal depression, ‘Lethe’, led to me being awarded first in NSW in the 2011 English Extension Two HSC (the Australian Equivalent of A-Levels), and in that same year my first short play – ‘Once Bitten’ (an allegory criticising animal abuse) – was performed by professional actors at Sydney’s Fringe Festival and received favourable reviews.

I have always loved academics, and in the 2011 HSC received the All Rounders Award, was a recipient of the Australian Student Prize and was awarded third place in the History Extension Teacher’s Prize. Since then, I’ve also been shortlisted for the Monash University Short Story Prize and won the Questions Writing Prize. In 2014 I received the UNSW School of the Arts & Media Prize for Best Performance in Creative Writing, won a place in the Australian Theatre for Young People’s (ATYP’s) National Studio, and was accepted into the National Institute of Dramatic Art’s (NIDA’s) competitive Studio course – where I produced a full length pilot episode and play – both of which were read by professional actors.

A BIT  ABOUT ME

 
I have a guilty love of paranormal novels, cheesecake, coffee – and am very, very skilled at sitting in coffee shops for several hours whilst writing on a laptop – and very slowly drinking a coffee that’s gone stone cold in order to stop the barista from throwing me out (a good skill for a writer? Or maybe a sign of my addiction to caffeine).
 
I love television drama, and am deeply inspired by shows like Broadchurch, The Fall, Breaking Bad, The Code, True Detective and House of Cards. They not only explore new aspects of character, but play with plotting, pacing, symbolism, language, and atmosphere in order to create drama that’s not only hard-hitting, but new, and sometimes even ground-breaking.
 
This semester I have to read twenty-two novels in thirteen weeks – the joys of and English degree! – and actually, I love it. I believe that studying English literature has allowed me to really appreciate the power that storytelling has: its ability to convey human consciousness, philosophical dilemmas, social milieus, and cultural issues. Stories can reflect, shock, challenge and inspire – and I want to be one of the people creating those stories.
 
 Oh man, I’m talking about writing again. Here’s something different: I love trekking! On my gap year – aged eighteen – I trekked from Jiri to Mount Everest Base Camp with a friend. We insisted on making the three-week trip without Sherpa guides to carry our packs or direct us, and somehow survived the journey. We were followed by a few goats, cornered by a few yaks, and he almost fell through a rope-bridge over a chasm once, but apart from that, it was seamless! And absolutely awe-inspiring.

KEEP IN TOUCH!

WHY I HOPE YOU CAN HELP

I’m fortunate enough to live at home whilst I complete my undergraduate degree  and I am working part time for as many hours possible in order to save up for rent, flights, insurance, visa applications, and basic living costs in the UK.

However, I simply cannot come close to the amount required to pay even the first year fees at NFTS, and that’s why I need your help. I can’t borrow money from friends or family, and am already in debt for my undergraduate degree – you’re my only hope!

I strongly believe that if you can help me accept the place I have been offered at NFTS, I will be in the best institution in the world for establishing young screenwriters in the industry, and will not only have a gateway into the screenwriting industry, but will have taken several important steps along my career path: developing the contacts, credits and experience which will allow me to achieve success. As I arrogantly said in my video: if you help me get into NFTS, I might one day be writing your next favourite TV show. Please help me do that!

Thank you in advance, I honestly believe that studying at NFTS won’t only be a dream come true, but a career-changing opportunity, and I hope you can help me take it.

Source: ICNW