Documentary Film Producer Seeks Science Concept Extraordinaire!

Posted on by

Please respond directly to Greg.

One of Australia’s leading independent documentary production companies, Electric Pictures, is seeking expressions of interest (and evidence of ability) from science communicators with the potential to join the company’s development team. In recent years, Electric has produced a variety of award-winning science films for Australian and international television, including ‘Cracking the Colour Code’, ‘Winners’ Guide to the Nobel Prize’ and ‘Superflu: Race Against A Killer’.

With staff based in Perth and Sydney, Electric Pictures is now seeking to expand its development activities and wishes to strengthen its commitment to science programming. While this is not a formal job advertisement, Electric invites contact from individuals who can clearly demonstrate their strengths in conceptualising and developing ideas, likely to appeal to Australian and overseas broadcasters. Ability counts just as much as experience. The company is prepared to engage any successful candidate on a part,full-time or casual basis and work location is not an impediment.

If you are seriously interested in such a role and are bursting with ideas that you believe can be readily translated into television, please contact Greg Colgan via email (gcelectricpictures.com.au).

______________________________________ Greg Colgan Research and Development Electric Pictures 33 Canning Highway East Fremantle 6158 +61 89 339 1133 www.electricpictures.com.au

Films coming in 2010: * A Royal Romance (ABC) * Skin Deep (SBS, ARTE, RAI)

Hello again Nancy, It really was a Twilight Zone moment as your call came in just as I was reading and thinking about your email!

As I said, very happy to participate in that assignment. Writing a pitch for a one-hr TV doco or a series (3 x 1 is optimal) would be ideal. I would encourage them to think big, think global but also think Australian. A big story that brings in new science or a new way of looking at established science…and which includes a generous helping of Australian-ness. ‘Australian’ can be in terms of settings, characters….or both. ABC very much into ‘take home’ science at the moment. Science that you can apply to your own life. A new series based around a ‘happiness camp’ is coming up. At the other end of the scale, big series that will stamp to be heard on the schedule…ala Voyage to the Planets…and hopefully build an audience.

Pitch docs only need to be a page…..maybe with a several page outline giving more detail. Series breakdown into episodes if a series.

If a distinct research need comes up, I will let you know. I would rather get someone in here who we all strongly think can bring potential projects to us with them. The person you have in mind is welcome to send me a list of proposals. If we liked any of ’em enough, I think we could throw some money at them to be researched and written up.

Thanks very much for offering to place an enquiry on the ASC mailing list for me!

Here is the text of the message – is this ok?

_______________________________________________

Subject: Documentary Film Producer Seeks Science Concept Extraordinaire!

One of Australia’s leading independent documentary production companies, Electric Pictures, is seeking expressions of interest (and evidence of ability) from science communicators with the potential to join the company’s development team. In recent years, Electric has produced a variety of award-winning science films for Australian and international television, including ‘Cracking the Colour Code’, ‘Winners’ Guide to the Nobel Prize’ and ‘Superflu: Race Against A Killer’.

Electric Pictures is now seeking to expand its development activities and wishes to strengthen its commitment to science programming. While this is not a formal job advertisement, Electric invites contact from individuals who can clearly demonstrate their strengths in conceptualising and developing ideas, likely to appeal to Australian and overseas broadcasters. Ability counts just as much as experience. The company is prepared to engage any successful candidate on a part, full-time or casual basis and work location is not an impediment. If you are seriously interested in such a role and are bursting with ideas that you believe can be readily translated into television, please contact Greg Colgan via email (gcelectricpictures.com.au).

_______________________________________________

Cheers Nancy! Greg

______________________________________ Greg Colgan Research and Development Electric Pictures 33 Canning Highway East Fremantle 6158 +61 89 339 1133 www.electricpictures.com.au

Films coming in 2010: * A Royal Romance (ABC) * Skin Deep (SBS, ARTE, RAI)

On 22/07/2010, at 11:17 PM, longneck@cyllene.uwa.edu.au wrote:

> Hello Greg, > > Great to hear from you. And good timing! I was just about to contact > you and ask you a favour… 😉 > > First, yours. Yes, I am a member of ASC and am happy to post an > advert for you to the ASC mailing list. > > Second, mine. I am keen to set an assignment for my ‘Science and the > Media’ class – for students to pitch a documentary idea to you. > There are 18 students in the class. The idea would be for you to > come to the class and tell them about Electric Pictures and give > them some background on what might make a good science documentary. > (pencilled in for Wed, 6 October). > > The class meets Wednesdays, 4-7pm. If that works at all for you, > your part could be first or last part of the session. In the rest of > that session, we are going to be watching short profiles that the > students will have produced of researchers. You’d be welcome to join > us for that. Might be some useful ‘talent’ being profile…) > > After this session, the students would prepare a pitch, turn in > something hard copy as well as present to you and the rest of the > class (pencilled in for Wed, 27 October, the last session of > semester). (I will mark the assignment, but you are welcome to the > ideas.) > > How does this sound? > > Thirdly, are you interested in someone doing some short-term > research for you? I know of a recent sci comm graduate who is > available now until mid-Sept when he leaves to travel in South > America for 3 months. He spent a month in summer as a researcher > with Catlyst and they seemed to be happy with him. He did an Honours > project with me and did a good job on it. > > Kind regards, Nancy > > Assoc Prof Nancy Longnecker > > Coordinator, Science Communication Program > Faculty of Life and Physical Sciences, M011 > The University of Western Australia > 35 Stirling Highway > Crawley, WA 6009 > > ph: 61 8 6488 3926 > email: nancy.longnecker@uwa.edu.au > skype: nancylongnecker > > There is no point explaining everything in the universe if no one is > listening to you. (UWA Sci Comm student, 2009) > > CRICOS Provider No. 00126G > > >> Hello Nancy, >> I hope that all is going well for you. >> Just wondering if you are a member of the Science Communcator mailing >> list? http://www.asc.asn.au/mailing-lists/ >> We are still on the hunt for someone to join our team here……and >> want to strengthen our science development slate. >> Perhaps it would be an idea for me to put out an invitation on such a >> list, inviting interested individuals to make contact? What do you >> think? >> Ideally, I’m looking for someone with a demonstrated journalistic >> background….who has an excellent all-round insight into various >> fields of science….and can sniff out good stories for telly. >> In the first instance, I think they’d have to indicate their >> potential >> value to us by sending in some sample ideas…… >> >> Would appreciate your thoughts Nancy. If you are a member, would you >> mind hosting such an enquiry on this list on our behalf? I could >> draft up the text. >> >> Bye for now! >> Greg >> >> ______________________________________ >> Greg Colgan >> Research and Development >> Electric Pictures >> 33 Canning Highway >> East Fremantle 6158 >> +61 89 339 1133 >> www.electricpictures.com.au >> >> Films coming in 2010: >> * A Royal Romance (ABC) >> * Skin Deep (SBS, ARTE, RAI) >

_______________________________________________ ASC-list mailing list list@asc.asn.au http://www.asc.asn.au/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=97&Itemid=115

Leave a Reply