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Pinewood Studios and the House of Commons – Mark Renshaw
Updated on film festival script

Pinewood Studios and the House of Commons

A short script called The Broken Kingdom recently won Mark a trip to Pinewood Studios and the House of Commons. Here is his report on the two events.

The first was to attend a genre lab at Pinewood Studios organised by the Lift-Off Global Network. This is an organisation that runs independent film festivals all over the world and supports independent productions. To be selected for the event, you had to submit either a short film or script in the following genres; horror, comedy or sci-fi. I submitted my short dark horror script, ‘The Broken Kingdom’ and was lucky to be one of those selected for the prize.

A make-up FX demonstration

I arrived at Pinewood. I would love to show lots of pictures of this famous place but I had to sign an agreement which included taking no photos of the studios but I was allowed to take pictures of some of the sessions. After a quick unofficial tour of the grounds (as tours are not officially allowed, therefore we went for a long ‘walk’ with a dog) I took part in several workshops and demonstrations of the various techniques involved in making movies. This included a live make-up FX session and a fascinating overview about how miniature models in film has advanced over the years.

Mark and the rest of the Lift-Off genre winners

The day concluded with a private screening of the winning films and a feedback session, which included reviewing my script. Hand on heart, each film and script was a joy to review. I had a blast. It was a fabulous day.

Next up, a trip to the House of Commons! The Broken Kingdom script was one of the shortlisted finalists for the 2019 Film The House competition.

Mark and his wife, Wendy showing their support for the creative industry

The event is sponsored by the entertainment industry along with several prominent members of parliament to promote the importance of intellectual property and creative endevours.

My wife (Wendy) and I were wined, dined in a terraced area next to the House of Commons with glorious views of the Thames as the chaos of Brexit played on around us. We both had a great time mingling with the organisers and other shortlisted writers and filmmakers. Although my script did not win the grand prize, it was an honour to be shortlisted.

The Best Script Shortlist

The Broken Kingdom script is set in 2019 in an alternative Britain in which Guy Fawkes blew up the houses of Parliament and overthrew the English monarchy. It can be read via the Scripts page.

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