WGSA EVENTS UPDATE AND REMINDERS Next update will be on 02 December 2021

INDEX: CONTRACTUAL ADVISORY SERVICES: A WGSA MEMBER BENEFIT WGSA CALLS FOR ARTICLES FROM MEMBERS FOR OUR FINAL NEWSLETTER FOR 2021 WGSA MUSE AWARDS 2021 OPEN FOR SUBMISSIONS WGSA MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL SPECIAL WGSA NOVEMBER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT ONLINE SESSIONS WGSA MEMBERS: JOIN US ON TELEGRAM WGSA MEMBERS: UPDATE YOUR WGSA WRITER'S PROFILE ON OUR MEMBER DIRECTORY

CONTRACTUAL ADVISORY SERVICES: A WGSA MEMBER BENEFIT

Background: For the last ten years or so, the WGSA has offered contractual advisory services to members in the form of opinions, advice and, in some cases, informal mediation in disputes between writers and producers. Questions, queries and contracts referred to the Guild have been passed on to Peter Goldsmid (and formerly, also Richard Nosworthy and Harriet Meier) for evaluation and comment.    Important to Note: It should also be noted that this is an informal advice service provided in Peter's own time, with obvious implications for the depth and extent of what can be offered. Nonetheless, many members have made use of this service and found it helpful. Peter stresses that  while he is an experienced writer with an interest in the legal aspects of our work as writers, he is not a professional lawyer and that any opinions and advice offered are provided with the strict proviso that members are fully responsible for any actions they take subsequent to receiving these. The WGSA and the Contractual Advisory Services are explicitly excluded from any liability for actions taken in terms of this advice. Recommendation: Members are strongly advised to consult a professional entertainment or copyright lawyer, especially where large sums of money are involved. Writers are also advised to seek advice before entering into contractual arrangements and not wait until after, when it is often too late to remedy faults or avoid disadvantageous agreements.    Should you have a question, please email your enquiry to admin@writersguildsa.org

WGSA CALLS FOR    ARTICLES FROM MEMBERS FOR OUR    FINAL NEWSLETTER    FOR 2021

PLEASE SUBMIT BEFORE 30 NOVEMBER 2021 There is one more item on your list that you still need to accomplish this year and that is publishing your article in the final edition of our newsletter! Tell us: about your year your milestones reached what you are so proud about your good wishes to our members your achievements and dreams fulfilled an incident you will remember fondly about yourself as a scriptwriter something to teach us your plans for 2022 BUT REMEMBER Keep articles at 500 words or less Acknowledge your sources Attach pictures (yours and one or two that accompany the article) ... and let’s end the year with a bang! All articles are reviewed by our COMMUNICATIONS team before publishing. Please send your articles to us at news@writersguildsa.org All submissions need to reach us by Tuesday, 30 November 2021. Sincerely, Anil Polton

THE 2021 WGSA MUSE AWARDS   AN AWARD FOR WRITERS, BY WRITERS   The WGSA Muse Awards celebrate and honour the creativity and craft of performance writing, such as audio-visual, stage and game narrative writing, in Africa.

Our entry portal for 2021 is OPEN! Closing Dates And Fees For Entries:  Early Bird - 30 November 2021: R150.00 Standard Entry - 31 December 2021: R250.00 Final Entry - 31 January 2022: R400.00 All entries in indigenous languages other than English get a 30% discount! ENTER

WGSA MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL SPECIAL

The WGSA did not forget our loyal members when it comes to the impact COVID-19 has had on our industry. We are now offering a 40% discount on all membership renewal fees until the end of December 2021! Full Membership: R420 Candidate Membership: R300 Student Membership: R132 Corporate Membershp: R720 To make use of this offer, simply make a payment to the WGSA banking account via EFT, using your name and surname as beneficiary reference, and send the proof of payment to accounts@writersguildsa.org RENEW

WGSA NOVEMBER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

November closes off with two fantastic, and at the same time, rare opportunities to delve into two more forms of performance writing, theater and observational documentaries. Bookings are closed for this Saturday's session, so this is just a friendly reminder. You still have time until Monday, 20 November. The classes are FREE for members. Non-members must pay R50. Non-members: you can pay via EFT or SnapScan. All details are on our RSVP form. Please, remember to use as reference: Your name and surname / PDP when you do an EFT, and attach your Proof of Payment to the RSVP form. For enquiries, email admin@writersguildsa.org RSPV

RSVP

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS:

WRITING FOR THEATRE with Ian Bruce   Saturday, 20 November, 10h00 to 12h00   Ian Bruce had some drama training at the Ruth Oppenheim Academy in Johannesburg in the early nineteen-seventies.   He began a career as an actor with The Company (Market Theatre) under Barney Simon and Mannie Manim but, in 1976, his stance against apartheid politics, particularly the border war, led to political exile in the Netherlands.

While living in Amsterdam, he wrote several acclaimed anti-apartheid plays, co-founded the SA focused Thekwini Theatre with Anthony Akerman and Joe Mosikili, and was a founding committee member of the Amsterdam based SA Cultural Community Centre. When he retured to South Africa seventeen years later, he worked mainly in development, notably in the Northern Cape rural areas. In 1997 he joined the New Africa Theatre Association (NATA), a non-profit performance education and training organisation for students from the townships of the Western Cape, where he served as executive director until 2015. Mr Bruce is a nationally and internationally known playwright. His most recent works include: THE HARD WAY: 2020 (WGSA, Muse Awards winner of Best Stage Play Script award.) BURNT:  2011 (Nominated for Fleur du Cap.  Produced at New Africa Theatre) CABOOSE: 2011 (Celebration of 100 years of Golden Arrow Bus company. Produced at the Baxter Golden Arrow Studio.) TRANSIT: 2009 (Nominated for Fleur du Cap.  Produced at Swedish Royal Theatre, Stockholm) GROUNDSWELL: 2005 (Fleur du Cap winner for best new SA script; nominated for Naledi award in Johannesburg. Multiple productions in Sweden, England and the USA.) He wrote two award-winning radio scripts and taken on some screenwriting challenges, including a feature-length adaptation of his play, GROUNDSWELL, for New Amsterdam Films, and adapted three novels for film and television.

OBSERVATIONAL DOCUMENTARY with Shameela Seedat   Wednesday, 24 November 18h00 to 20h00

Shameela Seedat is a former fulbright scholar who worked in law for over 10 years before turning to filmmaking.  Her first feature-length documentary WHISPERING TRUTH TO POWER won multiple awards, including from Hot Docs Int. Film Festival, FESPACO , the Luxor Afrcan FF, Jozi Film Festival and from the African Studies Association. Her second feature length documentary  AFRICAN MOOT  is currently in post-production.  Shameela has also directed several programs for local and international television stations, as well as a series of ten short films on social justice activists in South Africa. She was the 2019 Film Resident Activist at the Tshisimani Centre for Activist Education, and served on the documentary film jury at the Sydney Film Festival in 2018, on the Documentary Film Association (DFA) Citizen Journalists Jury in 2020 and on jury for Adiah Awards in 2021.  Shameela has  also published widely on law and social justice in various journals, newspapers and book chapters. Please, RSVP by noon on Monday, 22 November if you want to attend her session.

RSVP

WGSA MEMBERS: JOIN US ON TELEGRAM

The WGSA Telegram Group has become a vibrant network of Writers. Join now and get all writer information first. Network with professional and emerging writers. Get assistance from fellow writers in an instant.   HOW TO JOIN: Download the Telegram App on your mobile, send an email to admin@writersguildsa.org  with your name, surname and mobile number and request to be added to the group   This TELEGRAM Group is for WGSA MEMBERS ONLY.

WGSA MEMBERS:  UPDATE YOUR WGSA WRITER'S PROFILE ON OUR MEMBER DIRECTORY

Log into the WGSA website with your email and password, click on Edit Profile, fill in the missing information, add a picture for your profile, and a background banner Tip: you can use the banner to put in more information about the type of scripts you write. Heads-up: In the coming weeks the WGSA will be sending out an advert to producers, film publications (online and print), broadcasters, production houses, etc. that will direct interest to your profiles.  LOGIN

The WGSA recognizes the dire impact of Covid-19 on our film, television and theatre industry and values all frontline health workers as well as those in our industry that continue to go to work to bring us news and entertainment.  For your COVID-19 Vaccine Registration go to: health.gov.za