MAILBOX
VOTING PROCESS I am horrified at the voting process for the Great Idea competition. It in no way shows an accurate or fair judgement of anyone’ s work. Why? Because it is impossible to vote for only one category, which means you have to read through reams and reams of information( via a convoluted and time consuming PDF rigmarole) you may not necessarily be interested in. I think it’ s fairly obvious that the top entry in each category will therefore immediately receive a higher number of votes simply because individuals with a special interest in any other category will automatically vote for those ones in the categories they’ re not interested in. Secondly, this idea of“ public” voting boils down to a popularity contest based on the social media skills of the entrants and will inevitably say very little indeed about the quality of the entries. A most disappointing way to conclude what seems to have started off as a great initiative.
Louw Venter
WGSA RESPONSE Thank you for your interest in the Great Idea Competition, Louw. This is the first time that a competition like this is run in South Africa, so any constructive criticism to make it better is appreciated.
The semi-finalist were posted in no particular order, so if people simply vote for the first one, the best entry may not neccessarily win, which would be a real pity. We will look at ways to make it easier for people to read and vote.
All the entries went through a very intense judging process before the semi-finalists were selected. Four judges evaluated every entry on writing style, idea, originality, sustainability, marketability both locally and internationally, production difficulty and cost, and what is posted now for public comment are the productions that scored the highest points in each of their categories.
Harriet Meier
WGSA Chairperson
THANK YOU! The recent workshop facilitated by Linda Aronson( Big Fish School Of Digital Filmmaking, 4-5 May) was an absolute triumph! I’ m sure that all in attendance felt as enriched as I was to have such a seasoned industryveteran share with us her unique-yet-universallyaccessible, knowledge, experience, techniques and quirky humanity. Linda Aronson is one amazingly talented and engaging individual and being able to learn from her has definitely been an experience that will definitely shape, focus and guide my writing for the better!
A HUUUUGGE‘ Thank You!’ to the team at WGSA. Your enormous efforts in the planning, logistics and ultimately in executing this fantastic workshop did not go unnoticed and are much appreciated! I wish each member of the team and the Guild as a whole every success and a fantastic Winter season. Let’ s keep the fires of inspiration burning and onward and upward to our next exciting exchange! Kudos and many thanks. Now, breathe.
And to MNET, my wonderful sponsor! Your ongoing dedication to upliftment, skills development and talent nurturing – particularly to us, the creative writing community of the entertainment sector – is truly invaluable and hugely appreciated. Personally, I cannot wait to put some of the techniques learned from this workshop to practical use and add further value and a fresh voice to our industry. Surely, the return on your investment in knowledgetransfer workshops such as this one, will be felt in our industry through more innovative, more vivid and more relevant story-telling – and the magic that that awakens in us all! Kudos, and many thanks for your sponsorship
Craig Niken
PLEASE WRITE TO US
P. O. Box 91937, Auckland Park, 2006 or email editor @ writersguildsa. org and put MAILBOX in the subject line. Every letter must include the writer’ s full name and location. Letters should not be longer than 400 words. Letters may be edited for space and clarity. Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of WGSA Magazine’ s editorial team. We cannot undertake to respond to all letters. Contributions must be mailed on or before the 22 th
6 | WGSA MAG June 2013