That’s right! The wait is over, the whole event has finally taken shape and as of today you can start accessing all content and information via the website at srn2020.com (I know, but changing the domain name meant additional costs, and if sport events can keep the original 2020 name, why shouldn’t we at least in the URL).

Let’s get to business! The first thing everyone should do is register to SRN2021. Registration is FREE but “required” for everyone – speakers and regular attendees alike. This is because, among other things, while a good wealth of information is freely accessible anyway, the core content of SRN2021 – namely, pre-recorded video-presentations of papers, live panels and related recordings – will only be accessible via password, which you will receive when you register. To register, simply fill in and submit the form that applies to you (speaker or attendee) on the website. Registered delegates will also receive the login details (i.e. link, session ID and password) for all the live panels’ sessions (these will be sent out as invitations around mid-late August).

Then you can take a look at the schedule for the Live panels to get an idea of the incredible amount, variety and originality of the research being presented by our panelists this year. Despite everything that is going on, we still have 20 panels and 76 papers in our line-up. More about this in a minute.

As you all know, SRN2021 Online replaces (or, at least, will do its best to try) our Annual Conference, which had to be cancelled. Switching online meant having to adjust to the unusual format but also gives us the opportunity to make the most out of what it offers. Therefore, the SRN2021 experience is not limited to the “live” sessions: it starts before (essentially, NOW) and it continues afterwards, with the website as your central control hub for everything – as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1)    PRE-RECORDED PRESENTATIONS: all speakers have been asked to submit their papers as pre-recorded 15’ video-presentations; they will then attend their respective live Q&A panels in a few weeks’ time. Given the number of papers, the best approach is to watch as many presentations as possible ahead of the live sessions so as to be able to make an active contribution to those. On the website you can find all the abstracts and bios, and you can easily access (via password) all the presentations. A dozen or so are already online (many thanks to those of you who submitted early!) and most other submissions are expected in the next week or two – I will upload them on the website on a daily basis.

2)    LIVE PANELS: bookmark the dates on your calendars if you haven’t done so already. We kick off on Tuesday 31 August, then continue in September, on Friday 3, Wednesday 8, Monday 13 and Friday 17. The full schedule is available as a PDF document: the reference time zone is UTC/GMT (i.e. UK time), but you will find downloadable versions for all time zones (at least those of our speakers). And you can also access the programme for each individual day. The schedule is now pretty much final although some tweaks might still occur.

As per previous emails, on each day we will have two sessions so as to give delegates from all geographic areas a chance to attend at least one (colleagues from Europe can easily attend both). Unless you turn into owls you will probably miss a few sessions when it’s night time in your country: not to worry because we will record all of them and make them available ASAP as catch-up via the website. However, please please please do try and attend as many as reasonably possible: we do need lively panels to make this work. And remember that, on top of the regular panels’ Q&As, the live sessions also include the two keynotes, the AGM, the EC Elections, a round table, the SRN Awards, the Working Groups, plus time to network with colleagues. Again, info on all of these are available on the website.

Q&As: each panel will last on average 45 minutes (a little longer if it’s a panel of five). How to ask questions to our speakers? During the live session you can ask questions either in person or via chat (the chair/host will moderate these). But you can also submit your comments/questions on the website when you watch the presentations; in this case, the relevant chairs will collect them and forward them to the speakers during the live panels.

3)    The AFTERPARTY: I am planning to organize a few extra one-off events with special guests (I’m still working on this though). If things go to plan these will be in late September/October/early November. These will likely be informal chats with writers and/or producers, and/or workshops with colleagues, and/or more ad-hoc networking sessions to foster collaborations with SRN colleagues. Plus, last but not least by any means, in November we will have the ECR Symposium organized by Ann Igelström – you can find the details to submit your proposals on the website (as well as on the SRN website). The deadline is 10 August, so hurry up! And yes, if you are an Early Career Researcher you can submit to the Symposium even if you are already participating in SRN2021 (with a different paper, though).

Specific dates and events aside, the website (and all its content) will remain available to all registered delegates for the next two years, thus giving all of you plenty of time to check out research strands you might be interested in and get in touch with colleagues for potential future collaborations.

As you can see, there’s enough on the website to get you going for a long time so better get started straight away, right? I have done my best to redesign it and hopefully you will be able to navigate it as smoothly as possible: however, if you spot any errors, or bump into anything that doesn’t seem to be working properly, do give me a shout and I will try to fix it. For instance, I tried to optimize the website so it can be accessed from computers, tablets and phones, but it looks like older devices might have some issues displaying some content.

You will notice a few pages on the website still marked as “Coming soon”. These are still under construction and will become available within the next few days. One of these, for instance, will allow you to search for content in different ways based on your interests. If you are not familiar with Zoom (the videoconferencing platform we will be using for our live sessions) you will soon find guidance and tips on the website. Or, again, the specific pages for individual days of the live panels. I will send out weekly updates from now on, each one focusing on a few specific things in the lead-up to the live sessions.

One final reminder: on Day 4 (13 September) we will hold our AGM and the elections of three new members of the Executive Council of the SRN. Please consider standing for election: the call for nominations was issued last month, is available on the SRN website here, and you will soon find the relevant info on the SRN2021 website as well. The deadline to submit your nominations is 16 August and we will set up a secure online voting system in the forthcoming days.

This is it for today.

Do explore the website, register right away, get watching the presentations, mark the dates on your calendar and start enjoying SRN2021!

In 2021, the Screenwriting Research Network will gather the membership in an Online Seminar during August and September.

More information and the full programme can be accessed here.

FAO of the SRN Executive Council 

CURRENT SITUATION (up to date as of 19 April 2021) 

At the moment, in the UK we are riding out of the third wave of pandemic, which seems to be  subsiding quite substantially, with numbers down to 1500-2000/day, although now that some  restrictions have been lifted these are predicted to rise again in the forthcoming weeks. 

Last week saw the enforcement of Step 2 of the so-called Roadmap out of lockdown, which can  be summed up as per below: 

• Only outdoor activities/hospitality venues/attractions have re-opened 
• Working from home whenever possible still apply 
• No accommodation (e.g. hotels) 
• No catering services indoors 
• No unnecessary travelling 
• Universities have re-opened with limited activities (i.e. practice-based) and capacity • Gathering: 

o No indoor gatherings (fines of up to £10,000) 

o Only family/friends up to 6 outdoors 

• Usual guidelines still apply:  

o 2-metre social distancing 

o Face covering 

o Sanitising hands 

However, the situation worldwide is still quite challenging. 

In countries like Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Finland and Denmark, it seems to be fairly  under control as it’s been for most of the past year. 

There seems to be much improvement in other countries such as, for instance, Spain and Portugal. But it remains tough in the US and in most other European countries; and it is still dire in South America and quite a few other countries such as India (not all countries in the map supply up-to date data). 

As known, the rollout of vaccination programmes has been seriously delayed in many countries and even implemented in different ways: for example, in the UK about 50% of the population has  now received their first dose of the vaccine, but only about 15% have received the second dose as  well. Comparing current data from the WHO, Johns Hopkins University, and BBC, very few of  our delegates’ countries – e.g. the U.S., Chile, and the UAE – are doing fairly well with 23-29% of  the population now fully vaccinated; most others (especially in Europe and South America, where  80% of our delegates come from) are lagging much behind (2-9% on average). The most optimistic  predictions seem to converge towards the late Autumn/early Winter for vaccination programmes  to reach significant results both on a local and global scale. 

Travelling to England from outside the UK 

While several countries are beginning the rush to open their doors to tourists, at the moment the  “real” situation is as follows: 

• Travel ban/no entry to the UK from countries on “red list” (i.e. the whole of South  America, all countries in the Southern half of Africa, a few Asian countries, with India likely  to be added soon as well) 

o At the moment, this involves at least 13-15 delegates 

• Passengers from ALL other countries are subject to mandatory test-and-quarantine rules (i.e. applies to ALL other non-UK resident delegates): 

o Before you leave for the UK: 

Take a Covid-19 test and get a negative result during the 3 days before you  travel 

Book a test-and-quarantine package (£1750 per person), which includes: • Accommodation in a managed quarantine hotel (if you do not have  private accommodation)

o Throughout the whole duration of your quarantine, you  

CANNOT leave your hotel room 

• Two Covid-19 tests to be taken during quarantine 

o If you test positive, you will have to stay longer 

Complete the online passenger locator form (within 48 hours of departure) o On arrival in the UK: 

Provide proof of a negative coronavirus test (only accepted in either English,  French or Spanish) taken in your country 

Quarantine/self-isolate for 10 days, either:  

• In private accommodation (if you have one), or 
• In a managed quarantine hotel 

Take TWO Covid-19 tests on days 2 and 8 of quarantine (as per your booking) 

• You can book and take an “early” test (called Test and release) to  

end quarantining on Day 5, at extra cost (£220; rumoured to be reduced to £55 in the near future) via private providers 

• Infringement of any of the above is considered a serious criminal offense and carries fines  of up to £10,000 and imprisonment for up to 10 years  
• Upon returning to your country: 

o Most countries have enforced their own test-and-quarantine rules, which might  apply when returning home in some cases 

EXPECTED CHANGES IN MAY/JUNE 

Step 3 of Roadmap out of lockdown (not before 17 May) 

• Outdoor gathering and events of up to 30 people 
• Events with up to 30 (does not specify whether indoor events are allowed; and if  conferences are included in this category that so far includes weddings, funerals and  similar) 
• Indoor hospitality re-opens (e.g. hotels) 

Travelling to England from outside the UK 

• Rules will most likely switch to a “traffic light system”: 

o Green: free entry/no restrictions subject to negative pre-departure test and  subsequent negative PCR test (i.e. a swab of your mouth and nose) on Day 2 of  your stay in the UK 

At the moment, only a handful of countries are predicted to be given green  status – as concerns our delegates, these will include only USA and Portugal o Amber: equivalent to current test-and-quarantine system 

Most of our delegates’ other countries will be “amber”  

o Red: equivalent to current “red list”, i.e. total ban/no entry 

• In short, not much will actually change compared to the current situation Step 4 of Roadmap out of lockdown (not before 21 June)
• Plans to reopen all activities and events (including indoors) 
• Travel traffic light system to be reviewed on 28 June and 31 July; while many hope this will  mean even fewer restrictions, in fact predictions are for numbers to get worse in the weeks/months following re-opening of international travel and therefore said periodic  reviews could end up tightening restrictions instead

• Full review of restrictions/guidance (including how long social distancing and face masks will  remain in place) 

BUT 

• No specific dates are mentioned regarding the latter 
• All the above depends on the outcome of “a scientific Events Research Programme to test  the outcome of certain pilot events through the spring and summer, where we will trial the  use of testing and other techniques to cut the risk of infection” (source: UK.gov, no further  details available so far) 
• All the above applies to the UK population, on the assumption that most will be vaccinated  by the Summer 

o Visitors from abroad attending events will still be subject to the traffic light system,  and therefore test-and-quarantine where applicable unless restrictions are changed/lifted in June-July 

CONCLUSIONS 

To sum up, in the most optimistic scenario: 

• If all the above goes according to plan, and 
• If no new waves occur and/or no new variants emerge 

It might be possible for IRL events such as SRN2021 to be “legally” allowed from July onwards. 

A meeting with the Events Team at the conference venue (i.e. the Mathematical Institute) was held  to assess all the above and viability of the conference based on available information and on the  participation of many delegates from outside the UK. 

In practical terms the most likely scenario in case we ran SRN2021 as normal, is as follows: 

• Social distancing and face covering rules will still apply indoors at the venue and during the  conference, regardless of whether new regulations will allow for some more flexibility • Social distancing rules will mean severely reduced maximum room capacity. More  specifically: 

o Main Lecture Theatre (used for plenaries and panels): from 250 to 55 

o Other seminar rooms (used for panels): from 40 to 12-15 

• In turn, this means having to reduce the maximum number of delegates to 55 • However, the cost of hiring the venue will remain the same and therefore registration fees  are bound to be substantially higher than expected 
• Only formal sessions possible: no additional social/networking activities can be planned • Catering: 

o At the moment the venue’s supplier cannot guarantee service for large numbers o Assuming catering can be supplied, it will likely be in the form of individual pre packed parcels to be consumed and cost more 

o Regardless of the above, at the moment the caterer is unable to provide a quote

• A hybrid solution is not financially viable: the venue does not have in-house capability for  that and will have to hire an external company to handle the setup and live streaming – daily costs are from £1200+VAT and would add to existing running costs 

The above considers the situation in situ in Oxford. Unfortunately, we still need to factor in a few  more issues for delegates, especially those coming from abroad. 

• While this might change in the forthcoming months, as things stand now most international  delegates will very likely have to follow test-and-quarantine rules, with all the extra time  and cost that this entail. Luckier delegates coming from “green-listed” countries will still  have to take tests and if positive will have to quarantine as well. 
• Virtually all universities in all countries currently enforce a ban on international travel that  is likely to last till the end of the academic year – i.e. until August-October in the Northern Hemisphere, but until the end of 2021 in the Southern Hemisphere. 
• Linked to the above is the freeze on funding for international travel. Budgets for this work  according to deadlines of the academic year and therefore for most delegates this means  funding won’t be available before September/Autumn in the most optimistic scenario. 
• Also linked to the above ban, is travel and health insurance. Most delegates work for  academic institutions and when they travel to attend conferences overseas they are  covered by their work insurance. Until universities’ travel bans last, this means insurance  cover is void if delegates decide to travel and attend the conference anyway and therefore  they will have to purchase cover out of their pocket. 

In light of the above, I conclude that, unfortunately, the conditions to run/host SRN2021 in Oxford  safely as per plan are not met and, therefore, for the 2021 Annual Conference to be cancelled and  be replaced by an “alternative online event” TBD ASAP as per discussions so far. To this purpose,  pending the SRN Executive Council’s approval in today’s monthly meeting:  

1. I will announce the decision to the Membership on Tuesday 20 April;  
2. I will outline an “alternative online event” format to be presented to the Membership,  possibly by the end of April – this will include alternative format(s) for paper panels and  Q&As, keynote speakers and guests (where available and confirmed), virtual AGM, EC  Elections and SRN Awards and will take into account time zones and limitations and/or  advantages of available platforms (e.g. Zoom).  

On a final, positive note, I can confirm that the School of Arts at Oxford Brookes University is still  willing to provide minimum financial support (roughly £1300) to cover the cost of keynote  speakers’ fees, SRN Awards and website subscription/hosting. 

19 April 2021 

PAOLO RUSSO 

SRN2021 Conference Director

First episode of the new series – SRN Conversations: Memories from SRN Conferences (2008-11)

with

• Ian W. Macdonald
• Eva Novrup Redvall
• Kirsi Rinne
• Ronald Geertz
• and Carmen Sofia Brenes as Moderator

  remembering the origins of SRN and the first conferences.

  Follow us on Facebook (@screenwritingnetwork) and Twitter (@SRNConference)