Script development and commissioning presentation.ppt

Script Development& Commissioning

By Rebecca Doyle

Script Development

Every time we watch the TV, us as the audience are embracing the work of a screenwriter. Screen writing is all about being able to connect to people and understand their emotions. According to Claudia Hunter Johnson in her book Crafting Short Screenplays That Connect, the screen writers main purpose is to emotionally connect to the audience.

‘The best screen plays - long or short - are written by those who know how to connect - to themselves (their unique vision, material, process), to what drama is, and most important, to others.’

I think it’s very important that the scriptwriter is connected in what they are doing. It helps them gain a better understanding of what they are writing and what sort of person they are as a scriptwriter. If a writer isn’t connecting to what they are writing, they cannot expect the script readers on the other side to grasp the story either, which means it’ll be harder to get their script commissioned, when it arrives at that process. The commissioners need to feel the story too.

Amy Dunkelberger explains in The Basics of Screenwriting:

‘As any screenwriter will tell you, the first few pages of a screenplay are the most important - for both your audience and the people responsible for producing your film. Script readers are an impatient lot, and if you don't engage them right away, they will drop your script and move on to the next.’

http://www.fathom.com/course/21701762/session4.html

Connecting

Idea Connection

Gathering ideas for scripts can be a hard and time consuming tasks. One of the best ways to go about it is by just jotting every idea down that comes in to your head, and reading through them. If you find one you like you can, elaborate on it to see how deep the idea allows you to go as a writer. The link below takes you to a clip about a woman who has been experiencing how to write and develop scripts. She talks about emotional connections and feelings between characters. One example she uses is that of a mother, father and child. She says that you don’t know how they felt at the time before you were born, but you now how they make you feel as a person when they walk in to a room. It’s things like this that really demonstrates the connections that screenwriters can make, and how easy is seems to create a story just from that one observation of a person.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ87MJMhBM0

Collaboration

As well as the connecting factor, there’s also a stage of ‘collaboration’. Once you have submitted your script, your opening up your writing to other professionals therefore involving them in the development process. This allows another opinion to be shared, and are often see from a different point of view.

(Frensham Page 5)

This shows that even though it is your own work, once it has been submitted to a commissioning body, there becomes more than you as the scriptwriter, involved. Some can argue that this is a bad thing as many people don’t want any interference with the work they have done. Others would say this is a good thing because it gives you more room for expansion of ideas and there becomes less pressure on one person if roles are assigned.

Claudia Hunter Johnson also thinks it’s important to collaborate and has come up with 10 reasons why it is a good thing to write with other people. Some of these are:

• Writing with a partner doubles your chance for success• A writing workout partner helps you stay motivated, focused, and productive

in the face of countless rejections• Two imaginations really are better than one – better brainstorming and

creative breakthroughs • Collaboration not only improves mental health, it makes you a better writer -

and a better person

She uses these reasons because of her experiences and what she has learned from writing with partners. They are very good reasons because it shows what could become of a screen writer if they proceed this way, and what type of person they could become.

Collaboration - Positive Factors

Shrek’s co-writer Ted Elliot also thinks that collaboration is useful:

‘As you struggle as writers perfect your craft, schlepping from studio to studio trying to make that elusive sale or capture that dream assignment, as you wend your way over the freeways that link Hollywood to Burbank, and Beverly Hills to Century City, there is a final, overwhelming way in which a writing partner can be beneficial. Two words: Carpool Lane.’

He is explaining that scriptwriting on your own can be a tiring, slow and tedious challenge. Therefore writing with partners is a quicker, more interesting way. Going back to Ted Elliot's’ quote, he says “..Two words: Carpool Lane.”. It’s great that he uses such an example because it explains that writing with a partner reduces the time it takes and gives the opportunity to bounce ideas off each other, and it also takes the stress off the one person.

How Collaboration Is Useful

It doubles the chance for success because there is going to be more than one brain involved, therefore double the ideas.

Staying motivated and focused is important as you don’t want to lose track of what you are doing. So having someone else to work with will help you strive on.

Two people brainstorming helps one other expand on each others ideas, developing even more.

Understanding and working with other people contributes to becoming a better person yourself.

The point is you don’t have to be alone when writing scripts

Carpool relates to being quick, efficient and a better way to do things, which in this is case is to co-write scripts rather than do it on your own.

New Writers

As an aspiring screen writer, it’s important to have confidence in yourself and in your work. Producers like to see that people like this are making the effort, and contacting different companies to ask about any upcoming series’.

In the book How To.. Write for Television by William Smethurst. He talks about being new to media and screen writing industry. Commissioners like originality in your work, but also needs a clear structure in which to work from.

How To.. Write for Television by William SmethurstA complete guide to writing and marketing TV scriptsPage 68 Step by step for the new writer.

Script Commissioning

Thousands of ‘proposals’ are sent to television and network broadcasters all the time, with ideas for new programmes. The proposals that you send out, are the chances you receive to pitch your idea. These are then passed on to commissioning editors. The commissioning editors are the people who pick the strongest proposals and stories that they think have potential, and can be developed further. An example of a commissioning body is the BBC writers room.

The BBC Writers Room

The BBC Writers Room is an online submission site where it all starts basically. Amateur writers can send their scripts into the writers room for different sections of the media and hopefully get their work noticed. The BBC does not accept any scripts that have been previously used by shows/characters. Also samples, extracts, short stories, full series, poetry or scripts from overseas cannot be accepted.

This is the quote that I got from the BBC Writers Room website about what sort of things they can accept. It states the rules clearly so we can understand.

They do not want a full series of script, just on episode/part. E.g. 30 minutes long.

Script Submission

The process of script submission has 6 stages according to the BBC Writers Room. They have brought together a ‘submissions flowchart’ which shows the stages at which things happen.

It seems very straight forward and once you get to stage 4, 5 and 6, this then determines how much potential the script readers think you have. Not many people actually make it to the final stage so its important that you put a lot of thought into what your writing, don’t copy anyone else, be original and unique then you’ve more chance of getting far.

‘Scripts that are championed by our readers are then assessed by the Development Manager, who may meet with the writer, monitor their development, recommend their work to other BBC producers and departments, or place them on a development scheme. Only a small number of scripts and writers progress to this stage.’

How To Pitch Your Script

According to Stephanie Palmer there are not any set rules to pitching a script. It’s important that you establish what you are going to say to see if the listener engages into your script, and understand what you are trying to do. It’s also important not to oversell yourself while pitching, or explain too much.

Pitching Your Script

Pitching a script is probably the hardest task to do, in the hope that a script commissioner will take you on. This is what all your planning has come down to, so its really important to be as accurate as you can. Your pitching to a potential client, and they need to see that you have thought out your script and story, and that it all corresponds. It’s their decision and you want to be successful in providing them with a really good potential screenplay.

You need to remember how hard you worked to get to this position, and that if you’re not successful, treat it as a learning curve.