ScriptWriting Learning Aim A (Updated)

 

SECTION 1: OBTAINING WORK AS A SCREENWRITER – COMMISIONING

To commission is the act of giving authorisation to put something in place. In the case of media production could be the approval of a particular plot/storyline or the permission for a production in general with a particular budget. In case of screenwriting, most of the time it is the consent to write after a success in the acceptance of a pitched idea. In the area of commissioning, there are many job roles involved as many people need to agree on giving the approval on the project, and these might be:

Producers: A media producer is a person who oversees the media production, who can be employed buy a company or could work independently, they plan and coordinate the aspects of the production like selecting the script and coordinating its writing, keeping an eye on the directing, editing, and arranging financing. Producers can be often involved in the marketing and distribution process. Another role of producers is to work closely to a director if not with them and the other crew members while shooting to help every member to have an idea of the product. When Danny DeVito has first seen Reservoir Dogs by Quentin Tarantino, he decided to produce Quentin's next movie, which was Pulp Fiction. Even if Quentin Tarantino was the writer of the movie, Danny DeVito who was the executive producer decided to suggest changes in the script and in the storyline of the movie, Danny DeVito is the one who decided to include the Boxer's storyline( played by Bruce Willis) and that nearly changed most of the initial plot of the movie.

Directors: The director controls any artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay, so he can guide the technical crew and the actor as they could fulfil of his vision. The key role of a director is in choosing the cast members, production design and every creative aspect of media production. The director should give direction to the cast and crew, he should be able to meditate differences in creative visions and stay within the budget. When it comes to scriptwriting, the director is open to make some chenges in the storyline if allowed, or sometimes they just have to work with what's written, in some cases the director is the same person that written the movie so he's able to change the storyline when it comes more comfortable to him. For example, in the case of X-Men Dark Phoenix the movie has been written and directed 2 times by Simon Kimberg, the first script was been changed because the ending was too similar to another project that was being released in the same period by Marvel which was Captain Marvel, and the cast and crew had already shot the ending before they came to know that they had to change it, so they had to prepare another screenplay and had to shoot again half of the movie. The release date has been delayed but still because of some time issues, the actors confirm in some interviews that the director every week was only writing the screenplay for the week after. 

Script editors: A Script editor is a member of the production team of scripted television and radio programmes, usually dramas and comedies. He has many responsibilities including finding new script writes, developing storyline and series ideas with writes, and ensuring that scripts are suitable for production. They need to ensure that the production has continues verbal and visual integrity and they also are responsible for checking that continuity mistakes are not present in the final cut. They also have to make sure that the product's script is appropriate and suitable fot they're audience, that's why they need to analyze and overview the screenwriting process so when it comes to the director's hands he will be able to make everythig go smoothly, and if there are problems during the productions the editors should be able to resolve them. Eric Roth was the Script Editor for Mank, directed by David Fincher. Even if in the credits, it's mentioned that the movie is written by Jack Fincher, who is David Fincher's father, the writer passed away 16 years before the filming started, so Eric Roth had to overcome and adapt the script again so it could be worked with in 2019 when the movie was being produced.

Agents: An agent is someone who has given permission to act on behalf of someone else through employment, so they find work for their clients, they need to be ready to schedule meetings and auditions, they organise contracts and try to negotiate appropriate deals that could be appreciated by every part, agents should be able to build relationships with industry decision-makers and they should support and guide writers’ careers.

Writers: A writer is who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. It is a freelance profession. No education is required to be a professional screenwriter. Sometimes screenplays are written in teams as to achieve and develop an engaging narrative and emotional impact. If the appropriate format is not met, which is Master Scene Script, the script will not be even read by producers or who oversees checking the screenplays. Not all the times the writers have to produce something of their imagination or something they decided to produce on their own, they also can be assigned  a story and they need to adapt it in a screenplay structure so it can fit the screen features. For example when Martin Scorsese read the book "The Wolf of Wall Street" by Jordan Belfort, he wanted to base a movie on it, so he contacted Terence Winter so he could adapt the book in a Master Scene Script format.

If a writer has a script and he wants to get that script commissioned, that’s when commissioning bodies get involved in the process and in the path of a scriptwriter, commissioning bodies could be:

Corporations: All the big corporations are part of large conglomerates because they have complete ownership of every stage of production like funding, marketing, distribution, and in some case exhibition. When working with big corporations there’s safety of already knowing names who have already worked for big companies, indies or agents. Usually in the US there is a ‘pilot season’ around March-May every year where a lot of commissioning networks run competitions to get screenplays noticed. Corporations can give up and coming writers the opportunity to submit their scripts to them and if the corporation enjoys particularly someone’s script, they could commission it to be made for one of their channels. In the UK, big corporations could be BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Amazon Studios and they commission scripts and budgets for tv shows that are on their, in the case of BBC they have a website where submitted scripts can be downloaded to read and that also gives BBC an idea of what’s popular amongst the public.

Independent production companies: In the UK there are hundreds of independent companies, who strike deals with other bigger companies to produce material (for example: this could be for broadcast on a network). Different companies are known for different genres and work to varying budgetary capabilities, writers may submit work directly to IPC’s. One of them is A24, which is one of the most famous indipendent company that gives the opporunity to young or not famous writers and directors to work on indipendent movies but with a mainstream productions, fading stars like Robert Pattinson, Adam Sandler or Nicholas Cage went through the phase when they were working in this indipendent movies to redeem their career

Independent directors: An independent director is a director of a board of directors who does not have a material or pecuniary relationship with company or related persons, except sitting fees. He needs to act as a guide to the company. Their roles broadly include improving corporate credibility and governance standards functioning as a watchdog, and they also play a vital role in the management of a risk. They also play an active role in various committees set up by company to ensure good governance.

Organisation: Organisations in media production sometimes are a set up to help and assist prospective writers to have an advantage in starting a career as a writer for big productions. Some example of British organisations can be BBC Writers Room, Good in a Room or BFI Film Academy, The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain supports writers across media including film, online, radio, theatre, TV and videogames.

Competitions: for an amateur screenwriter who wants to be noticed by big producers or companies there are numerous screenwriting competitions available for entry with cash prizes. This will not lead to an immediate success, but it will help an independent screenwriter to potentially show his work to managers, agents, and producers. In the UK FilmFreeway run three competitions, with all winner since 2013 being in pre-production or production, with some winning awards.

SECTION 2: WORKING AS A WRITER – THE DEMANDS AND REQUIREMENTS

Being a screenwriter requires good storytelling abilities and imagination. Screenwriters are not hired employees but contracted freelancers. Most of the scriptwriters at the beginning od their careers write on speculation, which means that they write without getting paid or hired at all. The difference between a professional screenwriter and an amateur one is that professional screenwriters are usually represented by a talent agency, and they rarely work for free while amateur screenwriters will often work for free and are considered “writers in training”.

Most likely the industries would like their screenplays to be written in some standard formats, that needs to be followed because it will help who examines the screenplay to have a rough idea of how long in minutes the product is going to be, the most used format is called Master Scene Script and in this format every page corresponds to a minute on the screen, as the font used and the size permit to do so. This will help every screenwriter not to lose their script, knowing that the script will not even be looked at if not in the right format and will not be accepted.

A writer will also need the representation of an agent, an agent is someone who looks after the sales and the work load of a client, usually the agent receives between 10-25% of the pay, but this also depends on how much the agent and the client  agree on what the fixed percentage is going to be. This fixed percentage is going to be taken from how much the client will make by using the help of the agent. The agent will also be in charge of the negotiation of the sale to publishers, theatrical producers and film producers; and there are well known publishing companies that will not even accept clients unless they have an agent to represent them, because having a well-known and very experience agent is a big advantage as they will already have contacts to send on the work.

The royalty payment is a percentage of the gross made by using what the writer produced, which can be negotiated by the agent, the client and the producers, they are the payment that the writer will receive from the sales of books and films along with the use of the script, and depending on which media platform the script is going to be used on, the payments writers receive can be varied.

Writers should manage their time correctly when producing some screenwriting. Spending too much time could lead to he script to be more complex than needed, as it becomes more of a novel than a script, lots of screenwriter spend time thinking about the evolution of a character, creating something that its hard to portray, which will get easier by developing the character through some well-written dialogues or actions. While wasting time can cause scripts to remain unfinished for long period of times, which can lead the writer to lose interest and end up giving up the project. It is even more important when a script has been commissioned and the writer needs to work with a team of people that are relying on him to finish the script by a certain deadline. If these are not met, it can cause strained relationship with the people who commissioned the script, especially producers and agents, because for a writer being behind schedule, the whole production will be behind schedule too causing money losses.

For a screenwriter, collaborating it is an activity that brings knowledge, experience, teamwork and even personal development. Having someone to work helps to learn from other professionals and receiving help makes the work easier and quicker. So many blockbusters movie are written in teams or couples, or sometimes even siblings decide to write screenplays together, in the commercial case we have the Nolan brothers, the Coen Brothers and the Wachowski brothers.

Every writer needs to be aware of what he will agree on with the purchaser when the script is sold, because he will only have the right that were decided with. Rarely screenwriters are involved in the development of a film, sometimes they could come on as advisors, or if they are established, as a producer. Some scripts are optioned, which means the production company buy the rights for a period of time with the option of making it, and while they hold the rights nobody else can produce the script.

SECTION 3: THE SCRIPTWRITING PROCESS – LEGAL & ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS

During the process of scriptwriting, writers should think about the legal and ethical consideration of how their writing is going to affect any rule or law that will not making the production possible, in this case the considerations are:

Copyright: every written finished content of a creator can be copyrighted, otherwise it can be stolen or copied easily. When a writer is working digitally, a date is created in the file and this automatically attaches the copyright to you and the date. The writer should put the copyright symbol on the front page and every page of the script. Copyright lasts for the life of the writer plus 70 years.

Plagiarism: is when a product that comes out is very similar to another existing worked, and this existing work doesn’t get mentioned or quoted, even if the second product is clearly copied from the first one, just like copying ideas and arguments but by changing some words and details. The common thread is that the copying is dishonest because it is unacknowledged. And every case of plagiarism may be settled via the originator receiving credits by making the eligible for royalties and profits accrued.

Libel: is the oral or written communication of a false statement about another unjustly harms their reputation and usually constitutes a tort or a crime. By this, malicious things are written or said about an individual, group or business in a written text or a broadcast. Writers need to meticulously research about how they should not come to face this problem, or any court legal issues through any kind of misinterpretation. To collect damages, individuals must prove actual malice was intended.

Bias: is how any prejudice is taken unfairly toward a characterization of a certain person or group of people. In writing it is a found in speech and that writers can do without being conscious about. But every writer should have the responsibility of being aware of how writing is going to be without bias. BBC News have a commitment to be balanced, impartial and fair, and that’s how every writer should be, even when he’s writing fiction, he should consider how he will represent different people, groups, events and organisation, while when writing non-fiction the writer has the responsibility to  be totally neutral and not taking sides.

Censorship: there are some restriction in the writing process, especially when writing for a big production and when the pitched idea already has a target audience, it will be impossible to see a script that presents sex, racial insults, and swear words for a really young target audience. The BBFC have strict guidelines about what can and cannot be shown on TV, videogames, radio and film. to have an appropriate product, some aspects need to be cut or censored. This generally happens with violence, sex, language, discrimination and drug abuse, which also depends on who the audience is and how certain material is presented.

Watersheds: usually in broadcasting, watershed is that pint in time, usually in late night, when programmes with adult content may be broadcast. This divides the day into the overnight period where programs that are oriented for families or suitable for children may be aired and where the programming aimed at or suitable for a more adult audience is permitted, though not required. In most of the countries, the same set of rules applies to and television commercials, both the content of the commercial and the nature of the product or service being advertise change drastically after a certain time of the day or night.

In the UK the watershed on free-to-air television is between 9pm and 5.30 am, while premium or pay-per-view are allowed to start the watershed at 8pm. Programmes that are rated 15 like How I met your mother cannot be shown outside this period, however, some 12-rated show can be shown before 9 pm such as The Simpsons, Malcolm in the Middle, Doctor Who, and Futurama. PIN protected channels (like Sky Movies) have no watershed, trying to view adult material before 8pm will require a PIN. 18-rated content must not air until 10pm on most channels that do not have PIN protection. But channels that are dedicating to airing adult content such as Horror Channel may be allowed to start 18-rated content at 9pm without PIN.R18-rated material is not allowed at all, and must be edited to fit 18-rated content guidelines if shown on television, for example: movies like Scarface or Robocop have their television versions, but most of the offensive language has been re-dubbed in post-production to make it clean, many violent scenes are cut out, and nudity scenes are cut out or censored.