Every production needs a script and Writers are responsible for creating that script, making the narrative engaging as well as having an emotional impact but without the scriptwriting process a production can't start as it involves making draft of what the script would look like to gain interest of the commissioner of the project.
The commissioning process is when a scriptwriter comes up with an idea and a draft to present to the commissioner from a production company usually through an agent. It’s an agent's job to take care of their clients by finding work for them, organizing contacts, negotiating fair wages for actors and screenwriter’s skills helping build relationships with industry decision-makers which support and guide screenwriter’s careers. Scriptwriters usually get an agent before reaching out to a commissioner as it makes them seem more professional to bigger production companies and more likely to be taken seriously. Especially when it comes to the commissioning editors as they are the senior employee of the broadcaster and oversee the writing process giving creative input. They specialize in a particular genre and are responsible for both allocating funds and most importantly the decision-making process in selecting program ideas so it's important a scriptwriter seems as professional as possible to them. However, it's important to keep in mind that the project keeps true to how it was pitched and presented to the commissioning editors as they can refuse to even put their names on the product.
It’s the Directors job to provide the overall creative vision from which the DOP, technicians and editors all work off. Directors interpret the script how they see fit (which the writer has little control over) taking the ideas from the script making them into reality, pulling it all together. The director is helped by the Script Editors who analyze scripts and outline problems using analysis skills without creating solutions so the writer/s can come up with improvements on their own to help strengthen and develop the script as it’s their job. They provide a critical overview of the scriptwriting process and are liaises between Commissioning editor, Writer and Producer. The producer also helps the director as they oversee all aspects of the production that directors don’t have to take care of themselves like the admin, financial, legal and all ethical aspects of the production. Producers may even finance the film and organize a project and pitch, possibly attaching it to a writer that they had in mind for further development.
A commissioning body is a company that accepts stories and accepts scripts and/or stories from writers outside of their company for example Universal, Fox and Disney. These companies are known as conglomerates as they are mass companies that control every aspect of each production they greenlight, which usually come from writers that they have worked with in the past that they have an established relationship with as they want a safe bet rather than to take a risk. Alternatively, corporations such as TV companies like the BBC are more likely to commission scripts from new writers if the script is liked by the commissioning editors.
Depending on the Independent production company they will produce certain styles of work and genres for other companies like TV networks and media providers. The Uk has hundreds of independent companies but some of the biggest are Netflix, Film4 and Blumhouse.
Organizations like the BBC Writers Room or the BFI Film academy can help kick-start your career in media by providing a platform for new writers in the creation of their new ideas. Writers across different platforms like film, TV, radio even games can receive support from the Writers Guild of great Britan.
There are several completions for people to enter with cash prizes and wilts winning one might not make you successful it will help make your screenplay be more likely to be read by potential managers, agents even producers giving you that little bit of an edge in the industry. It’s a great opportunity for scriptwriters if you're unsure of how to make it in the industry as it'll make you stand out as you start to understand the process of the industry and seeming just that little more professional rather than just an armature.
Professional Presentation:
A writer needs to follow the conventional standards of the industry when writing a script for example the preferred script format set by the industry is a master scene script as it provides all the necessary details and information needed to shoot the film. They also need to obey conventions of the type of format they are trying to write a script for like a documentary, series or film, scripts also need to be at a certain level of professionalism for example the font and even the size are crucial to even be considered and not overlooked at a mere glance neverminded being read. If it's not up to an industry standard then it's viewed as armature work no matter how good the actual script is, one of the reasons they have a preferred font and size (Courier, 12 pt) is so they can calculate how long the film is going to be just by the page number as an A4 page of a script is roughly considered as one minute of screen time.
An Agent isn't just a way of seeming more professional, doesn't hurt though as bigger companies won't even consider clients if they're without an agent making them seem like an unprofessional amateur and would be immensely overlooked. However, agents also pitch ideas selling them so it's worthwhile having a good agent is important especially when it comes to their connections and well-established contacts in the industry. So, a well-known agent it beneficial to submit your work through, which is known as a solicited submission as a posed to submitting your work individually which is known as an unsolicited submission. Agents are also inclined to make sure your career go well as agents an agent’s pay is around 10% of how much the client earns working with the agent so the more money the client makes the more money the agent makes. Some agents work for an agency company mostly in TV, so some clients have a whole team representing them rather than just the one agent.
Being able to pitch or convey your ideas and get them across clearly allowing people to see your exact vision is an important skill to have as a writer weather it's to a production industry or the audience, being clear and effortless to understand is a must. If a script is difficult or a struggle to understand then the intrigue and any interest is then lost immediately, and it becomes a struggle to sell that piece of work hurting the chances of being a writer or your career. No matter who it is an audience's attention needs to be gripped immediately regardless of the genre as it needs to demonstrate its appeal to a targeted audience. The best way to show this is with a solid pitch to a commissioner to get your clear well understood project greenlit and it helps to grab interest when you have an interesting film premise or a twist especially when you pitch it with enthusiasm to demonstrate your passion for the project as well as opening with a question to try and engage the commissioner to get them thinking but also be straight to the point in your storyline and don’t drag or it'll start to bore.
Scriptwriting can be a lengthy process and it's important to manage your time efficiently to hit deadlines, being behind schedule can look bad on scriptwriters, putting strain on relationships with agents and commissioners but also writers can just lose interest all together. After being commissioned if deadlines aren't met the whole process can be extended as writers work with a whole team, for example if the project was a film as it solely depends on having that one script. whereas different projects like a series will have different scripts for different episodes throughout the series so they don’t have to be filmed in chronological order and can manage their time around which scripts are done first while the others may still be in the scriptwriting process.
When a book or film that uses a script gets a sale the writers of that script and their agents along with the producers all get a percentage of that sale.
When asked to produce specific material writers often are asked to work with other professionals such as producers and directors or even other writers on a script for example. It is important scriptwriters know how to work well with others when collaborating on projects as it’s a common occurrence.
Screenwriters have little to no control once their script is sold and they hand it over as it's then taken off to the director who will have total control over the film making process from there. It’s rare for a writer to be involved after that as there is usually a team waiting to tweak and alter the script to their liking to suit the production making it one less person they need to worry about as after all the necessary alterations if the screenwriter isn't happy with the final product, the only thing they can do is take their name off it getting no credit for their own work.
Legal and ethical Considerations:
There are several elements to consider when writing a screenplay and working in the industry mainly weather or not its original as to run into any legal issues and to not cause offence to any singular parties or audiences.
You can copyright any physical work such as scripts this includes digital scripts too, however you can't copyright ideas that you have. Copyrighting a script lasts however long the writer lives plus an extra 70 years. Any digital work you do a date is created in the file which automatically attaches the copyright to you and the date, to make it clear that your script is copyrighted you should put the copyright symbol on every page of the script somewhere including the front page. To take extra precaution to copyright your script you can register it with a bank or solicitor then sending it to yourself special delivery as prove of its creation date if necessary.
Copyright is also in place for other industries such as radio for example, radio documentaries and dramas need a script which the writer can copyright. It's not just scripts that can be copyrighted either as sounds, artwork even games get copied all the time as game companies try to find ways around it by re-working ideas that are popular as you can't copyright ideas only specific elements when it comes to games for example, when a battle royale game called ‘PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds’ got popular games like ‘Fortnite’ and ‘Totally accurate battlegrounds’ were released.
Plagiarism is copying or altering a few words of an idea or argument so writers must be careful about how similar their work is to any existing work as it's an actional offense to infringe on somebody's copyright or trademark which would be known as plagiarizing their content. A plagiarism case can often be a time-consuming process however they can be settled by the copyright holder getting credit or royalties.
Libel is writing inaccurate and malicious things about individuals, groups or even businesses through a text or broadcast. Writers need to do their research to ensure to not court any legal issues by misinterpretation, if actual malice was intended writers must prove they did their research into the group or business like a religion for example to collect any damages. This is very necessary as the media have the power to dismantle someone's career by just a comment.
This is the ethical consideration of representing events, people even organizations, when writing in media production you should bear in mind that representation is a huge issue. When it comes to non-fiction there is usually a lot of politics involved so it's crucial that you stay impartial and fair when writing to allow people to have their own opinions and beliefs. For example, when there were claims that the news channels coverage of Jeremy Corbyn was biased there were 139 complaints were submitted to Ofcom they dismissed the claims but still had to review their footage.
Censorship is based around the audience and how your work is represented to your targeted audience when it comes to the depiction if violence, sex, language or drugs as it needs to follow guidelines to ensure its tailored to that demographic for example the BBFC. Scenes from films are often removed if there is some outrage about it being too provocative or graphic for example in “Indiana Jones temple of doom” there was a pulled scene where a man was going to be dropped in lava and show his body disintegrating. In TV shows if jokes are too dark or get a lot of backlash they too can be censored.
In TV the watershed is the point in time that divides the more family friendly programming to more adult tv shows and programming are allowed to be played which is usually around 9pm. This important to keep in mind as what your script includes as shows like Rick & Morty can only be shown after 9pm due to the many adult themes. Commercials also follow similar rules however radio does not, they are just mindful of their audiences and what's acceptable to broadcast.
