There are many different job roles within the commissioning process;
one of those is a commissioner editor. A
commissioner editor is expected to attend book fairs, conduct internet
research, draw up surveys to identify demand and also attend relevant
conferences this is all in order for them to learn about trends and gaps in the
market. Producers are the main players in the television, film and video
industries. Producers are expected to facilitate a project from the beginning
until the end in both the studio and on location. They have to work closely
with the director; creative input is varied depending on the client and the
brief. Script editors have the job of
providing a critical overview of the screenwriting process. They don’t tend to
offer solutions but instead help screenwriters identify problems and therefore
help to strengthen and develop screenplays in the long run. Most writers work
freelance and are self-employed. They are expected to be involved in the
creation and development of their work be it fiction or non-fiction. Writers
also have to fund themselves in most cases. None of these jobs have strict 9-5
structures, they are more sporadic so they could have to work lots of hours one
month then barely any the next.[i]
A producer is needed to overlook each aspect of a project including finance and
marketing. The producer might have pitched and financed it and then taken part
in developing the idea with writers and directors etc or the original idea
could’ve been brought to the producer by a writer or even a member of public.
An agent’s job is to first of all, find their talent work then help choose what
jobs are worth taking. Also your agent would need to be up to date with the
legal regulations in order to protect their employer. A screenplay director is
in charge of taking the writers work and turning it in to a production. This
transition can go smoothly sometimes with the writer and director working well
together. However in some cases this can go negatively as they could both have
totally different visions which can lead to conflict and even the writer taking
their name of the work in some cases. Writer Lee Hall once said “you can have a
really good script and still fuck it up.”[ii]
There are also various commissioning bodies. They vary from
huge corporation to small independent production companies. Major corporations
have the job of releasing the films and as a result get the money from the box
office. However to get your film released by a major corporation is very
difficult as they’re very careful about what films they pick as they want to
make as much profit as possible. Examples of major corporations are Paramount and
Disney. It would be easier for an unknown writer send of their work to an independent
production company as they would be more likely to work with an unknown writer
because it’d be a cheaper option. This is because independent production
companies have a smaller budget than a major corporation therefore have to cut
back where they can. Independent producers and directors are unique in the
sense they write and produce their own screenplays which gives them more power
on what happens. The reason not every producer and director can be independent
is because you have to have (a lot of) money to fund yourself. Organisations
and competitions are in place to help gain recognition whilst also nurturing
the skills of a writer. Organisations are in place to help the writer improve
their skills however they cannot fund screenplay development in a lot of cases.
Competitions are in place to give
unknown writers a chance to get their work recognised; BBC writer’s room run
competitions regularly. If you were to win a competition then you’d be more
than likely to get your script commissioned and/or a money prize.
There are many different roles for the writer throughout
production. The writer has to go through
the process of script editing. After consoling with the script editor the
writer would have to take constructive criticism on board in order to improve
their final script. Although writers do have power it’s very limited and when
they submit their script to the director and producer it sometimes is out of
their hands what the final result is. In some cases writers take their name of
the production because they are so disgusted with the final outcome. Lee Hall
talked about this in an interview stating, “The writer has very little
influence in film, not like in plays or in the theatre.”[iii]
Once your screenplay has been approved
for production you the have a shooting script which is a version of the
screenplay. The difference with the shooting script is it follows a set of
procedures specifying how script revisions should be implemented and
circulated. Following this, the script
will be in its final stage and there will be no more rewrites or edits, the
script will be published and handed to the department. However if any scenes do
need to be altered then the locking of the pages will make this task easily
tracked as the revised and unrevised pages are separate which will show the
difference between the original script and the new version. Hand written notes
on the pages help distinguish what needs to be done.
Working as a writer is a job many would love to have as it
comes with many perks however it’s not always fun and games. As a writer you
have no security and can go weeks without any work. Once you have proved you
produced your script your work will be and you’ll have full ownership so if it
was to be copied you are entitled to royalty payments. As a writer in some cases you are expected to
look smart and professional with a suit on rather than scruffy although that
could backfire in other cases as certain people would judge that to be dull,
boring and would judge the amount of creativity from it. Also they have to make
sure their work looks professionally typed up as that is more like to be taken
seriously rather than hand written with scribbles and stains on them. Time
management when your screenplay has been optioned is important as you would
have to stick to all the deadlines set in order for the finished product to be
completed in a sensible time, although freelancers set their own hours. When
you aren’t on a job though as a writer you can just work when you want without
any set times. When writing you have to take certain legal and ethical
considerations. For example, you can’t just copy an existing text and pass it
on as your own as this would be breaking copyright laws and you are libel to be
prosecuted. That would be plagiarism also. Another aspect to think about would
be your explicit content as it is unlikely a film riddled with open sexism or
intolerance will be released. As a writer it is best to avoid being overly biased.
It’s ok to put across your opinion on something as long as everything you’re
putting is true and not exaggerated to make your opinion look correct. As a
writer you have to be careful what you write about someone and accuse them of
being or doing something they haven’t you are liable to get sued for
deformation of character. As a writer it would also be wise to know the water
shed rules because if you were to be writing for children you would have to
make sure the content is appropriate this links back to OFCOM and BBFC as they’re
the bodies that decide what’s appropriate and what isn't.
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