2. The first place I looked was on the BBC writer’s room as it is full of information on script writing
and the process you have to go through when submitting a script I spent quite a lot of time
reading and finding key information.
‘The great thing about shorts is that they can be anything – the only limit beyond the cost of production is that of your own
imagination. So don't be hemmed in - let your imagination fly. Play with your ideas. Play with the form. Every short can and
should be a unique vision.’ (Online)
This tells me that to have a successful short film you need to use your imagination and be as
creative as you can. If you’re short film isn’t different to others there is a slim chance it won’t
make it.
is a slim chance it won’t make it.
After finding this piece of information I looked further down the page and then found this on
how you should use a lot of visual images and what effects it gives.
‘Film is about telling stories in pictures, which is the most economical way of telling a story’ (Online)
This tells me that the better the visual side of the film is the better the film will be over all,
pictures tell stories better than words. So you should really focus on making the visual side stand
out as a picture can tell a thousand words.
As the BBC writers room is a great website for information I stayed on it and then found this
information on formatting scripts and how important it is for it to be done properly.
‘Is your script formatted correctly? We don't penalise writers for scripts that aren't correctly formatted, but presenting your
work appropriately suggests a professional approach and an understanding of the medium and format for which you are
writing.’ (Online)
It isn’t a major issue if your work isn’t formatted properly but you will gain a lot more if your work
is done to professional standards as it shows you have more experience and you know what
you are doing.

3. After spending a lot of time on the BBC writer’s room website I started to look else
where and then I found information on www.screenwriting.info which told me what sort
of films are the best and what people like to see.
‘CONFLICT. This is the heart of drama. Someone wants something and people and things keep getting in the way of
them achieving the goal. At times, the obstacles can be common to both the hero and villain, and the ultimate goal
a laudable one for both parties’ (Online)
A good short film is one that has a great storyline, readers love conflict. They like the
main character to have a goal and then have obstacles in the way to stop them
achieving their goal.
‘Conflict and obstacles can be physical or emotional. But they have to be in your story or you don't really have a
story. In most good stories, the protagonist will also have an inner obstacle, some mental or even spiritual problem,
that will be resolved by the time s/he reaches the outward, physical goal of the story’ (Online)
People love seeing emotion in people when watching a film because it makes them
look human and seem real, so when writing a script for a film/short film there should be a
bit of emotion in the main character to make the film more realistic.
After looking on the internet for script writing I started looking at different books to see
what information I could find.

4. ‘ Television plots depend chains of action-causes and effects
generated by characters and motivated by those characters’ traits
and goals. Indeed, some scenario manuals deal with both film and
television.’
when writing for television its good for it to involve a
certain amount of action, as it makes it interesting
and it also makes people want to watch it more and
keep watching it, but it will be even better to have a
twist or make the character have a goal.
‘There is a difference between a serial play and a soap opera. A
serial play is complete in itself, although it may be broken up into
several instalments. It may be an original story, Or the dramatisation
of a novel, but it will have a beginning, a middle and an end.’
Your film should have a beginning a middle and an
end, it can be completely original or you could also
make a remake of a novel.

5. Submission flow chart
‘Step 1 - Send script to writersroom
we will only consider scripts that meet our guidelines
Step 2 - Script logging
When your script is received we log it on our database and send an acknowledgement card to you
Step 3 - Script sift
our readers sift all eligible scripts by reading the first ten pages. If the script shows potential, it will be given a full read.
If not, it will be returned to the writer.
Step 4 - Script read
at this stage a script is read in full, and assessed by our readers for the potential of the writer. If a script doesn't merit
further attention at this stage, it is returned to the writer along with the reader's comments.
Step 5 - Invite Next / Second Read
When a script shows promise but the writer isn't yet ready for further development, we may ask the writer to send in
their next original script and monitor their progress.
If a script shows real talent and potential, it will be given to another reader for a second opinion. If the second reader
feels the writer isn't yet ready for further development, they will be invited to send in their next work. If the second
reader feels the writer is ready, the script will be passed to the Development Manager.
Step 6 - Meet / Develop
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.’ (Online)
When sending your script to the BBC writers room there is a number of stages that it has
to go through, all of these stages are setup so they can easily read all the scripts that
get sent in. not all of the scripts sent it will make it past stage one but some of them do.

6. ‘After submission, all proposals receive an acknowledgement of their proposal within one week of receipt.
The relevant Commissioning Editor will either reject or progress proposals for further consideration within six weeks of
receipt.
Proposals may be provided with funded development, in which case the timetable to commission will be subject to
negotiation between the external supplier and the BBC and determined by the development contract.
In all other instances, the final decision will be no later than 20 weeks from receipt of the proposal. A successful
proposal will be given approval by the relevant Commissioning Editor.
Projects may be held over in exceptional circumstances but only with the formal agreement of the supplier’ (Online)