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1. Exploring the Role Of A Scriptwriter
In the film industry, the scriptwriter, (also referred to as “screenwriter” or
solely “writer”) has the essential role of providing entertaining material written
in a professionalformat, which in their hopes, will go onto form the
centrepiece of a grand film production. This will result in the writer receiving
enough paymentto continue their work, gaining recognition in the industry as
they climb their way up it also, forming a positive and reliable reputation if all
goes accordingly. Within their scripts specifically, it is important that they
deliver an engaging narrativewhich provides an emotional impact upon the
audience. These scripts mostimportantly mustmeet the brief that has been
presented to them, by producing their work in the appropriateformat, along
with all other general terms and conditions. Occasionally, writers merge
together to froma team if they deem it to be necessary or moreappropriate
for the type of story, bouncing ideas and concepts off each other in order to
build a strong master script.
If a screenwriter wants to continue screenwriting as a career, they must firstgo
through the process of writing a script of suitable quality imaginative scriptis
more likely to travel further in terms of success. Upon starting this process, it is
advised that an agent is hired in preparation, as this tends to be the industry
standard, with your work automatically more likely to be accepted due to the
situation being handled in a professional manner. You do not always need an
agent however, as writers are free to showcasetheir work independently.
The role of an agent is to primarily actively search for potential work for the
client in question, if this results in success, theagent will begin organizing
contracts, along with other things that would be tiring for a writer to complete
independently. Agents are also generally well-practiced in negotiating a good
deal, whereas a standalone writer may not be as experienced in such areas –
and therefore the likelihood of success is decreased. They may also offer
general supportand perhaps constructivecriticism on their approach to the
industry, giving the writer the necessary tools to success. Itis worth spending
time finding the right agent, as one who has the same interests as the
screenwriter has the potential to further understand them and their work,
therefore being of further assistance. Agents are morelikely to find you work
due to their motivation of being payed if they are successful.
The Reader, as the name implies, has the job of reading through scripts, before
eitherrejecting them or passing them on, dependent on their quality and

2. potential in the Readers opinion. In the gaming industry, for example, the
readers opinion may be centred more around whether the tone and pace of
the scriptfits with the nature of the game and its gameplay, after all – that is
the main priority, unlike the film industry.
Commissioning Editors overseethe writing process, ensuring thatall goes
smoothly, whilstmaking wisedecisions as to whatwork and whatdoes not.
Their role is very important in the commissioning process, although notas
hands-on as the writer themselves, they are the senior employees of the
broadcaster, so they are to be trusted with their decision making and
approvals for the sakeof the broadcaster’s success. Beforea writer is
commissioned to create a scriptbased around a particular idea. Similarly, an
idea broughtforward froma scriptwriter’s work can beused as a frame for a
programmeidea, at the hands of the commissioning editor. Commissioning
Editors generally specialise in one particular genre, helping them build further
knowledgein the area as they progress through their career.
Itis the role of the director to take the initial ideas for the production, along
with the script, in order to create one cohesivepiece. The Director obviously
has a vision of the film that he wants to show clearly to the audience in the
most entertaining way possible. Itis this creative vision which is passed on to
technicians and editors to work on for the film’s production. The Director can
completely changewhat audiences see in comparison to the original script if
they deem it necessary, with them taking most controland credit once the
scriptis handed over. This is the reasoning for Directors names generally being
at the forefrontof film credits and posters etc. A notoriously famous Director’s
name, such as Steven Spielberg, may even be used to promote the film due to
his success and recognition amongstthe public.
Producers actas an admin aboveall of production, overseeing all aspects of
this process that isn’talready being handled by the director, (although they
may occasionally assis tthem also). Their work mostly consists of financial and
legal practises, which go on seamlessly in the background of every production.
Other members of production may contact the producer if they wish to receive
funds to cover a certain necessary element, although the producer generally
manages and supplies the productions funds regardless of this.
Perhaps a more hands-on and practical production role is the script editor,
they will provide a critical overview of the scriptwriting process as a whole.
This involves a highly advanced analysis of the script, followed by highlighting
issues to roles such as the commissioning editor, writer and producer. Itis then

3. up to these respective roles to amend any issues themselves by creating
respective solutions, as this is not partof the scripteditors’ job. The critical
feedback of the scripteditor is unique and therefore essential as it may be the
only sourceof such honest feedback for the production team. For this reason
alone, the quality of the scriptis generally developed and strengthened to a
significant degree, making the scripteditors role an essential one that drives
the production further into success, or at least the likelihood of achieving it
COMMISSIONING
Before a writer can begin any sort of work on a project, they must first be
employed to do so, which is when the commissioning process comes into play.
Many audiences are often unaware of the process ofproductionknown as
commissioning, even if they don’trealise that this is how each production starts.
The commissioning stage can be described as the permission to begin working
on a project, or the ‘green light’ to begin working on a production. This can also
mean the authorization of a certain budget or the approval of a particular plot or
storyline, but to a writer it is essentially the permitted ‘go ahead’ to let them
know that they have been permitted to begin writing based on their successful
initial pitch of a given idea.
Across Britain, there are hundreds of independent productioncompanies, most
of these tend to be open to striking deals with other companies in order to
producematerial, for example with a network in order to broadcastthe
production there and benefit from some financial input. Another method of
striking deals is directly with writers, due to independent production companies
being open to having work submitted directly to them. It is common that some
independent production companies specialise in particular genres, so the writer
may wish to research such information before proceeding to strike a deal. Of
course, some independent production companies have higher budgetary
capabilities than others, this also should be accounted for if contemplating the
submission of your writing work. In some cases, a lower budget company may
be all that is required due to the grounded and nonextravagant nature of some
scripts. There are several organisations specifically set up in order to assist
screenwriter in kicking off their career in the media industry. Sometimes this is
all that is needed to become recognised, followed by the rest flowing
accordingly. Examples of such organisations include the “BFI Film Academy”
and the “BBC Writers Room”, with in particular “The Writers’ Guild of Great
Britain” supporting not only film and TV, but also writing in a wide range of
other industries, such as online media, radio, theatre and video games. There are
many screenwriting competitions that are available to enter, which offer cash

4. prizes in most cases. Through this method, if you are successful, your work is
more likely to be read by people of high authority in the industry such as
potential managers, agents and producers. This is, of course, not an automatic
process, as the chances of winning are generally slim, however is worth a shot
and can be very rewarding if played correctly. There is a proven track record of
various writers who have sold scripts and developed a reputation, enabling them
to launch their careers based on winning these screenwriting contests originally.
In the UK, “FilmFreeway” run three different competitions, with every winner
of the aforementioned competitions since 2013 now residing in either
preproductionor production, with some even winning awards due to their
progression through the industry.