2. ▶ Commissioning Editor: Is the person who identifies books or media products to publish in
order to build up a publisher's list. They commission work by finding authors or responding to
book proposals. Their collaboration ensure authors deliver scripts on time. The role they normally
take on is book publishing. In magazine publishing, commissioning editors commission writers to
produce articles and features.
▶ An example of a famous commissioning editor is Angus, Ewan who is part of BBC Scotland and
works on Arts, Comedy, Current Affairs, Daytime Drama, Education, Entertainment, Factual
Factual - Entertainment Popular Factual Specialist Factual Sport.
▶ Editorial Assistant: A editorial assistant provides support in all stages of the publication of:
books; journals; magazines; online material and publicity materials. They support senior editorial
staff in the administration of the commissioning, planning and production of publications. The
work they get and the responsibility given to them will vary depending on the organization and
work they have going on during that current time. An assistant role is the usual starting point for
careers in editorial work. With the growth of digital publishing, there are increasing opportunities
to work for online publications which can involve editing and writing website content and using
social media.
▶ Cindi Leive - Leive’s magazine career started in the early 1990s, when she worked as an editorial
assistant for Glamour. Leive also worked at Self, before returning to Glamour in 2001, where she
is now Editor-in-Chief.
Job Roles
3. Job Roles
▶ Researcher: A researcher originates or develops program ideas, drawing on their knowledge and
understanding of industry requirements,. They are also fact checkers and brief writers for onscreen
presenters. They work across all genres of television production, including news, sport, current
affairs, documentaries and factual programs, light entertainment, children's, situation comedies,
soaps or serial dramas, and one-off dramas. They must understand, and work within, relevant
legislation and regulations.
▶ Executive Producer: An executive producer oversee the work of the producer on behalf of
the studio, the financiers or the distributors. They will ensure the film is completed on time, within
budget, and to agree artistic and technical standards. They can also raise a significant proportion of
a film's finance, or secure the underlying rights to the project. In major productions, they may be a
representative or CEO of the film studio. In smaller companies or independent projects they may be
the creator or writer.
▶ Typically, Executive Producers are not involved in the technical aspects of the filmmaking process.
Executive Producers must be excellent negotiators. They need a keen business sense, and an
intimate knowledge of all aspects of film production, financing, marketing and distribution.
▶ Jane Harris is a British television director and producer, best known for her contributions to soap
operas, including EastEnders and Family Affairs, she is one of the leading executive producers
behind the work of Eastenders.
4. ▶ Producer: A producer will oversee each project from conception to completion and
may also be involved in the marketing and distribution processes. Producers will work
side by side with the director and the other production staff on the shoot. They need
to have directing skills themselves as the producer may also be the director and may
take care of all project operations. Producers arrange funding for each project and are
responsible for keeping the production within the allocated budget.
▶ An example of a producer is Ben Stiller, who is an American producer, screen writer
and actor who has produced many amazing films such as night of the museum, tropical
thunder, Zoolander, dodgeball.
Job Roles
5. ▶ Writer’s
▶ Are involved in the creation and development of works of fiction and non-fiction. This
will cover different platforms of writing including: poetry; short stories; novels; life
writing; scripts for theatre; screen and radio; non-fiction; magazine and newspaper
articles and web-content. New media is also opening doors for writers in areas such as
mobile phone content and computer game scripts. Most writers work freelance and are
self-employed. As income from writing may be low and erratic, most writers
supplement their income with other related activities such as author visits, workshops,
events and readings. Some writers may find avenues to diversify their writing and
write in different forms, such as published novelists also writing reviews and literary
criticism. In addition many writers manage their writing work alongside full or part
time jobs which may be related to their writing such as lecturing on creative writing
courses or entirely unrelated.
▶ An example of a writer is Adam Sandler, who has written, produced and acted in many
hit films some of the films on this list include: blended, grown ups 1&2, Happy
Gilmore, The ridiculous 6, The water boy, Big daddy, the wedding singer and many
many more.
Job Roles
6. The role of a writer
▶ Pre-production planning
▶ What needs to be accomplished throughout production, before it has started
▶ Script editing
▶ In order to fit the target audience etc.
▶ Director/producer involvement
▶ Advice and opinions
▶ Shooting script
▶ Camera movements, angles etc.
▶ Production
▶ Page lock-down
▶ The final plan – what will and what will not be produced
▶ Adjustment during shooting stage
▶ How can what has already been produced be made better?
7. Job Roles
▶ Script Editor
▶ A script writer will work with producers and writers as a script, Ensuring the story unfolds as
initially agreed, and results in a captivating, moving outline for the film and the audience
who will watch it. While it is a role requiring creativity and an understanding of the creative
process, a script editor is there to provide guidance for the writer. They may make
suggestions on things to change and ideas they have to solve problems but their overall
concern is to ensure the vision of the writer is fulfilled as strongly as possible.
▶ An example of a script editor is Joseph "Joe" Quesada is an American comic book editor,
writer and artist. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics
books, such as Ninjak and Solar, Man of the Atom.
▶ Literary Agent
▶ A literacy agent will work with and represent authors of book-length fiction and nonfiction
in their dealings with publishers, such as contracts. The agent's job is to find a publisher and
get the best deal possible for the author. Agents have to be familiar with both the
publishing industry and the laws governing book contracts so they can safeguard the
interests of their clients.
▶ Edward Hibbert is an Anglo-American actor and literary agent. He played Gil Chesterton in
the TV series Frasier. He also voiced Zazu in both The Lion King II: Simba's Pride and The
Lion King 1½, replacing Rowan Atkinson.
8. ▶ How should a professional script be presented?
▶ ‘When presenting your finished script it is vitally important that it is presented in a
professional and correct way. If a script isn't written according to the conventions of a usual
script, then often it will be immediately rejected. This is because the person reading your
script want to see that you know about how a script is written properly, and wont bother to
read it if it is set out in a scruffy and wrong way. To explain how a script is properly laid out,
take a look at this picture.’
▶ Why is time management such an important skill for a writer?
▶ ‘Writers, like most people, are incredibly busy. With work, family, friends, and other
obligations, things can sometimes get hectic. By using time-management strategies, however,
they can find the time for writing, even when their life seems overwhelming.’ Some ways this
could be achieved is by: creating a writing space, prioritizing your activities, scheduling time
for writing, establishing writing goals and writing whenever you can.
9. ▶ Why might you need an agent and what do they do?
▶ ‘An agent sends your manuscript out to see who would like to bid on it for publication.
They’re effective because they have more knowledge of the editors and publishers than
most. An agent knows who is on the lookout for the next big historical novel, whose lists are
full, who is looking for a new crime writer, and can target their submissions accordingly.
Once an agent has matched your work to the right publisher they are the professional whose
job it is to negotiate the best contract for you. A good literary agent will be the buffer
between the publisher and yourself. A strong agent/author relationship can be incredibly
beneficial for a writer as it means having someone who’s always ‘on your side’, who is
enthusiastic about your writing, and whose desire for the best deal is for both your benefits.’
▶ What are ‘royalty payments’?
▶ ‘Royalty payments are a way of giving money to the people who helped make something
whenever it is played, for example, if a script is bought by a production company and then
turned into a film or television series the script writer will receive money every time that
the its shown. The royalty fees can range up to 15% of money gained but can be very little at
the same time. Songs that are over 70 years old are royalty free so that if television shows
use an old tune they don’t have to pay for it. Many scripts have been recycled and have used
certain parts from other films or television series' which results in the production company
having to pay royalties to the old writer as well as when a film is remade.’
10. ▶ Censorship: ‘is the suppression of speech, public communication or other information
which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, politically incorrect or
inconvenient as determined by governments, media outlets, authorities or other such
entities. Censorship also protects people from offensive content, it does this by
highlighting what the film/TV program contains, often on the back of the cover or in
the tv guide if it is on television. It highlights content such as violence, nudity and
swearing.’
▶ Watersheds: ‘are the point of time at which adult programs may be broadcast on TV.
Programs that contain things such as violence, nudity and sexual intercourse aren't
allowed to be shown before watershed, and only programs that are suitable for family
viewing are allowed to be broadcast. The time for watershed in the UK is 9pm. If you
were to put adult content in you script it would have to be shown after watershed,
meaning that possibly fewer people would view it. When you write my script you will
think about what content is appropriate and what shouldn't be depicted, even after
watershed. For example, even if sexual intercourse is permitted to be shown after the
watershed you would have to think carefully before using it, as it may be a bit risky.’
Legal & Ethical considerations
11. ▶ Plagiarism: ‘In an instructional setting, plagiarism occurs when a writer deliberately
uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original (not common-knowledge)
material without acknowledging its source. This definition applies to texts published in
print or on-line, to manuscripts, and to the work of other student writers. Most current
discussions of plagiarism fail to distinguish between: submitting someone else’s text as
one’s own or attempting to blur the line between one’s own ideas or words and those
borrowed from another source, carelessly or inadequately citing ideas and words
borrowed from another source.’
▶ Copyright: ‘is the exclusive and assignable legal right, given to the originator for a
fixed number of years, to print, publish, perform, film, or record literary, artistic, or
musical material. As soon as the idea for your novel, poem, or manuscript is written
down in a fixed copy, the work automatically has copyright protection.’
Legal & Ethical considerations
12. ▶ Libel and slander are legal claims for false statements of fact about someone this can be
printed, broadcast, spoken or otherwise revealed to others. Libel generally refers to statements
or visual written or in another permanent form, while slander refers to verbal statements and
gestures. The term defamation is often used to encompass both libel and slander.
▶ In order for the person to recover for libel once a statement is made about them, the false
statement must be defamatory, meaning that it actually harms their reputation, as opposed to
being merely insulting or offensive.
▶ The defamatory statement must be a false statement not having truth apart of the statement.
Also have been published or seen by at least one other person other than the subject the
statement is about. Meaning, those hearing or reading the statement must be able to identify it
specifically being about the subject.
▶ Libel and slander are civil claims, but some believe that an action such as this or a criminal
defamation deserves some sought of prosecutions however this is rare, especially against the
media.
▶ The defamatory statement must also have been made with fault. Public figures, such as
government officials, celebrities, well-known individuals, and people involved in specific public
controversies, are required to prove actual malice, a legal term which means the defendant
knew his statement was false disregarding the truth of his statement.
Legal & Ethical considerations
13. ▶ These are some examples of commissioning bodies:
▶ Commissioning Bodies Corporations i.e. BBC
▶ Independent Production Companies i.e. Bedlam Productions Ltd
▶ Independent Directors and Producer i.e. J Blakeson
▶ Organisations i.e.
▶ Independent Cinema Office
▶ Competitions i.e.
▶ The Sunday Times: First Light
Commissioning Bodies
14. ▶ A corporation is a business operating company that owns other subsidiaries such as smaller
companies that the corporation has taken over in order for the competition in the market to be
minimized. A corporation is also a well established company that are given broadcasting rights for
television. They also as of owning many other subsidiaries will make substantially more money than
independent companies.
Corporations will also give out higher wages due to the income of the company being higher than
independents leading to even more job prospects in the future. Getting a job in big corporations is of
the slightest chance normally people of very high quality and highly skilled in this role will get the job,
so applying to such companies are very difficult.. A scriptwriter would contact a corporation or an
independent company to find a brief. Yet again, due to the amount of competition, the script is less
likely to be commissioned.
An example for a corporation company within the media industry is Warner brothers as they own many
other subsidiaries such as HBO & CNN, allowing them to gain significant amounts of more profit.
On the other hand, Independent companies do not own any broadcasting rights. This is due to not
owning any other subsidiaries. Normally meaning the company focuses on one field and so getting a job
is a lot easier as there is not much competition. However, for example, if a scriptwriter is to be better
off with independent companies yet would not receive as much money for their script as the companies
do not make large profits.
Commissioning bodies
