Scenario: You have been asked by an educational provider to write a report to be issued to a selection of students who have enrolled in a short course looking at potential career pathways for budding screenwriters. The provider has requested that you cover some key areas in a clear and logical manner relating to job roles and organisations within the commissioning process, alongside the expectations and legal/ethical considerations a writer must engage with in industry.
Task
The assignment will take the form of written report, separated into three sections. Each section should clearly explain the sub headed areas, supporting a full exploration of the writer’s role in the commissioning process. Where possible, clear examples should be provided to support/illustrate material, and subject terminology should be used consistently and accurately. Include some visual material when appropriate (e.g. images that highlight points made about visual components, referenced within the body of the text).
AN ASPIRING SCREENWRITERS GUIDE TO WRITING FOR TV & VIDEO
The purpose of this written report is to provide a comprehensive explanation of the writer's role in the commissioning process, with elucidated examples and consistent use of the correct subject terminology.
Section 1: Commissioning
Commissioning is the act of giving authorisation to put something in place. Within the media sector this could be the ‘greenlight’ for production in general, an authorisation of a particular budget, or the approval of a particular plot/storyline. In terms of writing, it is essentially the ‘go ahead’ to write based on the successful acceptance of their pitched ideas. Job roles within commissiong include the following:
- Commissioning Editors - often the senior editors responsible for selecting programme ideas and responsible for allocating funds. They often specialize in one specific genre and have creative input and oversee the writing process through production.
- Producers - oversees all aspects of the production that doesn’t fall under the remit of the director (financial, legal, admin etc.). A producer may originate a project, pitch, organise and finance it and then attach it to a particular writer to develop.
- Directors - responsible for taking the ideas and the script, as well as being responsible for pulling it all together. The provide the overall creative vision from which the editors can work from. They interpret the script how they see it working (a writer often has little to no control over this). An example of a director would be Guillermo del Toro, a Mexican film director known for his dark fantasy pieces, such as the gothic horror films The Devil's Backbone and Pan's Labyrinth. Del Toro's work is characterised by a strong connection to fairy tales and horror, so you expect these elements in his movies.
- Script Editors - edit scripts using analysis skills to identify problems, but don't create solutions. They help to strengthen and develop screenplays, providing a critical overview of the scriptwriting process. An example of script editing can be found in Apocalypse Now, with Francis Ford Coppola altering the script written by John Milius. Originally the movie had a more pro-war element, given Milius’ right-wing political views, which were altered by Coppola. In addition, there was other endings discussed.
- Agents - find work for their clients and organise contracts, as well as negotiate appropriate deals. They build relationships with industry decision-makers and support and guide writers' careers.
- Writers - are responsible for research and developing an engaging narrative. They write the screenplay to meet the brief in the appropriate format, sometimes working in teams. An example of writer whose works has been adapted to film would be renowned comic book writer Alan Moore, who has expressed distaste for adaptation of his work such as V For Vendetta and Watchmen.
Commissioning bodies, again, enable something to happen when given authorisation, acting as the aforementioned ‘greenlight’ for production. Commissioning bodies come in all forms, shapes and sizes, and include the following:
- Corporations - definitely speaking, they are large companies or a group of companies authorized to act as a single entity and recognized as such in law. In the media industry, you will come across these corporations or companies that fall under single ownership of larger corporations, called conglomerates. They have complete ownership of all stages of production (funding, production, marketing, distribution, and in some cases exhibition). Examples of these corporations would be conglomerates such as Disney, Viacom and Time Warner Inc.
- Independent Production Companies - these are not tied to any other company or grounded by ownership of another, thus they are independent. Examples of independently owned production companies would include Domino Recording Company, an independently owned British record label.
- Independent Directors - much like independent companies, they work on their own and are often hired by companies and act as freelance workers.
- Organisations - there are also a number of organisations that are set up to assist prospective writers to kick-start a career in media. Examples include the BBC Writers Room, Good in a Room and the BFI Film Academy. The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain supports writers across media including film, online, radio, theatre, TV and video games.
- Competitions - there are numerous screenwriting competitions available for entry with cash prizes. For example, the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting and Austin Screenwriting Competition - there is a proven track record of writers who have sold scripts, gotten representation, and launched their careers based on winning these screenwriting contests. In the UK FilmFreeway run three competitions, with all winners since 2013 being in pre-production or production, with some winning awards.
Section 2: Working as a Writer
Working as a writer in the media industry, specifically for TV or video, are responsible for research and developing an engaging narrative. They write the screenplay to meet the brief in the appropriate format, sometimes working in teams. A vast majority of writers are freelance. Writers must consider the following:
- Professional Presentation - as a writer, you must ensure you produce work using the industry accepted formatting standards. Films, TV, radio etc are all formatted to different requirements. Even something as basic as font used and size are crucial e.g. producers use the length of scripts to determine the length of films. For example, take this magazine.
A professional music magazine featuring Rihanna. Now compare to this more amateurish music magazine…
The former is more likely to be considered by a publication, as it is up to a more professional standard.
- Agent Representation - as aforementioned, agents find work for their clients and organise contracts, as well as negotiate appropriate deals. The amount of pay the agent receives is all dependent on how much the client and the agents agree how much the fixed percentage is, which is usually between 10-25%. Some well known publishing companies will not accept clients unless they have an agent to represent them.
- Royalty Payments - payments that writers will receive from the sales of books and films along with the use of the script. Royalty payments are split up between the writer, the agent, and the producers.
- Time Management - ensuring time is divided correctly is very important when writing scripts. It is even more important when a script has been commissioned and the writer has to work with a whole team of people that are relying on the script to be done at a certain time. Deadlines must be met, and if a writer fails to meet this, then the whole production process falls behind.
- Handing Over Control - once the script is sold the writer only has the rights that were agreed with the purchaser. Screenwriters are rarely involved in the development of a film. Sometimes they come on as advisors, or if they are established, as a producer. Although many scripts are sold each year, many do not make it into production because the amount of scripts that are purchased every year outnumber the amount of professional directors that are working in the film and TV industry.
Section 3: Legal & Ethical Considerations
Legal & ethical considerations are things writers must consider when creating or producing a piece for TV or video, as well as the commissioning bodies. These would be up for consideration:
- Copyright - is a legal right that protects the use of your work once your idea has been physically expressed. You can't copyright an idea, but you can copyright your script. You can take extra steps such as registering it with a bank or solicitor, sending it to yourself special delivery, to prove the piece belongs to you. An example of a case of copyright would be the following:
“ Vanilla Ice had a hit, in 1991, with Ice Ice Baby — it sampled but did not credit the song Under Pressure by David Bowie and Queen. Though at first denying it, Vanilla Ice later retracted the statement saying it was “a joke”. Facing a lawsuit by the duo, Vanilla Ice ‘fessed to sampling the work. ” Source
- Plagiarism - writers have to be very careful about how similar their products are to existing works. Plagiarism covers a spectrum for word for word copying to changing some words, to copying ideas and arguments. An example of plagiarism would be the following:
In 1922 [T.S.] Eliot published the popular poem The Waste Land. Decades later it was discovered that the poem was largely a hodgepodge of text from lesser-known poets, one of them named Madison Casein and his poem entitled Waste Land.
Well before the publication of The Waste Land, Eliot had already made no secret about his appropriation. In 1920 he published an essay that famously said, “Immature poets imitate, mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better, or at least something different.” Source
- Libel - refers to writing inaccurate and malicious things about an individual, group or business in a written text or a broadcast. Research by writers therefore has to be meticulous, so as not to court legal issues through misinterpretation. An example of libel would be the following:
In 2011, Katie Holmes settled a lawsuit against celebrity gossip rag, The Star, for $50 million. The suit was over an article that claimed that Holmes was a drug addict. The magazine issued an apology and even said that they would donate a "substantial donation" to one of Holmes's favorite non-profits. Source
- Bias - can become an ethical issue when it comes to writing fiction. It means not being objective when it comes to a situation or topic being discussed or wrote about. An example of bias would be the following:
‘Christmas is Banned: It Offends Muslims’ is an internet meme that has been doing the rounds on social media for the best part of eight years. The sort of websites dedicated to dispelling myths years ago demonstrated that the headline (from The Daily Express) did not relate to the contents of the article ‘ even the writer was horrified that that headline had been chosen. However, that has not stopped people sharing it on social media in anger usually with the tagline ‘how dare they!’ This confirmation bias attempts to play on the prejudices of those who already feel that British society is under siege. Source
- Censorship - the BBFC have strict guidelines about what can and can’t be shown on TV, video, games, radio and film. To make the subject matter appropriate some aspects may need to be cut/censored. This generally revolves around depictions of violence, sex, language, discrimination, drug use – who the audience is and how the material is presented.
- Watersheds - the point in time after which programmes with adult content may be broadcast. It divides the day into the overnight period where family-oriented programming suitable for children may be aired and where programming aimed at or suitable for a more adult audience is permitted.
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