Roles in the Commissioning Process
The Writer:
The writers job is to write the screenplay, the backbone for the entire project. Without a screenplay the Director has nothing to direct, the Producer can't do his job, the production designer has nothing to design, and the Actors have no clue what to do or say. There are a few different ways writers can come to work on a certain film project, they may have been commissioned to write a certain film, they may be collaborating with the Director from the start or they may just be freelance and are trying to get their own screenplay made into a film. A lot of the time writers are freelance, when they've written their script their agent will get into contact with production companies looking for scripts/screenplays such as the BBC, Sony, Warner Bros. Once the writers script has been sold they will usually have little to no input on what happens to it next.
Agents:
Once a writer has written the script their Agent will represent them, getting the script to the production companies so they can have the chance to be made into films. Other than writers it is quite common for other members of the media industry such as directors, and actors apart from new actors that haven't made a name for themselves yet. The agent will be paid a percentage of their clients earnings, a bit like a "finders" fee.
Script Editors:
The Script Editor will be the next person to handle the writers script after a production company has picked it up. They are a member of the production team and will work with the producer(s) to alter the script to better resemble what the production company wants.
Commissioning Editor:
A Commissioning Editor is the person responsible for finding, negotiating and securing scripts that they feel will make money as films/television shows. As part of this they will often research into the marketability of the script before they secure it.
Director:
The Director is the guy in charge of realising the script into a film/show. They are the hub of the production making sure every department is on track. They have a large input into everything from the actors chosen to the set designs.
Producer:
The Producer will be the one to buy the script off the writer after the commissioning editor has secured it. During this process the producer gains full rights over the scripts production rights and can change any part and however much they want to. They can even do this to the point where the original writer wishes for their name to be removed from the production (this has happened quite a lot). Even if the producer acquires the rights to a script this does not mean that the script will be made into a film/show.
Commissioning Bodies
Corporations:
There are 6 main corporations that have domain over the media world these are: CBS; Disney; Time Warner; VIACOM; GE and; News Corp. Often referred to as the "Big 6 in the industry, these media giants they own the most prevalent production names. Among them FOX (owned by News Corp), PIXAR & Marvel Studios (owned by Disney), MTV & Paramount (owned by VIACOM), HBO & Warner Bros. (owned by Time Warner), Universal & Comcast (Owned by GE).
Independent films are part of a subculture of film often referred to as "indie" films. For a film to be classed as independent it is usually unconnected to the "Big 6". So these films are often instead either low budget amateur films that often go on to achieve a dedicated "cult" fan base or can still be high budget films connected to independent productions companies like Lionsgate Films, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and Netflix.
Independents ("Indie"):
Competitions:
There are many competitions that exist for screenwriters to submit their screenplays/scripts to. Wining one of these competitions not only gains the writer prize money but also bolsters the reputation of their script as it will be more likely to catch the eye of production companies as an "award winning script". An example of a Screenplay competition is BlueCat.
http://www.bluecatscreenplay.com/
BlueCat is mainly an american competition but also accept international screenplays in their main competition, they also have a special award aimed at feature length screenplays from the UK.
There are a few Eligibility requirements including that the script must be entirely the entrants (and or the co writer's) sole property, short screenplays must be between 1 & 49 pages in length and the screenplay must be in English. The writer(s) of screenplay that wins the competition would receive a prize of $10,000 (USD) for 1st place or for the next 3 runners up $2000 (USD).
http://www.bluecatscreenplay.com/
BlueCat is mainly an american competition but also accept international screenplays in their main competition, they also have a special award aimed at feature length screenplays from the UK.
There are a few Eligibility requirements including that the script must be entirely the entrants (and or the co writer's) sole property, short screenplays must be between 1 & 49 pages in length and the screenplay must be in English. The writer(s) of screenplay that wins the competition would receive a prize of $10,000 (USD) for 1st place or for the next 3 runners up $2000 (USD).
Role of the Writer Throughout Production
Pre-Production:
In general by the time a screenplay reaches pre-production the original writer has sold the production writes and is no-longer connected to the project. This is usually standard as the writer will have spent so much of his time perfecting the script to his standard that if a producer/director wants to change a part of the script this would lead to the writer being overprotective of the work and could lead the production to be stuck in development hell. In some cases a director and writer work together from the start writing the script together, this means it would be easier for the director to influence the script to make it easier to produce.
Shooting Script:
Once the production is ready to move forward a version of the script is made called the shooting script. In this version of the script as each scenes in the script will have its corresponding shot number next to it. So when the director is able to clearly connect that scene to the shot on the shot list with all his notes on the scene.
Page Lockdown:
This is the day where all tweaks and editing to the shooting script stops so production can begin, without major script changes part way through production.
Working as a Writer
Time Management:
When writing a script a writer will often stick to a strict time management regime. This is so the writer can guarantee productivity and that the script will be completed by his deadline or if the script is for a commissioned product then it'll be finished for their deadline. The writer's time management schedule will often to be to write a certain amount of the script per day and a lot of writers have certain hour in the day/night where they find they are the most productive so they will center their working day around these hours. Even then they may struggle to find the inspiration they need for their project so they may have a certain activity they do or place they go to, to get that inspiration.
Legal & Ethical Considerations:
When working as a writer there are Legal as well as Ethical considerations they need to take into account. These include:
- Copyright - This is protection on someones right to something they've created such as illustration and written work.
- Bias - This is causing alienation of a group/individual from prejudice about their race, sex etc...
- Censorship - This is where work is blocked from being read, heard, or even seen. This can be because of obscenities (bad language), violence, drug use, sex etc...
- Plagiarism - This is the process of stealing someone else's work to use as your own without consent from the owner the original property.
