Understanding the commissioning process for writing for Television and videos. This involves numerous people with their own very specific role.
Directors
Directors are in charge of the overall production, seeing it from pre production to post production. The director is employed by the producer to take on the responsibilities of being in charge of all aspects of the production. This could include screenwriting, and script editing in smaller productions. All through the process the director need to work closely with the Producer, this is a delicate balance as the relationship needs to be open and honest, not necessarily based on friendship, as respect for each other judgement needs to be in place so conflicting ideas do not end up causing production to go over budget, and enable them as a team to produce the best work they possibly can. The director needs the creative element of being able to visualise the script or screenplay in its overall form. Once funding has been secured the directors starts to employ further people to share the workload and enable them to delegate to heads of department. The most crucial role interpersonal skill is ensuring that the actors give their best performance, without this all the preparation will be wasted, this needs to be incorporated with all technical elements being correct and in place to ensure each scene is the best possible representation of the creative vision.
Director of Photography is the creative heart and soul of the production. They work with the director to decide the finished feel of the film. They are responsible of the research needed for lighting, framing, camera movement, equipment needed and the crew numbers needed to achieve this. They are responsible for rehearsing, blocking and organising the crew for each and every take, and making sure each take is useable.
Assistant directors find the actors who would fit the rolls best. They read the script then check with the director and producer what sort of actor they are looking for this includes acting it well as well as looks. They also need to know about the actor’s fees, availability and compatibility. They need to be up to date with all actors, including new talent. They see head shots, demos, reels and organise auditions. Then they show those they have picked out to the director as they have final say.
Production designers work on sets to create the environment depicted in the script. As with all the others head of crew, the Production designer starts from the script to research and visualise the scene. They are also responsible for creating pictorial representations for the modd, atmosphere, lighting , composition, colour and texture, which get shared with further departments for further breaking down of specialisms. Their work with the art department will include budget and financial management.
Casting directors find the actors who would fit the rolls best. They read the script then check with the director and producer what sort of actor they are looking for this includes acting it well as well as looks. They also need to know about the actor’s fees, availability and compatibility. They need to be up to date with all actors, including new talent. They see head shots, demos, reels and organise auditions. Then they show those they have picked out to the director as they have final say.
Caroline Thompson is an example of a director, who did not intend to take Hollywood by storm, but has gained recognition for family friendly productions. She was originally a novelist, turned screenwriter and director. She directed the production of the Original Black Beauty in 1994, the Hills are Alive 2008, Buddy 1997, she was a screenwriter for, the Nightmare before Christmas 1993, and writer for The Aadams Family 1991, these demonstrate the crossover process discussed in the above paragraph.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/caroline_thompson
The production of a film or tv series starts with a producer, they find an idea and write a script, or find a writer with an idea to develop into a script, before they can get the funding to hire a director. Sometimes writers and directors go in pairs, so they must hire the two of them together, however most directors don't get close to writers as they don't always stay about after the script is written, unless it's personal to them. It isn’t always good for the producer and the director to get along as they need to always be completely honest with one another about the project’s proration.
shooting script production.
A shooting script is a version of the screenplay that is used by the director and cinematographer, they sort out kinds of camera movement, lenses and angles so they know each of these ready at hand for filming, They then give this to each part of the crew, camera, make up, scene setting, lighting and so on so that they can have each scene ready as well as all the equipment needed for each scene, they also give this to the cast so they know what is being shot that days to prepare. A shooting script is different from a screenplay because of this. Furthermore, a shooting script have scene numbers. They are also set out there that is if there need to be any revisions there, they colour only the part of the script that has been revised so that it is clear when the script has been changed, but so that each person doesn’t have to change all their personal notes that they may have made to the whole script, but only on the few coloured pages. The standard order that the colours are set in so that it is clear how many times a script has been revised is; white for unrevised, blue for first revision, pink for second revision, then yellow, green, goldenrod, buff, salmon, cherry and after that they rotate to second blue revision, second pink revision and so on. A shooting Script should always include the scene numbers, camera angles, detailed special effects, detailed stunt work/action sequences, specific on set information, costume, lighting and specific notations regarding acting. (Pick out and add some examples)
https://nofilmschool.com/shooting-script-example
A development producer is hired by broadcasters, production companies and screen agencies. Depending on whose employment they are under their job can be stressful, they need to be very responsible and reliable. Their job is to finds stories and scripts they can present to receive funding to be a feature film or be on a tv channel. They analyse screenplays and predict how they will be taken by the audience, looking for flaws to iron out if they will be good enough to keep the target audience, they are the one who leave the script notes for improvement. Once they have made all necessary improvements, they then get the script writers to re-write the script accordingly. Creating the screen play can take up to years before developing into production. If the idea is for a tv drama the producer may be the one to pitch the concepts to the tv commissioners. Though the pitch is usually a verbal presentation it can also be a document with a brief summary of the project. They are always on the look out for their next project.
Executive producers are generally a role associated in Tv series rather than film. They often work as freelance, they can own their own company that is the company in charge of creating the producers’ products, usually creating several projects simultaneously. An executive producer can have a variety of levels of involvement. They can be very hands on taking the lead on all areas of casting, crew and scripts; to a slightly less involved level which includes delegating work to the producer, production manager and casting director. The executive producer oversees the pitch, this needs to be incredibly short, a hook and a summary to introduce and captivate their audience with a view of investment. They acquire screen plays or commercials, as part of the process they deal with the legalities, budget and marketing of the product. They liaise with all parties that are involved with investment and marketing. They have final say over everything in the production.
The Agent for a screenwriter is responsible for connecting the correct people. They act as a middle man to sift through hundreds of different scripts and screenplays to find the exceptional from the mundane. It is very like panning for gold. The agent represents the writer and generally already has links with producers and directors and does the best job they can matching the two areas together, with the best use of time and resources. Just because the agent has a particular script it does not mean that they will always be able to match executive producer with a script every time, the current climate of “popular” films could mean that there have already been plans for two or three other film ideas of similar content and the idea might be shelves so the market does not get flooded with the same theme. The agents ability to find the golden scripts that capture the imagination of the film producers is not a skill that is acquired in a short space of time. Therefore established agents have taken years to hone their skills and that gained respect from people in the industry. Another important part of their role is building trust with their screenwriters. He more contacts they have with producers and or production companies the greater the likelihood that they can support and aid a budding writer. With every successful link the agent creates between a writer and producer there is a self validating process. The agent gains recognition for his success and therefore has proved he can find the outstanding scripts, therefore more producers are going to listen to them the next time he pitches a new script. This building of reputation can also benefit new writers if the particular agent takes them on. The more effort the agent puts into creating personal relationships with writers on one hand and producers on the other, will add to their skill at matching worthy scripts to quality producers to also increase their own success. The agent will send scripts to a large agency will be read by script readers, before they get anywhere near someone with the power to convert your story to screen, even after the agent has recommended your work if it is does not grab the attention of the screen reader it will go no further and will be binned. The agent earns his living by taking a percentage of the fee given for the script sale.
https://freshmenscreenplay.com/what-do-screenwriting-agents-really-do/
An example of a screenwriter agent is Steven Russell, he runs a company called Collective Talent. He has a range of experience in all areas of script production, from financing to production, editing and sales. His core ideal is to encourage new writers and continue to support writers who have already started on their career. “Steven is a voting member for the British Independent Film Awards and a member of the Royal Television Society.”
Some of the writers who are listed in his contacts are Emma Morgan, Annabel Vine and Kate Thorman. Some of his director contacts are Nicola Mills and Annabel Vine. Annabel Vine supports the points previously made re writers also taking on directors roles in this industry.
http://www.collectivetalent.co.uk/books.html
https://industrialscripts.com/screenwriting-agents-uk/
Screenwriters produce a large range of work which they get distributed to various producers, companies and competitions with the aim to get one accepted, this is where the screenwriter’s agent will pitch their idea to as many people as possible. Each pitch will be short, sharp and to the point containing very succinct briefs to capture the attention of their audience. This could mean they have twenty or more scripts that are rejected. At this stage the scripts will be in a rough draft format, and they know it will require editing and redrafting before it becomes “the Polish” version that goes forward to production. Screenwriters will have many scripts on the go at once, but their work will not just be confined to movie scripts, they will branch out to theatre and TV drama in an attempt to get their “lucky break”. The ideas for their scripts can be original ideas of their own or they could base their work on an existing novel or joining an existing project. The scripts are written in such a way to enable producers and directors to visualise how the project could evolve from page to screen. The editing and redrafting process can often work on very tight deadlines.
Commissioners
Commissioners in TV drama work for broadcasters, they decide what gets made and when it's released. They hear pitches from independent or in-house production teams, they then choose whether an idea is funded. They commission a broad range of context to reach as big an audience as possible, so they also need to be aware of recent trends. They need to make sure the right show will be in the right channel at the right time. Once all this is sorted, they can help with casing and choosing the director and other major roles. Examples of Commissioners are covered in the following sections.
Corporations
The BBC offers a chance for work to be seen through their writing room, so pitching to a corporation. Each year the BBC partners with around 10-15 writers, through independent production companies, when they are conditioned, they attend masterclasses, and workshops with more experienced writers throughout the year whilst continuing to help those who have agreed to develop their script with developing the script. The aim is for that script and series idea to be taken up by the BBC. Once the writer has sold their script, although it may not actually be used, they are not allowed to sell it to another corporation. An example of a TV series that the BBC has produced is His Dark Materials, this was originally a book by Phillip Pullman.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/our-groups/tv-drama-writers-programme/
Independent production companies
Bad Wolf is part of Sony can be beneficial to a new script writer as they are cheaper to work with, mostly, they often do their own script editing and can get funding from larger companies to develop scripts, if the larger company gets the revenue generated from the final product. If a writer pitches to an independent production company they can get 8 masterclasses from professionals in theatre, film and tv in and around Wales. They can get three feedback sessions on their work. Bad Wolf particularly focuses on their employees being part of ‘the next generation of Welsh and Wales-based writers’. Bad wolf does 2 sessions with the writer to organise taking the story from word to vision. An example of a TV series produced by Bad Wolf company is The Winter King, written by Bernard Cornwell.
https://bad-wolf.com/bad-wolf-supports-the-other-room-emerging-writers-scheme/
Independent directors or producers
Neil Burger is an independent director, he has written and directed Voyagers (2021), The Upside (2017), Divergent (2014), Limitless (2011) and the Illusionist (2006). Independent directors have it easier if they chose to produce their own screenplays, this way they would hold more power over the final result. Although it can be quite expensive to build up from writing the screenplay, which can be quite difficult as they still also must be the directors.
https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/careers/jobs/independent-director/
Organisations
Netflix is an organisation that hires writers to sometimes join a pre-existing show or doing really well at an open submission and getting hired to directly develop material for them. Netflix has many subscribers, and hires many writers. As will all other companies Netflix does not accept cold pitches and to get your work before them you need to go through an agent or get recognised and invited to write for them. These are what they refer to as “solicited material” as opposed to “unsolicited” which they are strongly against. An example of this is Stranger Things which has been adapted from the original ideas of the Duff brothers, based on their observations of real life events.
https://filmdaft.com/how-to-become-a-screenwriter-for-tv-or-netflix/
Competition
BlueCat Screenplay Competition, applying to a competition is slightly riskier as there can only be one winner and hundreds and thousands of entries, whilst some can be shortlisted and others can be runner ups, its like applying for a job knowing thousands of others with different levels of experience are also applying for, however there can be producers and more who see these competitions, as well as search at festivals to see if they can find budding talent. One of the winners of the 2021 BlueCat competitions was Beverly Chukwu, with her screenplay called Prince of Lavendale Street.
https://www.bluecatscreenplay.com/competition/rules-guidelines/
These commissioning bodies follow a strict procedure for accepting projects, this is to limit the thousands of scripts, ideas and pitches that they will be subjected to. As previously discussed the most effective way to get your ideas before these people is through an agent. I explained this in earlier paragraphs when explaining the agent's role.
Once a commissioning body has decided to use a screenplay and it is in the process of being bought the writer can not resell the same script to another commissioning body, this is the legal contract between the two parties to protect both sides from future misunderstandings. At this point a writer might be awarded a writers fee which means their script is off the market. This still stands even if the script is ultimately not made into a final product.
A script can be edited many times before the writer has submitted it, however, it will be edited after it has been commissioned as well, the director and producer will both have things to add or change, and other writers may help improve it as well. The script will most likely have been analysed or have gone through coverage before it has been submitted anywhere, this can be done by a script reader, for a small fee they mark and grade it to a set of guidelines, this assessment is handy as it can become difficult for a script writer to spot some mistakes on a project they have been focusing on. Some changes can be assisted on for clear reasons such as budget concerns, implausible narrative or for copyright concerns if something is too like some other tv plot, character or world. When the script is being edited in pre-production it is done to help the script be more plausible, for those filming to understand and follow but also for those who watch the film, this is to tie up any loose knots with the story. Postproduction editing is mainly done around any location changes or budget problems. Producers can be hired by broadcasters, production companies and screen agencies. They are constantly on the lookout for scripts or new talent with ideas to turn into films. They analyse screen plays and make script notes that will lead to the screenwriter producing the final draft, this can be a slow process taking years in some cases. When development producers are involved in TV series, they will have to present their ideas to TV commissioners, this will be a short pitch which is usually verbal. Assistant Producers are often freelance workers, they are taken on by producers and directors to find actors to star in a film or TV drama casting assistants help with this. After reading the script they help the director draw up a list of possible actors for the main part, they also help with screen tests and camera operating. They can also end up doing things like getting drinks and answering calls.
Page lock-down
When a script goes into production, it will have been assigned page and scene numbers for ease when shooting. If changes are made to the script during production, there are strict guidelines on how those changes should be logged and distributed.Page lock-down is vital if screenplays are to be filmed / produced effectively. Locking a page down is the process in which any changes or revisions to the script are coded specifically and sent out as individual pages as opposed to having to manually change the numbers on any subsequent page or force members of the cast and crew to transfer large sections of handwritten notes over and over. For example, if a line of dialogue is removed from page 54, the original page 54 is removed and page 54A is distributed and then, if more than one new page is needed, it would be 54B, 54C etc. New pages are also printed in different colours to make them easier to identify. The page lock down is when a script is put into production there are specific ways that the script can be edited.
Screenwriter
Screenwriters develop screenplays for film or TV drama. They can be hired in several ways creating an original idea or adapting a story or joining an existing production. They are responsible for creating a working document that conveys emotion and setting to all involved. Many screenwriters work on a freelance basis, this means that they can be commissioned by a studio to create a work, or they can produce three drafts to pitch to a producer. The original writer can be asked to leave and depending on circumstances can lose all credit due to disagreements with the director. If needed more screenwriters can be brought in to share the workload or develop ideas, this is more common with TV series. This may mean the original screenwriter has to share the credit. A writer can end up writing over 30 screen plays with only about 10% of them becoming films or series, this is considered a good rate. Sometimes it could take years before a script becomes a project or the writers name can be taken from the project if there are too many disagreements, although this isn’t always legally possible.
literary agents
Knight Hall is a boutique agency who pride themselves on giving a personal service to all their clients. They run an open plan office and all agents are fully aware of the financial side of their operations, so they can all deal with every aspect they need to cover. The clients are not specifically assigned to any one agent, but can be moved between several agents depending on who is free at any given time. Currently Knight Hall are not accepting any new submission of work, but their contact details are on their website, including phone numbers and email addresses. Some of their clients are Philip Ridley who has written Poltergeist which will be on at Arcola Theatre; Claire Downes whose writing is featured in Season 2 of The Outlaws which is streaming on BBC iPlayer and Ol Parker who has written and directed Ticket To Paradice which will be showing ins US cinemas.
https://www.knighthallagency.com/news/
https://scriptangel.com/about-us/
Studio 21 works with top level industry executives and leading showrunners to discover the best up and coming writers in a global market. They support their writers with bespoke strategies for their best development. Providing support financially, writers room support and consultancy. They aim to develop fresh ideas and promote writers' portfolios on an international level through the parent company C21 Media’s products. It appears that each year Studio 21 runs a competition which is open for new writers to submit their work. This can be a variety of genres and previous winners are now in the process of having their project developed with leading producers. Their website also has email contact details, but it is unclear if this can be used for submissions. Some of their competition winners are Jan Smith creator of Parasomnia, Alister Mc Dermott creator of Bakersfield and Grace Link creator of Crack of Dawn.
Screen Yorkshire runs a programme called Flex which encourages emerging writers. This programme enable emerging writers to work with experienced industry practitioners as part of a mentoring system, this is run in an apprentice style format over a 6 month period. The person in contact is Jo Schofield, she is based in the Yorkshire and Humber region; her contact details are on their web page. Some of the clients they have include; Lauren Schmidt-Hissrich who wrote and produced the second season of The Witcher, Eve Hedderwick Turner a new writer who wrote the screenplay for Yorkshires latest series of Anne Boleyn and Kirstie Falkous and John Regier who wrote Zero Chill.
https://www.screenyorkshire.co.uk/flex/
https://www.screenyorkshire.co.uk/production-support/
Royalty payment is the method that a writer gets paid. There are various ways that payment can be made. The writer can be in a contract that is paid, per performance, per month, per year or a one off payment it depends on the contract. The Royalty payment is the fee that the licensee must pay for using the franchising that is agreed upon by both parties. The Producer and the agent will also get a cut of the Royalty fee.
https://www.royaltyrange.com/home/blog/what-is-a-royalty-payment
Time management is an important element of a writers’ overview. If you do not meet an agreed deadline this will have an knock on effect to all areas of production, and those in that production may have to move on to other projects, for case example an actor might be hired for a set number of weeks and their schedule of other films may then cause a clash, this could mean the cancellation of the writers project and end up costing the commissioners a massive loss. This will also impact on a writer's reputation and cause reluctance for rehire on future projects.
Bias is where a writer will push a view with an aim to present one side of a story rather than a balanced two sided story. This might be done subliminally or overtly. The nature of bias will be dependent on any particular project. In a factual documentary you should remove all bias where possible however there is debate about this when including illegal activity. Also in films about WWII the story is generally presented from one side or the other showing a strong bias.
Awareness of libel and defamation is important to prevent the writer being sued for maligning a person through their writing. Which is why many “based on real life stories” that aren’t advertised as based on real life, generally have name or location changes or “soften” the severity of the “bad” characters.
(Example from Honey Evens- Oct 2022)
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