Commissioning process and the role of the writer

Job roles in the commissioning process -

Screenwriter - Screenwriters work on the screenplays themselves, whether it be writing, developing or adapting them for film or TV. They work on very strict deadlines and work with the producers and directors to make multiple drafts, and during production can also make edits at the request of the actors and filmmakers. A lot of screenwriters are freelance and therefore can mostly work on what they want, however they are prone to being replaced by other screenwriters at the producer's/studio's discretion and if enough extra screenwriters are brought in they may gain less credit if any at all.

Screenwriters have a good understanding of what makes a screenplay great and are very creative, usually having seen loads of films and TV shows to know how to make an effective screenplay for a variety of genres and productions. They will usually work closely with the development producers and assistants, while being supervised by the script editor and any assistants. In TV, if episodes of a show have different writers each time the screenwriters will work with an outline made by a storyliner that gives an overview of the entire season or episode of the show so they know what to write about and avoid.

An example of a screenwriter is Quentin Tarantino, Who has written all of his own films and a few other notable films, such as "True Romance" (1993, Dir. Tony Scott) and "Natural Born Killers" (1994, Dir. Oliver Stone).

script reader - script readers usually work for a publicly-funded organisation and it's their job to write reports on a scripts development potential. Most readers reports are between 4-8 pages long, including a story breakdown and a suitability assessment. These include a logline, premise and synopsis, tone and genre analysis, at least a couple pages of strengths and weaknesses and the summary and final verdict.


script editor - Script editors review TV scripts for any continuity errors between scenes and episodes. They provide advice on the script to anyone else involved in that part of the production and in TV they act as a middle man for the script and production teams. They have the right to provide original opinions and concepts for episodes and scenes, especially if they are working in-house, however they can be freelance too.


director - The creative lead in a production. They will usually be in control of the creative vision all the way through the production process, from pre-production to the final cut being produced. The director will work under the producers and will work with a script, finished or otherwise and with a screenwriter, who can also be the director themselves. Once a final draft has been made and funding has been acquired, the director will help appoint heads of department and choose actors. It is then the directors job to visualise the script in a physical form and work with the cast and crew to set up the scenes from the lighting and camera placement down to where and how an actor should be standing. The director then works with the editors and post-production people to create a directors cut, which is reviewed by the producers and financers before a final cut is agreed upon.

producer - The heart of a production, the producer is always the first involved in the film or drama and usually the last to finish as well. They control everything from the finances to the distribution, and have a big stake in the creative direction of the production, being the ones who make all the final decisions. They're the ones who come up with the story ideas or secure rights to a script. They are the deciding force behind the scale and budget of a production and are responsible for acquiring funding, whether it be through investors or a studio or both. They are responsible for keeping everyone happy and act as a middle man for a lot of people on and off set.


Development producer - Development producers read through stories and scripts to find one worth translating to film, and make sure they're ready enough to be commissioned for TV or film. They do this making notes on the script and asking screenwriters to do any potential rewrites to make it better. This is sometimes a lengthy job, and can take years to complete a screen worthy script. In TV, they're the ones who pitch ideas to the commissioners, usually using a combination of vocal presentations, written treatments briefly detailing the plot and a sizzle reel, which is a short demo tape made to show what the most exciting parts of the show could look like. Development producers are brought on by the broadcasters, screen agencies and production companies, and their job roles differ depending on what organisation they're employed by.


development assistant  - Entry level film role. Helps the development producer reduce workload by reading potential material, usually taken from scripts, novels and blogs. They write reports and sit in on important meetings to gain experience.

Commissioning bodies -

Corporations - Large organisations usually comprised of multiple smaller and larger companies that  can usually offer large amounts of support and money for screenwriters, and are usually scouting for newer talent while also working with seasoned veterans of the screenwriting world. Corporations can offer a wide range of opportunities for screenwriters new and old, however they  usually assume full if not most of the control over a production or idea. These include big studios like WarnerMedia and Disney, who put out many films each year on high budgets and a very money-oriented, safe and often formulaic approach to the films they produce.

independent production companies - Independent production companies are usually smaller, and can sometimes be comprised of less than 5 people. They will usually work with relatively lesser known writers to keep costs down, but still have enough there to make a modestly good looking film with little outside financial help. They can also develop scripts for larger corporations in order to earn a bit more money from the finished productions revenue stream. An example of an independent production company is A24, a New York based company formed in 2012 which has gained a lot of recognition throughout the last few years for their films, including Robert Egger's "The Lighthouse" (2019), James Franco's "The Disaster Artist" (2017) and the documentary "Supersonic" (2016), detailing the rise of British rock group Oasis, directed by Mat Whitecross.

"The Lighthouse" Theatrical release poster

independent producers/self-producing - Independent directors and producers usually write their own movies and self produce their work as well. The benefit of this is mostly full control over the production and its budget, although the issues with it involve finding the funding, especially if they aren't as well known in the industry, so newer producers might have to work with smaller budgets for their first few features. A good example of a self-producer is Kevin Smith, who started his career with his 1994 film Clerks on a budget of $27,575, and now has an entire universe of characters and films of his own and also a few studio films he has directed for.

competitions - Competitions are running all the time in the TV and film industry and are run by all sorts of companies and individuals, for a variety of genres and lengths. A lot of film festivals such as Sundance will run competitions to find new talents and ideas, and many competitions are international and can cater to writers all over the world.

Organisations - Organisations exist to provide help, advice and teaching to aid screenwriters in subjects ranging from script development to improving on scripts and optioning scripts. Organisations don't usually finance screenplays however do run competitions to find new talent, both nationally and internationally, and can lead to a lot of recognition in the industry while giving the writer practice and a challenge. Some well known organisations are ScreenSkills and the BBC Writer's Room, the latter of which holds many competitions all year round.

Script optioning - A screenplay option is when a studio or production company buys exclusive rights to hold onto a script for a specified timeframe, removing it from the market while the buyer tries to acquire the necessary requirements to get it made into an actual production. This could be to get funding, a working script or finding the right people to make the production. Screenplay options these days don't get near what they used to, where before an option could make up to $25,000 for a big property or between $2,500 and $10,000 for a smaller screenplay, now you'd be lucky to make $1,000, let alone $2,500. Options usually last for between 6-18 months, and depending on the contract the writer may be required to do rewrites or the buyer themselves will add to the script, however after the contract expires any changes not made by the writer will be voided as the property is returned to them. A major example of this is the optioning of True Romance, in which Quentin Tarantino was offered $50,000 for the script^.

"True Romance" Theatrical release poster

The role of the writer throughout production -

The writer's job doesn't end after they've had their spec script financed and ready to go into production, in fact it only just begins from that point onward. The writer will usually work very closely with their writing team, director and producer throughout shooting, and one of their main jobs is to make any edits that they, the director, the producer, cast members, etc. want to make, with approval from all other higher up production crew. These edits can be line changes that the cast want made or have improvised themselves, scene details the director wants added in or things studios and investors want cut as they deem it inappropriate for the film. Another thing the writer has to do once production starts up is write a shooting script, which is often longer and more detailed than a screenplay as it must detail all the camera angles, stunts and special effects while also detailing the sets appearance, lighting and even the costumes. Furthermore, each scene is written onto its own page, and if that scene is intercut with others each part of that scene should be lettered, for example scene 1 starts with 1A, which is followed by scene 2, but then straight back to scene 1 with 1B and so on so forth. The shooting script is heavily worked on by the director and cinematographer alongside the writer as they're the ones who are in charge of a scenes set placements and filming.

Page lockdown is also a big part of a scripts development during a production. Any changes and revisions to a script require the script to be changed, so to avoid confusion by adding new page numbers, each new page revision will be printed on coloured paper and will have a letter assigned to the page number, starting at (page#)A on blue paper with the first revision. If a scene adjustment requires multiple pages it will remain the same colour but rather than adding new page numbers the next letter in the alphabet to the last page is added, so we then get (Page#)B, (Page#)C, etc. all still on blue paper. if a new revision of an already adjusted page is made, the colours will cycle through, with the original page being white, the second being blue, and as it goes on it will go pink, yellow, green, goldenrod, buff, salmon, cherry and then back round to blue and the cycle will continue in that order.

During pre-production they work on the script with the director and other heads of department to make sure its polished and to the vision before shooting starts. This is pivotal to make sure the production runs as smoothly as possible as well as making sure the plot and other aspects are as clear and engaging as possible. Afterwards in post-production they are still needed in case new scenes are required for any plot holes found during the editing phase, in which case they will get them written as quick as possible so any reshoots can be made in time for release.

Changes to the script:

Script coverage - Script coverage is the analysis of a script usually made during the development stages as a way to assess its ability to be successful through a variety of criteria gradings. Most script readers nowadays are independent and can be found online to cover scripts for a fee.

Changes to the screenplay - Sometimes a screenplay has to be changed for a multitude of reasons. It's up to the writer to decide whether they want to do a rewrite or not, however if a rewrite is necessary and they're not willing to change it they may need to step down from the production for a new writer to be brought in. Changes may be required because parts of the movie don't make sense or there are massive holes in the plot that need sorting out; Maybe there are some legal issues like plagiarism at play or maybe the script needs to be toned down to acquire a more suitable rating from the BBFC - whatever the reason for the change an artist needs to balance their integrity to their idea with what needs to be done to better the script, and they can happen at anytime, in some cases after production has finished and reshoots are required.

Shooting script - A shooting script is used by the Director, Cinematographer and any other leading crew roles to understand placement of things on set, such as camera and lighting positions, camera angles, prop locations and what stunts and costumes are required for the scene. Each scene is also given its own page, and if it's intercut with other scenes in-between it each segment is assigned a letter, starting at A and going in alphabetical order.

Page Lockdown - Page lockdown involves any changes to a script during production. When a page is locked down, it means that page has been changed and is then assigned the letter A and given a new colour, starting with blue. if a revised page requires multiple pages, rather than changing all the page numbers the extra pages become that pages number with the letter B, and anymore after that get C, D and so on so forth. if that page gets multiple revisions, it will cycle colours, starting with blue then pink, yellow, green, goldenrod, buff, salmon and finally cherry.

Blocking a scene - Blocking a scene is quite simply working out where the actors got in a scene and what position the camera starts in. It can be described as like a choreographed dance, with actors replacing the dancers and how they move around a scene with each step of the dance. Blocking is made a lot easier through shot lists and storyboarding, as it saves time working out how the scene is supposed to look and can be used for guidance on how the scene should be set up.

screenplay format - Screenplays are written in a very specific way. they must be written in 12pt courier font and laid out in a specific way based on what's being done. First a slug line is needed for the scene's setting, usually formatted as (INT/EXT.LOCATION.TIME OF DAY). Any actions and descriptions can be written down normally from left to right on the page, while dialogues must first have a character marker set in the middle of the page to show whos speaking, and then the dialogue, which is also in the middle of the page (unless dual dialogue is taking place). The screenplay is formatted this way as it is simulating a typewriter, which in most circumstances accounted for one minute per written page.

Working as a writer:

Agent representation - To get a screenwriting agent, a writer has a few choices to make and a few requirements to be met depending on what agent they want. All agents are different, some have very few clients and therefore work more closely and intimately with them while others have a large array of clients and staff, which may not provide the same level of closeness but is much better for networking as you never know who you may bump into. Agents are people, and therefore have different personalities as well, with some of them handling it all for you if you'd rather just write and avoid pitches and others leaving you to it and being there if you need any assistance. Three examples of agent companies are:

• Knight Hall - Formerly known as 'The Rod Hall Agency', the Knight Hall Agency represents playwrights, screenwriters, writers who direct and directors exclusively, while also holding onto stage and screen rights for select novels. A self-described 'Boutique Agency', everyone at the agency knows everything that's going on, with the companies small staff number meaning they all share the clients who will speak to whoever is free rather than having a specific agent. Some of their clients include Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty), Emma Savage (Sell By Date) and Ol Parker (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again). They can be contacted via letter, email or phone.

• ICM Partners - ICM Partners is one of the world's largest talent agencies, and has four transatlantic locations: London, New York, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles. They have a wide variety of writers, directors, actors, crew members and agents under their belt, and are very good for networking due to the large number of people across the industry connected with them. Their agents will most likely be specialised for different job roles, with literary agents adept in script reading managing writers while actors will most likely have talent agents with strong relationships to casting related people. some of their clients are Spike Lee (BlacKkKlansman, Malcolm X), Jerry Seinfeld (Seinfeld, Bee Movie) and Shonda Rhimes (Grey's Anatomy, Scandal). ICM can be contacted by phone or letter, however due to their size and A-list clientele this is one of those times when experience and contacts within the industry are a must and can most likely only be contacted successfully through connections.

• Dench Arnold - Dench Arnold state on their social medias that they "represent above and below the line talent across Film, TV and Commercials". They represent the majority of crew-based roles in pre-production all the way to post, from writers and directors, makeup and costume and also editors and sound mixers. Their client list includes Peter Briggs (Hellboy, Alien vs Predator), Paul Parkes (Noddy, King Arthur's Disasters) and Lucy Flannery (The Story of Tracy Beaker). They can be contacted letter, phone and fax, with a few emails for specific enquiries.

Payments - There are a few components that make up and determine how much a screenwriter earns for a script. These include:

Optioning payments, giving the producer rights to hold the script for up to 10% of the full price of the script. 

Front-end and back-end payments are made upon purchase of the script and after production and release respectively. The front-end payment is usually split into step deal payments, which are gradually paid as the writer hits certain milestones during the scripts development. its not uncommon for the step deal to be split into three payments made upon completion of a first draft, final draft and the polish of the screenplay. 

The screenwriter is also entitled to bonuses, among these are the royalties from box office returns and other residuals, sole-writer credit bonuses if they're the only screenwriter that worked on the project (if others are hired this usually gets split between all screenwriters), budget bonuses if the films budget increases and are also allowed right of first refusal on any sequels or spinoffs related to their story

A script also has an 'against' value, which is the amount they would get offered for a script without any current funding or plans to produce against a higher price they would be offered if the movie is greenly for production.

Professional presentation - When pitching there are key 'do's and don'ts' that should be followed for both presenting yourself professionally and your work. To be professional as an interviewee, you need to be composed (or at least act it), respectful to the interviewer (and potential former employer), dress in a presentable and appropriate way (either smart or smart-casual, depending on who you're pitching to) and you should do your research on who it is you're pitching to: What former projects have they worked on? Any specific genres they tend to prefer? other peoples accounts on how they conduct interviews and pitch meetings? Don'ts for personal presentation include: the opposites to the previously mentioned do's, being negative about any projects (including the one you're trying to sell), responding to questions or explaining the script with lies and half-truths and not giving it your all when trying to sell your idea, story or screenplay.

When presenting your work professionally, you should always give context to your idea and how you came up with it, focus on the points that make your idea the genre you say it is (because if a comedy isn't funny or a horror scary, then it isn't that genre of movie to begin with) and you should always stick to key plot points when describing the movie from its beginning to its end. When pitching an idea you should never go over the time you've been given to sell the idea (otherwise you're at risk of proving yourself incompetent at managing time or boring the audience), you should never compare your idea to already existing works (as you want your idea to sound fresh and original), don't pitch a title (as it doesn't have any relevance and the potential buyer may change the title later on anyway) and you should never mention specific actors you want playing roles unless asked (typecasting actors may show incompetence and when asked about specific actors you should only provide suggestions that are open to change).

Time management - Time management is important when working on a script you've been given a deadline for, especially if that deadline is a lot shorter than normal. A good way to keep focus, commit to the task and stay on track is to create a time-plan with your own mini deadlines and targets to reach, as breaking down a large project into smaller ones makes it appear more manageable and less intimidating. Outside help is always good as well, whether that be someone you can practice a pitch to, someone who can cover and analyse your drafts or someone keeping an eye on your deadlines to make sure you're still on track. Any free time during your normal routine should be used to either directly work on your idea or at least have it on your mind as you never know when a bit of inspiration comes to you.

There are some issues that have to be overcome when writing as well. Writer's block is a very common issue that everyone will face at least once in their lifetime, and it's occasionally unavoidable, especially on large original ideas you can't relate to an existing idea or situation however there are a couple of ways to not necessarily avoid it but make it less of an issue. The more you focus on a block the more severe its going to be so a good thing to do is focus on another creative outlet, whether that be a separate project or a different part of the story you can develop first. You should always stay positive and patient when hit with writers block and make sure you keep busy and not get up and procrastinate as you want the creativity to stay flowing. Most importantly however, if all else fails, a good nights sleep always cures the mind as tiredness is more often than not the brains biggest enemy. Another issue that a writer might have is balancing multiple projects at once, however this one is easily solved with a bit of planning out your priorities, with your primary focus on the most urgent issue. A musician wouldn't play a gig before first tuning their instrument, so a writer shouldn't focus on a small blog post without a deadline over a commissioned feature-length script due in a few months.

A writer should always meet a deadline as if they don't their professional reputation is potentially on the line, which is never good in any area of work. Having a negative reputation will turn away potential clients, and without work, the screenwriter loses a few sources of income. While not being reliant on contracted work and still being able to write screenplays and try and get them sold independently, potential buyers will still be hesitant as they may have deadlines set for more drafts and rewrites, and may just bring on new writers to take over thus cutting out a good portion of the writers bonus salary. A missed deadline can also affect the production as a whole, as it will need to be rescheduled and any actors who have already been brought on may have other responsibilities requiring them to leave the production.

Legal and ethical considerations:

Copyright - In the UK, copyright laws state that an idea is automatically copyrighted as soon as its physically written down in any way, shape or form, meaning that anyone with an idea or creation they think was plagiarised or stolen has full grounds to take action. Despite this, it's very unlikely to be successful without any other evidence to support it being stolen, and that's where registering an idea comes into play. When an idea is registered it puts a date and a name to your idea to act as proof you were the original proprietor of that creation, thus giving appropriate evidence to support your case in the event of somebody copying an idea.

Plagiarism - Plagiarism is taking an existing idea or creation and either incorporating it into your own work or passing it off as your own without permission from the owner of those materials. Accidental plagiarism is rare but can happen, which is why proper research should be taken when coming up with a new idea to make sure it hasn't been done already, as plagiarism - whether intentional or not - can lead to serious issues, like financial and reputation-oriented losses. A good example of plagiarism is the Clonus/The Island case, where Michael Bay's 'The Island' (2005) shared many similarities, with some scenes being shot for shot remakes, to Robert S. Fiveson's 'Parts: The Clonus Horror' (1979). This led to a settlement in which DreamWorks paid the proprietors of Clonus an undisclosed amount within the 7-figure range^.

"The Island" Theatrical release poster

"Parts: The Clonus Horror" Theatrical release poster

Bias - Bias is favouring one side of an argument, which can lead to unfair and prejudiced decision making. Writer's bias should be avoided when trying to create factual programming that is supposed to present a neutral look on a subject, such as an observational documentary, however many fictional and non-fictional media that are designed to shine light on certain issues and subjects usually require bias from the writer to help push that message. That being said, there's a fine line between using factual bias to emphasise a point and making up things to push an agenda, especially when making a factual piece. Bias doesn't necessarily have to be about real world issues, and bias for fictional things like pushing the heroes side of the story over the villains will always be acceptable as that's the artists vision. Even a movie that empathises with the villain is completely fine as long as it also acknowledges that their means to an end, no matter how just in their mind, is the wrong way to go about it, such as pushing a villains idea for world peace through mass genocide as being bad no matter how noble the outcome.

Censorship, Watershed and Certification - A major consideration for a writer is who they want their work to be shown to and figure out a demographic and try and fit within the censors. They firstly need to work out what certification they want to acquire from the BBFC as this is what will restrict younger viewers from watching it, or even put off general viewers based on the rating alone. When writing for TV another consideration when writing a primetime show is to avoid watershed laws so it doesn't get pushed back to the late-evening timeslots.

Libel - Libel and all forms of defamation should be avoided at all costs as they can often land writers in court with the odds against them as most cases of defamation are difficult to prove as true. Libel is defamation in written form which causes harm in any way to a person, and should be actively avoided by writers unless enough precautions are taken in which the real subject can't prove the written material links back to them. A case of this is when Louis Vuitton sued Warner Bros for a scene in "The Hangover Part II" (2011, Dir. Todd Phillips) on the grounds of creating consumer confusion, in which a knock-off Louis Vuitton bag is used for a joke in which the character of Alan tells the other characters to be careful with his bag as its a "Lewis Vuitton". The case was thrown out for providing a weak case against freedom of expression^.