Session 1 – Introduction to Screenwriting

Notes to accompany the lecture for this session.

So let's begin at the beginning – with the idea!

We have a voracious appetite for stories in all forms because we are trying to understand ourselves and the world around us. Writers and their stories help us on that journey.

So what does a script writer do? The scriptwriter writes feature film scripts and scripts for television drama. The scriptwriter must generate ideas that are fit for the 'market place', i.e. they will interest a producer or a broadcaster in the first instance and will capture the imagination of the audience in the second. The ability to generate ideas is akin to the non-fiction industry where ideas are considered first and only when the idea is accepted and commissioned does the scriptwriting begin.

So a scriptwriter generates ideas. It is therefore well worth keeping abreast of current trends, spotting gaps in the market and creating new areas of interest. This applies to all types of screenwriter whether they are generating original work or writing for an existing television drama series. It is important for you as a screenwriter to know the business side of the film and television industry so we'll spend a short time looking at the role of the producer because it is the producer who will become your best friend and partner.

The Role Of The Producer

The producer is the person who is in charge of making the film. It is they who search for ideas to turn into scripts, it is they who raise the not inconsiderable finance to pay for the making of the film and it is they who distribute the film with the help of a distributor. And they do this because they want to make a profit. I would strongly argue that good producers also love films and television dramas otherwise they wouldn’t involve themselves with such a precarious and costly industry.

So contrary to popular belief, a writer with an idea for a script needs to solicit the interest of a producer and not a director because it is a producer who turns your idea into reality.

Of course, there are lots of exceptions to this basic rule: writers and directors do work together. Producers might approach a writer and not the other way round because it is the producer who has originated an idea but needs the most appropriate writer to realise it. Writers and directors do indeed work together on scripts and then convince a producer that they are the right 'partnership' or 'package' to bring this particular idea to the screen. Finally, producers of a long running drama series on television will read original scripts by writers, not because they want to produce the submitted script but because they are finding suitable writers for their series.

Much like a salesperson touting their wears from door to door, a writer will be thus equipped:

• They will have a feature length script.

• They will have a list of ideas to discuss with the producer.

This is because:

• They want the producer to make their feature script into a film.

• Or they will use their feature script as a sample of their work and try to get one of their other ideas commissioned.

• Or if the producer doesn’t like the script or the ideas, the writer will try to build a working relationship with the producer so that they might work together at some future date on an entirely new idea.

• Please note, the writer's ideas do not come in the form of finished scripts. That is impractical and would take far too long. They are outlines or synopsises of your story from 50 to 2000 words in length.

Do not be intimidated by the notion that you have to have ten wonderful ideas for scripts. It's the quality of ideas and not the quantity that counts. It's important to have at least two drama ideas but they should be really resonate.  This is so much better than having half a dozen underdeveloped, poorly realised ideas.

However, it must be stressed that all scriptwriters must have written a feature length script to show as a sample of their work before launching themselves into the big wide world of producers and agents, funders and broadcasters. Why? Because they need to know you can write! And they need to find out who you are and what interests you. Here's an example to illustrate the point:

If you have written a script that involves tensions within a family then a producer from Eastenders might be interested in reading your script and hiring you to write for the series.  This will be because you are interested in the same issues as dramatised in their series.

At this juncture, you will need to think carefully about the kind of writer you are. Do you like writing car chases or love scenes, are you interested in action or characters? Never attempt to write something that doesn't interest you simply to try and compete in the market. You will probably fail in the first instance and in the second, a gifted producer will be able to tell from your writing that your heart isn't really in it. Shane Meadows, who brought his highly authored piece Somers Town to the screen, wouldn't take his scripts to Barbara Broccoli producer of the Bond films.

Exercise One:

It doesn't matter if you have never written a script before.

• Write 500 words describing the type of writer you are.

• The content should include something of your background, the subjects you are interested in and why. Please also include the type of audience you would like to reach.

• Next, research a producer or production company who might be interested in your ideas. To achieve this, look at the latest copy of a television listings magazine such as the Radio Times, TV Guide or a copy of a mainstream film magazine such as Empire.

• Make a note of all the dramas of interest to you and make a note of the producer and the production company. For your reference, make a note of what format it is (i.e. is it a long running series, a soap, a serial, a single drama or a feature film).

• Next, write a single sentence describing the drama.

• Finally, write down what type of audience the drama is aimed at.

  The advantage of this exercise is threefold; firstly you will be able to identify type of writer you are, you will begin to understand how you ‘'fit' within the market place and you will get to know producers who have a similar outlook as yourself.

Always remember that a producer or commissioner wants to make brilliant award winning, profitable work.  So don't show anyone a half baked idea. You have got to love it first before showing anyone. Producers put their life and soul into their jobs and they expect the same from writers. You have got to convince any potential producers you meet, that your script or idea is worth really quite substantial amounts of money. Even a micro budgeted film costs a minimum of £100,000.

Is your idea worth £100,000? Let's find out!

Now bandying around large sums of money can sound intimidating and we don't want to put a price tag on any script or scriptwriter. As a writer and script editor herself, Jane Pugh (the MA Professinal Writing tutor for this unit) understands how much films cost but rarely thinks in concrete terms of the actual amount her script would cost to bring to the screen. She writes because she has a great idea, not because it's cheap or expensive to make.

So how do we find a good idea?

As your life unfolds so will opportunities for drama. Some writers travel across the world to find ideas, some stay closer to home, all writers keep their eyes and ears open every day to find new ideas to excite and inspire them.

• Use a notebook, scrapbook, shoe-box or cuttings file to collect ideas.

• A good idea is an idea that grabs you, it could be a story in a newspaper or something you observed at a party, but if it actually makes your heart beat faster then it's good.

• But test your idea by leaving it alone for a few a days.  If it still grabs you when you return to it then it probably has the necessary substance. If it fails to grab you then resign it to the bin.

• Do not be too precious about your ideas.  As one of our MA Professional Writing students said, ALL ideas are good if they are written well. Concentrate on finding an idea that means something to you and not on changing the world.

• On the other hand, be discerning.  It is you who will spend weeks and months, even years, writing your script. Make sure the original idea is genuinely captivating.

• Collect ideas as you go along, because some ideas will be utilized months or years later.

• Be careful not to talk about ideas to friends before they are properly formulated. Rigorous criticism from the well meaning can swamp a fledging idea.

• Be inspired by existing films or stories but don’t copy. It is plagiarism and you will be found out - it also reveals a lack of confidence in your own work and ideas. Remember you and your stories are unique.

For a fascinating glimpse into the formulation of ideas watch the DAVID LYNCH INTEVIEW PART ONE from the BBC2 programme 'Scene by Scene' with Mark Cousins. In the excerpt, both Lynch's preoccupations and how his 1999 film 'Straight Story' came into being are discussed.

One could argue that the first part of this lecture has concentrated on inspiration more than ideas so for the second part of the lecture, we would like to apply a more rigorous approach to finding and developing the right idea. The essential question to ask is:

'Does your idea have enough conflict to sustain a full length drama?'

We will be returning to the notion of conflict again and again during the course because Conflict is at the heart of every drama.

What do we mean by conflict? Of course every piece of writing in whatever form or genre must have conflict otherwise there is no story. Structurally, stories have a beginning, middle and end - but so does a trip to the shops.  It doesn’t necessarily follow that a trip to the shops would make a good story.

Put simply, a character at the beginning of their story wants to reach a goal or goals. As she embarks on her journey to achieving her goal, she encounters obstacles along the way and changes as a result of those obstacles. Whether she reaches her goal or not, she is a different person at the end of her story than she was at the beginning.

It really is as simple as that and if you can grasp this, you have understood the rudiments of all storytelling in all forms that ever has been and ever will be.

For your second exercise:

• Writing in first person narrative, describe in 500 words something that really bugs you. For example 'Drivers who hog the middle lane of the motorway really annoy me.'

• Then write 500 words expressing the counter argument also in first person.

• Finally, write 500 words where you reach some kind of consensus.

• By completing this exercise you will have, in effect, written a small story that deals with conflict and resolution.

This approach can be applied and expanded to all your stories and scripts, whether you are dealing with domestic or global subjects. The same principle applies to every script that you will write. The central conflict could be something grounded such as 'How do I survive as a working class woman in the cut throat business world?' Such as Nora Ephron’s light hearted 80s film Working Girl or the more philosophical 'How do I survive in a world that operates in direct conflict to my morals, beliefs and sensibilities whilst trying to solve crimes?' Such as BBC's Life On Mars.

We hope you can see from the two examples given above how the central conflicts in both these dramas are strong and simple, deep and complex enough to warrant bringing to the screen.

For the final section of the podcast, lets indulge ourselves in a short brainstorming session to get the ideas flowing. We will endeavour, as we proceed through the course, to demystify the machinations of the film and television industry. We hope this next exercise contributes because it takes place in every producers' and broadcaster's offices on a daily basis.

Exercise three:

• For the sake of the exercise pick a long running drama series from the current schedule. It could be Holby, Spooks, Waking the Dead for example.

• In your own words, write a short description of the series so that you are clear what the series is about, what the characters do and the actual and moral problems they deal with.

• Secondly, on a single piece of paper, write five storylines. By storylines we mean no more than three sentences describing what the episode is about.

• Jane Pugh formerly script edited on the Carlton Television series Peak Practice and here is a storyline she generated for an episode as an example: 'A middle aged man is in need of a kidney transplant and will die without one. His estranged daughter is the only possible donor. But the man abused his daughter when she was a child. Will his daughter make the sacrifice or will she let him die?'

• We would suggest that you keep doing this exercise in your own time as it really fires up the ideas machine in your imagination.

• This brings the lecture back to where we started.  As a screenwriter you are a purveyor of ideas, the more ideas you have, the more material you have to write, and the more inspired you are to write.

PART TWO:

Having discussed ideas and how to find them in the podcast, and having completed the exercises, you are now in a position to start your Portfolio of Ideas in the forum for this session.  We would like to reiterate the points I made in the podcast:

1. A good idea is one that grabs you.

2. Be discerning.

3. Check that the idea contains conflict inherently within it.

4. Make sure it is the kind of idea that suits you as a writer. There's no point in writing a horror story when you love romantic comedy.

5. Collect ideas as you go along. Who knows, you might return to an idea you spotted in a newspaper five years from now.

6. Be audience aware.

7. Don't copy, don't be overwhelmed by an existing film or play or book and wish you could write in the same way. You must develop your own unique voice.

8. A good idea is one that grabs you: It's you who has to sit down and write the script which may take months, even years to perfect. So you must very, very interested in it!

To help get you started you might want to explore the following to find those all important script ideas.

• Newspapers and magazines

• Internet

• Books

• Television

• Lectures and talks

• Pictures and photos

• Real life experiences of yours or someone else’s.

• Visiting places

• Anecdotes

• Interviews

For your final project, select an idea from your Ideas Portfolio.

You will be asked to submit a short list of four ideas by SESSION SIX.

Post your work and critique the work of at least two of your fellow students in the forum for this session.

Please note that any work you post to the course forum is available to the public under a Creative Commons License.

The film to watch for this session is Citizen Kane. This movie is available in  free streaming format here: http://www.novamov.com/video/49e2a4aa485b2 (Please note that the host website has occassional pop up windows and advertising.)

Ask yourself 'what is it about?'

Let's have your comments and observations on the forum!