Session 10 - Working as a professional screenwriter

Agents

• An agent promotes you as a writer. They have industry contacts and will arrange meetings with producers and script editors and send out your script for their perusal.

• An agent negotiates your contract and your fees.

• An agent monitors any further fees such as repeat fees.

• An agent will comment on your work.

• Often producers do not accept unsolicited scripts from unrepresented writers, you can overcome this problem by having an agent to send your script for you.

• For this they will charge you a % of your fee, between 10 and 15%
   

Now this all sounds fantastic but it's slightly more complex than that so we want to attach some codas:

• Firstly, you must be absolutely active in your pursuit of finding work.  Do not rely on your agent to find you work.  See your agent as someone who will help you as you look for work.

• Secondly, if you are commissioned by any of the publically funded bodies such as the Film Council in the UK, they are bound by particular agreements laid down by the UK government or European laws.  If you are not in the UK, you will have to do some research about the laws and industry regulations in your country (please do share these in the forum, by the way!) Therefore your agent is not in a position to negotiate your contract or fees. So the question arises, should you be paying your agent a % on these types of commissions? Jane's agent does not charge but it is up to you and your agent to make a decision about this.

• An agent is highly unlikely to support you if you are writing short scripts.

• An agent does not pay for lunch.

• An agent will charge you for the cost of copying your script.

• An agent will only do a certain amount of hand-holding; you are expected to look after yourself.

So do you still need an agent? Perhaps you don't if you are good at negotiating deals - but we would always advocate that having an agent is a lot better than not having an agent. At the very least, if you are represented it shows to the outside world that someone else believes in you as a writer.  This is particularly important when you are starting out.

It can be very difficult to get an agent. These days agents don't just Hoover up writers.  They are very discerning and will only take you on if they believe in your potential. We think this is as it should be. There's no point being one of hundreds of clients, all ignored. It's much better that your agent has fewer clients so she or he can concentrate on you.

Even though it's difficult to get an agent, be a discerning.  Do you want an agent from one of the big agencies who has fabulous a-list contacts but doesn't need you to earn their living and therefore might not work very hard for you? Or do you need an agent from a smaller agency who has less formidable contacts but will work harder for you? It's up to you to draw up your own wish list and find an agent who fits the bill.

Go through the Writer's and Artists' Year Book and identify as many suitable agents as possible.  Have a look at their websites and get their full details. If you can manage this now, call them to find out their submission process. If you don't have time, make sure you tackle this as soon as you can.

Producers

We've talked about producers a lot over the last few weeks.  So let's recap on the role of the producer and look at your relationship with her or him. 

• The producer produces films, they research and develop ideas, they cast, they find the crew, they oversee the production and the distribution and crucially they raise the finance.

• A producer will contract you as a writer.

• Particularly at the start of your career, you will often be asked to produce an outline, a treatment or even a script draft without being paid. This is not ideal of course but it is common practice.  Producers really do genuinely struggle to raise finance for script development...so they literally don't have the funds to pay you at this stage. It is your decision over whether this is acceptable or not. However, it is only acceptable if the producer agrees to repay you once they have secured development or production finance.

• Make sure you agree with the producer what you need to produce.

• When they are giving you notes, write them down.  You might also want to email your producer with the notes just so that you are both clear.

• If the producer is in a position to pay you it will normally be as follows: Payment for the outline, payment for the treatment, payment for the first draft script, payment for subsequent scripts.

• And now the painful bit! The producer is your boss and is therefore in a position to fire you! This is a normal part of the script development process. If you have been hired to write an idea generated by the producer, you will be paid for the work you've done (as long as you have delivered to the best of your ability the work required). If it is your original idea then you will be paid for the work you have done and the producer will already have paid you for the right to develop the idea exclusively (more of this momentarily). Unless you have been monumentally used and abused, try to take this on the chin and part company as friends. Firstly, you might well work together again in the future and secondly, you don't want to gain a bad reputation.

• On the other hand, your relationship with your producer can be long term and fruitful...so when choosing the producers you would like to work with, remember that they can be friends and colleagues, not just the scary boss!

Task Number Two

As we did in our very first session, read the trade papers, look at the television and watch films, then make a wish list of producers you would like to work with. See if they have websites (most will) and find out what you can about them.

Broadcasters

As a writer you will have a similar relationship with a broadcaster, but there are many differences too.  So how do broadcasters operate? Let's look at the BBC. The BBC has different drama departments, first of all their nations and regions such as BBC Wales and BBC Northern Ireland. The BBC also has drama departments dedicated to different formats – series and serials, BBC films, comedy and light entertainment, children’s and so on. 

Each department employ executive producers and editors, who monitor and manage their existing productions such as Casualty and any projects that are currently in production.

They will also be busy developing new projects. They will develop a certain amount of scripts with writers or writer / producer teams to show to the appropriate drama controllers, such as the Head of Children's Drama in the hope of securing production finance.

So how do you navigate your way in?

• Both the BBC and Channel Four have fantastic websites that have great opportunities for writers in all formats. Make the most of those opportunities because, should you be successful, or even shortlisted, it's a great way to get noticed. Remember that these competitions are heavily subscribed so the competition will be fierce.

• You can send in speculative scripts to the BBC Writers Room. Again, they are absolutely inundated with scripts so expect a three month wait before they can respond. It is very, very unlikely that your script will be selected for further development.  But again, they will hopefully be interested in meeting you as a writer. If this is the case, prepare thoroughly for your meeting.  They will want to get to know you and will be interested in your ideas and what makes you tick. 

• You can apply to BBC's Doctors with a speculative script. They are one of the few productions who take on new writers.

• You can apply to Channel Four's Coming Up series that makes 10 thirty minute dramas written and directed by individuals who have not had a broadcast credit before. Again, expect the competition to be fierce.

• Get to know script editors at any type of industry gathering, such as festivals, play performances, script readings, talks and seminars.

• Remember that the Broadcasters are not the be all and end all. Refer back to our session on alternative media. The broadcasters employ a lot of writers but the competition is stiff and they do tend to work with writers they already know.

• If you specifically want to write for television series find out any opportunities for new writers. Start off writing Doctors and work your way up. Find out if your region or country produces its own dramas.  BBC Wales and Scotland both have long running regional soap operas.

• Also remember that the broadcasters are always looking for long running series ideas.  So if you've got a terrific idea, send it in. Should your idea be taken up, it is highly unlikely (unless you're a complete genius) that you will be invited to write all the first series episodes. At the very least they will pay you handsomely for your idea even if you only get to write one or two episodes.

We appreciate that many of the above examples and suggestions are geared towards UK residents.  Given that we're a UK university, this is where the majority of our contacts and market knowledge reside.  However, for those of you not resident in the UK, we hope our examples and suggestions have given you ideas of who you can approach, sources of industry information and things you can do in your country.

Task Three

If you are in the UK, Find out all you can about Channel Four's Coming Up series, BBC's Doctors series and any regionally based long running drama series. If you live outside of the UK, please do substitute these with similar from your country.

The UK Film Council and your local film development office

The UK Film Council is a government funded, lottery funded and European funded organisation involved in the development, production, distribution of the UK's feature film and short film industry. It offers script development funding, production and completion funding as well as a short film production programme and training schemes. It is the one-stop-shop for everyone working in the feature and short film industry in the UK.

• As a new writer in the UK you can apply for script development funding from the UK Film Council. The application is simple but again it is highly competitive.  So don't apply before you're ready. Furthermore, you are only allowed one application per idea, so if it's rejected, you cannot apply again with the same idea.

• Your local UK Film Council office will also run UK Film Council's Digital Shorts scheme. You will get funds to write the script and production funding. Again, it's fiercely competitive. Jane secured a commission in 2008 - a year in which 9 films were made, but they received over 400 applications.

Again, the above is for those residing in the UK.  Many countries offer similar schemes.

Task Four

Find and explore the UK Film Council's website and make a note of all the opportunities open to new writers.

Find and explore your local Film Development Office, make a note of their opportunities open to new writers and find out who your contact person at their office is. Write the contact person an email introducing yourself.

For both of the aforementioned, sign yourself up for their e-bulletins.

The Role of the Professional Writer:

So we've looked at Agents, Producers, Broadcasters and the UK Film Council and film production opportunities. Now let's have a look at ourselves as writers.
 

1. First of all let’s be clear about copyright.

An idea in itself is not copyrightable.  It must be thorough enough to be deemed unique and original. An outline is copyrightable for example; but writing on a piece of paper 'I want to write a script about a jazz musician struggling to get to the top' is not a sufficiently developed idea to copyright. There are millions of potential ideas out there in the ether so you can't claim them as your own until you have established your basic story.

To ensure copyright put the copyright (c) on all your work, with your name and the date. Next, print a copy of your work and post it to yourself. The envelope must remain sealed. The postmark proves when you completed the work. In the UK, you can also register completed scripts with the Writers Guild of Great Britain.

But remember, only the most unscrupulous people pinch other people's ideas or scripts.  It rarely happens. However, you might want to keep an idea secret until it is at least at outline stage, but after that you should be safe.

Task Number Five:

Have a look at the Writers Guild of Great Britain website for loads of information on your rights, agreements and benefits. 
 

2. Agreements and contacts.

For this section please refer again to the Writers Guild of Great Britain website.  Look at the section on agreements and download all the relevant information for easy future reference.

But we do want to mention Option Agreements or Assigning Rights.

• If you approach a producer with your script or an outline and they like it enough to want to produce it as a film, the producer must secure the rights to do so. This is a very simple agreement where the producer negotiates with the writer for the exclusive opportunity to exploit your idea for the purposes of making a film.

• They will negotiate a set period of time, usually two years, before the rights revert back to you. The agreement will specify how much the writer will be paid.  It can be as little as £1 and as much £1,000,000, depending on how valuable the producer deems the project.

• Don't be put off if you are only being offered a £1.  It's just to make the deal legally binding, and frankly, you want the producer to have enough money and resources to be able to try and raise the finance for your film. Wouldn't it be a shame if you insisted on £2,000 for the option agreement and then your producer couldn't afford to go to Cannes Film Festival to try and raise production finance?

• The agreement will also specify what kind of rights they are buying. It is usually for the right to make a film or television series or serial. It probably won't include the rights to produce a book, a play, a radio play and so on.

• Finally, the agreement will establish the next step when their two years is up and finance is still wanting.  How the producer will either return the rights to you (what's known as 'turn-around' in the trade) or renew the agreement for a further fee and length of time.

• Now if you are working with a producer who you know and trust really well, then you might decide not to worry about an Option Agreement.  This is the exception that proves the rule. As a new writer, working with a producer you don't really know, secure the paperwork before beginning to write.
   

3. Networking

Several years ago Jane produced a 30 minute short film called Scarborough Ahoy! It won a total of six awards including an American Academy Award for Best Student Foreign Film. She and the crew spent ten days living it up in LA where we met lots of people from documentary makers to voice over artists and lots and lots of writers. In LA people working in the industry LOVE to network.  They will turn up for every drinks party, every opening, every coffee morning, anything! And they're great at it.  They remember everybody's names, their anecdotes are pithy - they never get drunk and morose.

Not so in the UK.  Everyone seems to dread the N-word...but you do so at your peril. No one owes you any favours.  It is down to you to get out there and meet people. Remember, everyone is in the same boat.  Frankly, attending a short film screening or a film festival, or a course, or an open script reading is fun - a lot more fun than stacking shelves!

If you don't live near London, Manchester or Edinburgh / Glasgow, if you live in the countryside like Jane, be prepared to travel. Jane lives in Cornwall but visits London and Bristol about six times a year for meetings and events. Be brave, don't just cling to someone who is just as green and scared as you.

But don't pester! Producers and editors hate being pestered.  Say a quick hello and then follow it up with an email saying how nice it was to meet them at the such and such event. Keep a note of who you met and where you met them.

Don't just try and chase the big players in the industry.

Seek out potential collaborators. They're probably far more useful at this stage of your career.

Don't Hoover up contacts for the sake of it. You have to prioritise your writing and your current script. There's no point chatting up a natural history documentary maker when what you want to do is write a science fiction block buster.

Task Six

Find out two events that you would like to attend. This could be a film festival, an interesting course, a networking event – and go to them both!

How to conduct yourself professionally

Now let's imagine you are working as a writer and working on a feature script. How do you conduct yourself?

We have talked about this a lot before but let's bullet point them for the sake of clarity. We're going to use the model of working on Channel Four's Coming Up series.

You have submitted an outline and you have been selected.  Your 30 minute drama is going to get made – how fantastic! This model applies to pretty much every working scenario that a writer faces.

1. Let's look at the chain of command: You will work directly with a script editor. The script editor will write his or her own notes and will compile comprehensive notes from the series producer, the series executive producer (both of whom are from the independent production company making the series for Channel Four) and the executive producer from Channel Four.

2. So the script editor is the middle person with whom you deal directly with.  So there is no need for you to have a great deal of contact with the producer.

3. Before you do anything you will be contracted. In this case it is non-negotiable.

4. In the first instance, you will be asked to produce a treatment, then the first script draft. If it goes horribly wrong, then the deal will end there. If it goes right, you will be asked to continue writing further script drafts. Expect to write about 5 drafts of the script. During this process you will have direct contact with your director who will comment on the script and you will ascertain that you both understand the theme of the script, its tone and content.

5. You will finally produce a shooting script. This is the script that will be broken down into a story board and schedule and will be issued to the entire cast and crew.

6. There might be a script read through with all cast and crew present but, on this scheme, it is unlikely. However, on feature films, short films and television series, it is common practice. This gives the writer the opportunity to meet with the principle cast and crew, answer questions and make any minor adjustments.

7. Production begins. It is up to the producer and the director to invite you to the set. Some directors really like to have the writer around, others do not.  Whether you are present or back home, you might well be asked to do minor rewrites. On a long running series it is very common for the writer to stay at home and trust the script editor to do minor changes.

8. Post production: In television, it is very unusual for the writer to be asked to comment on the different edits. On films, short or feature length, it is very likely that you will be asked to comment. There's no need to visit the edit suite if you don't want to.  You will receive dvds in the post or view the edit online instead.

9. The next time you are needed is at the screening!
    

As you embark on this journey from the very beginnings of a film to the very end, you are advised to remember the following dos and don'ts:

1. Remember it's a collaborative process.

2. Write down all the notes you are given. If you don't understand them, ask for reiteration or ask your editor or producer to slow down if they're going to fast.

3. Email the notes back to your editor and or producer so everyone is clear.

4. Remember that everyone is trying to get the script right, so don't defend everything in your script for the sake of it. Don't get over defensive.

5. But have the courage to fight for your script if its integrity is at stake or some of the notes are incorrect or misplaced.

6. Deliver on time, you will be in breach of contract if you don't. If you are struggling to make a deadline then let your editor know as soon as possible.

7. So don't agree to deadlines unless they are realistic. The industry is fast moving and you will be expected to work quickly but don't agree to an impossible schedule. Your work will be substandard, and you will get the blame.

8. Be efficient, write your notes clearly, keep everyone posted of how you're getting on, remain positive, think creatively. A theatre director friend and colleague of Jane's once said that directing is problem solving.  She thinks that's true of writing too.

9. Be prepared to write and rewrite. As the drafts unfold, the rewrites will become less and less.  However, it's not unusual to go to nine or ten drafts of a script, even for a short script.

10. Enjoy it! There is nothing like having your writing turned into a film.  It's a joy and a privilege.

11. And if the director has made a right balls up of it, forgive them and move on, they did their best!

Finally, let's have a look at the life of a writer working alone on a speculative script.

1. First and foremost call yourself a writer even if you are not earning all or any of your income from writing. Van Gogh never made a penny from his paintings during his life time...but no-one is any doubt that he was a painter!

2. Work out how best you write.  A novelist friend of Jane's keeps 'office hours' working from 9 to 5.  Jane tries to write six hours a day. Some write early morning, some late at night.

3. Take yourself seriously. If you can only write two hours a day because of your other job or family commitments, that time is sacred and must be respected and you must be undisturbed.

4. Back up your work. Save it on to a memory stick and print out each draft.

5. Don't get too isolated.  Get out and network.

6. Don't necessarily rely on script writing as your only source of income.  Most writers earn their livings via portfolio careers. Whilst Jane earns nearly all her income from writing based projects, they are varied.  She writes scripts and short films but she also writes plays and short stories.  Jane engages in community based writing projects, she script edits and of course, she  teaches. This is not necessarily the case for television writers, who write regularly for long running series and soap operas.  But even they have quiet periods and are often seen teaching short courses or writing non fiction and so on.

7. On the other hand if you have the desire and the means to get over to Hollywood then go for it. Jane once met a roofer who chucked it all in to go to LA and be a director!

8. Read the trade papers, watch films and watch television drama. It might look like you're slobbing out on the sofa, but you're not – it's research!

9. Similarly keep learning.  There are some great short courses out there. The Script Factory is a particular favourite of Jane's.

10. Keep trying. If no-one wants your first script, or your second or your third, they might love your fourth.

11. If you are meeting producers or directors, script editors, prepare for the meeting properly. Know who you're meeting and their background. Smart casual dress is appropriate. Keep your papers organised. Switch your mobile off. Most importantly BE YOURSELF.

12. But remember the all important work life balance. Contrary to popular belief, the film industry isn't the be all and end all.  Unless you've got a killer deadline to hit, then get ye to the party or the gym or out for a walk...whatever it is you enjoy doing for fun.

We hope you have enjoyed the course as much as we have.  

For your final exercise, we would like you to read through these notes carefully.  Discuss them in the Forum for this unit.  We would also recommend that you read Julian Friedmann's 'How To Make Money Scriptwriting', it covers all the issues raised in this session in detail.

Chariots of Fire. Jane hopes it's inspirational - even if it is a bit posh and dated! She keeps a picture of Kelly Holmes 2 x Olympic champion to inspire her to keep going!