GC1: The Commissioning Process and Workings as a Writer;
The Journey of a Script
The Journey of a Script
Writer/Producer commissioning is when one is given the task to write/produce a piece of work on the basis they may or may not get payed. There are two ways to pay an author for a story. The first is to pay a royalty on each copy sold once its already written and produced. Usually a non-returnable amount of money is payed up front as an advance then no further money is due to the author until the book has earned that amount in royalties.
The second way is to pay a flat fee before the story is written. This is commissioning a writer. An production company/director would pitch an idea they want written to a well-established reputable writer and once the story is written they can they do as the please with it. They can either decide to scrap it, keep it behind in production and use it at a later date, or produce it straight away. It is out of the writers hands once the flat amount is payed and they will earn no more royalties from the book/screenplay.
There are however many different job roles in the commissioning process of a novel/screenplay. There are the actual production roles such as; writing, producing, directing etc. however commissioning roles also include to jobs in the post production process such as commissioning editors, script editors and agents. Most production companies buy a story/screenplay with the pure intent of making money, however sometimes there are ulterior motives. In 2013, Tom Roberts a multi-award wining film director was approached by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi (a government agency) with the purpose of creating a film to rally philanthropists together and help eradicate polio from Pakistan. This was released in 2014 and was called 'Every Last Child''.
An independent writer usually works and has to manage time in different methods to most professions. In a typical job a worker will have a set time they have to arrive at location, and a set time they can leave. Whereas for a writer they have to create their own limits. Whether they set their own starting/finishing hours, decide on a set amount of time to spend writing per day or even a set amount of words to reach, a writer has to have good time management and discipline to succeed.
Every writer knows that in the industry you have to be very careful and wary of the legal and ethical aspects of writing, particularly copyright and plagiarism laws. However factors like watersheds and censorship issues also have to be taken into account. In the UK, the BBC has a well established policy of making 9pm the pivotal point of the evening's television. After this time television shows aired will contain a high level of inappropriate content for children. Since 2003 Ofcom has taken action on more than 300 occasions where broadcasters have scheduled unsuitable content before or immediately after the watershed. In a number of cases, inappropriate music videos were shown in the afternoon.
However the most complained happening on television to date was unscripted on reality TV. In 2007 when Jade Goody used racially-motivated slurs in the Big Brother house against follow celebrity contestant Shilpa Shetty a record 44,000 people contacted Ofcom with a further 3,000 contacting channel 4. The show was taken off air for a year and Jade was removed from the series.
Unsuitable content can include everything from sexual content, to graphic violence to swearing. Only offensive and frequent swearing is banned before the watershed.
Commissioning a script can be a long process which requires hard work and patience. New and original work needs to be created to be able to achieve this, as well a passion for writing. There are many commissioning bodies, but making an impression on someone working in the business can really be one way to break into the industry.
BBC Vision:
Where as a commissioning body in terms of screenwriting can be in the form of a company, organisation, corporation etc. that will decide collectively whether a script will be produced or not. One commonly known commissioning body is BBC Vision. They commission scripts based on current needs for their genres and channels. They constantly look for holes in their channels, trying to a target audience that their content is missing. Once they figure out one, they'll scout and commission scripts looking for a only few very specific types of story.
Bluecat Screenplays:
Another example of a commissioning body would be the Bluecat Screenplays competition . They are a short film competition that has been running since 1998. It gives writers the opportunity to have their film screen in Los Angeles and 1st place winner receives $10,000. There are a lot of guidelines to follow but the some of the most important ones are; all ideas must be original, all entries must be in English, short films must be between 1-50 minutes long and short screenplays must be between 1-49 pages long.
Independent Cinema Office:
The British Independent Cinema Office is a example of a commissioning body organisation. Its a national support organisation founded in 2003 for independent exhibitors of all kinds including cinemas, film festivals and film societies. They offer services such as training independent cinema professionals, distributing films into the UK market place and running events for cinema professionals that is meant to encourage collaboration in the industry.
There are many different job roles that the a script will meet on its journey from paper to production. Here are some examples and what they might involve;
Production Manager
Production managers organize the business finance and employment issues in screenplay/script productions. As a production manager, they are in charge of how the budget is spent and making sure everything runs smoothly in the production of the script. The average salary for a production manager in the UK is £36,000 however salaries can pay up to £48,000.
Executive Producer
The role of the Executive producer is to oversee all the work of the producer on behalf of the studio, the financiers and the distributors. They will ensure the film is completed on time, within the budget, and to agreed artistic and technical standards. Education requirements vary, although a bachelor's degree in film studies/journalism is generally required. The average salary for an Executive Producer in the UK is £86,000.
Commissioning Editor
In publishing, a commissioning editor is essentially a buyer. It is the job of the commissioning editor to advise the production company on which scripts to produce. Usually the decision of whether to actually contract a script is taken by a senior manager rather than the editor, however a commissioning editor can still earn in the region of £20,000 to £40,000.
The role of a writer during/after production will vary a lot between production companies/writers/contracts etc. Some writers have their script sold and will have no further input on what happens from that point on. However there are writers like Quentin Tarantino who writes all his own screenplays, and then go on to direct and produce them. In my opinion I think this method produces the best films, with the one mind who originally envisioned the scenes onto paper being the one in control.
The second way is to pay a flat fee before the story is written. This is commissioning a writer. An production company/director would pitch an idea they want written to a well-established reputable writer and once the story is written they can they do as the please with it. They can either decide to scrap it, keep it behind in production and use it at a later date, or produce it straight away. It is out of the writers hands once the flat amount is payed and they will earn no more royalties from the book/screenplay.
There are however many different job roles in the commissioning process of a novel/screenplay. There are the actual production roles such as; writing, producing, directing etc. however commissioning roles also include to jobs in the post production process such as commissioning editors, script editors and agents. Most production companies buy a story/screenplay with the pure intent of making money, however sometimes there are ulterior motives. In 2013, Tom Roberts a multi-award wining film director was approached by The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi (a government agency) with the purpose of creating a film to rally philanthropists together and help eradicate polio from Pakistan. This was released in 2014 and was called 'Every Last Child''.An independent writer usually works and has to manage time in different methods to most professions. In a typical job a worker will have a set time they have to arrive at location, and a set time they can leave. Whereas for a writer they have to create their own limits. Whether they set their own starting/finishing hours, decide on a set amount of time to spend writing per day or even a set amount of words to reach, a writer has to have good time management and discipline to succeed.
Every writer knows that in the industry you have to be very careful and wary of the legal and ethical aspects of writing, particularly copyright and plagiarism laws. However factors like watersheds and censorship issues also have to be taken into account. In the UK, the BBC has a well established policy of making 9pm the pivotal point of the evening's television. After this time television shows aired will contain a high level of inappropriate content for children. Since 2003 Ofcom has taken action on more than 300 occasions where broadcasters have scheduled unsuitable content before or immediately after the watershed. In a number of cases, inappropriate music videos were shown in the afternoon.However the most complained happening on television to date was unscripted on reality TV. In 2007 when Jade Goody used racially-motivated slurs in the Big Brother house against follow celebrity contestant Shilpa Shetty a record 44,000 people contacted Ofcom with a further 3,000 contacting channel 4. The show was taken off air for a year and Jade was removed from the series.
Unsuitable content can include everything from sexual content, to graphic violence to swearing. Only offensive and frequent swearing is banned before the watershed.
Commissioning a script can be a long process which requires hard work and patience. New and original work needs to be created to be able to achieve this, as well a passion for writing. There are many commissioning bodies, but making an impression on someone working in the business can really be one way to break into the industry.BBC Vision:
Where as a commissioning body in terms of screenwriting can be in the form of a company, organisation, corporation etc. that will decide collectively whether a script will be produced or not. One commonly known commissioning body is BBC Vision. They commission scripts based on current needs for their genres and channels. They constantly look for holes in their channels, trying to a target audience that their content is missing. Once they figure out one, they'll scout and commission scripts looking for a only few very specific types of story.
Bluecat Screenplays:
Another example of a commissioning body would be the Bluecat Screenplays competition . They are a short film competition that has been running since 1998. It gives writers the opportunity to have their film screen in Los Angeles and 1st place winner receives $10,000. There are a lot of guidelines to follow but the some of the most important ones are; all ideas must be original, all entries must be in English, short films must be between 1-50 minutes long and short screenplays must be between 1-49 pages long.Independent Cinema Office:
The British Independent Cinema Office is a example of a commissioning body organisation. Its a national support organisation founded in 2003 for independent exhibitors of all kinds including cinemas, film festivals and film societies. They offer services such as training independent cinema professionals, distributing films into the UK market place and running events for cinema professionals that is meant to encourage collaboration in the industry.
Job Roles
There are many different job roles that the a script will meet on its journey from paper to production. Here are some examples and what they might involve;
Production Manager
Production managers organize the business finance and employment issues in screenplay/script productions. As a production manager, they are in charge of how the budget is spent and making sure everything runs smoothly in the production of the script. The average salary for a production manager in the UK is £36,000 however salaries can pay up to £48,000.
Executive Producer
The role of the Executive producer is to oversee all the work of the producer on behalf of the studio, the financiers and the distributors. They will ensure the film is completed on time, within the budget, and to agreed artistic and technical standards. Education requirements vary, although a bachelor's degree in film studies/journalism is generally required. The average salary for an Executive Producer in the UK is £86,000.
Commissioning Editor
In publishing, a commissioning editor is essentially a buyer. It is the job of the commissioning editor to advise the production company on which scripts to produce. Usually the decision of whether to actually contract a script is taken by a senior manager rather than the editor, however a commissioning editor can still earn in the region of £20,000 to £40,000.
The role of a writer during/after production will vary a lot between production companies/writers/contracts etc. Some writers have their script sold and will have no further input on what happens from that point on. However there are writers like Quentin Tarantino who writes all his own screenplays, and then go on to direct and produce them. In my opinion I think this method produces the best films, with the one mind who originally envisioned the scenes onto paper being the one in control.
