The Commisioning Process

The Role of the Writer in the Commissioning Process

Commissioning

Within the commissioning process there are many different roles which make it all work together. The commissioning editor roles is to have the final say in whether the idea will go forward with production or not. Meaning that they are responsible for looking over all the scripts that are sent in and decide which will be commissioned or not. They build up a publishing list by contacting authors and making book proposals. Producers role in the process is to be responsible for the financial and managerial aspects of the film or broadcast, the producer will spend a lot of time in contact with the director however sometimes the producer could be the director. They normally see the entire project out from start to finish. The role of directors in this is to capture the essence of the authors vision and put into real life but they also need to change things throughout as not everything always works or goes together. They need to constantly oversee what is happening in production to make sure it’s up to standard. Script editors’ job is to do various things including finding new script writers, developing storyline and series ideas with writers, ensuring that scripts are suitable for production and making sure the finished product is perfect like continuity errors and no verbal or visual faults. An agent is involved in different stages of the development, publication, and publicity process. writers, actors and performers normally have agents as they'll inform them of potential job interests, they can also play a key role in a writer’s process of creating and publishing, the definition for one is “A literary agent is an agent who represents writers and their written works to publishers, theatrical producers, film producers, and film studios, and assists in the sale and deal negotiation of the same.”. The writer is responsible for the story of the script, the person will have gone to through many drafts of their scripts and ideas before it is seen by producers and directors.

http://emilyknightheblog.blogspot.com/2015/06/job-roles-within-commissioning-process.html

There are several ways in which a writer can get a script put into production:
Competition - a writer could enter their screenplay into competition such as the BlueCat screenwriting competition (https://www.bluecatscreenplay.com/)
Spec script - a writer can send their script to a production company / a person and then get optioned, if they like the work. For example the BBC writers room is a 6 month writer development scheme for writers identified through the open submission script room and other talent searches.
Self-published - a writer puts their own script into production. Some writers will finance their own work and / or they may also direct or produce their own work. For example Kevin Smith who sold his comic book collection to fun this project he directed and stared in as well.

Commissioning bodies are the people that commission your work if you put it forward this is important as it is key in getting your name out there, this is hard as some people never even get the opportunity to pitch their ideas. There are different ways in which you can get commissioned and depending on which way will depend on how the work urns it, with a different commissioning body a script or screenplay could change unimaginably. A competition is different to from other bodies as normally a very large amount of scripts is entered so yours could not even be read, a panel of judges read them and decide who wins and the prize could be anything from a cash prize or holiday to an actual script writing job. There are independent production companies who as are not part of a big body like warner bros or the BBC for example have less money and equipment to go on so usually if you are unknown they would prefer you as you would be cheaper and more cost effective, they often do there own script editing and go to larger companies to find funding for their projects. A good example of corporation especially in the uk is the BBC. The BBC offers writers the chance to have their script produced by the BBC. The BBC sometimes asks for scripts to be sent in within specific time windows and then the scripts is guaranteed by the BBC to be read at least, writers can get feedback and can help improve the work and even the writer. The writer then gets paid once its made it to production if the piece is chosen and can get a percentage of the profits. Today it is a lot easier to create films and shows with our technology as it is cheaper more compact and easier to use so its not as hard for independent directors and producers to create a film without the help of a huge film studio this is why it might be worth sending your scripts to directors and producers as tey might be the ones who really recognise a potential script and might have the ability to bring it towards the camera but per say you were to send your script to a famous producer like Michael bay the likely hood of you getting a job or it even being read by his team let alone him is slim so it might be better to aim lower to start off with.

https://www.scribd.com/document/132784284/Commissioning-Bodies

Role of writer

Working as a writer:
Agent representation is simply someone who works for an agency and that will represent someone in this case it would be a writer but obviously all kinds of wealthy, powerful or famous people have agents like actors for example. The organise most things for the clients like meetings and schedules to make the clients life easier and then the agent will take a cut of the profits.

An example of a literary agent would be Christopher Little http://www.christopherlittle.net/authors/ and he predominantly works with authors of novels. PBJ Management represent a range of creative individuals including filmmakers, writers and actors.  

Here is a link to Jonnie Bayfield who is represented by PBJ who also went to the college I am currently at: https://www.pbjmanagement.co.uk/artists/jonnie-bayfield

Scene from Glow - Justine is in meeting to sell her script and she is optioned.

Optioning and payment:
An Option Agreement is a contract that allows a producer or a studio to obtain the film rights to a writer's screenplay for a period with the goal of making it into a film. There is a time period in which time is given to the producer or studio to get the film off the ground, this could be anything from 6-18 months. The option payment is how much money the writer will get for allowing the studio or producer to use the writers script for development purposes this can be anything from one hundred pound to tens or hundreds of thousands depending on how many screen plays you’ve written and if your part or a franchise like marvel for example. Some people say that the option payment is 10% of the purchase price which is the amount of money that the writer will receive from the producer or studio in the event the project is made into a feature film.

Professional presentation is just the script and how it is formatted, if it is written in an unprofessional way or not in the traditional script format then it could be overlooked or thrown away. This is because the person reading your script want to see that you know about how a script is written properly, these are things like slug lines, character names, knowing if its interior, exterior etc.. A screenplay should always be written in pt 12 Courier font - this is to reflect the use of a typewriter. Screenplays always share specific conventions such as a scene heading, character name (in capitals) and dialogue, which is aligned more centrally.

Time management is just the writer keeping tabs on what needs to be done and when it needs to be done by, this is key if you want to be a writer as there are obviously very strict deadlines. A lot of writers write in their spare time between a job or if that is there sole source of income can whenever.

Copyright is when you are protected against other people for plagiarism or stealing your ideas, it protects the use of your work when it has been physically stated. The current copyright legislation in the UK is the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. This gives some exclusive rights to the property normally for a certain period which means someone would need permission to use your work. This means that you could gain money for someone wanting what you own. Most copyright last 25-50 years depending on the product. Copyright exists to protect a writers work - you don't want anyone to copy your idea, and it makes writers aware that they need to come up with something original. https://stephenfollows.com/resource/basics-of-script-copyright/

Bias is when something like a new station or someone opinion sways one way because of something like where they live or who they are, this could be because of prejudice against race or religion or because the media has made them biased. When things like politics get involved news, sources aren’t allowed to have a preferred candidate or party as it could sway the public.Slander and libel are important considerations for writers; to get around this by making sure everything they write about a real subject or person is factually accurate, they also use opinions rather than staying something, if it can't be proved or they change the character from a real person to a fictitious one. 

An example of this is The West Wing which covered topical issues but which followed a fictitious President: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_West_Wing