The Commissioning Process

1. Job roles within the commissioning process:

Commissioning editors
It is a commissioning editors job to identify media that can sell well. They will commission the writer to create a screenplay to fill a brief. Commissioning editors will create surveys and attend conventions and meeting to find and employ talent so long as the screen play writer fills the requirements. An example Liz Kilgarriff who is the Drama Commissioning editor.

Producers
Producers are responsible for bringing a film/media together. All major decisions must be run past the producer. A producer is in charge of finance and An example of a film producer is George Lucas the creator and producer of Star Wars and Indiana Jones.

Directors
Directors are in charge of the filming and assist in the editing for the media. The director will try to make the end product look as close to the screenplay as possible.

Script editors
Script editors assist the Screen play writer in proof reading the screenplay. Helping make scenes more possible to film and attempt to substitute ideas for more realistic ones.

Agents:
Agents are hired to represent the writer and their work in meetings with employers in the industry.

Writers:
This is where the journey of a script starts as the writer has to come up with the idea and write the screenplay down whether it is intended to be a TV series or a Film.

2. Commissioning bodies:

Corporations: A group of TV and Film professionals who once joined will help each other.

Independent production companies: Similar to Corporations, An independent production company can Support themselves without the need of a larger company having their input on the media created.

Independent directors or producers: Independent director and producers are people who want to make an name for themselves without being to what to do by other people higher up than them. This gives the director/producer more freedom to choose what kind of media they want to director or produce.

Organisations: Organisations are media outlets that help writers get their work shown through advertisement. This can hinder people seeing or taking on a writers screenplay as the Organisations will need to give the producer the right to work on it rather than the writer giving the producer the right.

Competitions: Competitions give the screenplay writer a chance to get their script seen and published through participation. Ultimately it is often down to luck rather than the materiel written by It is a way that Independent writers can get their work noticed.

3. The role of the writer throughout production:

Pre-production planning: Whilst the screenplay is in pre-production stage writers, producer and directors will come together to finalize the script and make necessary changes to the script so that all parties involved agree that the finished script is possible to shoot,

Script editing: During this stage the Screenplay Editor will go through the writers script and advise the writer on what should be changed and what should stay. this can be down to some shots being unrealistic or there being a loop hole in the script.

Director or producer involvement: The director and producers will get involved assisting the writer in visualising the script and assist in employing the correct atcors on the budget they have.

Shooting script production: Whilst working with the script editor the writer will create a few drafts of the script and work on the final script that everyone will receive.

Page lock-down: Once a writer is happy with page of their script they with 'Lock Down' the page and submit it to producers to show how well the script is written and how talented the writer is. A agent will help the writer with this.

Adjustment during shooting stage: While the film is being shot the writer may want to change the scene to improve the feel of the film or to increase the quality by covering up a mistake.

4. Working as a writer:

Agent representation: Choosing the right agent for your script is important as you want a agent who has a great understanding of the market and the industry. Also someone who has contacts with producers and directors in the industry

Royalty payments/optioning: The writer can gain income from a script in two ways. One bny selling the script to a production company and when ever a adaptation of the script is shown or aired the writer will get a percentage. Two the writer can upright sell the script for a lump sum of money rather than getting a percentage.

Professional presentation A script should not look cluttered or messy and should have a consistent font. This is to make it look professional and for employers to take the script and the writer seriously. This will increase the writers chance of getting the job.

Time management: Once a writer is employed or given a deadline the will no longer be able to take their time they with need to work to the deadline or they will forfeit a amount of pay or lose the contract.

Legal and ethical considerations

Copyright: The writer must not copy any existing materiel.

Bias: The script must not favor a political party or belief.

Censorship: If the script is too offensive the editor and producer will alter the script or ask for a rewrite.

Watersheds If the script has themes that is thought to be inappropriate to children the program will need to be shown after the watershed (9:00pm) or have a age restriction in the Cinema

Libel The script must not represent a person is a bad light and must be factual If it is about a real person or event.

Plagiarism The material must be the writers and the writer must not copy work without giveing credit or claiming it as their own.