1.
Job
Roles Within the Commissioning Process
Commissioning editors select ideas that they feel
will work well and allocate the production team a certain budget to create the
product. There are usually different commissioning editors for a specific
genre, for example, there would be a different person selecting ideas for
dramas to the person selecting comedies etc. Once the commissioning editor has
chosen an idea and given the production team a budget they will follow the
production all the way until it is ready to be transmitted or released.
Producers will deal with all areas of a
production that the director doesn’t deal with. Included in this is overseeing
and dealing with tasks such as legal issues, cast and crew, budget, marketing
of the product and much more. The Producer can have also been the person who
pitched the idea and they have control over who the director will be and who
will be playing certain characters. An example of a Producer is Michael G
Wilson (For Your Eyes Only, GoldenEye, Casino Royale, Skyfall)
The Director will take the idea that was pitched
and will turn it into the images and sound that audience will finally see. The
Director has full control on what is happening on set. For example they can
direct the Director of Photography on certain shots that are needed and direct
the cast on what to do during a scene. They can also direct the editor during
post-production stages on what shots to use and sometimes to delete entire
scenes from the product. An example of a very famous Director is Alfred
Hitchcock (North by Northwest, Psycho, The Lady Vanishes, Shadow of a Doubt)
a notorious control freak.
Script Editors do not simply just edit scripts,
they have many different responsibilities including developing the storyline,
ensuring the scripts are suitable for production and finding new writers for
scripts. During each draft of the script the script editor will work with
the writer, giving them tips, suggesting improvements and ensuring that the
length of the script adheres to the running time of the production. Script
editors will usually work closely with the producers during production.
Writers in the media business work freelance as
do 89% off all film and TV employees. To be a professional screenwriter no
education or degrees etc. are needed. Some screenwriters start by writing
scripts without being hired, in a way just to get into the business and get
their ideas onto paper.
2.
Commissioning Bodies
Commissioning bodies are used when someone is
trying to sell their product to a production company.
A film corporation is a company that
releases the finished productions. They make their money from box office
revenue of the film and sales of the film. A film corporation will not want a
film to flop because then the corporation will make a loss. Because of this they
cannot afford to release lots of bad movie or movies that no one has interest
in. They like to release sequels to blockbusters because they have a more
likely chance of grossing more money. Examples of major film corporations
include; Warner Brother, Disney, MGM and Paramount.
Independent films are feature length
professional films that are not released by the major film corporations such as
Warner Brothers. Instead they are released by independent production companies.
The writers for independent films are usually unknown as they are cheaper to
work with. Example of Independent productions companies include; Film4
Productions, Lions Gate Films and Summit Entertainment. There are also
Independent TV Companies that release TV shows. These include; Tiger Aspect,
Avalon and Endemol. They can also be people who want a change or who make careers
out of indie films.
Independent directors usually produce
their own screenplays that they have written themselves or have taken a big
part in the screenwriting stage. It can be difficult for a director to be in
the stage where he has the funding to produce their own screenplay. So this can
make it hard for this to happen. Robert Rodriguez wrote and directed the film El mariachi (Rodriguez, 1992). People
who make independent films usually have multiple roles to lower the cost of
paying more people to work.
Organisations exist to help
screenwriter work with actual writers. Instead of financing screenplays they
help to develop the scripts and give feedback and improvement that can be made.
An example of an organisation that does this is BBC Writer’s Room.
Some organisations use competitions to
find new writers. Again the BBC Writer’s Room is an example of an organisation
that does this. The competitions sometimes have certain requirements such as
length or genre or they can sometime be open to whatever. The rewards are
usually money and the chance for the screenplay to be made into a production.
Agents are used by writers to help
find them jobs. The production company will usually contact an agent to see if
their client (the writer) would be interested in writing a script for them.
Independent writers may not have an agent due to cost but almost all ‘big-time’
professional writers will have one. The agents are sometimes given the job of
deciding on what the writer will work on next.
3.
The Role of the Writer Throughout Production
Pre-production planning for a writer can usually include
researching the subject that the script is on. For example if the script is set
during Victorian times, the writer will want to research how people lived then,
who was in power or the way that people talked. The more research that the
writer does, the more authentic the production will seem. If there are any
mistakes with the research people may be offended or put off the production.
Also there can be legal implications if the events are not depicted accurately.
Script editing is done by a script editor. Feedback is given the
screenwriter on how he can improve the script. The screenwriter does not have
to make these changes if he does not agree but it is best to. Instead of
pointing out problems the script editor will help the screenwriter to identify
the problems and help improve the overall script.
Directors and Producers can sometimes ruin how the screenwriter
pictured the final screenplay. The Director pretty much has the final say on
how the production will be so if he pictured the production differently there
may be disagreements between the two. For example Lee Hall wrote a script for a
film version of his play I Luv You Jimmy
Spud. He had almost finished making final changes to his script when the
director sent him his own version. Hall hated this script so he left the
project.
To make the script easier to shoot, before production begins page
numbers and scene numbers are added to the script. Sometimes changes need to be
made to the script when production has already begun. If this happens there are
guidelines on how this should be distributed and logged. These guidelines
usually include something such as sending all cast and crew that the changes
will affect the new pages with the changes on them.
Page
lock-down is when if any changes to the script are made, they are coded and
sent as separate pages. This is done to save time as if the changes were added
to the complete draft of the script the whole scene numbers will have to be
changed. The added pages are given codes such as 42a rather than 43 if it goes
after page 42. If a page is cancelled from the script it is either taken out
completely or there are clear notes stating this this scene had been cancelled.
1. Working as a Writer
A lot of the
time scripts are recycled or have used part of existing screenplays. When this
happens the production companies that used the material have to pay royalties
to the original writer or whoever owns the rights to the material. If this is
not done the person/company that owns the material could sue the screenwriter
for plagiarism.
Writers
usually have to have a professional presentation. This can include the clothes
they wear such as a suit and clean pressed clothes and the presentation of
their work such as a well laid out PowerPoint. This is important as the
production company needs to know that can rely on this person. However
sometimes this is not the case. During the production on Lost
(Abrams, 2004) a crew member made a good impression on J.J Abrams when he
turned up to a meeting wearing a Star Wars t-shirt.
Time
management is important to a writer but it can also be a burden. Writers
usually work to a certain deadline so that production can start on time. This can
be a problem as some writers do not work to their full amount if they are not
in the right mind or mood and can sometimes get ‘writer’s block’. If the
screenplay is being written without a deadline it means that the writer can
work when he can or when he feels like it. Working hours are very ‘free’ as it
can vary from working for example one hour a day to working 20 hours a day. If
they fail to meet deadlines there is a chance they will be fired from the
production and someone else will take their role.
There are
lots of legal and ethical considerations that a writer has to take into account
when writing a screenplay. The most common law that is broken is copyright. It
can usually happen accidently as a lot of stories have been told so
there is little originality left. Writers also have to make sure they are not
biased unless their point of view is true. They also have to take watersheds
into account as if the screenplay they were writing was going to be broadcast
before the 9pm watershed they would have to make sure that there was nothing
inappropriate in their script and that it meets Ofcom’s guidelines. If there is
anything inappropriate then some scenes in the production may be censored and
cut from TV broadcasting. The writer needs to take into account the BBFC rating
that the production is aiming for. For example if they are aiming for a PG
certificate the writer needs to make sure that there is nothing in the script
that will mean it can’t be PG. Libel problems also need to be considered so
that no one is offended by untrue remarks. If the screenplay does commit libel
laws they are at a high risk of being sued.
Music videos are sometimes used
as a way for 
Artists are marketed in many different ways. The way in which they are marketed usually reflects the style of their music. For example Michael Buble is marketed with a 'polished' look as this reflects his image, his inspirations and his music. The way artists are marketed usually shows in their music videos as in Michael Buble' music videos he is usually wearing smart expensive suits. On the other hand, there are independent bands that do not always have the finance to market themselves the way they would like to as their music videos are paid for by independent record labels who have a smaller budget.The main way that artists on independent record labels promote themselves is the clothes the wear and the way they style their hair.
Media texts are accessed through media outlets. Media outlets are media devices like the internet that allow us to view music, videos, information etc. Examples are televisions, DVDs, Internet and public screens, but their are many more. Most people watch music videos on either a television music channel such as 4Music or Veva. The first music video channel was MTV that started broadcasting in 1981. Since then their have been many new music channels, some that specialize in certain music genres and some that show a variety of all types of music. Now that most people have access to the internet and a computer music videos are watched a lot online. YouTube is a huge website for music videos with the most watched music video being PSY- 'Gangnam Style' which as of now has over 1,500,000,000 views. There are advantages and disadvantages of the growing number of media outlets; the advantages include that the audience have more of a choice of what they want to watch, there is more of a chance for artists to get publicity and there is better accessibility. However there are disadvantages such as increased piracy, it's harder to find certain videos and more competition for artists.
Another form of promotion is synergy. This is when licencing deals are made to sell certain products using an image such as a character or logo to increase sales. An example of when this happens a lot is Batman. Batman, the characters and logos are owned by DC. Consumers can buy almost anything with the Batman license on it, such as clothing, cakes and stationary. Instead of the owners of the licence releasing these products, deals are made for other companies that may specialize in the goods to release them. This way both companies can make money for the product and their income will greatly increase. This is sometimes used with music videos. An example of when synergistic marketing was used for a music video was for Pink Floyd's "Brick in the Wall". Badges and t-shirts were released with the picture of the walking hammers as featured in the music video. 
