From Issue 2:

Script development – or the lack of it – may be the missing link in the evolution and establishment of a vibrant, economically self-sufficient film and television drama industry. So why does it seem so difficult to create properly developed scripts? Although many of the references are to feature films, they also apply to television drama development. Phil Parker, co-founder of Draft Zero, author of The Art and Science of Screenwriting and Course Director, MA Screenwriting, London College of Printing, shows why script development is so difficult and why we get it so wrong so often.

Why is so much drama development failing to deliver?  How can we put it right? Although I shall cite mainly film references in this article, I believe the main points are equally applicable to television.

So what is development?

In one sense it is taking a blank sheet of paper/computer screen and turning it into a convincing narrative which will attract enough financial and production support to make a film or programme.  However, even in this simple statement dangers lie.  Within the word ‘narrative’ we have different notions of story and plot which in everyday discussion may not matter, but which really do matter when it comes to picking apart a screenplay that is not working.

For those working professionally on scripts there is a need to make a distinction between story, plot, and narrative. This highlights the first problem of development – the lack of a common language amongst those involved in development work – writers, directors, producers and development executives. This group also includes script editors, readers and heads of development.  So one of the first problems that should be overcome is to achieve collective agreement on common terms and when no definition is on the table, for everyone involved in a particular project to define their terms.

Defining terms will help overcome basic mistakes and failures of expectations, and will prevent writers from wasting their time writing the wrong document or trying to solve the wrong problem after a meeting or after receiving notes.  However, there are bigger issues found during the process of development.  Here the answers range from ’Let’s ignore it altogether’ to ‘Let’s throw money and people at the problem’.  There are various ways in which the process of development is tackled, starting with two attempts to effectively ignore the problem by either throwing mud at the wall or by using the ‘Write’em Big, Shoot’em Long and Cut ‘em Down’ strategy.

The development process

Critical to any development process is the realisation that it is just that, a process.  Often scripts are greenlit or abandoned too early (in effect sometimes the same thing) before the writer has really found the heart of the material and reached the limitation of his or her skill.  This is particularly important in the UK at present where there are too few experienced writers to create the body of work that the industry needs. Those ‘executives’ seeking to follow Hollywood who sack writers rather than clearly identifying what is not working in the screenplay, also need to be trained!

So the first part of the development process is to recognise that one should not try to solve all the problems in a project at once but work through, for example, dramatic structure, characterisation and genre to tone and dialogue. What is important is to focus on one or two of these key aspects at a time rather than attempt to improve or fix all of them in one rewrite.

 It is critical at this point to realise that the majority of screenplays at first draft stage are weak at the fundamental level of theme and story, rather than some aspect of plot or characterisation.

During this process all involved need to recognise that the project may (perhaps should) change radically. This is not a problem as long as it remains a project that everyone still wants to make.  However, it is critical that the writer is allowed to find the boundaries of the piece by writing version/s that extend both writer and story. It is only by doing this that they can discover what it is they really can and want to write. It also allows the imagination greater freedom, often resulting in more original passages and ideas.

Most people can spot that a screenplay or treatment is not working, even the person who has written it.  However, just telling the writer this is about as useful as stating that the world is roughly spherical.  The process of development needs not only to identify problems but also to find solutions. 

The process should not encourage everyone to think they are writers. It is more about giving a writer options as well as clear reasons for taking one option rather than another. This should provide a way forward for the writer rather than a retreat into a dark tunnel with no end in sight.  Good writers tend to take good notes and use them to their own ends.

A framework of reference

In order for problems and solutions to be clearly identified, all concerned need a framework of reference. What follows is the basis of one that I have found useful in the development process.  It is impossible in the scope of this article to go into detail but I hope it will be of some use in identifying problems and directing the dialogue towards solutions.  

CONT. in Issue 2.

© Phil Parker  2002