Breaking In - Learn from others
Making the leap into screenwriting (unfortunately) doesn't happen overnight. And one of the ways for new writers to get their foot in the figurative door, is via script reading. Script readers are employed by production companies to read prospective work (sometimes scripts, sometimes novels or plays) and make a judgement on the quality of the work, and then give their verdict on whether it should be produced.
It works a little something like this. The reader gets a copy of the work, and is asked to produce a report on it. This report should state the title, genre, format, and logline of the piece, along with a detailed synopsis of the full story. This is then followed by the reader's comments, and their verdict: should this work be developed for production? Sometimes the report is based on the content, as I've just explained, where they are asked to consider the work for production. But there are also times when the reader will be asked to read a script for the writer and their style, to consider if the production company should pick up that writer to work on another project.
Either way, script reading is a good way of starting out, as it propels you straight into the field of writers, readers, developers and production companies - all useful people for writers to know. Networking.
Callum Dziedzic's first script reading job was for the editor of BBC2's Peaky Blinders, and this led to a work placement, followed by an internship, at the production company Tiger Aspect. He's read for Tiger Aspect, New Pictures, and Playground Entertainment since then. Callum informed me about what script reading involves, and what the experience of it has been like for him after graduating university - he talks positively about what he's gained from the experience of script reading, and particularly about the contacts it's helped him to make in pursuing his own career.
For Callum, being involved in the circle of people around script reading and writing has been one of the things he's benefitted from most. It means that he's aware of current popular writers and writing trends, and he's keeping his ear to the ground on new writers too.
I also spoke to Clara Cornish, who's been a script reader at both Lionsgate UK and Pinewood, and she described script reading as a bootcamp. Clara learned from reading scripts just how hard it can be to get something made, just looking at the sheer volume of scripts that don't get the sought-after 'green light'. She did also say that the experience has helped her own writing, as it's made her more objective when reading back her own work, and has developed a better critique because of this.
Script reading can be a great learning curve - it allows you to see what works and what doesn't work in a script, and you can learn from the mistakes of other writers before you make them yourself. It also gives you a sense of what the production companies and commissioners are looking for in new writers and new ideas, which can tailor your own creative habits.
As an aspiring writer, you could do a lot worse than script reading for experience. Using it as a way of learning from other people, and helping you to make useful contacts, you can take those lessons and write accordingly. Maybe it can't sustain you full-time, but it's an excellent place to start your journey, even if just for making connections in the right places.
It works a little something like this. The reader gets a copy of the work, and is asked to produce a report on it. This report should state the title, genre, format, and logline of the piece, along with a detailed synopsis of the full story. This is then followed by the reader's comments, and their verdict: should this work be developed for production? Sometimes the report is based on the content, as I've just explained, where they are asked to consider the work for production. But there are also times when the reader will be asked to read a script for the writer and their style, to consider if the production company should pick up that writer to work on another project.
Either way, script reading is a good way of starting out, as it propels you straight into the field of writers, readers, developers and production companies - all useful people for writers to know. Networking.
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| Peaky Blinders, BBC2 |
Callum Dziedzic's first script reading job was for the editor of BBC2's Peaky Blinders, and this led to a work placement, followed by an internship, at the production company Tiger Aspect. He's read for Tiger Aspect, New Pictures, and Playground Entertainment since then. Callum informed me about what script reading involves, and what the experience of it has been like for him after graduating university - he talks positively about what he's gained from the experience of script reading, and particularly about the contacts it's helped him to make in pursuing his own career.
For Callum, being involved in the circle of people around script reading and writing has been one of the things he's benefitted from most. It means that he's aware of current popular writers and writing trends, and he's keeping his ear to the ground on new writers too.
I also spoke to Clara Cornish, who's been a script reader at both Lionsgate UK and Pinewood, and she described script reading as a bootcamp. Clara learned from reading scripts just how hard it can be to get something made, just looking at the sheer volume of scripts that don't get the sought-after 'green light'. She did also say that the experience has helped her own writing, as it's made her more objective when reading back her own work, and has developed a better critique because of this.
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| Pinewood Pictures employs script readers |
Script reading can be a great learning curve - it allows you to see what works and what doesn't work in a script, and you can learn from the mistakes of other writers before you make them yourself. It also gives you a sense of what the production companies and commissioners are looking for in new writers and new ideas, which can tailor your own creative habits.
As an aspiring writer, you could do a lot worse than script reading for experience. Using it as a way of learning from other people, and helping you to make useful contacts, you can take those lessons and write accordingly. Maybe it can't sustain you full-time, but it's an excellent place to start your journey, even if just for making connections in the right places.
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