{"id":1218,"date":"2021-10-22T08:36:10","date_gmt":"2021-10-22T07:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.watershed.co.uk\/film-academy\/?post_type=faresources&p=1218"},"modified":"2021-10-27T21:50:34","modified_gmt":"2021-10-27T20:50:34","slug":"demystifying-the-role-of-a-screenwriter","status":"publish","type":"faresources","link":"https:\/\/www.watershed.co.uk\/film-academy\/resources\/directing\/demystifying-the-role-of-a-screenwriter\/","title":{"rendered":"Demystifying the Role of a Screenwriter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(All photographs from Signs<\/em> by Alex Kurunis) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zia Holloway talks to experienced screenwriter and director Yero Timi-Biu about all things screenwriting and the craft and reality of writing for film and TV. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yero\u2019s distinct stories and individual writing style has made her a standout voice in the film and TV world. With shows in development with Sky, the BBC, and experience in a plethora of writers\u2019 rooms, Yero has developed a precious insight the industry. Kind enough to share her expertise, Yero dispels some myths around screenwritings and offers some advice for emerging  screenwriters.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what is screenwriting? <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A screenwriter is an architect. A world-builder. They\u2019re responsible for creating the blueprints for the film and articulating something visual in written form.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond being a \u2018blueprint for a story,\u2019 what else should a script achieve? <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should create a world that jumps off the page. It should make an actor be like, \u2018I really want to  do this,\u2019 or a director say, \u2018I have to direct this.\u2019 You\u2019re crafting an experience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you got any tips for generating ideas? <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ideas might come to you in the most random of places. Yero refers to her experience in New York when she was coming up with an idea for a feature film <\/em>All I was doing was writing and going to the gym. When I was boxing I was thinking of all of these ideas.  I can never just sit and be like \u2018hmm what should I write today.\u2019 You know all of these things [ideas] come in unexpected places. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In terms of character Yero has multiple techniques<\/em> to generate ideas<\/em>. I start all of my stories with mind maps and character profiles. They [the characters] can come from someone I\u2019ve been inspired by on a walk three years ago or an archetype I\u2019m exploring. I always have a dream cast where I can be inspired by an actor\u2019s mannerisms and energy to avoid the common trap of writing different versions of myself. A 50 question doc is also useful. It starts out with basic details, \u2018character name, eye colour,\u2019 then you can get deeper with \u2018What music do they listen to? what do they believe in? What\u2019s their biggest secret\u2019. This really helps me when I get stuck with plot or story as it helps me understand the dynamics of dialogue, conflict, and my character. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How did you find out who you are as a writer and hone your voice? <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I started to write what I wanted to see on screen. I\u2019m not just writing what I think other people want  to see, I\u2019m writing properly from me and for me. I was getting to know myself as a person which  meant I was getting to know myself as a writer. But that\u2019s what\u2019s so exciting about being a new  writer. Experimenting. Exploring. Aaron Sorkin gets to do every genre and write whatever he wants. Why can\u2019t you?  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you revisit your old work?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only is it good to see how you have evolved, but I don\u2019t think any idea is bad. If something isn\u2019t working  there\u2019s a reason for that, but it still doesn\u2019t mean you should write it off.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A feature I wrote in New York seven years ago has now evolved to become a vastly different series. [It was a] seed planted in my head and now it\u2019s coming back full circle with lots of help. I\u2019m really glad I experimented  with that specific story and even though it didn\u2019t go anywhere then, the essence of it is in  somewhere else.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I recommend that you always make a note of what you \u2018get rid of\u2019. Me and lots of other writers all have a \u2018vomit\u2019 Google Doc of things that we\u2019ve either culled or cut, whether that\u2019s a line of dialogue or a character, or a joke. They always come back. They\u2019re like ghosts.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The process doesn\u2019t end at the first draft. Your short film Signs (watch it <\/strong>here<\/strong>) took a year of  redrafts. What is the drafting process like and how do you stay in love with your idea? <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honestly, it can be very frustrating after a while but that\u2019s the process\u2026 it goes from something  you\u2019ve done on your own and it being a passion project, to all of a sudden having lots of noise and  different people with different opinions on it. That\u2019s when it becomes a collaboration. And when you  have an end goal to make it and you really love what you\u2019re doing, you persevere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Signs began life as a 30-minute pilot spec script. Have you got any advice for writing a spec script, or calling card script? <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The joy of a spec script is you write whatever the hell you want. It\u2019s  really exciting because there\u2019s no limit. For me I always write from my own experience. I think that the first thing that you write, even though it\u2019s limitless, you do have to feel really confident  about what you\u2019re saying and what you\u2019re talking about.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

And how do you know when it\u2019s ready? <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I thought it was ready at one point and sent it to a trusted friend who really likes TV. If you have that  one friend who lives and breathes TV and has no interest in working in it, that\u2019s your audience! Use  them. If they have questions that you can answer confidently then great, and if you can\u2019t, then it\u2019s not ready.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s also a preconception that you have to keep writing until you think it\u2019s perfect. I think you  have to get to a place where you can leave it for a bit and then come back to it. Also you only have  one shot to impress someone so make sure its formatted correctly, and check for typos!  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can check out the industry standard formatting of scripts <\/em>Here<\/em><\/a> on the BBC Writersroom.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So you write an amazing short script, or a spec, and you start working with different people and on  different productions. What is the reality of being a professional screenwriter? <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it actually comes to producing the script and collaborating, there isn\u2019t a \u2018how-to\u2019. You\u2019ve just got to experience it. When money gets involved, and  a whole team of people create a story about your story, it stops becoming solely your work. No-one teaches you how to adapt and you can only learn to through experience.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So how do you recommend new writers navigate the collaboration process? <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the start of a TV series I wrote a development process, a criteria, of what I wanted from the show  and the themes I wanted to present. It was an accountability thing for me, establishing what I  really wanted out of the show and as a collaborative process. If we started deviating from it, I had a  document to refer back to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How do you know what battles to fight during the collaboration process?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s a difficult one. Experience. Instincts. Integrity is really huge for me and if I feel that I\u2019m  slipping or that I\u2019m doing something I\u2019m not comfortable with for the sake of the story or a  greenlight, I step back and say \u2018no thanks.\u2019 On the other hand, you have a script. Then a director. And a producer. But there\u2019s so much more to get your story to screen. Your story will get chopped and changed by actors, directors, editors… several seconds of a scene will be cut here, a line of dialogue won\u2019t be delivered by an actor as you intended, and lots changes in post\u2026 and that\u2019s when you have to let it go sometimes.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is there anything else you\u2019d like to add about screenwriting and what you may have wanted to say  to your younger self when you were starting out in the industry? <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Screenwriting is a very long and lonely job but it\u2019s also great and fun and rewarding. They say being a  writer is like giving yourself the hardest piece of homework for the rest of your life. You always learn  from writing and you will keep on learning long into your career. But the future is very exciting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Yero also spoke about her screenwriting career at our October Labs event. Watch it back on our YouTube channel.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Zia Holloway\u00a0talks all things screenwriting and the craft and reality of writing for film and TV.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":1220,"template":"","faresources_category":[15],"faresources_type":[],"class_list":["post-1218","faresources","type-faresources","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","faresources_category-directing","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDemystifying the Role of a Screenwriter - BFI Film Academy South West<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.watershed.co.uk\/film-academy\/resources\/directing\/demystifying-the-role-of-a-screenwriter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Demystifying the Role of a Screenwriter - BFI Film Academy South West\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Zia Holloway\u00a0talks all things screenwriting and the craft and reality of writing for film and TV.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.watershed.co.uk\/film-academy\/resources\/directing\/demystifying-the-role-of-a-screenwriter\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"BFI Film Academy South West\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/BfiFilmAcademyBristol\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-10-27T20:50:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.watershed.co.uk\/film-academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/signs.bts_02.19-2251-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1709\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@bfi_FAB\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"7 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.watershed.co.uk\\\/film-academy\\\/resources\\\/directing\\\/demystifying-the-role-of-a-screenwriter\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.watershed.co.uk\\\/film-academy\\\/resources\\\/directing\\\/demystifying-the-role-of-a-screenwriter\\\/\",\"name\":\"Demystifying the Role of a Screenwriter - 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