Script development for producers 

Essential skills for anyone whose job involves picking and developing scripts for production or funding,

Overview

The extreme financial and time pressures on producers are such that script development often becomes fragmented, unfocussed and intuitive. While most producers have practical experience of script development and a knowledge of script analysis, time and stress can mean that they do not apply their knowledge effectively. This course is not a simple script analysis course. It is about solving script problems under pressure. It is about how producers can apply script analysis theories in practice, learning and applying a wide range of Linda Aronson’s highly-practical, time-effective and internationally-recognised, diagnostic techniques to pick and fix problems. Participants also learn a methodology of practical script development ie practical strategies for organising and focussing the process, so that, from the word go, the producer maintains control and the crucial ability to pick and ask the hard questions. It is about better use of time and resources in the day-to-day script development process.      

Course Description

Applicable to feature film, television, telemovies and mini-series, this course teaches anyone who has to produce (or read) scripts vital skills in picking common problems and approaching solutions.     It consists of both theory and practice, with participants building on their knowledge of script structure and core storytelling skills then, under guidance, actually practising script diagnosis and problem-solving. Each week Aronson lectures on practical script analysis, and provides notes and practical strategies like (‘the genre equation’) for working out what is and isn’t working in any given script. For homework, participants are asked to view a problem film and to diagnose, using the theory and practical tools they have been given in class, what is wrong with the script and how it might be fixed. Participants then write a brief report, which they bring to class for discussion, benefiting from the views and experience of others. This way skills are learnt and consolidated.