Isaac James Knights-Washbourn

Abstract

This technical report presents an analyses of the script development approach of Framed in Time (2021), that was developed from initial idea to script stage in the United Kingdom during early spring of 2020. The purpose this report is to examine the challenges of script development within a collaborative environment, in this case a film school.

This work analyses the definition of script development to review the complexities and challenges that screenwriters face at the early stages of development. This feeds into how different collaborators see script development within a collaborative environment and how this impacts the creative control of the screenwriter. The practical side is also discussed through the importance of establishing an approach to fit the environment a screenwriter is working in. This also includes the possibilities of looking outside the realm of writing and implementing elements of the oral tradition of screenwriting. In addition, an analyses of the role of screenwriting departments within a film school is examined to give context to this particular collaborative environment and also the impact on the industry.

The initial approach to Framed in Time shows the problematic understanding of script development which stems from a lack of focus upon this stage of filmmaking both academically and by working screenwriters. This leads to complications in the understanding of how to choose from the variety of approaches and can ignore the impact an environment will have in dictating the way in which a screenwriter will be required to work. By fostering and establishing the role of the screenwriter in the environment of a film school it creates the potential to impact the filmmaking landscape within a region by equipping students with the tools and language of collaboration.