1000 word report

Understanding the commission process for writing for television and video

In this report, I will attempt to understand the commissioning process for writing for television and video. To do this I will cover the job roles within the commissioning process, the role of the writer throughout the production, how writers work and legal and ethical consideration of writing for TV and film. It is hoped that by improving my understanding of this are I can improve my own written work.

The job roles within the commissioning process include roles such as commissioning editors, producers, script editors, agents and writers. The commissioning editor has the power and the final say to decide and let you know whether the idea you have given will be in production or not; in simple terms, they are just like buyers they commission work by finding authors or responding to book proposals. They are involved in every stage of the project they are the key link in between the initial proposal and the published work therefore they have responsibilities which includes things like conducting internet research, draw up surveys to identify demands, and attending relevant conferences. Their typical work activities involve building up a publishers list of titles for a specific genre, managing the list in the current market as well as identifying future markets and new products and titles with commercial potential.

Producers are the glue of the production; their role is to bring all the elements of the production team together and has a significant involvement in selecting the script.

Script editors work closely with the writer to help the script be as successful as possible. The script editor will not write the script but will offer guidance and advices on it etc.

Agents have the role to act in the interest of the writer’s fees, exposure etc.

And finally, the writer is the one who is responsible for the initial story and the script.

Some of the commissioning bodies in which I have found are BBC, Independent Cinema office, and The Sunday Times.

The role of a commissioning writer/editor in TV or Video is primarily to work for a large production an example would be channel 4 which hosts a lot of independent productions which suggests that they commission these production companies to produce documentaries, dramas etc.