Are you an armchair critic with a creative imagination and the ability to write? Are you serious about the film industry and lured by the drama of the big screen? If so, and you’re ready to climb your way to the top, then a career as a screenwriter is well-suited to you.
What Is Screenwriting?
A screenwriter or scriptwriter (also sometimes known as scenarist) is a writer who writes screenplays for television, film, video games, and comics. Screenwriters are good at writing, storytelling, and usually, have a vivid imagination. They love movies and television and think they have the fortitude and passion to make it in this competitive industry.
There are a number of attributes and skills that all screenwriters must have, including:
- An understanding and appreciation of how films, video games, etc. affect an audience
- An in-depth knowledge of the story, plot, and narrative
- A creative imagination
- Familiarity with current software for formatting, writing and presenting screenplays, comics, or video games
- Ability to bring characters to life through pictorial and dramatic writing
- Organized and dedicated
- Ability to work within strict deadlines
- Ability to work as part of a team with other creatives
- Flexible, able to take criticism, ambitious, and realistic
What Does a Screenwriter Do?
Screenwriting is a distinct art field that requires talent, practice, and training, plus an enormous level of commitment. Every screenplay begins with a story idea. Screenwriters turn those ideas into scripts with the intention of having them produced, made into a video game or a comic. Some stories are fiction and others are nonfiction, based on a person’s life story or an event, which is then adapted by the screenwriter.
Most, if not all screenwriters are contracted freelance writers and may begin their careers writing on speculation. Professional scriptwriters do not write for free and are commonly represented by a talent agency.
Screenwriters produce highly creative writing and often work on strict deadlines with a script development team to create a finished screenplay. When producers bring in additional writers to add or improve certain aspects of a script, the original writer will either get credit for the original screenplay, or they will be credited for additional dialogue or as a story consultant.
Screenwriter Education & Training Requirements
Most screenwriters do not have a degree in theater, film, or screenwriting, but many have a degree in some other field, such as business, photography, or English. And many have a graduate degree. That said, you don’t need a degree to gain employment as a screenwriter, but it doesn’t hurt either.
Where Does a Screenwriter Work?
Because most screenwriters work as contract freelancers, they often work out of their homes or offices. Sometimes, when commissioned by a production company, they will write the bulk of the script off-site, but come into the company offices often to present first-drafts and revisions.
Job Outlook
The BLS predicts job growth for screenwriters to relatively flat between 2018 and 2028. This is much slower growth than for all career fields due to strong competition for all scriptwriting jobs.
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