ABSTRACT
Development is the chronological starting point for all producers, writers, writer/directors (and many directors who do not actually ‘write’ screenplays) when embarking on the film process. It is the place that ideas, stories and projects start their lives: it comprises the core “material” from which all other matters pertaining to a production flow from. From here, early-stage conceptions need to be stimulated and nourished, and driven forwards through a range of different stages. As such, the development stage of a film project is the bedrock to subsequent film activities, including packaging, financing, pre-production, principal photography, post-production, sales, marketing, distribution and the subsequent film exploitation process to audiences. Long-term planning and the opportunity costs associated with building a strong product and an occasional discovery are deemed critical to a healthy industrial model. However, development within the film industry – and, in particular, development outside the Hollywood Studio system – operates within a much more precarious infrastructure. For the purposes of this book, development activity is defined as the work that surrounds the initial concept or story idea, the acquisition of that idea, the screenwriting process, the raising of development finance and the initial stage of production planning. In addition to the seeking out of either original ideas or secondary source material (meaning books, articles etc.), development is traditionally considered to encompass the writing of treatments and screenplays. A detailed box exploring the mini-series and long-running scripted drama ‘bible’ breaks down what commissioning editors and financiers expect in a submission. The differing roles of the producer (creative, financial) are also analysed.
