| Working with a Story Editor |
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Page 4 of 5 Step Two: Establishing Creative Goals The producer, story editor, writer and director need to agree on creative goals at the beginning of the process. If there is a director attached who is not also the writer, he or she should be included in this process as well. The creative goals are typically established during the first meeting. This meeting should cover the strengths of the project and identify a vision for what the film needs to be at the end of the day. During this meeting the team will identify the script elements that need to be worked on in order of priority. By the end of the meeting, the team should agree on the creative goals and methodology for the contracted phase. The story editor guides this discussion, and has prepared, before the meeting, a thorough analysis of the project and envisaged a development process for discussion. The creative goals reached at this meeting should not require an unreasonable amount of work by the writer at any contracted phase. These goals are not contractual, but once agreed upon, should be tracked. Typical goals could be: “Strengthen the theme by enhancing the protagonist’s progression through the story” or “Use the primary subplot to add dimension to the supporting characters” or “Strengthen the main conflict by making the antagonist more active.” When each new pass on the script is handed in, these goals should be the basis of all development discussions. Step Three: The Development Process The story editor will have a number of meetings with the writer throughout the development process. The number and the frequency of the meetings are established by the needs of the project and the team. Each meeting typically lasts two to four hours and should have a clear purpose so it doesn’t become aimless. Continued... |
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