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The Scriptwriting Communicator

© Carol Megrail

"The play 's the thing . . . wherein I'll catch the conscience of the king."
— Wm. Shakespeare, Hamlet

Catching the "conscience of the king," or, simply speaking, personalizing ideas and presenting a point of view, is the essential role of the scriptwriter. Whether dramatizing for stage, screen or multimedia, the ability to persuade, inform or create acceptance at will is an art. Not only in its process, but in demonstrable results, scriptwriting with all of its varied forms and purpose demands creativity. And true creativity — even directed towards selling the latest widget — qualifies commercial writers for the label of "artist."

Granted, there is more difficulty becoming a known playwright or a famous Hollywood screenwriter than a scriptwriter for video and multimedia; the competition for the previous two is fierce. But in general, I would contend there are more similarities than differences. In fact, those looking to break into either of these fields may do well to begin their credits in the commercial world. Bruce Miller's article, Scripting as a Career humorously makes this point.

However, you may write like a dream, be innovative in your concepts, handle the production process with ease, and still evade success. Unless you can communicate your ideas and work effectively with others, your undeniable talent may be considered "deniable," or at best, be overlooked.

No one writes in a vacuum. Oh, the writing process — you and your word processor — is a lonely one. But for whatever medium you're addressing, you must develop a team approach to the finished project. In the entertainment world, you must deal with producers, directors, stage managers, crew, actors and more. In the commercial arena, you must first convince the client/s of your worth, sell your concept or ideas, determine subject and method of treatment, and come up with a script that not only meets with everyone's literary approval, but serves the concerns of production. It isn't an easy task.

Perhaps the greatest boon to the scriptwriter is a solid grounding in listening skills. It's surprising how many of us truly don't hear what others are saying. We are either so focused on our own point of view, wrapped in preconceived notions, or preparing for our next sentence that we miss vital verbal or nonverbal cues.

This is especially true when we are presenting to a group or committee. The very act of standing before an audience has a tendency to shut down our eyes and ears. Everyone wants to be heard and understood. If you remember to provide this rare compliment, you are well on your way to establishing needed rapport and collecting key information.