Writing In The Digital Age: Delightful Or Dreadful For Screenwriters?
We are living in one of the most exciting times in media history.
The internet and new technologies are changing and shaping every industry. There’s not an industry that exists today that does not use the internet in some way to develop business, and the writing industry is no exception. The internet has changed how we approach the industry, what we write, and what it means to be a ‘writer’.
I recently attended an event run by freelance media consultant and script developer Ric Michael and media training consultant and journalist Jules McCarthy.
Jules alleviated my fears of being a newbie trying to break in to the industry by telling me that my generation have the technological skills that the industry needs and craves. For example, you could hand me a piece of technology and it wouldn’t take me long to work out how to operate it. This is not true for my parents – hand them a new device and they’ll stare at it like it’s an alien being.
Using a computer and the internet are skills that I take for granted, and I was surprised to find out that my expertise on the internet is what may give me the edge I need to get hired, over someone who would have to learn and adapt. This is especially true of the writing industry now, when we can submit scripts to production companies at the click of a button, when we can find email addresses of industry professionals on the internet and instantly make contact. Someone not so familiar with using the internet may not even be aware of this toolbox, or may simply feel too intimidated to use these methods.
As well as allowing screenwriters to quickly contact industry professionals, the internet opens up an endless number of opportunities to get your work out there, including screenwriting competitions and short films. It’s so easy to make and publish digital video projects cheaply that anyone with access to a phone camera can turn their script in to a live action reality. It’s really encouraging to hear of writers breaking in to the industry by creating these projects. It’s proof that there’s a chance for everyone to ‘make it’, regardless of location or financial circumstances.
However, there’s a downside to having everything at your fingertips, which is that everyone else with an internet connection does too. Industry professionals will be swarmed by requests to read scripts, so how do you stand out from the crowd?
Jules explained that new writers can do work experience or take their own projects forward to prove their interest in the industry. But it’s not easy to acquire relevant work experience, and I can’t help wondering if the bar will be raised ever higher for new writers until it becomes nearly impossible to break in to the industry.
I think it’s also interesting to consider how technology may change the image of the writing profession. As screenwriter and film director John August sums up in his article on the challenge of writing in a digital age, “the culture of information has changed writing –not just the words, but rather the activity.”
We write differently now than writers of the past used to. The stereotypical image of a writer is traditionally a poor, bohemian individual huddled over a typewriter, agonising over every word. It’s an unrealistic view of the profession, but nevertheless, I wonder if it is sometimes the romanticism of it that attracts people to writing. I know I certainly feel more like a ‘writer’ when I hear the scratch of pencil on paper and a storm raging outside, than when I’m editing my script off of OneDrive on my laptop on a grotty train. I love the craft of writing regardless, but sometimes I wish it was like how it’s portrayed in the movies.
I believe that the changes that are happening in the industry are a good thing. It would be silly of me not to say so, as submitting scripts to competitions and making the most of networking online appears to be my easiest route in to the industry. However, I often wonder if it would be easier to ‘make it’ without the extra competition.
Sources:
John August’s Screenwriting Blog
The internet and new technologies are changing and shaping every industry. There’s not an industry that exists today that does not use the internet in some way to develop business, and the writing industry is no exception. The internet has changed how we approach the industry, what we write, and what it means to be a ‘writer’.
I recently attended an event run by freelance media consultant and script developer Ric Michael and media training consultant and journalist Jules McCarthy.
Jules alleviated my fears of being a newbie trying to break in to the industry by telling me that my generation have the technological skills that the industry needs and craves. For example, you could hand me a piece of technology and it wouldn’t take me long to work out how to operate it. This is not true for my parents – hand them a new device and they’ll stare at it like it’s an alien being.
Using a computer and the internet are skills that I take for granted, and I was surprised to find out that my expertise on the internet is what may give me the edge I need to get hired, over someone who would have to learn and adapt. This is especially true of the writing industry now, when we can submit scripts to production companies at the click of a button, when we can find email addresses of industry professionals on the internet and instantly make contact. Someone not so familiar with using the internet may not even be aware of this toolbox, or may simply feel too intimidated to use these methods.
As well as allowing screenwriters to quickly contact industry professionals, the internet opens up an endless number of opportunities to get your work out there, including screenwriting competitions and short films. It’s so easy to make and publish digital video projects cheaply that anyone with access to a phone camera can turn their script in to a live action reality. It’s really encouraging to hear of writers breaking in to the industry by creating these projects. It’s proof that there’s a chance for everyone to ‘make it’, regardless of location or financial circumstances.
However, there’s a downside to having everything at your fingertips, which is that everyone else with an internet connection does too. Industry professionals will be swarmed by requests to read scripts, so how do you stand out from the crowd?
Jules explained that new writers can do work experience or take their own projects forward to prove their interest in the industry. But it’s not easy to acquire relevant work experience, and I can’t help wondering if the bar will be raised ever higher for new writers until it becomes nearly impossible to break in to the industry.
I think it’s also interesting to consider how technology may change the image of the writing profession. As screenwriter and film director John August sums up in his article on the challenge of writing in a digital age, “the culture of information has changed writing –not just the words, but rather the activity.”
We write differently now than writers of the past used to. The stereotypical image of a writer is traditionally a poor, bohemian individual huddled over a typewriter, agonising over every word. It’s an unrealistic view of the profession, but nevertheless, I wonder if it is sometimes the romanticism of it that attracts people to writing. I know I certainly feel more like a ‘writer’ when I hear the scratch of pencil on paper and a storm raging outside, than when I’m editing my script off of OneDrive on my laptop on a grotty train. I love the craft of writing regardless, but sometimes I wish it was like how it’s portrayed in the movies.
I believe that the changes that are happening in the industry are a good thing. It would be silly of me not to say so, as submitting scripts to competitions and making the most of networking online appears to be my easiest route in to the industry. However, I often wonder if it would be easier to ‘make it’ without the extra competition.
Sources:
John August’s Screenwriting Blog
