Pre-Production Unit: Learning about Scriptwriting

I have been trying to learn as much as possible about my role. One interview that I felt was especially useful in summing up exactly what a screenwriter job does was this interview with Jesse Armstrong, who writes for Peep Show, Fresh Meat and The Thick Of It. 

In this interview, Jesse Armstrong and co-writer of Peep Show and Fresh Meat, Sam Bain give some very useful advice as to the tricks of bringing a story to life using the actors.
Jesse states that "if you have a dramatic situation it will be a comedic situation as long as you've built your characters right. "If you're trying to work out a plot, it doesn't necessarily have to read that funny on the page, as long as it reads dramatically." This is very useful advice, especially as a lot of the humour in comedic moments comes from the delivery, whereas writing certain jokes into the script can come across as forced.

In regards to picking and choosing actors, Sam Bain suggests that "it's better to approach people who produce work that you really admire instead of just tossing your best material to proverbial swine". 

Creating a distinct tone in a story is a skill that all writers have to master in order to draw their audiences in. As far as figuring out how on Earth to do that, Armstrong suggests having pictures of the cast (or of whoever the inspiration was for your character) and knowing what kind of show (or movie) you see it being like. 

This is particularly necessary to consider when it comes to re-evaluating my own importance as a scriptwriter. It is the tone that I create whilst writing that largely sets the mood for the entire work. 

As the person in charge of making the show however, I have to be as spot on as possible with what I do, and always go over it in depth to make sure it is well implemented.

One piece of useful advice I found when initially searching for tips on scriptwriting was "Write what you know." This is extremely useful because ultimately its important to write an idea that you're passionate about. There's no use stepping out of your comfort zone if its something you are not going to properly develop. This is something I really stuck to as I was writing out my story.

I think it is very important to outline your ideal story first. Consider it as all assumptions to begin with and then let your outline guide your research from then onwards. It's okay to be wrong sometimes and ultimately, it's okay to be wrong in your first draft too. Of course research may prove some things false but it'll open up other story possibilities for the future. Then of course the idea is something that you can work in indefinitely if you've not got a deadline. As long as the passion is there, than you are much more likely to succeed with your goals.