YEAR THREE: Pre-Production (Critical Evaluation)

The biggest ease of this whole experience was possibly the actual writing itself. Whereas previously I have tended not to planned my stories as thoroughly, the research and constant reviews of my characters and story meant that my focus was solely on characterisation and storytelling during the script writing process.

 When I initially said I planned to write six scripts at forty minutes long, I knew it would be a challenge - with the pilot essential in setting the tone and characters that would carry throughout the series. One of the most important benefits of considered planning was the natural development of the story becoming set solely in the house. When I first envisioned the story, I intended to show the less-exciting side of student life: sitting in kebab shops after a night at the club, waiting in alleys for dealers instead of the drug deals themselves. However, (perhaps subconsciously at first) influenced by shows such Grandma's House and Him & Her - both of which I am a long time fan - I found that the less-intense tone I wanted could be achieved without ever leaving the student house setting. As writing progressed, this also aided in creating a feeling of constricting intimacy - best represented currently through the relationship of Sarah and Ryan who I plan to hint at a distant friendship that appears to develop with romantic intentions as the pair grow closer in the house, culminating in the pair eventually appearing to have slept together - both adding some necessary drama to the script and playing on the idea of the 'will-they, wont-they' trope of contemporary TV. When developing my script further, I hope to build the story even further - hoping to add nuance that will only come with time and further consideration.

 From early drafts my tutor was complimentary of my characterisation of the primary characters of the pilot episode. Those that he worried were perhaps lacking I had already planned to be focused more heavily in the second episode, exploring Natalie's hope to reconnect with her religion and exploring Beth and Jack's relationship through Beth's sickness delerium.
 I do concede that I was unable to give as much attention toward the descriptions of my scenes as I'd have liked - or my tutor suggested. He suggested considering making them more concise and 'lyrical', evoking imagery to benefit and entice directors . This did inspire me to review my script, especially the opening 13 pages - trying to follow my tutor's feedback.

 One of the aspects I found difficult when writing my script was the dialogue. Scriptwriting book Into The Woods highlights the importance of characterisation through subtextual dialogue. Whilst my tutor was very reassuring that characterisation was coming through more than I was/am aware, I believe my focus was too heavy on developing the story and characters (which I do not wholy regret) - and not enough attention was placed on the subtext of my characters dialogue. The intended meaning of misleading / subconciously selected words. This follows from idea of characters having masks that they use to hide their true natures - as is common amongst humans. I tried to apply this approach where I could when developing my characters, hoping to build this into more considered dialogue when developing the scripts for the rest of the season.

 A truly rewarding aspect of writing a script of this length - and something I look forward to seeing continue as I write the season - was watching how the story and characters evolved during the re-writing process. Through the vital feedback from my tutor and the reassuring compliments of my peers, I was able to view the story from a variety of angles. Through this I realised I had to be more specific with Jack's gender - making her character more outspoken and the development of Sarah and Ryan's relationship following on from my tutor reading something from the script that I had not intended and a friend's suggestion for more 'angsty' drama.