(   Screenwriters have to produce highly creative writing, to strict deadlines. They work with a script development team to create a finished product that is likely to be financed and made. Sometimes producers bring in an additional Screenwriter to improve certain aspects of the screenplay.   )

While the majority flock to be engineers, doctors or lawyers, there are some among us who dream of a career in the creative field. A career as a screenwriter can be very fulfilling. Of course, no profession comes with the guarantee seal. Yet, the names Danny Boyle, Ben Affleck, Chris Columbus, Joel Coen and host of others, speak volumes of a promising career as a screenwriter. If you are still b...

WHAT DOES A SCREENWRITER DO?

While the majority flock to be engineers, doctors or lawyers, there are some among us who dream of a career in the creative field. A career as a screenwriter can be very fulfilling. Of course, no profession comes with the guarantee seal. Yet, the names Danny Boyle, Ben Affleck, Chris Columbus, Joel Coen and host of others, speak volumes of a promising career as a screenwriter.

If you are still blissfully unaware of what the role of a screenwriter is, then here is a quick job description. Before a movie is made, an idea is required. In cinema terms, it is called film script. The screenwriter’s job is to write the film script. Film scripts are not like the usual novels or story books. It involves dialogues, characters, story lines and all other elements that make a movie what it is. Imagine the sheer amount of creativity required to conjure a whole movie in one’s mind.By now, you might have guessed the pivotal role a screenwriter plays in the production of a film. Without any story, movies cannot be made. Of course, not all screenwriters have expertise in various genres. Some screenwriters are adept in comedy, others in sci-fi, horror, fiction or drama etc. The success of a screenwriter lies in his or her ability to entwine the visual features and the dialogues seamlessly.

Many think that the presence of a screenwriter lasts only till he / she pens the last line of the script. The reason why producers, directors, actors and all others involved in the movie have any work to do is because of a screenwriter’s script. Many screenwriters are also successful producers, directors or even actors. The option of branching out to different domains remain open depending upon the capacity of the screenwriter. Even as a screenwriter there are times when modifications are required in the plot. During such situations, directors have to seek guidance from the screenwriter.

Nowadays, there are professional courses that manufacture screenwriters. However, the truth is that, most successful screenwriters come from different walks of life. They bring their unique flavour in every story narrated. It makes the plot interesting, something manufactured writing can barely attempt to capture. It takes discipline to be a screenwriter, facing a blank page and being able to visualise a movie, even before it is made, is a real challenge. Writing becomes even more challenging when there is a deadline to be met.