Bridget Conor

Comment on: Where have all the screenwriters gone?

Bridget Conor's comment 6-Oct-2009 1:33 pm

Thanks Phil for a thought provoking and timely piece which will hopefully kick-start a much needed debate on these issues. I’m currently researching screenwriting labour in the UK and the comments and feedback I’ve been getting from screenwriters and teachers of screenwriting reflects many of these points – concerns about a ubiquitous development orthodoxy stemming from those ‘script-guru weekends’ and screenwriting manuals; a preponderance of new ‘writer-directors’ who may be trying to retain control of their ideas and exploit new production and distribution technologies but who are also often caught up in this development culture that discourages originality and risk-taking; and the worrying sense that screenwriting as a creative vocation may be diminishing within this context. Let's hope the debate gains volume and momentum from here onwards...