How to Work with Producers as a Writer

There is no dearth of ideas floating all over the show business industry, but most of them remain unattended unless they catch a producer’s attention. Producers invest in many different projects and are responsible for bringing together the entire crew, including directors, writers, cast members, location managers, and others. There are two ways a writer and producer can establish a working relationship. One way is if a writer is a renowned bestseller; in this case, the writer might be approached by many producers. The other way is for the writer to approach producer(s) and try to sell his/her idea. Remember, writing a script is easy, but getting it read and approved by a producer is the hardest part.

Instructions

  • 1

    The first meeting

    If you are approached by a producer, you might feel a little more comfortable, as compared to when you try to approach them yourself. The producer will certainly know about your work, and the meeting is expected to revolve around an upcoming project that will use one of your existing ideas or a new one. In case you approach a producer and are lucky enough to secure a meeting, be confident. Since you have already been granted time to meet the producer, it is safe to assume that he/she is somewhat familiar with your work. Don’t overreact, and be normal. Try to leave a good impression, which should present you as a good writer and foreground your professionalism.

  • 2

    The idea

    When you and the producer have joined hands, the next step is to come up with an idea. For this, you might also need some suggestions from the director. If they are talking about taking up an existing idea – a story that you might have defined in your novel – the main task is to figure out a way of summarising the entire plot as per the screen standards. In the other scenario, when you do not have anything published under your name to impress the producer and director, you can brainstorm and come up with a story idea, and you can later develop a convincing plot on top of that.

  • 3

    Writer’s block

    So you are writing and on a deadline, but the vague images in your mind are not being transformed into words. Don’t worry if you are experiencing writer’s block - everybody faces it. However, remember that you have been selected out of the pool that contains scores of writers - you will definitely not want to waste this opportunity. So, try to figure out ways to end the block as soon as possible. You could take some time out, get busy in something else, and then come back to try and finish writing the script.

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