More than 170 participants from all over the world, 120 presentations, interesting Q&As. Over the weekend of September 13-15, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan hosted the 11th Screenwriting Research Network Conference. (You can find a link to the association’s website on the resource page of this blog.)
A great event. Lots of insights into a fascinating topic: Writing for Cinema. Writing for TV.
How do the two sides of the industry differ? Aren’t TV and cinema now experiencing a great overlap in terms of writers and development practices ?
An interesting subject discussed throughout the conference was the writers’ room. Daniele Cesarano, writer of Romanzo Criminale and Suburra, noticed how this system is slowly spreading in the Italian industry. Luisa Cotta Ramosino, head writer for The Medici, an international coproduction, told us her experience in a writers’ room comprised of talent from different cultures and traditions (Italian writers and British writers from Frank Spotnitz’s team). In my speech, I made the point that, when it comes to writing an episode, writers’ rooms facilitate the composing of many storylines as variations on a single theme. In fact, this technique is less used in Italy, where a writers’ room tradition is still to be built.
It is a very timely issue. Things are changing very fast. Here are two articles with information worth thinking about.
From Film School Rejects:
The writers’ room system is beginning to be embraced by the film industry as well. Or is it?
From Variety:
The writers’ room function in the development process is changing.
I leave you with this provoking question:
Isn’t the “brain trust” system, which is a hallmark of Pixar’s development process, a form of writers’ room? Top writers and top directors in one room, pitching ideas on how to improve a story…
Be First to Comment