Having graduated from Bolton in 2011 - I wrote and submitted quite a few things but then got itchy feet for more experience. I flew out to Mumbai, India and then to Karachi, Pakistan to work with two production companies as a screenwriter. The reason behind this was obvious and that was to acquire networks and experience as a producer and writer.
Initially I was part of something known as 'show runner' this is where the the creator of the show moves on, and day-to-day responsibilities of showrunning fall to other writers or writing teams who have to develop the TV drama. A similar concept to Eastenders or Casualty here in the UK. If you get the break and work as part of a showrunning team I would advise you to a) to leave your ego at home b) research the characters and plots thoroughly and c) don't hold back on storylines.
The one thing about working in a South Asian country is that they want everything yesterday, so don't expect much sleep.
I honestly learnt a lot from the experience. Namely revising structure, plot as I was going along, always having a cliff-hanger ending and the craft of writing fast and effectively. I am more disciplined because of it and can write a screenplay in three weeks, six episodes in two weeks and a play in two days.
The other aspect of writing is that I am character led - my characters talk to me. Imagine being allowed into a world where you are watching what characters are doing. The fantastic thing is you can join in with characters having a party, be there when a characters are having a baby... It's fantastic! However the downside is I cannot watch actors playing the characters for obvious reasons.
Initially I was part of something known as 'show runner' this is where the the creator of the show moves on, and day-to-day responsibilities of showrunning fall to other writers or writing teams who have to develop the TV drama. A similar concept to Eastenders or Casualty here in the UK. If you get the break and work as part of a showrunning team I would advise you to a) to leave your ego at home b) research the characters and plots thoroughly and c) don't hold back on storylines.
The one thing about working in a South Asian country is that they want everything yesterday, so don't expect much sleep.
I honestly learnt a lot from the experience. Namely revising structure, plot as I was going along, always having a cliff-hanger ending and the craft of writing fast and effectively. I am more disciplined because of it and can write a screenplay in three weeks, six episodes in two weeks and a play in two days.
The other aspect of writing is that I am character led - my characters talk to me. Imagine being allowed into a world where you are watching what characters are doing. The fantastic thing is you can join in with characters having a party, be there when a characters are having a baby... It's fantastic! However the downside is I cannot watch actors playing the characters for obvious reasons.
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Thank you your kind words - CREEP!