Screen Writing: Career Opportunities and Scope

Stories have been told since time immemorial. Once there were rhymes and songs, which turned into orally told stories by grandmothers and grandfathers. Soon books and comics took these spaces, and then cinema came. With time television, radio, the Internet and many other mediums came up for stories to be told and retold. There has always been one or the other medium for stories to exist.

Some philosophical writers have even thought about how we humans are one the mediums of stories. But all stories need a proper layout and a backbone. Without a proper structure, it will be just a few words piled up together.

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Here is where screen writing makes an entrance. Movies have been part of our lives since the first camera was invented and screen writing has been an important aspect of movie making since that time.

What is Screen writing?

Screen writing is the art of creating the story, developing the characters and providing dialogues to the same. Screenwriters create the skeletal structure of the movie and provide the basic foundation, which is later imagined and intensified by putting it up on the storyboard and eventually on the film.

Though an academic pathway is not required, a screenwriter needs to have a specific amount of knowledge, must do intense background study and create stories and characters that please the audience and give a real life effect. One needs a lot of experience in this area, either by binge watching other movies and noting the particular techniques that can be used or by developing their own methods.

Who can be a screen Writer?

There aren't any qualifications that a person requires to become a screenwriter. What one requires is the exquisite way of putting their ideas onto the paper in a way that it can be transformed into a movie.

Some might just get the breakthrough, in their first attempt. The field of film industry, just like any other entertainment and glamor industry is that people and networking plays a huge role. Sadly, this quotient of the industry puts a lot of pressure on the upcoming and aspiring artists and may take a toll on their professions.

Experienced screenwriters say from experience that it takes a long time period for an aspiring screenwriter to get their break.

What will a screen Writer do?

A screenwriter will visualize the story, write it down, with all the intricacies that will have to be included and make a skeleton of the story on the paper.
They have to develop the base of the story, create the characters and add layers to them, develop their story lines and make their story relatable to the audience.
The screenwriters will be incorporating many of their own ideas. In many cases, multiple screenwriters provide to the screen, thus building a more strong script which will be multi-faceted.
A screenwriter must think about how the audience will be receiving the dialogues, twists that are introduced to the story and the climax of the story, which is of utmost importance.
The screenwriter provides a direction to the story. Based on this the director, the cast and crew will draw the meaning of the story and movie.

How to become a screenwriter?

The Bachelors course in screen writing can range from a three-year course, with a focus on study in film direction.
There is also a one-year diploma, that focuses entirely on screen writing. One will learn a lot about screen writing through experienced teachers. Therefore, choosing the right place is of high importance.
There are very few institutes in India that provide opportunities that can help the student not only to learn the methods and techniques but at the same time get into the industry.
There are several opportunities that are available outside the country, but at the end of the day, one has to have enough experience.

Also Read: This is the Reel Life: Career Opportunities in Cinematography