Journal of Screenwriting - Current Issue

This article explores the definition of what constitutes a ‘produced’ screenplay and how it relates to the screenwriter and their accreditation for their work by industry standard definitions. The article challenges the industry-accepted norm that a screenwriter’s work is recognized after the script has been translated to the screen and argues instead that, in line with other media and craft forms, the screenplay and the author can achieve recognition through other forms of showcase. Through comparisons with industry examples, we assert that the script reading is, in and of itself, a valid production and can serve as a means of allowing writers to achieve accreditation for their work as writers, without relying on union conventions that privilege the screen work over other forms to allow writers to receive accreditation for their writing. To explore this, the article uses two case studies, The Script Department, a virtual screenwriting studio that uses podcasting to produce script reading dramatizations, and one of their most successful productions, The Clearing, written by Belinda Lees. The Script Department’s success in attracting mainstream industry interest, as well as the success of Lees’s screenwriting on the platform, demonstrates that a reliance on a single mode of production (i.e. film or television) as a means of evaluating a writer’s credentials is no longer definitive and that the script reading as a performative exercise can be both a form of showcase and of benefit to the writer looking to improve their craft.

Rather than being a ‘blueprint’ statement of instruction, and following propositions made by Thomas Leitch, adaptation screenplays are ‘recipes’ that both record a ‘doing’ and serve as a performance space of engagement with production teams. This is explicable in terms of how they propose a new enargeia by way of clear narrative idea that they frame through quasi-recursive recontextualization of both the literary field and the specifics of originary texts and then express via an integrated set of linguistic acts by way of axiological statement of intentionality for a film of a particular sort. The progression of this logic is explained through exploration of a seminal instance of Basque literature-to-film adaptation of Bernard Atxaga’s book Obabakoak, written as a screenplay for the film Obaba by Montxo Armendáriz.

Over-the-top (OTT) media services such as Netflix, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video have been rolled out in Spain with full force since 2015. Local media groups such as Atresmedia and Movistar+ have also emerged with their own video-on-demand services and content brands to compete against these multinational giants. Consequently, the demand for original scripted content has soared, involving ever larger numbers of individual creators and production companies. Traditionally, the relationships between writers-producers and TV networks in Spain have been hierarchical, but the new players appear to have introduced different approaches in creative processes, yielding more autonomy to screenwriters or, when applicable, to writers-producers or showrunners. In this article we set out to illustrate the perceptions of Spanish TV screenwriters regarding the new practices and difficulties that they face in the still emerging environment brought about by digital platforms. To do so, a survey has been conducted through ALMA, the film and TV writers’ guild of Spain. The results of this survey reveal significant, sometimes contradictory changes that suggest the advent of a still shifting landscape.

Cinematic virtual reality (CVR) offers new possibilities for narrative design by shifting the viewer’s role from observer to active participant. Traditional storytelling frameworks, which rely on fixed authorial control, often struggle to fully accommodate the interactive and immersive potential of CVR. This article proposes the Collaborative Narrative Model, a conceptual framework that reimagines CVR storytelling as a co-creative process between the viewer, the scriptwriter and the technology that mediates the experience. Through case studies of Wolves in the Walls, The Invisible Hours and Spheres, the article explores how modular storytelling structures and narrative anchors can balance viewer agency with narrative coherence. The study highlights how real-time interaction and technological mediation can support flexible yet cohesive narratives in immersive environments. Practical strategies are offered for narrative designers and screenwriters, guiding them in creating adaptable narratives that maintain thematic depth while responding to the dynamic nature of CVR.

Review of: William Faulkner in Hollywood: Screenwriting for the Studios, Stefan Solomon (2017)

Athens, GA: The University of Georgia Press, 296 pp.,

ISBN-10 082035113X, h/bk, $51.95

ISBN-13 978-0-82035-113-1, p/bk, $26.95

Review of: John Waters: Pope of Trash, Jenny He and Dara Jaffe (eds) (2023)

Los Angeles, CA and New York: Academy Museum of Motion Pictures and Delmonico Books, 256 pp.,

ISBN-10 978-1-63681-085-0, h/bk, £39.26, $51.08