As evidenced by some of the best television shows of the 21st century, including Breaking Bad and The Killing, the writers’ room is one of the most successful ways of producing great scripts. Gathering brilliant minds around a table to break stories, lay out episodes beat-by-beat, and contribute towards a narrative can lead to diversity of ideas and voices, as well as ensuring that each script is thoroughly crafted. However, looking at the most successful writers’ rooms, there are noticeable patterns that seem to ensure the most productive collaborations.
The head writer or showrunner is vital to keeping everyone on track and having the final say. To a certain extent, showrunners like Vince Gilligan act as the ‘auteur’. Without their overarching vision, the room could descend into chaos . However, with the first drafts being so rigorously planned, anybody could join the writers’ room and find the auteur’s voice, keeping the rooms democratic and equal.
When hiring writers, confidence and humility are two important traits to look out for. A writer must be able to pitch ideas and stories, put forth opinions, and accept ideas being rejected. In John Thornton Caldwell’s examination of writers’ rooms, he noticed a sense of ‘professional one-upmanship’ (2008, 215). While this could initially be intimidating, confident writers will embrace the challenge and produce their best work.
Though a writer should have total faith in their skills, it’s vital that they show humility and leave their ego at the door, especially working under a showrunner. If they actively work towards achieving the same goal and vision as their fellow writers, the best work can be produced. With that in mind, the process of allowing everyone to share their opinion and only signing off on ideas approved by everybody allows for a story created by everyone, rather than being the product of the auteur’s imagination (Redwall 2013, 139).
–Harry Ford
Bibliography:
CALDWELL, John Thornton. 2008. Production Culture Industrial Reflexivity and Critical Practice in Film and Television / Durham, N.C. ;: Duke University Press.
REDVALL, Eva Novrup. 2013. Writing and Producing Television Drama in Denmark : from The Kingdom to The Killing Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.
Harry Ford - Comedian 