Interview: Hayley McKenzie, Script Editor

Hayley McKenzie has been a professional script reader and script editor for the best part of 12 years, and has worked on several shows including Blue Murder, Casualty, Heartbeat and Crossroads. She’s recently set up her own script consultancy and started her own development slate.  I spoke to her about the role of a script editor, what a script editor looks for in a writer, and ways for new writers to break in:

First of all, for those who may not know exactly what a script editor does, can you give us a brief idea of what the job involves?

Well it can vary enormously depending on what I’m working on and the personality of the writer I’m working with.  When I’m developing original projects it’s a very creative process, usually involving just the two of us in the early stages, where I’m a sounding board.  I help the writer to make sense of their ideas and to sharpen up their sense of their story and their characters.  I also help them to find ways to tell the stories they want to tell in a shape that I think we can commission.

On a long-running show my job is essentially to be the link between the writer and the production team.  Although I still have the same desire to help the writer to improve their script, my job is often much more about helping the writer through the process.  I represent  the writers’ vision in their absence as clearly and loudly as possible, particularly when it isn’t quite coming over in the script but I know what they’re trying to achieve.  I also represent the views of the production team to the writer, which in the early stages of an original project may just be the Executive Producer but in a long-running show can take on board notes from up to 6 different people.  In those circumstances my job is very much helping the writer to make sense of the many different opinions and tastes and help them to address concerns without losing a sense of their own voice and the story they want to tell.

From a script editor’s point of view, what makes a writer good to work with?

Because writing is so very personal, it’s incredibly difficult not to take a criticism of the script personally, however diplomatically it’s worded.  But television drama writing is a very collaborative process and you have to be open to that, at least to some extent, in order to do it.  When it’s done well all the writers I’ve worked with have actually enjoyed that process and found that the work they’ve produced at the end is better than they could have made it on their own.  Ignoring notes in the hope that they’ll go away never works, it just annoys everyone.  That doesn’t mean a writer has to just tick boxes and do as they’re told, but if  a writer I’m working with disagrees with a note then they need to tell me.  I’ve always found that there’s a third way that everyone agrees on and it’s my job to find it without anybody losing the will to live in the process!

What level of experience would a writer generally be expected to have achieved before they would be seriously considered for a commission on shows like Heartbeat, Casualty or Blue Murder?

I think I’m right in saying that none of those shows consider writers without an agent.  I’d say Heartbeat and Casualty are looking for writers with experience on 30’ drama at least.  There’s a good interview with Casualty Script Producer Bianca Rodway on the BBC Writersroom site which talks a little bit more about that.  On Blue Murder we only really consider writers with experience on 50-60’ dramas, unless their story idea is un-turndownable and we are hugely excited about their writing talent – even if they don’t have the credits to back that up yet.  A single hour of drama, particularly in a short run series like Blue Murder, has a pretty substantial budget and all that rides on the quality of the script.  That’s a huge burden on an inexperienced writer and a huge risk for a production company to take.  Those prerequisites are also a little to do with sheer volume.  On Blue Murder, even when only considering writers with an agent and previous experience writing on a 50-60’ drama, I had story pitches from nearly a hundred writers – that’s a lot of reading for one script editor!

What about getting an original idea into development?  Is a certain level of experience generally expected from a writer in that case too or does it all depend on the project?

I’d have to be honest and say usually, yes, the writer would be expected to have some experience behind them.  With fewer hours of original drama being commissioned across the broadcasters as a whole there’s a real focus to everyone’s development strategy.  Increasingly the shift is towards fewer projects being developed, but more money being invested in those that are.  The result of that is that across the board everyone is looking for standout ideas that we’re confident our writer will be able to deliver to an exceptionally high standard.  Again, there is a huge amount of money and expectation from channel commissioners, and from the audience, riding on a new drama, so we’ve got to be sure that the writer can really deliver on the promise of the idea.

Apart from the writer’s experience then, what other things do you take into account when you’re looking at an original project for your own development slate?

I’ve got to be passionate about the project and the writer – because if I’m not then I haven’t got a hope of pushing the project through and persuading others to invest in it emotionally and financially.  When I’m working for someone else, like a production company or in-house team at BBC or ITV, I very much try to deliver projects that I believe in that also match the development strategy of my Head of Drama.   I try to have on my slate the very best of each kind of drama, because commissioners’ needs – at all the broadcasters – change all the time and you never know when an opportunity might open up for the project you love that yesterday nobody seemed to want!

Do you think there are differences between writing for the BBC and ITV that maybe suit certain kinds of writers?

The same essential ingredients are needed wherever you’re writing for.  Of course some shows and channels might be a writer’s natural home but there aren’t any good writers I’ve worked with on one channel that I wouldn’t work with again on a different channel.  We might develop a slightly different kind of project together depending upon the channel, but the same essential writer DNA is unchanged.  I’d also say that shows on the same channel can more different from those on others.  A writer may find The Bill and Casualty suit their voice, while Holby City feels a little more of a struggle, or vice versa.  Each show is unique and the trick for any writer is being able to get under the skin of a show and then allow your own voice to come through in the stories you tell and the way you deliver them.

You mentioned this elusive concept of “the writer’s voice” there, which is something that comes up a lot but seems very hard to pin down.  How would you describe the concept of an “original voice”?

All the very good writers I’ve been privileged to work with do, without doubt, have an original voice.  I could give each one of them the same scenario and all they would all deliver something different, something I wouldn’t have thought of doing and I haven’t seen before.  More than that, I could read each script blind and know who has written each because their voice is so strong.  Even on a long-running show like Casualty I can watch an episode and know that Jason Sutton wrote it or another week that Sasha Hails wrote it.  It’s about using the skill of writing to say something about the world and about how people behave and interact, and doing so through your own unique vision of the world.  Most good scripts are in some way a projection of a writer’s personality and take on life.  Finding what that is, and finding a way to deliver it in your work, takes time and practice.

What else do you find makes a writer stand out when they first approach you? 

That desire inside them to write, to observe the world around them and reflect it back in their work, but with their own unique take on it.  Along with that, I’d say a desire to keep getting better at it.  To sharpen the skills that allow them to deliver in a script the stories, characters and emotions which are in their imagination.

And it’s all about their work, their ability to make me think and feel something when I read their script.  It may still be a little rough around the edges but even if it’s only a few scenes that really make me laugh or cry, then I’m interested.  I know from that they have the potential, with the right help and guidance, to really deliver something special.  Having something to say, and saying it with passion also makes a writer stand out.  I read a lot of scripts which don’t really have anything to say, they tick boxes like character journeys and so on, but I don’t get the sense that the writer has really fallen in love with their characters, or indeed feels strongly about them in any way.

At what stage in their career do you think a writer should start approaching agents?

As soon as you’ve got a script you’re confident is a great calling card.  Agents aren’t interested in writers bringing them a great idea – they want to see a standout script, something that shows them they can write.  And don’t take your friends and family’s word for it either!  With the best will in the world, unless they’re experienced in the industry, they won’t be able to offer the kind of rigorous, critical view of it that you need.  That’s one of the reasons I set up Script Angel.  So many writers are being understandably rejected by agents and production companies because the script they send in just isn’t good enough.  But how does a writer know what is good enough and how to make their own script better?  Getting that calling card script as good as you possibly can will really pay dividends as you only really get one shot for your writing to make that standout first impression.

Script Angel is your new script consultancy service?

That’s right.  I set it up to offer writers the kind of professional advice and feedback that will help them improve their script that’s often difficult for writers to get without already having broken into the industry a bit.  I read all the scripts myself and if I find an exceptionally talented writer I’ll do whatever I can to open industry doors for them.

Is it just scripts you read?

I have a treatment analysis service which is for treatments up to 50 pages where I read it and then write an analysis of how I think the project would fit into the current market and also offer suggestions about how to move the project forward. Then I also have various script reading services – and script editing services which involve one to one sessions with the writer either on the phone or in person. That gives a writer the chance to work on drafts of a script and experience the professional script editing process. I also have a development service where a writer can come to me with just an idea and I’ll work with them to plan it and help develop it into a script.

Finally then, is there any specific advice you would give to new writers interested in working in TV?

Writing as much as possible is the best way to progress, and taking any professional writing gig that’s offered to you will help you to improve.  The majority of writers who are now successful and get their own original work commissioned have generally written on returning drama series first, Kay Mellor, Jimmy McGovern, Pete Bowker and Daniel Brocklehurst all did.  And those shows offer writers a fantastic opportunity to really hone their writing skills and see their work on screen within a couple of months of finishing the script, which is hugely rewarding. 

Practice and perseverance.  That’s really what it is.  The ability to bounce back from countless rejections and still keep on writing and getting better is hugely important.  Keep writing.  Be confident that you have something unique to say to the world.  At the same time be open to the advice from others on how you can improve your writing skills so that the vision that’s in your head is translated onto the page and hopefully, eventually, on to the screen.

Thanks Hayley!

For more information about Script Angel, including testimonials, services and rates and how to submit scripts you can visit the website here. 

The site also offers some useful scriptwriting tips taken from John Yorke’s ‘Advanced Story Course’ – well worth checking out.

Agents Q&A

There was a Q&A with agents Rob Kraitt of AP Watt and Matthew Bates of Sayle Screen as part of the Screenwriters’ Festival Launch Event which took place at BAFTA on Thursday.  Here’s some of what was said:

On the state of the industry

RK: It’s hard out there at the moment, but there will always be opportunities because there will always be TV drama.

MB:  It’s a numbers game. The hours available are being cut. The Bill is just one example, it used to make 100 hours of TV drama and now it makes 50.  This means writers who have gigs are reluctant to move on and give them up, and producers have got reduced budgets to worry about which makes the risk of a new writer less appealing than a safe and proven pair of hands. But there are opportunities out there – like the Writers Academy, although it only takes 8 writers a year, whereas it used to be that there was a more fluid coming and going throughout the year.  It’s always been a fight though, it’s just got a little bit harder.

RK:  It’s not like there’s suddenly going to be a glut of cheap talking heads stuff.  Keep doing what you’re doing.  Get to know script editors.  Make yourself known to the Writers Room and the Writers Academy.  Things are a little bit more positive in the film industry and there are still low budget production opportunities out there, although funding has been cut to some extent, mostly due to the Olympics, but there are still places like the Film Council and Guiding Lights. 

MB:  The British film industry has never been that brilliant so nothing’s really changed now.  The dedicated and entrepreneurial will continue to succeed. Writers just have to know the market. They should always have done but now they really have to make that effort.  Although, saying that, at the start of your career you should be writing specs that will get you noticed, not ones you think might get made.  Nothing will get made unless you get noticed first.  You have to impress people and build relationships to get through the door.  Not write generic, samey stuff that you think is hitting market trends.

RK:  The reality is, you’ve got to be good at treatments and pitching.  You’ve got to get producers excited in your projects.  You’ve got to be always coming up with fresh ideas. If you’re not writing commissioned stuff you should be coming up with new work. The industry has been bloated for a long time.  The current climate will help rebalance things and the people who deserve to shine through will.

On approaching agents

MB:  Make sure you’re ready.  It’s demoralising and depressing to keep hitting a wall of rejection.  Agents take referrals and recommendations more seriously than unsolicited approaches but if you can get some attention and a bit of glitter on you then you’ll be more interesting to an agent. And writers generally get agents after they’ve done quite a bit of work for themselves, not just written a couple of scripts. We do accept unsolicited submissions but we get inundated so you really have to make yourself stand out and capitalise on your exciting moments.

RK:  We don’t look at unsolicited submissions so a writer has to be recommended or come to our attention through schemes and so on. The other thing is, some people think if you turn up with a deal on the table you’ll get signed straight away. It’s not just about one deal. It’s about a body of work and a career.  If you’re already doing the business for yourself you’ll be more attractive.  An agent is just there to take you to the next level. I don’t want clients who are just in it for the money. They have to have a love of what they do and be willing to work hard to forge a long term career. They have to be self motivated and resourceful, and always be fostering new relationships.

MB: Agents are there to provide legal advice, contract negotiations, career guidance when there are choices for the writer about which project to take on next and also to provide honest feedback.  But the writer has to be a hard worker, they have to work at their craft and their writing, and be always learning about the market. There can be no laziness or cutting corners.

On the Screenwriters’ Festival

RK:  The Screenwriters’ Festival is really great for networking and bringing together a disparate community of writers, producers and directors who don’t have many opportunities to meet up throughout the year. 

MB: And it gives you a real energy boost, a buzz.  It’s a celebration, and it helps you remember why you do what you do. People go to share their war stories, share their vision for the future, even share their anger on certain aspects of the industry.  Established writers go to maintain relationships and foster new ones.  And for new writers, going along shows commitment and dedication to your career.  So much about this business is luck, new writers need to be in the right place at the right time, so going to events like SWF opens you up to the potential of good fortune. 

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You can read more about Thursday’s launch at Phill Barron’s blog, where he’s gone on to make some very sensible and pertinent comments about the UK film industry in general. He’s also drawn a couple of pictures of some sperm but, you know, you can’t have everything.

Piers Beckley has also posted about the event and explained why he thinks the Screenwriters’ Festival is worth every penny. He’s even told you where you can apply to for help getting those pennies together, how’s that for service? 

The Screenwriters’ Festival is running from 26th to 29th October 2009.  If you’ve not already bought your ticket, you can get it here. 

See you there.