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Business Filming Method

Sunday, May 15, 2011

What kind of team player are you? – Ten team player characters in the workplace (2)

In the previous article we met two metaphorical team player characters – the producer and the director. You can read about them here: http://casteffect.blogspot.com/2011/05/what-kind-of-team-player-are-you-ten.html

Let me now introduce two more team players, very close to my heart: the screenwriter and the editor.
As a screenwriter, who has spent many hours in editing studios, I can assure you that a successful team in the workplace can't afford itself to manage without these two team players. For years these role players have been underestimated in the film industry. Today, it's clear then ever, that their role in a film's success is very important.

The Screenwriter – is usually the first link in the chain. The screenwriter is the ideas' generator, the storyteller, the one who creates a picture in words with a strong personal statement. The screenwriter can observe human behaviors, conduct research based on pure curiosity, listen, having an endless desire for information and knowledge gathering.
Budd Schulberg, the famous screenwriter (Academy-award-winning screenplay for "On the Waterfront") said during an interview on 1998: "One thing you do in writing dialogue is that you make up as little of it as you can and you listen as much as you can. Watching it this evening, I was reminded how many times something in there was not really written by me, I simply wrote down what they were actually saying."

The screenwriter examines every detail through visualization point of view, seeking the most effective ways of the film medium to convey his message. The screenwriter often asks himself the question: "How exactly does it look like? How can I describe this picture in words?" To answer these questions, the screenwriter needs communication skills and high sensitivity to his story's environment, analytical and organization capability, and ability to clearly articulate a high level of getting the message to viewers. Screenwriters and directors are natural partners and work closely throughout the whole process.

The Editor is often named "Cut and Paste guy". Actually the editor is able to create a masterpiece out of a "raw" and "rough" material. His job is to create the specific work which reflects the artistic vision of the director and the screenwriter - this makes him a central team player in the staff.
The editor is an organizer, very responsible and creative, with a high team work orientation, high interpersonal communication skills and impressive time management ability. Often he plays the role of a "savior", because he has the ability to solve problems in a creative and interesting way.

Understanding the role of these two characters, we can now realize the power of many unforgettable films and the secret of their success.

Now, my readers please think about the following two metaphoric questions:
1. What kind of team player are you - a screenwriter, an editor or both or someone completely different?
2. What kind of conflicts you expect to happen when these two team players collaborate with the director and the producer characters?

Food for thought for you...

Best regards,
Yulia Reinshmidt, CEO at CastEffect - Costeffective Proprietary Corporate Training Videos http://www.casteffect.com/

1 comment:

  1. Lovely article and a nice blog! Would love to visit off and on!

    Kind regards,

    ReplyDelete