Chris Clarke, Senior Development Executive, Working Title
Credits include: Elizabeth, Plunkett and Maclean, About A Boy, Johnny English, Ned Kelly and Thunderbirds.
What does a development executive's job involve?
The key job for a development executive is to source material that has the potential to be made into a film. At Working Title, for example, we try to make four or five films a year out of the UK and I need to supply Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, who run this company, with the material to do this.
I'll find the material, first and foremost, by building and maintaining relationships with people, particularly writers and directors. I'll try and meet them regularly and keep up to date with what they are doing and what they are looking to do.
Most of the material we commission is based on ideas from the writers themselves. We'll also look to option magazine articles or books, remake a film or produce a sequel to one of our successful films.
Once you commission a project, the next phase of development work is working with the writer on the script. That's a critical part of the process.
You have to think about creating projects that feel worthy of being made and also have the potential to be successful in the UK and internationally. But every single project requires a different approach as every writer is different.
As I follow the project through, I will be constantly making decisions and formulating strategies. It might be that a script is not working out, so I need to hire a new writer. Or I might attach a director to a project and, to move it forward, we'll have to create another draft of the script with the director.
The development executive will often carry the process all the way through and get involved in casting as well. At that stage, however, we'll usually hire a producer to try to pull the project together as nobody here has time to produce projects as well.
You often find that, along with the writer and director, you are the one with the most knowledge of the film by the end. Consequently, the more senior development executives can end up getting a credit like associate or co-producer.
How did you become a development executive?
I started off in local journalism and then went to BBC magazines.
During this time, I decided that I wanted to write scripts. I eventually did a Screenwriting MA at the London College Of Printing (now the London College Of Communication).
To help support myself financially during the course, I started to work as a freelance script reader. After a while, I had so much work I was almost doing it full time.
I hadn't quite finished my course when I got a call from Working Title saying they needed someone to come in for six months. I've now been here for eight years.
What skills do you need to be a development executive?
Going on writing courses is a very good idea for learning the mechanics of screenwriting. You can only improve your knowledge of how a screenplay works and of genre if you try your hand at writing. This will also help you to sympathise with the writer and the difficulties they have creating a script.
You should also try to work as a freelance script reader because you need to read as many scripts as you can. It will help you to learn about how to critique a script and to give good notes and feedback to a writer.
A development exec has to be empathetic and to be able to inspire the writer. If you come in from a very heavily critical angle you are not going to get anywhere.
What does a development executive's job involve?
The key job for a development executive is to source material that has the potential to be made into a film. At Working Title, for example, we try to make four or five films a year out of the UK and I need to supply Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, who run this company, with the material to do this.
I'll find the material, first and foremost, by building and maintaining relationships with people, particularly writers and directors. I'll try and meet them regularly and keep up to date with what they are doing and what they are looking to do.
Most of the material we commission is based on ideas from the writers themselves. We'll also look to option magazine articles or books, remake a film or produce a sequel to one of our successful films.
Once you commission a project, the next phase of development work is working with the writer on the script. That's a critical part of the process.
You have to think about creating projects that feel worthy of being made and also have the potential to be successful in the UK and internationally. But every single project requires a different approach as every writer is different.
As I follow the project through, I will be constantly making decisions and formulating strategies. It might be that a script is not working out, so I need to hire a new writer. Or I might attach a director to a project and, to move it forward, we'll have to create another draft of the script with the director.
The development executive will often carry the process all the way through and get involved in casting as well. At that stage, however, we'll usually hire a producer to try to pull the project together as nobody here has time to produce projects as well.
You often find that, along with the writer and director, you are the one with the most knowledge of the film by the end. Consequently, the more senior development executives can end up getting a credit like associate or co-producer.
How did you become a development executive?
I started off in local journalism and then went to BBC magazines.
During this time, I decided that I wanted to write scripts. I eventually did a Screenwriting MA at the London College Of Printing (now the London College Of Communication).
To help support myself financially during the course, I started to work as a freelance script reader. After a while, I had so much work I was almost doing it full time.
I hadn't quite finished my course when I got a call from Working Title saying they needed someone to come in for six months. I've now been here for eight years.
What skills do you need to be a development executive?
Going on writing courses is a very good idea for learning the mechanics of screenwriting. You can only improve your knowledge of how a screenplay works and of genre if you try your hand at writing. This will also help you to sympathise with the writer and the difficulties they have creating a script.
You should also try to work as a freelance script reader because you need to read as many scripts as you can. It will help you to learn about how to critique a script and to give good notes and feedback to a writer.
A development exec has to be empathetic and to be able to inspire the writer. If you come in from a very heavily critical angle you are not going to get anywhere.
