Commisioning Bodies

There are a number of job roles within the commissioning process as there are a number of different tasks to be carried out. Usually at the beginning of the commissioning process a freelance writer will have written some work and will pitch it to various commissioning bodies until someone shows interest in their work. From this point on the writer could either achieve success or his work may still not be made. It is the job of the agent to find this out for the writer as well as handling a lot of the main communication between the writer and producer. If the writer's work is to be made then it will be the director's job to decide how to approach filming.

There are a large number of commissioning bodies that can be approached by a writer to pitch their ideas to, such as the BBC writer's room that accepts submissions from any upcoming writers. You could also choose to go to a smaller commissioning body such as an independent production company, as a new writer and they will likely be more interested in you because you will be less expensive.

Independent directors are often more successful and demand a greater creative control over the production, this can make working with directors like this more difficult initially but directors with a strong artistic vision can really enhance a writer's work. Sometimes organisations hold competitions that give new writers the opportunity to show off their talent for the chance of their work getting commissioned.

The writer has to do a lot of work during pre-production, ensuring that drafts are submitted on time and they have to work with the script editor to ensure the script is suitable and concise, sometimes during the shooting of the work the writer will still be consulted or their opinion of certain scenes will be asked. This is another reason why a writer is especially busy all through the commissioning process.