Many schools provide students with opportunities to meet famous or successful professionals in their field of study. However, students at the University of Tampa were in for a surprise when John McLaughlin, one of the screenwriters of the film Black Swan, arrived at the school to discuss the making the movie. McLaughlin, who co-wrote the screenplay with Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz, flew from New York to Florida at the request of his former classmate, Tom Garrett, an assistant professor of communication."You want to put yourself into your writing, but every person has a vision they want to see on the screen," said McLaughlin. "I try to match up with the director's vision."
He added that he wrote six outlines and four drafts, with daily updates written as they got closer to production.
Before filming or taping can begin, screenwriters will prepare a "shooting script," which has instructions pertaining to shots, camera angles and lighting, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Although the work of feature film screenwriters generally ends when shooting begins, writing for a television series usually continues throughout the television season with a new script required for each episode.
» Counselors