Alison Pennells is a scriptwriter, playwright, novelist and script consultant from Leeds
Alison Pennells is a scriptwriter, playwright, novelist and script consultant from Leeds
My services as a female script consultant – are used overwhelmingly by female writers – so it is something that female writers are seeking out, especially when the script is heavily female orientated. Of course, male scriptwriters are perfectly capable of giving feedback on scripts by anyone of any sex – but even the best male scriptwriters often seek feedback from members of the opposite sex – to make sure things ring true and feel correct.
As a female script consultant and scriptwriter I spent a good three years working as a core writer on ITV soap Emmerdale, and I was part of the team that helped the soap transition to five nights a week.
Over the last three years I’ve been involved with writer / director Matthew Cooper and producer James R. Winterbottom who have put together three ultra low budget horror films based on the work of H.P. Lovecraft.
As a female script consultant and scriptwriter I spent three years on the core writing team of UK soap Emmerdale – I worked as a storyliner initially and then moved onto the writing team proper about a year later. I wrote around 25 actual broadcast episodes over a three year period.
A lot of female script consultant’s only work on TV or film scripts. One of the things that sets me apart is that I can give feedback on theatre plays – and even musical theatre scripts.
One female scriptwriter, broke into the Hollywood boys club, at the time when the Movie Brats – Coppola, Scorsese, Lucas and Spielberg were at their most powerful – and she wrote many of the boys’ own great movies.
As a female script consultant and female script writer for hire I get hired a lot by producers and production companies to write gender specific scripts from a female perspective.
As a female script consultant, I get asked a lot how much TV scriptwriters get paid. It’s an honest enough question and worth asking if you’re looking at a career as a scriptwriter.
As a female script consultant, my career in film and TV followed a route map which is pretty standard for scriptwriters in the UK. I get asked a lot about how to break into film and TV as screenwriter, and the simple answer to the question is that a lot of writers I know, followed …
As a female script consultant, I worked on ITV soap Emmerdale for three or four years – I started as a storyline writer after being talented spotted by producer Kieran Roberts. Then after a period working in the story team I moved onto the writing team proper and wrote 25 episodes over two years on the core writing team of the show.