What does a Script Editor do? Tiger Aspect's Bryony Arnold tells us!
Hi, I’m Bryony Arnold and I live in London.
How did you become a script editor?
Oh it’s been a long and winding road to becoming a Script Editor! I began at BBC in-house Drama on a six month internship learning about the development process, compiling research and doing script reports. After this I moved to BBC Northern Ireland Drama working on an eclectic range of projects for the department.
Following that I worked for 4 years in BBC Independent Drama Commissioning, reading, recommending and rejecting the hundreds of submissions the department receives. This was a fantastic foundation in understanding what dramas the BBC were looking for and how to sell an idea, but I missed the creative side of the job working with writers and developing ideas.
After this I was fortunate to land a job at BBC in-house Drama as an Assistant Script Editor working on a WW1 drama called The Crimson Field.
When that come to an end, I decided to venture outside of the BBC and was privileged to get a job as a Script Editor at my current employer, Tiger Aspect. Since I’ve been here, I’ve worked on brilliant drama series including Ripper Street, Cuffs and Peaky Blinders amongst developing other shows.
What does your day to day looks like?
Every day is completely different - which is part of the joy! One day I can be storylining with the writers (this means we plan out how a story will run over the series or over a few episodes), the next I'm having production meetings with the crew about changes that need to be made to made to ensure the scripts are achievable to film, both creatively and financially.
Another day I might be visiting set to ensure everything script-wise is running smoothly; researching a particular storyline; writing ADR lines (additional dialogue recordings) for the actors to record in post-production. The list goes on, but no two days are ever the same.
What's the best thing about your job?
There are so many fantastic elements to my job but one of my particular highlights is sitting in a room with the writer initiating ideas and storylining a series.
There are a plethora of routes any narrative can go and working out the journey for our protagonists is always enthralling … and equally challenging! Nothing matches the pride in finally seeing the fruition of our labours up on screen for the entire world to see.
What skills do you need to be a script editor?
Passion, enthusiasm and creativity - you need to love drama and storytelling. Not being phased when a challenge arises, and instead try to think of creative solutions to problem solving.
Do you have any advice for anyone wanting to become a script editor?
The role of the Script Editor is a collaborative one; each day brings new challenges and so being flexible and a team player are essential qualities. The job can be highly demanding with long working hours, but the rewards outweigh them entirely.