Writers bloc
Scriptwriters in Singapore are often an unknown lot, but they are hopeful things will change
By Boon Chan
NOT SEEN BUT HEARD: Ms Tan Wei Lyn (left) and Ms Bon Sek Yieng (right) are behind the Golden Horse-nominated original script for the movie, Just Follow Law, while Mr Lionel Chok (centre) wrote for drama series, Random Acts, which aired on Arts Central. -- ST PHOTO: ALAN LIM
UNDER One Roof, Growing Up, Don't Worry Be Happy - they are are all well-loved local TV series.
While audiences would have little trouble coming up with the actors associated with these shows, they would be hard put to name a single writer responsible for the scripts.
So who are these people who keep viewers glued to the goggle box? While members of the Writers Guild of America - some of whom are the wordsmiths behind hits like Desperate Housewives - continue to strike for better terms, how are scribes in Singapore faring?
President of the Screenwriters Association (Singapore) (SWA) Woon Chet Choon estimates that there are 'dozens' of full-time writers here, largely with MediaCorp, and about 200 part-time ones.
The SWA was set up in 2000 by Daniel Chan, then a film lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. The association currently has over 1,000 names in its mailing list.
While an average writer in the US might make about US$50,000 (S$73,000) a year, a part-time one here would be lucky to clear $5,000 from writing alone.
Ms Tan Wei Lyn, 35, who co-wrote the Golden Horse award-nominated original script for Jack Neo's Just Follow Law, says: 'Realistically, to feed yourself as a scriptwriter in Singapore, you can't venture far from TV.'
A fresh graduate can expect to make about $2,500 a month as a full-time writer at a TV station and command $5,000 and up with five years of experience under his belt.
Freelance director and writer Han Yew Kwang, 32, says: 'If you're really hardworking, you could make $5,000 a month writing five episodes for a TV show, but then you probably won't enjoy the writing process'.
But the likelihood of a new writer being able to land such a deal is quite low. You need to make a name for yourself, then people would come and look for you, says Ms Tan.
However, Ms Bon Sek Yieng, 42, fellow co-writer for Law, feels it is probably easier to make a living as a scriptwriter now compared to the past.
TV stations used to have a monopoly on the production of programmes, but there has been an 'opening up' and independent production houses now handle a greater volume of work which they, in turn, farm out to freelancers.
Another challenge faced by writers here is that there are no industry standards on payment and contract terms. Contracts often do not stipulate the number of drafts to be delivered and writers sometimes do not see a paycheque until a script is finalised or when the production is completed.
Freelance writer-director Lionel Chok, 34, says his wish-list includes 10 per cent of the payment delivered for a first draft and a limit of five drafts.
He once did eight drafts for a TV programme and 'it was three months of work but I could not command three months of pay'.
He concludes that it's very difficult to make a living as a full-time writer, and a person would have to dabble in all platforms including writing for magazines and corporate videos.
One of the benefits for members listed on the SWA's website is to 'provide a unified voice for the screenwriting community in promoting fair practices within the industry'. But Mr Woon admits that the SWA is not meant to be a guild or union, and has been more concerned with raising standards of writing here.
Gaining recognition's tough
WHILE monetary remuneration is a key concern of writers, it is only part of the equation.
Ms Tan says: 'It's hard to gain recognition for writing, while you can tell good acting and directing.'
Of her nomination for Best Original Script, she says that any recognition is a good thing, and hopefully more writers here will get more exposure.
The director of development and head writer of animation studio Peach Blossom Media, Mr Andy Logam-Tan, 37, says: 'There is somewhat less respect for people in the creative line as a rule because it is difficult to measure results.'
Still, he is encouraged that people have begun to make a genuine effort to look at the product, rather than the rate of output, of writers.
Then there is the question of creative control.
Mr Han, who worked for four years at TV stations here, says writers can sometimes initiate a project, but when it goes into production, the producer and directors take over and the writer has to let go creatively.
Ms Tan concurs to an extent: 'In the old days, the director used to be king but people are realising that it's hard to start from a blank page.' But while there is 'a growing appreciation for writers, we are also easy targets. When something doesn't work, it's the writer's fault'.
To Ms Chen Sew Khoon, 47, a story planner for MediaCorp's Mandarin drama serials, scriptwriting is not an individual but a team effort. There has to be give and take and writers may not be aware of the reasons for changes, such as production limitations.
Mr Chok puts it this way: 'Writers understand that there can't be 100 per cent creative control; even in the United States, it's a question of how much creativity you can try to inject into any project.
'If you want it to be 100 per cent yours, make your own short film or play.'
The write steps
MOVING ahead, there are scenarios that writers would be glad to see realised in the industry.
Mr Tan notes that 'we have not had a situation as in the States where a writer runs the show'.
Again, unlike in the US, Mr Han observes that it is not common to have a creator credit for projects. A bigger problem might be the lack of a proper long-term scriptwriting course, he adds.
That is why Ms Tan is returning to MediaCorp to head the English comedy and drama division. Having benefited from a more structured system as a novice writer which included a scriptwriting course and being assigned a mentor, she is keen to help train more writers now.
The growing awareness of the importance of content creation is also reflected in official schemes to encourage writing.
The Singapore Film Commission's (SFC) Script Development Grant was launched in December 2003 to help writers develop their stories into feature film scripts. A grant of $6,000 is given to each successful applicant and the total number of recipients as of July this year was 54.
Mr Man Shu Sum, the Media Development Authority's (MDA) broadcast and film development director as well as SFC director, also recognises there is a need for scriptwriters to improve their skills through training by professionals.
To this end, MDA has organised scriptwriting and script-consulting masterclasses and workshops for local writers.
For Mr Tan, writing should be seen as a decent money-earning job, and writers' salaries should be matched to comparable professions like engineering. 'After all, this is what writing is, to design and construct a product.'
If the industry developments in Hollywood can be said to resemble a potboiler, then perhaps the situation here is still very much a work in progress.
bchan@sph.com.sg
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'Realistically, to feed yourself as a scriptwriter in Singapore
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