Rewriting, remaking and rediscovering screenwriting practice: When the screenwriter becomes practitioner-researcher

Screenwriting as a research practice is rapidly emerging in the academy, extending the boundaries of the discipline beyond its history in vocational training. Offering a space in which new and established practitioners can incubate ideas and processes in ways that might otherwise not be possible – particularly in mainstream industry contexts, where writing can often be in service of production – a research environment offers academic stimulation that encourages innovative methodologies of creative practice to develop. In this way, the screenwriter becomes a practitioner-researcher who, through deep reflection on previous works and experiences and creative-critical engagement with new ideas and concepts, is able to develop new screenplays that are writer- and research-oriented. In this paper we discuss the role that academic research can play in shaping the work of the screenwriter. Through personal case studies and reflections, we explore how practice can be rewritten, remade and rediscovered in the academy. There has been very little written about the phenomenon of screenwriting as a research practice, therefore we hope this paper will contribute important and timely insights into this emergent discipline.