STORY-TELLING UNIT: Research - Screenwriter - Julian Fellowes

As a fan of Downton Abbey, researching the screenwriter of the series interested me greatly.

Biography:

- Julian Fellowes was born on 17th August 1949 in Cairo, Egypt.

- After being educated in multiple private schools and studying English Literature at Magdalene College Cambridge, Fellowes began acting in small TV roles. His success as an actor slowly grew, leading him to star in British TV shows like Monarch in the Glen, The Aristocrats and Heartbeat.

- After 30 years of being a somewhat successful actor and having 12 screenplays rejected, Fellowes found great success with his screenwriting for Gosford Park. He has won several awards for his writing, including:
- New York Film Critics Circle award for Best Screenplay for Gosford Park in 2001
- Academy Award for Best Writing (Screenplay written directly for the screen) for Gosford Park in 2002
- Writers Guild of America award for Best Screenplay for Gosford Park in 2002
- ShoWest award for Screenwriter of the Year in 2002
- Broadcasting Press Guild Awards writer's award for Downton Abbey in 2011
- Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special for Downton Abbey in 2011.

Julian Fellowes' Key Work:

- Fellowes' most notable works are Gosford Park and Downton Abbey. As a writer of both film and television screenplays, Fellowes has been able to compare the difference in the writing process. Fellowes revealed that when filming starts for a series of Downton, there would be roughly 4 scripts ready to use and maybe a 5th that needs some reworking, meaning that the rest are produced under time pressure. However, the shoot for a film doesn't start until everyone is content with the script, meaning less pressure for him as the writer.

- Downton Abbey has a multi-strand narrative with many different stories all occurring at once. This makes for a constantly appealing and intriguing show as there are many plot twists to keep the audience interested. This interested me and inspired my project as it has made me realise the importance of having more than just 1 event occurring in the narrative.
(e.g. my short film would be very tedious if my character John constantly gave into Kyle's calls and visits. I created a couple of intertwined storylines instead - 1 about John's stress at work and another about his mental health. Both storylines compliment each other and help to create a more interesting narrative.)

- Fellowes is a big believer in discipline, you should not wait until you're in the mood to write, instead you should just sit down and write, things can be corrected / rewritten later. He also believes in understanding the characters before attempting to write the script - "You've got to sit down and think 'today I am going to do the beginning of Mrs Patmore's plot". [1] Once the character's individual lives and plots are worked out, they can then be put into the script and the narrative can commence. This shows that even the best screenwriters still follow the basic rules of screenwriting.
(When starting out writing my screenplay, I had great difficulty figuring out which way my narrative was going to go. This was because I hadn't fully worked out who my characters were. Once I had worked out each of my character's individual plots and who they were as people, I was then able to write my screenplay much more easily.)

- I also enjoyed Fellowes' development of the characters throughout the six series. My personal favourite character development was that of Thomas Barrow, the villainous, conniving footman who eventually transforms into a genuine and pleasant character whom the audience sympathise with.
(This character development has inspired my work as it shows the importance of plot development / plot twists to the interest / enjoyability of a drama. Therefore, in my drama, my character John goes from being an uptight, stressed, emotionally fragile character who ignores calls from his mother and cancels plans with friends, into a relaxed, calm and stable character who willingly calls his mother and socialises with friends).

Julian Fellowes' incredible screenwriting and storytelling made Downton Abbey the success it was, I can't wait to see the stories he tells next!

Bibliography: 
[1] How Did They Do It? 2013 Interview:Julian Fellowes: Actor, Writer [online] Available at: <https://howdidtheydoit.net/creative/lord-julian-fellowes-actor-screenwriter-novelist/> [Accessed on: 14/11/2016]