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A writer involved in the development of a show has more control and
influence. The development phase is where the basic idea is converted into
the foundation the actual show is built on. Character and mechanical
designs, writing samples, background image boards (the imagery for all the
scenes), music and other elements which define the show are made into a
package to be presented to potential investors and
distributors/broadcasters/whatever. Recently, some sort of animation sample,
usually a short pilot of sorts, is necessary to make a sale. A writer who
works on development has a lot of control and input and helps create the
show from the ground up. Needless to say, companies are very selective about
who they choose to write at a development level.
Due to the nature of the anime industry, there is little chance that a
writer could write up an unsolicited script, send it to a producer and have
a chance of a sponsor picking up the show. An entire creative team has to be
assembled in order to do enough development to pitch a concept. If the
writer has contacts with directors and producers there is a much better
chance of someone deciding to fund the development.
The best experience a writer gains is to have patience with the producers
and their "corrections." ("Meddling" is a more appropriate word actually,
but I'd never say that producers meddle with shows. No, not me...) Although
there are some great producers with excellent ideas that really do make a
big difference, there is some universal law that makes every show have at
least one producer who comes up with ideas completely unsuitable to the
story (or any other story ever created) that he will want put in. After a
while, you can often tell where a show has been "producerized." Scenes that
have no relationship to the thematic backbone of the story or that fly in
the face of both good storytelling and good taste are good indicators.
If you've seen the sequence in the second of the Omen film series DAMIEN:
OMEN 2, where young Damien suddenly knows the answer to every question a
teacher asks him in rapid succession then you have a good idea of the
ability of some producers to make idiotic suggestions. They seem to spew out
in an endless stream:
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Why don't we make the main character a schoolgirl
that's been possessed by demons?" |
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Uh, I thought that this show was based on a true story
about a secret plot to kill Hitler..." |
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It still is, but don't you think that it would be better this
way? We could have a talking rabbit too. A giant pink talking rabbit.
With feathers. And it eats curry." |
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In Hollywood the writer is paid for each rewrite, but in anime it is part of
the job of the writer to keep rewriting until the producers/director/etc.
are satisfied; they receive no extra compensation for rewrites. There is a
question of exploitation here. American writers would say the writer is
being exploited, while the Japanese writers say it is their job to deliver a
complete product and that includes all corrections. I've never felt
particularly exploited (or at least not more than normal) but I suppose that
it would be nice to get money for doing rewrites.
So that's the writer's lot in anime. As you can see, it's not nearly as
glamorous as you probably imagined it. But it's a living.
Everybody: nanah-nanah-nanah-nanah-nanah-nanah-nanah-nanah-WRI-TER! 
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