Patrick O'Driscoll | Script Editor

Story is King

Since Neanderthals first told fireside tales of the hunt, stories have had to be engaging, distinctive, resonating and satisfying in order to earn audience interest – and not get the storyteller booed out of their cave.

An experienced script editor and funding assessor, Patrick O'Driscoll delivers honest, cohesive, actionable development assistance aimed at meeting a writer or creative team’s objectives and maximising a story’s ability to compete in its target market. Patrick's services cover each level of development, from budding synopses, treatments and early draft scripts to finance-seeking production packages.

He collaborates closely with writers, producers and creative teams from Ireland, UK, US and Australia, developing projects of all genres and formats, aimed at different audiences, with excitingly diverse strengths and needs. From his base in Cork, Ireland, Patrick also consults with public funding bodies here (BAI) and in the UK (NIS), evaluating fiction and factual film/TV proposals in support of funding decisions.

Whether he is helping writers to strengthen their stories, script-editing successive drafts with creative teams or selecting financeable projects with funding managers, Patrick's guiding focus is on quality of content, a value that stems from his background in writing, a lifelong appreciation of cinematic narratives – and his desire to keep storytellers from being booed out of their respective caves.

Articles

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Dramatic Tension – don’t let them go (part II)

Keeping audiences hooked relies on meaningful dramatic questions, yet few stories generate tension on the most meaningful level.

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Dramatic Tension – don’t let them go (part I)

Clever concepts and rare characters can entice audiences, but story-long dramatic tension is what keeps them engaged.

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Character Behavior – 3 Important Touchstones

Personality goes a long way, but it won't save a protagonist from poorly-written behavior. A deep look at some key behavioral qualities.

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Thematic Conflict – The Intersection of Dramatic Conflict and Theme

Drama without theme is meaningless and meaningless stories get forgotten. Let's examine how best to explore themes in cinematic stories.

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5 Tips For New Screenwriters

Solid advice on approach, preparation, story themes, feedback and quality for those stepping into the challenging world of screenwriting.

Script Services

Feedback Report

Sharper than industry-standard analysis, this report provides a comprehensive examination of the script’s primary narrative elements with solid recommendations. For writers who need to pinpoint and resolve a number of story problems.

Advanced Development Notes

Designed for focused creative teams, this service applies scientific scrutiny to macro and micro story elements and outlines practical recommendations aimed at fulfilling the creative team’s development goals, maximising narrative quality and enhancing the script’s ability to compete.

Development Notes

An in-depth evaluation of primary and secondary story elements, this service is aimed at strengthening the script’s narrative quality and enhancing its distinctive sell. Extremely valuable if you’re preparing a strong rewrite or financing draft.

Funding Proposal Assessment

For companies and producers who are preparing Irish and/or UK production financing applications, this service provides a realistic and constructive assessment of your complete funding proposal to strengthen its effectiveness and viability. Projects can be fiction or factual, for TV or film.

Testimonials

Service received: Script Editing

We worked with Patrick over the course of a year, doing extended development on two drafts of an Irish/Australian co/pro feature film with funding support from the South Australian Film Corporation.

Patrick’s approach to story structure and the precision of his analysis meant that we were able to compress four or five drafts into two. The writer gained enormously from Patrick’s expertise, which is reflected in the quality of the screenplay.

Patrick’s detailed and insightful notes are incomparable to any story developer I have worked with and the funding agency were also blown away by his work. It’s an acknowledged truism that a writer is as good as the developer they’re working with. Patrick will elevate any writer worth their salt, with his tireless commitment to developing screenwriting craft, honouring the story, and pushing the writer to do their best work. We will work with him again and again.

Karena Slaninka – producer, Comedy Waltz Australia

Adelaide, Australia

Courses and Clips

5 Week Course – “Screenwriting: Tools, not Rules.”

October 31st - November 28th, 2018

Film In Cork is hosting evening classes by Patrick O'Driscoll for new-to-intermediate level screenwriters aimed at helping participants to develop their screenwriting approaches and skills.

Weekend Workshop – “Script Writing: Expanding the Toolbox”

July 23rd and 24th, 2016

Comprehensively exploring screenwriting’s primary elements, Patrick O'Driscoll's course is about increasing writers’ knowledge of modern screenwriting standards and enhancing their storytelling abilities.

Film in Cork (screen commission) – Interview

Film in Cork catch up with Cork-based script editor and development consultant Patrick O'Driscoll.

5 Tips for New Screenwriters

February 6, 2014

Story analyst and script editor Patrick O’Driscoll lays out his 5 tips for aspiring screenwriters – some solid advice you should be made aware of as you begin your journey.

PATRICK O'DRISCOLL
SCRIPT EDITOR | STORY CONSULTANT | SCREENWRITER