PATRICK O'DRISCOLL
SCRIPT EDITOR | STORY CONSULTANT | SCREENWRITER

Ever since Neanderthals first told fireside tales of the hunt, stories have had to be engaging, resonating, distinctive and satisfying in order to earn the listeners’ interest and not get the storyteller booed out of the cave.

I deliver honest, cohesive, actionable development assistance aimed at meeting a writer or creative team’s objectives and carefully maximising a story’s ability to compete in its target market. My work covers each aspect of development from budding synopses or outlines to production-ready projects seeking financing.

I collaborate with writers, producers and creative teams from Ireland, the UK, the US and Australia, helping to troubleshoot projects of all genres and formats, aimed at different audiences, with excitingly different strengths and needs. From my base in Cork, Ireland, I also consult with public funding bodies here (BAI) and in the UK (NIS), evaluating and assessing fiction and factual film/TV proposals in support of funding decisions.

Whether I’m helping a writer to strengthen their story, script editing with a creative team or working with a funding manager to select financeable projects, my guiding focus is on quality of content. That value stems from my background in writing, a lifelong appreciation of cinematic narratives and my desire to keep storytellers from being booed out of their respective caves.

SCRIPT SERVICES

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.

Feedback Report

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.

Advanced 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 for a strong rewrite or a financing draft.

Development Notes

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.

Funding Proposal Assessment

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

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.

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

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.

Weekend Workshop – “Script Writing: Expanding the Toolbox”

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

Film in Cork (screen commission) – Interview

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.