Script editing and development

Previous to going freelance, I was a development executive with a career spanning ten years, four companies and two continents. I assessed and developed scripts for Mushroom Pictures (Sydney and Melbourne), Dynamic Television (Los Angeles), Working Title Films (Sydney) and Werner Film Productions (Melbourne), working with some of the biggest names in the biz.

I trained in feature development at the Binger Film Lab and am a proponent of the Solace 23 school of script development, which centres the writer as holding the keys to unlocking the potential of their script. I have used this experience to script edit for projects backed by VicScreen, Screen NSW, Screen Australia and SBS.

I currently offer two development services – script editing for funded projects or production companies, and a script consultation as the In House Script Consultant at Media Mentors: https://www.mediamentors.com.au/product-page/script-consultation-with-gemma-crofts

I am also skilled at writing pitch documents, having sold many as both an exec and a writer, and been hired to write them for others. I am adept at focusing in on the idea and fleshing it out with the best language and format, shaping them in the best way to present them to potential buyers. Contact me for examples!

All Services

Testimonials

”Gemma wields her deep knowledge of structure and character with a firm sense of compassion and care for a writer’s voice and story.”

– Katrina Irawati Graham, writer/ director, Bali 2002

Gemma has truly extraordinary script and story instincts, combined with extensive development experience and a desire to help others tell their stories effectively. So much of my own writing has been greatly improved with her notes and thoughts, and any emerging or established writer would be lucky to have her insights on their script.”

– Catherine Smyth-McMullen, Screenwriter (Sandman, The Other Lamb, Two Sentence Horror Stories)

“We were looking for quite a while to find a script editor before we found Gemma but we knew from our first meeting that she was the one. Her relaxed demeanour belies a wealth of experience, not only with story and structure but also dealing with broadcasters. Gemma combines her experience and enthusiasm with a great sense of humour and genuine compassion.”

– Bordertown Films

As an emerging screenwriter, I’m focused on getting my scripts from adequate to excellent. I had a feature script that wasn’t working, but I couldn’t pinpoint why. Gemma’s feedback was incredible, invaluable and sensitive – not only did her feedback identify the problem areas, it also unlocked the script in my own mind, allowing me to see the bird’s eye view of the story, enhance the structure, and improve critical beats as well as some of the smaller details.
Gemma’s feedback was key to getting my script from adequate to excellent. I can’t recommend her highly enough.

– Matija Šraj – Emerging Screenwriter and Writers’ Assistant