Dramaturgy / Consultancy
You can hire me to work with you and your team to develop a scripted project to its fullest potential. In theatre, this process is often called dramaturgy, though other mediums like audio, TV and film tend to prefer script consultancy or script editing.
- Perhaps plotting your narrative is giving you an enormous headache?
- Organising the arc of your series is more complicated than you expected?
- Maybe the characters aren't leaping off the page like they should?
- You know there's a story here somewhere but you haven't found the way to tell it yet?
- The script needs 20 minutes cut and you don't know where to begin?
- Or maybe you're just this close to throwing your laptop out the window and give up writing forever?
Whether you need something fixing or you'd just feel more confident with a second opinion, I can provide you with professional, detailed feedback on your script, tailored to suit your requirements. I can develop your project from the very beginning, pick up a script in-progress, or help a producer to revise a script in the middle of an intense production period. I like to solve problems as efficiently and effectively as possible, to ensure smooth sailing for your show - and an untroubled night's sleep for its creatives!
I've experience in drama, comedy, and documentary, tackling a variety of genres in different mediums.
I have worked for fourteen months (and counting) for Audible, working with commissioned writers to develop their scripts and series for audio, including crime drama, fantasy, comedy and documentary programmes. I've also script edited a new podcast for Whistledown Productions, assisted on editing a branded podcast series for Land Rover, and I'm the head writer on my own sitcom series, Wooden Overcoats, working across a team of up to twelve writers to achieve stylistic and tonal consistency.
Presently my day rate is £250 (though this may be negotiable depending on the nature of your project).
If you'd like to engage my services on a script, production or series, then drop me a line below and we'll see what I can do!
"His notes are first-rate and bang on the money. If you need expert help with a script, then I have three words for you: David K. Barnes."
- Simon Nicholls, BBC comedy producer
"He is able not only to read with penetrating insight but to write incisive, concise, and clear
reports that have proven invaluable in pinpointing a script's strengths and weaknesses."
- Chris Foxon, producer of Papatango Theatre Company
"David immediately understood the essence of the piece, which allowed him to shape
its structure and tone with a clarity that had previously been missing."
- Matt Maltby, co-artistic director of Pint-Sized
"David's instinct for structure and rhythm are preternatural, and his feedback is clear and incisive.
He shows you how to make your script what you wanted it to be in the first place."
- Tom Crowley, artistic director of Crowley & Co.
"David has an innate understanding of how actors work best and helped to make the creative process fluid and enjoyable for all involved."
- EJ Martin, Producer at Pluck Productions
- Simon Nicholls, BBC comedy producer
"He is able not only to read with penetrating insight but to write incisive, concise, and clear
reports that have proven invaluable in pinpointing a script's strengths and weaknesses."
- Chris Foxon, producer of Papatango Theatre Company
"David immediately understood the essence of the piece, which allowed him to shape
its structure and tone with a clarity that had previously been missing."
- Matt Maltby, co-artistic director of Pint-Sized
"David's instinct for structure and rhythm are preternatural, and his feedback is clear and incisive.
He shows you how to make your script what you wanted it to be in the first place."
- Tom Crowley, artistic director of Crowley & Co.
"David has an innate understanding of how actors work best and helped to make the creative process fluid and enjoyable for all involved."
- EJ Martin, Producer at Pluck Productions