A well‑worn script manuscript lying open on an old wooden desk, its thick cream pages covered in neatly typed dialogue and scene headings. Beside it, a heavy brass fountain pen rests next to a scribbled page of revisions with arrows and underlines. In the background, a blurred laptop screen glows faintly, showing an open scriptwriting software interface without legible text. Soft overcast daylight from a nearby sash window in a Brighton terrace filters across the scene, creating gentle shadows in the paper’s texture. Photographic realism at eye level, with shallow depth of field isolating the script, conveys a focused, professional yet intimate atmosphere of a working writer’s space.

Simon Shaw Scriptwriter

Simon Shaw

Original scripts for filmmakers and producers seeking authentic, character led stories

A stack of labelled script folders and film canisters arranged on a low, paint‑scuffed shelf in a small Brighton flat, each folder a different muted colour with visible but unreadable markings suggesting shorts, features, TV and radio projects. A portable audio recorder and a pair of closed, fabric‑padded headphones sit on top of one folder, their cables loosely coiled. Through a rain‑dotted window behind, the outlines of Brighton terraced houses and a distant grey sea are softly blurred. Late afternoon natural light mixes with a single warm desk lamp, creating a cinematic, social‑realist mood in photographic realism, shot from a three‑quarter angle with medium depth of field.

Character Driven Scriptwriting

I am Simon Shaw, a scriptwriter and experienced independent filmmaker crafting character driven social realist dramas, comedies and thrillers.

I use dark humour to eschew foibles and mediocrity and unmask what lies beneath. My strengths as a screenwriter are borne from a passion for a cinema without the bells and whistles, one that forgoes cheap sentiment and easy entertainment for probing human behaviour with a gimlet eye.

I like to pose a question in my stories, let the uneasy, telling answer linger, then pull the dirty rug from under its feet, revealing the smelly undergarments we all hide under our best Sunday frocks.

I write for film, TV, and prose.

Based in Brighton and London, born and bred in the north.

Services

A corkboard in a modest London bedsit, densely covered with colour‑coded index cards, thumb‑tacked pages and a printed map of the UK’s northern towns, all without legible text yet clearly structured into story beats for a drama series. Strands of red and blue thread subtly link certain cards, hinting at character arcs. Below the board, a narrow desk holds a closed laptop, a mug ring on a coaster, and a small stack of well‑used notebooks. Warm tungsten light from a shaded desk lamp casts dramatic side lighting, creating deep, thoughtful shadows. Photographic realism with a slightly elevated angle and rule‑of‑thirds composition, evoking intense planning and character‑driven storytelling.

Commission original scripts or rewrites for short films, features, TV pilots, radio plays and shorts.

An empty train carriage on a late‑night Brighton‑to‑London route viewed in photographic realism, focusing on a single cracked vinyl seat where an open notebook and capped pen rest, pages filled with faint, unreadable handwriting. Outside the rain‑streaked window, blurred city lights stretch into lines as the train moves, suggesting the in‑between space of ideas forming. Overhead fluorescent lights cast a cool, slightly harsh glow, softened by the reflections on the window glass. Shot from a low, diagonal angle along the aisle with a shallow depth of field, the composition creates a social‑realist, slightly melancholic atmosphere suited to a writer of dramas and thrillers.

Collaborate on story development, character arcs and dialogue, from early concept through to production ready drafts.

Reviews

Asatuurs Keim, filmmaker and educator, Academic Director of Undergraduate programmes at Raindance Film School, London

“Simon is a talented and highly dedicated screenwriter with a rare ability to craft socially engaged, meaningful stories while also delivering confidently within commercial frameworks.. I have worked with Simon across both narrative films and commercial projects, where he consistently demonstrated versatility, discipline, and a strong understanding of audience and form. He is equally adept at developing original, socially resonant material as he is at responding to briefs and delivering to specification. I have complete confidence in Simon as a professional screenwriter and would highly recommend him for any project requiring both creative integrity and reliability. ”

Matt Wilkinson – Production Sound Mixer

“Simon has commissioned my professional services on a number of his independent productions over the years. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with him, he is extremely dedicated and passionate about what he does, his stories are always very original and thought-provoking, and I very much hope to work with him again on his future ventures.”

Contact

e-mail: shawsimon25@gmail.com

Book a one-to-one meeting with Simon Shaw on Calendly