Andrea Gibb: My adventure as screenwriter on Swallows and Amazons

As a working-class woman from Scotland, I wasn’t the obvious writer to adapt such a classically English novel as Swallows and Amazons. Nick Barton, of Harbour Pictures, took a risk because of my script for Dear Frankie (2004), which had at its centre a child and his ability to create an imaginary world. I hadn’t read Arthur Ransome’s book as a child.

Coming to it as an adult, I was struck by the simple truth of its message and its power as an evocation of childhood. The Walker children were created more than 80 years ago, but they’re no different to today’s children who dream of having a great adventure. Who wouldn’t want to sail to an undiscovered island, set up camp and have a pretend war with two mysterious girls? So I embarked on my own adventure, living with Ransome’s characters for several years.

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On location for Swallows and Amazons (2016)

It’s inevitable in any lengthy development process that a script takes some detours. As the writer, you have to be open to the flow of ideas and notes (some of them conflicting) while staying true to the creative heart of the original. You have to stay motivated, draft after draft, when the script feels tantalisingly close yet frustratingly distant.

I’d reached a bit of a wall when Philippa [Lowthorpe] came on as director and encouraged me to go back to first principles – to revisit my instincts and recapture what it was about the story we wanted to tell. She’s a director who has respect for writers and their process.

I’d write, she’d read and interrogate every scene, we’d talk, she’d ask questions, make suggestions, and I would write again. I felt empowered and trusted. The script found its way back and I rediscovered my voice.

The tone and point of view were crucial. What Ransome captured so beautifully is the child’s capacity to move effortlessly between the real and the imagined. Our film had to preserve the magic of this interplay but the jeopardy had to be real. So we moved the story to 1935, in the shadow of the Second World War, and created an adult world that was fraught with real danger.

The children stumble upon it and both worlds collide. We didn’t want to impose anything inauthentic so we used Ransome’s own life story as the basis for this and Flint’s character. Flint’s secrets are his creator’s secrets.

Many of the book’s iconic moments are lovingly preserved. Like father’s telegram that sets out the central theme of managed freedom – “Better drowned than duffers. If not duffers won’t drown.” This is a story about taking responsibility, about being given responsibility. It’s about absent fathers and ever-present mothers, and parenting and letting go. There’s a nostalgia for many of us about a golden age of childhood. A time long gone, when helicopter parenting was not so prevalent and children seemed to have more freedom.

This is also a coming-of-age film. John, the eldest boy, is accused of something he didn’t do so has to clear his name. His siblings have different, but no less difficult challenges to overcome. The joy of having well-drawn characters like Ransome’s is they tell you how they’d behave in the situations you are now charged to create.

Unusually for a film writer, I’ve been involved with every part of the process, from start to finish. I was on set throughout filming and Philippa kept me involved during post-production. It’s been an invaluable experience, which reminded me how fluid the screenplay is as a form. You have to be flexible and work with the problems thrown up by weather and locations. A writer’s involvement throughout the process is not a threat but a crucial resource.

It’s telling that many of my writer friends express surprise (and delight) that this has been my experience. So often, many writers are excluded once the script has been delivered. They’re omitted from publicity material, not invited to festivals and are rarely given the opportunity to talk about their own stories. This is described as industry standard, but it’s only standard if we allow it to be. If you present as a team you are received as a team. I’m working with a director and producers who believe we are all making the film. Together. That we all bring our individual talents to the party. And that we are stronger for it. Ultimately, the film should be the winner.