If your answer to the above question is “Yes,” (and it should be because we’re talking about the serial The Faceless Ones from the first season of Second Doctor Patrick Troughton/s run on classic Doctor Who), then this newly animated version of one of the episodes the BBC unfortunately deleted from its archives because, hey, they could, is for you.
Whew, that was possibly the longest sentence in the 23 year history of this website. Well, if any series is worth that kind of writing pain, it’s Doctor Who.
Here’s the trailer for this reconstruction of not one but two entire episodes now available.
This video gives a definitive answer to the age old question, “Can you judge art objectively?”
You’ll never guess the answer.
Well, maybe you will. The real disagreement, it seems to us, is between authors, critics, and readers over what the dickens (an old, old, old word meaning “hell” that you may remember from a former life) “art” actually is.
What we all need to know about writing flashbacks courtesy of our good buds at scriptreaderpro.com.
via Script Reader Pro
Wanna know how to write a flashback in a script the right way? Great, because some of the most memorable moments in cinema history have been flashbacks.
From Alvy’s iconic “seems like old times” montage at the end of Annie Hall, to Cheryl’s painful memories of her past in Wild, flashbacks can be a very powerful screenwriting device.
So forget any advice you may have heard to “never use flashbacks.” (More on this later.)
In this post, we’re going to show you how to write a flashback in a script that deviates from the linear storyline yet keeps the audience “in the moment.”
Below, we’ll break down:
• What is a “flashback”?
• The “never use flashbacks” myth
• The two biggest mistakes aspiring writers make with flashbacks
• Emotion: the 3 main emotions associated with flashbacks
• Style: the 3 main flashback stylistic choices
• Intent: why use a flashback?
• Screenplay format and the flashback
And, throughout, we’ll go over the screenplay flashback examples that got it right, so that your script will too.
What is a Flashback?
Put simply, a flashback is a moment in which the narrativeflashesback in time—from the present day to some point in the near or distant past.
It’s a scene that took place in the past but is inserted into the present narrative in order to advance the story, characters and theme.
Typically, a flashback appears during a moment of trauma for a character in the present, triggering a memory of the past.
This can be a brief flash, a singular scene, or an extended sequence.
Ultimately, a flashback’s goal is to help the audience understand the motives and actions of characters….
The two main flashback categories.
Broadly speaking, there are only two categories of screenplay flashback:
Occasional. We deviate occasionally from an otherwise linear narrative as a character remembers a moment (or moments) from the past. This is by far the most common type of flashback in spec scripts and movies alike. It’s a simple, brief return to the past to illustrate something significant while developing the story and characters, before returning back to the present narrative.
Structural. We remain in the past for most of the narrative, or for extended sequences, as a character knowingly explains the story. This sometimes involves trying to figure out a mystery (The Usual Suspects). Or is sometimes autobiographical (The Notebook). Or sometimes both (Citizen Kane).
Yeppers, kids, the world is still celebrating the 50th anniversary of The Mary Tyler Moore Show AKA “The Best Sitcom Ever Written.”
No, we here at TVWriter™ aren’t the only ones who believe that comedy writing has never been consistently better than on creator James Brooks’ highly awarded and mightily loved classic. If it wasn’t the best ever would writer Michael Coate have been able to assemble this virtual roundtable of critical minds to tell us how they feel?
Take it away Herbie J Pilato (hey, that name sounds familiar), Vince Waldron, and Michael Coate–
SPUNK: REMEMBERING “THE MARY TYLER MOORE SHOW” ON ITS 50TH ANNIVERSARY
by Michael Coate
“The Mary Tyler Moore Show opened the floodgates for the kind of grown-up TV comedies that would thrive in the 1970s, and beyond. Although Mary’s show had little in common with M*A*S*H, All in the Family, or Barney Miller, it’s hard to imagine any of those breakthrough sitcoms getting a green light had The Mary Tyler Moore not proven to the TV networks that it was possible to attract a sizable audience to intelligent, risk-taking television shows — that good TV was, in fact, a viable business model.” — Vince Waldron, author of The Official Dick Van Dyke Show Book
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the broadcast premiere of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the Emmy-winning and multi-spinoff-inspiring television series starring Mary Tyler Moore (The Dick Van Dyke Show, Ordinary People) as Mary Richards that ran on CBS from 1970 to 1977.
The series — created by James L. Brooks (Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News) and Allan Burns (A Little Romance, Just Between Friends) and featuring the memorable supporting cast of Edward Asner as Lou Grant, Valerie Harper as Rhoda Morgenstern, Gavin MacLeod as Murray Slaughter, Ted Knight as Ted Baxter, Cloris Leachman as Phyllis Lindstrom, Georgia Engel as Georgette Franklin Baxter, and Betty White as Sue Ann Nivens — premiered 50 years ago, and for the occasion The Bits features a Q&A with a pair of classic television historians who reflect on the series’ appeal, impact and legacy five decades after its debut.
Michael Coate (The Digital Bits): How do you think The Mary Tyler Moore Show should be remembered on its 50th anniversary?
Herbie J Pilato:The Mary Tyler Moore Show was a ground-breaking show on several levels…in content…in execution…and with regard to social and cultural impact and influence. While previous female-centric sitcoms like Private Secretary (aka The Anne Southern Show) and That Girl certainly celebrated the independent career woman, The Mary Tyler Moore Show which, technically, was titled just Mary Tyler Moore, took things to the next level. It arrived on screen at a time when the Women’s Liberation Movement was just beginning its full swing. The show never set out to be the voice of female empowerment, but that’s how it turned out. The character of Mary Richards, who worked in the newsroom at the fictional WJM-TV in Minneapolis, was not presented with any conscious decision to stand for female rights…she was just living her life and doing her job to the best of her ability. Whatever came from that was an organic development of the times…and the way Mary Tyler Moore played the character…with utter charm, intelligence and sensibility, just simply brought it all home for the TV viewer in the most likable way. When it comes to TV and likability, you’d be hard-put to find a more ideal representative of that than Mary Tyler Moore….
At last! A video answer to one of the most commonly asked questions Larry Brody & Co. (that last part is this nameless minion) hear from TV writers new, old, rich, poor, students, teachers, you-name-it.
The Digital Bits and History, Legacy & Showmanship are pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the broadcast premiere of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the Emmy-winning and multi-spinoff-inspiring television series starring Mary Tyler Moore (The Dick Van Dyke Show, Ordinary People) as Mary Richards that ran on CBS from 1970 to 1977.