Month: November 2014

How Film (and TV) Audiences Have Changed in the Last 100 Years

Yesterday we published a post by TVWriter™ bud Angelo J. Bell in which he talked about the change in audience attention spans and referred to an article he’d read about the situation. So, ace investigators that we are, the TVWriter™ minions went to work tracking down that article. And, since there’s nothing we wouldn’t do for our beloved visitors (that’s you guys), here ’tis:

king-kong

Data From a Century of Cinema Reveals How Movies Have Evolved
by Greg Miller

As filmmaking technology has advanced, films have changed to take advantage of it. The 2005 version of King Kong looks and feels nothing like the 1933 version. The newer Kong appears in vivid color, and thanks to CGI he’s a convincingly lifelike beast. The original soundtrack is tinny and shrill; in the newer one, the great ape’s snorts and growls are deep and realistic.

Movies have changed in less obvious ways too, says James Cutting, a psychologist at Cornell University who’s been studying the evolution of cinema. Cutting presented some of his findings at a recent event here sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. “All these things are working to hold our attention better,” Cutting said. read article

Peer Production: ROBOT, NINJA & GAY GUY

robot-ninja-gay-guy-web-series

by Team TVWriter™ Press Service

TVWriter™’s pal Travis Richey, of COMMUNITY’s “The Inspector” fame has informed us that he and his cohorts (not mere “minions” cuz Travis is a much better guy to hang with than a certain LB is a firm believer in creative collaboration unlike some people we know) have begun pre-production of their hit web sitcom, ROBOT, NINJA & GAY GUY, for its second season, which will hit YouTube in 2015.

The series, created by Richey, along with Curtiss Frisle, is written by Eric Loya and Season 2 will be directed by Travis Oates and is a production of Siv-Art Productions. In RN&GG, a self-proclaimed “gay guy” struggles to live with his two unusual roommates: a curious robot and a gentle ninja.  In Season 1 Ryan Churchill played “Robot,” and for Season 2, Bryan Lovell (Hollywood Dram Role, General Hospital) will assume the role.   A talented musician and composer, Brian Giovanni, who composed the score and theme song for the show, stars as “Ninja.” “Gay Guy” is played by Travis Richey, (Sons of Tucson, The Event, and Pretty Little Liars, as well as recurring as Inspector Spacetime in Community. 

Season 2 will begin with three special bonus themed dream episodes, ”Robot’s Film Noir”, directed by Brian Finifter, and “Gay Guy’s Musical”, directed by Bryn Woznicki, which have already been shot and are in post-production, and “Ninja’s Japanese Monster Movie”, which will be in the style of Godzilla and helmed by Jared Hoy.  The post-production on the two in-the-can episodes and the budget to shoot the Ninja episode are being partially financed by a crowd-funding campaign launching October 23 on Indiegogo.com. read article

Herbie J Pilato: Colors are the vibrant fabric of your script

colorchart2011

by Herbie J Pilato

Back in the day, not only were TV characters very distinguishable from one another, but the colors of their wardrobe were also quite variant.

For example, let’s travel to “Gilligan’s Island,” created and produced by Sherwood Schwartz; not a show that many would consider “Masterpiece Theatre,” but in many quadrants of the industry, certainly to its millions of fans, the series is considered a masterpiece in its own way.

Firstly, no two characters are alike, in sight or sound:  Gilligan (played by Bob Denver) was slight and skinny and dressed in vibrant red); the Skipper (Alan Hale, Jr.) was hefty, and garbed in big blue.  The Professor (Russell Johnson) dressed in that cache beige; the brunette Mary Ann (Dawn Wells) in country-girl short-shorts; Ginger, the movie-star, a red-head, always dressed in elaborate gowns, etc. read article

Angelo J. Bell: The Audience is Texting

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by Angelo J. Bell

I read a very interesting post on blcklst about how scripts, scenes and movies are getting shorter called “The shortening of movies.” I too have seen anecdotal evidence that scripts and scenes are getting shorter. When I write I’m careful to trip my scenes to no more than 2 pages and preferably 1 1/2 pages. I think it’s simply the way the movie universe is unfolding right now. All behaviours are circular (circle of life). This too will change. It will only take another Academy Award(TM) winning movie likeThe English Patient to turn heads and minds. Let us also consider Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, which ended 5 times, before the move ended — and we loved it!

What strikes me is that I often hear many script and film pundits theorize that, the evolution of the film is dictated by the fact that audiences are getting smarter. I wholeheartedly disagree. I don’t think audiences have necessarily gotten smarter when it relates to watching a film. Audiences weren’t dumb back in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s, they were smart and intuitive. I say this to everyone 40 and older who loves movies: Even as a grade school kid, after watching a few rom-coms you would guess what the next line the protagonist would utter to his love interest. Even as a teen you knew that it wasn’t smart to walk into a dark room when you know there’s a hockey mask wearing psycho out to gut you like a fish. We always knew who really “dunnit”? The difference was, the audience accepted how the film went about its business or entertaining us. We were patient and waited for the big reveal even though we saw it coming fifteen minutes earlier. read article

WGAW November 2014 Calendar of Events

wga cal heading Capturewgacal11-14-1Capturewgacal11-14-2CaptureSeeya at the Guild Hall, Brothers & Sisters!