JOHN OSTRANDER: TV MIDTERM REPORT CARD

Blacklist

by John Ostrander

Well, we’re now in the Christmas doldrums for TV. The regular series are on hiatus until January or later. A couple of columns ago I discussed which shows I was anticipating or not (So How Was It For You?) and this seems a good time to revisit them and give my evaluations.

Warning: there may be spoilers sprinkled here and there. You have been warned.

The Flash – my favorite in this group. Grant Gustin is doing good work as Barry Allen/The Flash and the supporting cast is good. The writing is also first rate and they keep adding little nods to DC continuity that pleases the Old Fan in me. read article

Narrative Points of View (for prose fiction writers especially…)

…But the rest of us can profit as well.

Cuz who knows? We all may become novelists after getting that one ridiculous network note too many.  Beats suicide, doesn’t it?

Anyway: read article

Top UK Showrunner on How to Create TV Gold

After reading this article, this particular TVWriter™ minion has a new ambition: To get my butt in gear and move my life and career over to where excellence matters. Yep, I’m talking about the UK.

Here’s why:

Sally_Wainwright1

by Gerard Gilbert

Sally Wainwright must be doing something right. read article

Love & Money Dept – TV Writing Deals for 12/18/14

TOSHIBA Exif JPEG

Latest News About Writers Who Are Doing Better Than We Are=&0=& (RESCUE ME) is said to be hooking up with George Clooney for a”one-hour dark comedy…[which] will reportedly explore the movie business during the early 1990s.” (Or maybe my source said Peter and George Clooney were just hooking up, period. Who woulda thought that a little oregano could have such a big effect on short term memory? Certainly not moi.) Holy crap! Munchadero here just got a tip from a reliable source (What? You don’t trust a recently fired P.A.?) that the married showrunner of my favorite series currently on the air and scheduled to remain on for the foreseeable future just wrote a drama screenplay that will catapult the equally married co-star of the series to film stardom…and at the same time launch both parties into a public relationship that may do wonders for their careers but definitely will destroy their current relationships. Shades of Nikke Fink! (And, yeppers, all the language I just used is designed to give clues/hints to readers who like that sort of thing. Munchikins, of course, finds blind gossip vile, but, hey, this is showbiz and whoring is part of the gig, am I right?)

That’s it for now, munchaladas. Let us know in the comments if you think you’ve figured out who the blind item is about and/or what the TV and film projects are. And don’t forget to write in and tell yers truly what you’ve sold when you sell it. Cuz TVWriter™ can’t wait to brag to all your friends. (And, more importantly, enemies. Hehehe….)

Leesa Dean: Adventures of a Web Series Newbie #86

Chapter 86 – Learning from Justin Simien
by Leesa Dean

dearwhitepeopleSo while I’m still caught up writing, I’m also starting to focus a bit on promo, or, at least, getting a promo blueprint under way.

A great way to start, for me, was watching a talk with Dear White People director Justin Simien that was sponsored by Creative Live.

Justin started out as a publicist and worked for 8 years doing that at Paramount Pictures as well as a few other places in Hollywood. He actually specialized in online promo and social media campaigns. read article