Author: LB

A legendary figure in the television writing and production world with a career going back to the late ’60s, Larry Brody has written and produced hundreds of hours of American and worldwide television and is a consultant to production companies and networks in the U.S. and abroad . Shows written or produced by Brody have won several awards including - yes, it's true - Emmys, Writers Guild Awards, and the Humanitas Award.

Larry Brody’s TV Writing Tips & Tricks #4

Characterization
by Larry Brody

When writing for television, the key to creating a successful series is creating characters the audience wants to come back and see again and again. This means they have to be interesting—maybe even quirky—and realistic.

Many writers—and most development executives—think this means the characters have to be likeable, but television history belies this. Any Sippowitz may be everyone’s favorite “fascist” cop, but is he likeable? And what about Archie Bunker? read article

Larry Brody: Live! From Paradise! #126 “Goodbye to Elaine”

THE USUAL NOTE FROM LB: From the summer of 2002 to  the spring of 2010, Gwen the Beautiful and I were the proud and often exhausted owners of a beautiful Ozarks property we called Cloud Creek Ranch.

In many ways, the ranch was paradise. But it was a paradise with a price that started going up before we even knew it existed. Here’s another Monday musing about our adventure and the lessons we learned. read article

Paul Thomas Anderson’s Advice on Writing

Paul Thomas Anderson’s films, which include Boogie Nights, Magnolia, There will be Blood, and more have been nominated for 25 Academy Awards. Dood knows his stuff, and spills on it here.

See more like this at the Behind the Curtain YouTube Channel

Larry Brody’s TV Writing Tips & Tricks #3

Scene Construction
by Larry Brody

Scenes are more than a signposts on your way to the end of the screenplay road. They’re more than just moments in which story or character points are thrown out at the viewer or reader. A good scene in a screen or teleplay—and by good I mean EFFECTIVE in terms of getting the response you want—is a mini-story in itself, with a beginning, middle, and end.

In other words, scenes need to be structured so that the intensity within them grows and then climaxes, like microcosms of your script. read article

Larry Brody: Live! From Paradise! #125 “Understanding the Past”

Photo of Buffalo River by Kevin Peiper

THE USUAL NOTE FROM LB: From the summer of 2002 to  the spring of 2010, Gwen the Beautiful and I were the proud and often exhausted owners of a beautiful Ozarks property we called Cloud Creek Ranch.

In many ways, the ranch was paradise. But it was a paradise with a price that started going up before we even knew it existed. Here’s another Monday musing about our adventure and the lessons we learned.

Oh, and if y’all detect any irony, please believe me when I say it comes straight from the universe and not your kindly Uncle Larry B. read article