Category: Resources

40 years worth of TV writing experience and info, yours for the taking.

Peggy Bechko’s World of Free Resources for Writers & Readers

by Peggy Bechko

I admit, usually I try to pry writers off the net, off the computer, except for a good word processor or scriptwriting program. You know, a blank screen and all that. Get the juices flowing and for God’s sakes write something!

Well, yeah, that’s good – most of the time. I’m not backing off. BUT, and it’s a big but, there are times when we writers just need to read. Maybe we need to do some research. Maybe we just need to relax. Maybe we just have a curiosity that could lead to a story.

Whatever the reason, the plain fact is writers must read. A lot. read article

What I’ve Learned as an Indie Producer

by Bri Castellini

Now that I have two complete seasons of Brains online, a short film about to be sent off to festivals, two spin offs of Brains (that I wrote/ co-wrote and helped produce), and my friend Chris’s web series Relativity (that I produced, among other things), I feel confident in calling myself an “indie filmmaker/producer.” As such, I thought I would impart some things I’ve learned in reaching this new level of broke artist, both tangible and intangible.

    1. If you can do it yourself, do it, but also sometimes it’s ok to delegate.
    2. Only delegate after having more than one conversation with someone about what said delegation entails. You cannot expect someone you’ve just met to do things the way you want them to, because you just met them and how are they supposed to know all of your insane rules??
    3. Good audio is worth taking time on/throwing money at
    4. Good audio is the hardest thing to attain with no time or money, but it is more important than almost anything else
    5. Ask for help, even when you don’t think you need it
    6. Be prepared to do everything yourself, but try not to
    7. Always have food available
      1. Bonus lesson: people really like fruit snacks
      Write within your means, but remember that your means can expand the more people you meet Latch on to talented people, continuously thank them for their help, and praise them incessantly so they’ll be inclined to help out again in the future Be nice to everyone. Not only should you do this anyways because common decency, but also because the indie film world is small AF and you can’t afford to burn bridges Don’t start production before you’re ready- a healthy and thorough pre production process will make everything better and smoother at every step. Sometimes you’re going to have to start production before you’re ready. Communication is more important than anything, even audio. Don’t fight on set. Fight after set, then make an effort to fix the problem. It’s not about winning, it’s about effectively solving issues and finishing the project. Press releases are super important. They are also a bitch to write. Reaching out to press is super important too, and it’s the most awkward thing in the world. Create a project-specific, production company-specific, or otherwise seemingly third party email address with which to reach out to press with. This way you don’t have to send emails like “Hi my name is Bri Castellini- please write about me and my show. I am amazing and you should promote me” Learn to say “ok- how?” instead of “we can’t do that/that won’t work.” I’m bad at this but I’m working on it. Schedule people as far in advance as possible, then periodically remind them about it. Have a plan B for everything, from locations to cast/crew. As Kate Hackett once told me on Twitter, “anyone can be written out.” Don’t tell people you didn’t sleep before coming to set until after you wrap for the day. Learn how to do your makeup so it doesn’t look like you didn’t sleep before coming to set. Love what you do Only say yes to things you actually want to do/make Fake it ’til you make it, because no one actually knows what they’re doing so you may as well throw your hat into the ring.

      Bri Castellini is an award-winning filmmaker as well as the Community Liaison at Stareable, a hub for web series. Check out her award winning web series, Brains, and the rest of her stats on IMDB.

      This article was first published on her very informative blog.

Casting Your Web Series

by Bri Castellini

By now you’ve written a script, gathered a team of hopefully competent people behind the scenes, but now you need someone to film. That’s right — it’s time to open up your email to headshots from every hopeful performer in a fifty mile radius.

Because you’ve already made your script breakdown, you should know exactly how many characters you need to cast, so it’s time to write what’s called a “casting call.” You’ll pen a short paragraph about each character, describing their age, gender, ethnicity, and other important traits that will be helpful for actors to get a feel for the part. read article

John Ostrander on ‘Twin Peaks’: Fool Me Once

by John Ostrander

Entertainment Weekly recently made its (multiple) cover story the return of the TV show Twin Peaks. I don’t know if that’s a good thing, or even if I want to watch it. This is surprising to me since I was a big fan for most of the show’s run.

The show was set in the Pacific Northwest in a small town and was created by David Lynch (writer and director of the movie Blue Velvet) and Mark Frost (one of the main writers of the TV series Hill Street Blues). The show took place in the mythical small town of Twin Peaks, nestled in lumber country, and deals with the townsfolk, many of whom are, well, odd. The show starts with the discovery of high school homecoming queen Laura Palmer who has been murdered. Circumstances draw in the FBI in the person of Special Agent Dale Cooper, played by Kyle MacLachlan, a favorite actor of Lynch’s. Agent Cooper is, well, odd. He solves mysteries with the help of dreams and visions that he gets. He’s a very Special Agent and, I think, something of a shaman. read article

3rd & Fairfax: The WGAW Podcast

Way back in the summer of ’15 we told TVWriter™ visitors about the Writers Guild of America, West’s new podcast.  And now – well, and now we’re telling you again because as good as the weekly shows were then, they’re much better now.

Writers interviewed for the casts include: read article