Category: Resources

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

JOHN OSTRANDER: CASTING ABOUT

by John Ostrander

Amanda-WallerThis week the Internet was all a-twitter with news that the movie version of Suicide Squad, the series that I created in 1987, had been mostly cast. (You can read about it here.) The film is scheduled to debut in August 2016 and will be the first Warner Bros. DC film after theSuperman v. Batman: Dawn of Justice flick that shows up earlier that year.

As with any comic book movie, there has been substantial debate over the casting, largely focusing on Will Smith as Deadshot, the inclusion of the Joker at all (whether played by Jared Leto or not) and the possibility of Oprah Winfrey playing Amanda Waller. Heck, my fellow columnists Mike Gold and Marc Alan Fishman have already chimed in. I held forth in an interview on what I thought of the casting and why. I’m going to hold forth a little here as well. I need to get a column in and it would seem strange if everyone else here was talking about the movie and the casting and I didn’t.

Let me say upfront: I haven’t seen the script and I haven’t been consulted. Nor do I expect to be. I have no track record in Hollywood and Warner Bros. is putting a lot of money into this. A lot of money. The salaries alone will be substantial. It’s not a time to be using an amateur and that’s what I am as far as movies are concerned. The film’s writer and director will have their own take on the characters and they maybe, probably will be, different from mine. read article

More About Writing Strong Scenes

Once again, a prose fiction writer lays it on the line. But these are helpful tips for writers in all media:

by Rita Karnopp

verypurpleThere are a lot of really good writers out there who use narrative summary with finesse.  I’m of the belief that paragraphs of such summaries are interruptions and distractions.  They slow the action – which is the kiss of death.

But, if you must add narratives, the beginning of the scene is truly the best place. Don’t carry on-and-on or your reader will lose interest.  Never add narratives at the end of a scene.  Don’t get me wrong, there is a time and place for narrative.  Just be careful where you place them so the reader’s attention isn’t distracted for long periods of time. read article

Troy DeVolld: Coming Attractions: Live vs Live-to-Tape

reality troy logo

by Troy DeVolld

You’ve heard me say that no reality show airs in real time the way something falls through a lens, but live shows… live shows are a whole different ball of wax.  DANCING WITH THE STARS, save for its produced packages, is as live as they come.  Ditto most live reality competition shows, like our competitor, THE VOICE and shows like AMERICAN IDOL and SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE.

Reunion specials are usually done live-to-tape, which means they’ll shoot for several hours and then whittle it down in post. read article

How to Write Strong, Involving Scenes

Guess what? All the things that work in writing prose fiction work just as well – maybe even better – in teleplays and screenplays. So it behooves us all to know the following truths that should be self-evident but…you know…:

strongwoman

by Rita Karnopp

I think of my novel as the intricate weaving of a double hoop dream catcher (this is one I’ve made).  The web is unified and patterned until it approaches a bead or fetish and it has to find a way to conquer it and move onto the next obstacle (as scenes in your book).  It has a beginning, middle, and an end.  No two dream catchers are alike.

Let’s clarify beginning, since I always start a story in the middle of action.  Some might think the beginning of a dream catcher is the top, while others say the bottom, and again others believe it begins in the middle – unwinding like one’s life. Ultimately the writer gets to choose. read article

There are Kickstarter Coaches? WTF?

Having trouble understanding how to use Kickstarter to fund your ab fab concept? Feeling lonely and depressed cuz you’re the only one you know who hasn’t scored a roomful of gold via crowdfunding?

Well, despair no longer, pally. You too can be an entrepreneur and get your new web series or indie film all the $$$ it needs. Cuz the Wonderful World of the Interweb has – you guessed it – a workaround for ya:

Inside the Booming Business of Kickstarter Coaches
by Kelsey Campbell-Dollaghan

Here’s a staggering statistic: Kickstarter backers pledge roughly $1.5 million every day.Crowdfunding is a big business, despite its image as a folksy, grassroots-style approach to coachingmoney. It’s so big, in fact, that it’s spawning a cottage industry of professionals who can help you cash in on your idea. For a fee. read article