40 years worth of TV writing experience and info, yours for the taking.
by Herbie J Pilato“With great power comes great responsibility.”
So said Spider-Man’s kindly and wise Uncle Ben (as played by the legendary Cliff Robertson) to the young web-slinger (Tobey McGuire) in the first major live-action Spidey feature film (2002).
The same could be said for the writer’s touch on television.
The Writers Guild of America West scores with this irreverent (you’ll see what we mean) interview with EPISODES creators David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik:
The Road to Sitcom Hell
by Denis FayeEpisodes’ David Crane & Jeffrey Klarik riff on why they’re still scripting the Hollywood-skewering comedy all by themselves and why they’ll never, ever, go back to writing for network.
Chapter 42 – That Stonehenge MomentIntense week! In a good way. Been on a roll writing Season Two of the Lele Show. Tweaking, making changes and I hope people like it. Not putting deadlines in the mix–I have too much on my plate. But, hopefully, will be done writing all the episodes in about a month or month and a half (there are 36 new eps and an ADDITIONAL 36 pieces of supplemental stuff that have to be written/shaped.)
Also working on a two brand new shows I’m really excited about. And one is live action. They’re still in the development stages so it’s quite a juggling act: finding the time each day to work on The Lele Show, each of the two new shows, production on the TOP SECRET PROJECT and the few freelance gigs I have (just got a call for a very very cool one but it’s too soon to talk fully about it.)
Speaking of production on the TOP SECRET PROJECT: gearing up for two shoots. And one is this Sunday. So busy tweaking the script, speaking with my producing partner and finalizing tech stuff and speaking with the guy who’s doing Camera 2.
Actually, in the words of Beloved Leader LB: “‘No longer a necessity?’ Goddamn it, it never was!”
Here’s the BigMedia perspective, however, from FX and Fox, courtesy of Indiewire:
While the film industry continues to see seismic shifts in the way movies are made, released and monetized, the television industry is experiencing its own major changes. Viewers have been drifting away from live TV in favor of recording things on their DVRs and zipping through the commercials, or cutting the cord entirely and consuming series online.
We’re writers. We tend to fall in love with our character. They become our buddies and we’re loath to hurt them or cause them extreme difficulty.
And yet that’s exactly what we have to do in order to produce a fantastic script or novel. You have to be downright mean, forcing your favored character into a corner with no obvious way out and very little wiggle room.
Those who read your novels or watch the movie resulting from your script have to see a character with a spine, convictions, and unique personality to cheer for. That’s what they’re there for. That’s why they read and watch movies.