Tag: online TV writing workshop

Bri Castellini: I Don’t Have Hobbies – @brisownworld

Who is this strangely masked, erm, being?

by Bri Castellini

In an attempt to make the laziest possible vlog, I asked Twitter for questions I could answer. 

One question I wanted to expand on was from my pal Amanda Taylor, who asked if I had any hobbies that I do strictly for fun, referencing the fact that for most people making movies/videos/writing weren’t a part of a larger scheme to get wildly famous and do them full time for lots of money. It legitimately took me a while to answer that question, because on the surface it really doesn’t seem like I have any “real” hobbies. I am, as you’ve likely discovered, very boring.

I couldn’t even consider watching TV shows a hobby, because even though I do it a lot and technically I’ll never be paid to do that, I’m always analyzing shows I watch for structure and themes and seeing what they’re doing that I could be doing better in my own work. To be honest, watching TV has gotten a little exhausting because I can’t turn that part of my brain off anymore. I’m always scanning for continuity issues, for where cuts take place and why they take place where they do, and if the writing or characters are problematic in any way. Becoming a filmmaker and a feminist have ruined my ability to casually enjoy watching things and there are times when I very much wish I was still ignorant. read article

Why Isn’t There A Word For That?

More of that crazy, zany word stuff that only scholars, geeks and – aw, you guessed – writers care about. That’s right, boys and girls (and scholars, geeks, and writers) we’re talking about words!

More about Arika, YouTube’s Patron Saint of Wordsmiths

Diana Vacc finally sees “Pitch Perfect 3”

by Diana Vaccarelli

—SPOILER ALERT—SPOILER ALERT—SPOILER ALERT—

The final film in the Pitch Perfect Series, Pitch Perfect 3 is out on DVD and on on-demand.  On a rainy Saturday night I snuggled up in my blanket and decided to watch this film.  It follows the choral group the Bellas after their win at the accapella world championships.

The Bellas have moved on and living separate lives.  But they all decide to reunite for one last performance at an overseas singing competition on the USO Tour. read article

Cord-Cutting isn’t the Answer for Everybody

LB’S NOTE: I’ve been trying to cut the cord for eight years now, but something always gets in the way. All this time, I thought I was alone in not being able to  find a way to watch all the shows I love without having cable or satellite service. Now, though, I, and others like me, can take comfort in this:

7 Reasons Cord Cutting Might Not Work For You
by Justin Pot

Cord cutting—ditching cable or satellite TV and watching stuff online instead—is great. It’s also not for everyone.

Cable TV is expensive, which is why millions of people are opting to stop paying for it every month and subscribe to various online streaming services instead. People often save money doing this, and for most tech savvy people, we highly recommend it. read article

Larry Brody is writing away on his – OMG! – Chromebook?

by Larry Brody

LB’S NOTE: No, this is not a paid product review. It’s not even my attempt to see if I can match the style many writers use in the samples they send when asking if they can write for TVWriter™. (I almost always say no.) What this really is, is me trying to make myself give my full attention to what I’m writing and only what I’m writing, while I’m writing it, something all these years of blogging and editing and semi-retirement have enabled me to for the most part avoid.

There comes a time in every writer’s life when he/she/it/they sit down at their Windows-loaded PC, boot that baby up – and either it taunts you with the blue screen of death or, worse, tells them in much less positive terms that it’s time to go get a cup of coffee, or a beer, or have some tequila because another update that no one asked for has decided that right now is the best time to load, configure, and drive everyone mad.

The only writers I know who haven’t had this experience, with a great line of dialog left just hanging in their brain with no place to go are, of course, those who don’t use Windows. Like members of the Cult of Mac. Or Linux geeks. read article