Tag: People’s Pilot writing contest

Peggy Bechko’s World: The Truth about Writing Tips

by Peggy Bechko

COVER - ERUPTIONWriters seem inclined to want to learn. That’s why writers, both newbies and old hands, are always on the lookout for tips to help improve the writing, speed the writing, promote the writing, create compelling characters – pretty much any aspect of writing.

But here’s the problem. There are tons of tips and instruction out there. Some of it is really good, other, not so much. In any event it’s tough to tell which can be chucked and quickly deleted from the brain bank and which is worth keeping. It’s so overwhelming the studious writer can end up simply wasting time…lots and lots of time. And time is where the true value lies for the writer for the amount of time to write for most is limited. Sometimes tucked into neat segments at designated times.

But some things learned are so valuable they’re not to be missed. You’ve learned to fine tune your adjectives. You’ve reduced your adverbs. You’ve brought more emotion to your writing. read article

Build Your Career by Building Your Audience

Although not specifically directed at the TV biz, this article is loaded with tips for corporate creatives in all fields:

Dammit, muncher, we're not talking about this kind of audience - are we?
Dammit, muncher, we’re not talking about this kind of audience – are we?

by Sean Blanda

Tell me if this has ever happened to you: A well-known person in your field loses their job with impressive company X. Deep, deep inside you feel a vague sense of guilty satisfaction. They weren’t that talented anyway, you tell yourself. This will clear room for more up-and-coming talent, you say.

But then weeks later when you’ve already mentally moved on, you read that well-known person has landed on their feet, yet again, with a new job at impressive company Y. No schadenfreude for you. So what is that well-known person’s secret? It’s not (always) talent. No, the thing that keeps creative people employed and in full control of their destiny, isn’t some hidden genius. It is the ability to build and serve an audience. Cynically, it’s much harder to quietly let someone go if their 4,000 Twitter followers will hear about it. But practically for those of us whose who operate behind the scenes or aren’t the “face” of our department or company, an audience is the best job insurance possible.

Consider the plight of the person hiring creative talent. Or the person hiring anyone, really. They have a marketing campaign for a client meant to build customers. Or maybe they are responsible for a team that does not have a ton of headcount to work with. While the job market is risky, those doing the hiring are risk averse—VERY risk averse. read article

Troy DeVolld: A WORD ON YOU, ME AND OUR CAREERS

by Troy DeVolld

20160602_140901Even at 45, well into my career, I have my moments.

Between gigs, I still get pensive and crabby and wonder if every show will be my last, just like I did at 40, 35 and 30.  I wonder, with all the ebbs and flows in the amount of reality television in production, if I will have enough when it’s all over to retire with more than just great stories.  That said, I also have moments of wild, Pollyanna-like optimism when something even begins to look like it might go right.  Those are the ones that keep me going.

Half a lifetime ago, I spent a lot of money on pitch festivals and books and all the things that would make me, I thought, a better writer/producer.  Then reality television came along and my absurd output of spec screenplays and teleplays screeched to a halt as I ran down a new and exciting road that offered less resistance and more opportunity in the then-booming reality television alternative to traditional storytelling. read article

Here’s What Happens When Your Dream Filmmaking Job Ends Up Being a Nightmare

Know that writing/producing gig you’ve been dreaming about since you were kid? That perfect job you still may be dreaming about? Some people really get them. Only to discover they’ve made a deal with the devil in the process:

by Scott Beggs

Max La Bella has the same story that most aspiring filmmakers have. He grew up loving movies and building worlds out of LEGOs before realizing that he could be the one to make cinematic universes for others to play in, eventually cruising off to film school to chase his dream job.

“I was obsessed with anything that let me leave my own world,” he recently told Indiewire. La Bella speaks with the triple espresso shot enthusiasm that belies a dash of nervous energy when confronting the topic at hand. That topic, put bluntly, is the failure of success. read article

The Magic in Creating: Character Creation & Propinquity

Tank Nightclub - Sydney CBD - Sydney - Photo02

by Mie Presence

I woke in the middle of the night to write this. That’s the funny thing about creativity and inspiration – you could be waiting all day for a tiny glimpse of it. And then suddenly, it strikes you mid-dream and you bet your bottom dollar that if you don’t release it in that moment, you will wake in the morning with the taste of regret in your mouth.

I’ve been deep diving into my characters lately and realised I was missing some key elements. My early attempts didn’t see them come to life as their own people. They were “cleaned up” versions, behaving how I think people should behave in certain situations as opposed to how they actually would. At the time I created them, I guess I was trying to “clean myself up”, “sort my life out” and create an “idealised” version of my self and my life.Well, good thing that’s over.

So I’ve spent weeks teasing out their back stories, their wounds, their dreams, even creating vision boards for them. It’s never as simple as setting out a couple of personality traits and running with it. You will find loose ends, holes and things just simply won’t match up. So yes, I quit my job to make cut-outs of my characters and their lives. read article