Cracked began its life as a parody and satire competitor for Mad, but in the digital age it has found its true calling – as a socio-entertainment enterprise of the highest and most helpful order. Take this video, for instance, and the lesson it teaches new filmmakers about what not to do.
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Back in pre-history, AKA in the third quarter of the 20th century, one of my favorite comics was Tomb of Dracula, created by my writer-producer bud Gerry Conway and Gene Colan, one of comics best artists, whom, unfortunately, I never got to know. (He died in 2011. Oh, and he also was part of the team that created the vampire-hunting character Blade)
As a writer who often has found himself at odds with collaborating directors and artists (and the occasional actor as well), I’m always fascinated by the way the more visual collaborators like Gene think. More so now, at a time when comic book heroes and the horror genre have become so big on TV.
In this interview, we get a glimpse of how amazingly cinematic Gene. Colan’s personal universe was:
Reporter’s Q.: What’s the worst habit a screen (or TV) writer can have?
Producer’s A.: Wanting to be paid.
And, with that lame old joke out of the way, let’s look at five more screenwriting habits that really do make our work suck. And, yeppers, we mean “look,” because video rulez the interwebs, yeah?
And now a few words from Steven Spielberg on filmmaking, success, directing, success, writing, success, living an authentic life, and, hmm, what’ve we left out? Oh, right – success.
Anyway: