HOLLYWOOD UNIVERSITY Or: How To Get A Job In Hollywood

HU HAS A NEW SITE!

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 05:25:00 +0000

HU has moved to Wordpress! Our new address is HOLLYWOODU.NET. It will take me a couple of weeks to fix the formatting on old posts... thanks for you patience.

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 08:00:00 +0000

Check out February's edition of Elle Magazine: The TV Issue. The magazine includes interviews with Bonnie Hammer, Head of NBC Universal's USA Cable network, and Writer-Producer-Performer Mindy Kaling (The Office), as well as a feature on the female executives who rule broadcast and cable television.

(And on page 109, some very cute denim wedges, which I will be purchasing ASAP.)

The Story for FRASIER

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 08:00:00 +0000

I've been meaning to blog about how our Nickelodeon pilot came to be... in the meantime, check out Peter Casey's posts (Parts I and II) on how FRASIER came to be (via By Ken Levine).

It's a great lesson in just how many changes a pilot goes through during development and production.

Help Wanted

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 19:25:00 +0000

I'm looking for someone to help me customize a wordpress blog. Anyone?

Notes on Dialogue Writing

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 17:33:00 +0000

Below is Ken Levine's post on A Rookie Writing Mistake: Writing On the Nose. This is a common problem among the young writing I read. Take note:

Via By Ken Levine:

From time to time I try to flag rookie writing mistakes so you can avoid making the same blunders I did early in my career. Today’s topic: writing on the nose.

On the nose refers generally to dialogue where the characters say exactly what they think.

Sally: “John, I am so mad at you because you always flirt with my sister, Carol, and you know how jealous I get and how competitive I am with her.”

Sounds pretty bald and unnatural, doesn’t it? That’s because people go to great lengths to NOT say exactly what they’re feeling. Your job as a writer is to covey what a character wants to say without having him actually say it.

What if Sally said this to John instead?

Sally: “Remind me the next time we’re at my parents. I think they have a copy of Carol’s prom picture. You can keep it in your wallet.”

Subtext is your friend.

People use sarcasm, drop subtle and not so subtle hints. They’ll lead to you a conclusion without actually spelling it out. They’ll react passive-aggressively. They’ll mask their feelings, or deny them. Sometimes they’ll just clam up altogether. Or communicate more through their tone of voice than their words.

Body language is an excellent device. Most actors would prefer conveying their attitudes via gestures, facial expressions, and posture. A person’s body language might also be completely counter to the words out of his mouth.

Sally is in the kitchen chopping vegetables. Sally :“Are you kidding? I think it’s great that you and Carol get along so well.” As she says this John sees her vigorously chop off the end of a carrot.

Let someone’s behavior inform us of his or her attitude.

Sally starts flirting with Carol’s boyfriend.

Sally goes outside and has a cigarette and we’ve established that she no longer smokes.

Sally “accidentally” spills a drink in Carol’s lap.

When Sally and John are getting ready for bed that night and John is in the bathroom, Sally picks up his iPhone and checks to see if there are any texts between John and Carol and how many times he’s called her recently.

Now this isn’t to say characters never articulate their feelings, but there has to be a reason for them to. They’re cornered. They’re confronted. They’ve had a few drinks and let down their guard. They slip. They’ve left so many clues that haven’t been picked up that out of frustration they just blurt it out.

And even then, they rarely spell out word for word what they want to convey.

Sally: “Okay, you wanna know what’s pissing me off? You, John. You’re an asshole. You did everything but stick your tongue down Carol’s throat. That’s my sister, you dick!”

The point is there are alternative ways of expressing feelings. Explore them. Your characters will thank you. Or they’ll give you a little gesture that says thank you.

Premise Pilots v. Non-Premise Pilots

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 08:00:00 +0000

I've complied a long lists of posts I'd like to write in the coming weeks, one of which addresses the difference between premise and non-premise pilots. However, John August just wrote the post on his blog (and it so much better than what I was planning to write). I love when people do my job for me.

I've re-posted Mr. August's post below. If you haven't already, be sure to check out his site. It's a wonderful resource for young writers.

Premise Pilots

If you’re writing the pilot episode of a TV series, you have a choice to make: will this episode be more-or-less typical for the series, or will it be The Beginning?

The latter are called premise pilots, because they establish the underlying premise of the series — how it all came to be. In screenplay-speak, premise pilots contain the inciting incident of the entire series. Without this event, the series would be fundamentally different.

Many of the pilots you remember were premise pilots:

Many of the pilots you remember were premise pilots:

Lost: The plane crashes on the island.

Moonlighting: Dave meets Maddie.

Remington Steele: Con-man assumes role of fictional detective.

Buffy: Buffy moves to Sunnydale, meets friends.

Angel: Angel moves to Los Angeles.

Six Feet Under: Father dies, leaving funeral business to his sons.

Frasier: Dad moves in.

Heroes: An eclipse reveals people with superpowers.

Arrested Development: Father arrested.

30 Rock: Liz meets Jack and hires Tracy.

Futurama: Fry awakens in the future.

Desperate Housewives: The narrator kills herself.

Star Trek (TNG): Characters meet for first time.

Star Trek (DS9): Sisko takes over as commander.

Star Trek (Voyager): Ship stranded in the Delta Quadrant.

Other shows start with non-premise pilots that could have just as easily been episode four:

Star Trek (TOS) (Both the Kirk and Pike versions).

South Park

The Office (British and U.S.)

Mad About You

The Simpsons

Gilmore Girls

Seinfeld

Law & Order

Remember: a premise pilot doesn’t mean introducing the setup to the audience. A premise pilot is about what’s new inside the world of the show. It’s the big thing that’s changed which marks this The Beginning.

For shows that last several seasons, it may become easier to argue that the events of the pilot weren’t fundamental to the premise. For example, if you only watch the first season of Cheers, it seems like a premise pilot, since it is the first time Sam and Diane meet. But several seasons in, it’s clear that Sam and Diane’s relationship isn’t fundamental to the show. ¹

By the same logic, True Blood feels like a premise pilot now — Bill and Sookie meet — but as the show has evolved, it’s easy to see other moments that could have been the starting point.

Why This Matters

Networks hate premise pilots. Studios, too. They will flatly tell you that they don’t want to make premise pilots. They may offer a few reasons why, but one stands above rest:

Premise pilots don’t feel like the show. It’s often hard to get a sense how a “normal” episode of the show will function based on a premise pilot. Watching fifteen pilots, the network wants to pick the shows it feels it understands. They want to know what episode eight will be like. That’s hard to do with a premise pilot.

So studios and networks will insist that they don’t want premise pilots. But secretly, they do: roughly half the new shows every fall begin with a premise pilot. The Good Wife is a premise pilot. Same with Glee, Mike and Molly, Undercovers, The Event, Vampire Diaries, Outsourced, Hawaii 5-0 and $#*! My Dad Says.

In fact, outside of true procedurals (body-of-the-week like CSI) and family shows, it’s rare to find a series that doesn’t start with something of a premise pilot. The trick may be to do it less overtly, introducing one small-but-important change in the world rather declaring this day one.

In the pilot episode of Friends, Rachel arrives at Central Perk in a wedding dress, having bailed on her nuptials. If this was called The Jennifer Aniston Show, it would clearly be a premise pilot. But because the six primary characters already had relationships — Ross and Monica already knew Rachel — I’d argue that it falls in a middle ground I’ll call One New Guy. You’re introducing a new member to an existing group.

The pilot for Modern Family includes Mitchell and Cameron presenting their daughter Lily to the rest of the extended family, but if she had been introduced in episode four or ten or twenty, the basic dynamics of the show would have been the same. Everyone already knew each other. The arrival of Lily made a good starting point for the audience, but it wasn’t the start of the family.

Similarly, Adam Scott joins the catering company in the pilot of Party Down. Structurally, the episode works like any other, just that characters are introducing themselves to him.
Both of these are examples of One New Guy. In Party Down, the newbie is more central to the action, but it’s not his show. You could do an episode without him, but you probably wouldn’t do an episode that focused on him but not the rest of the cast.

I’ve written one pilot of each type. D.C. is clearly a premise pilot: the gang meets and moves into the house. Alaska is a One New Guy, with a new prosecutor joining the team. Ops is very deliberately an ordinary episode, with the company already up and running.

You can find all three in the Library.

If you take away nothing else from this, let me stress again that a premise pilot isn’t about setting up the characters or world — every pilot has to let the audience figure out who’s who and what’s what. A premise pilot is about Something Happening that marks the pilot as the beginning.

In fact, Cheers is a One New Guy pilot. ↩

Nickelodeon Writing Fellowship

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 02:06:00 +0000

Amanda the Aspiring Writer posted this AMAZING interview with Karen Kirkland, Executive Director of the Nickelodeon Writing Fellowship. Great advice for those of you applying to ANY scriptwriting program or contest.

And be hure to check out Amanda's site for other great links!

Interview with Karen Kirkland, Executive Director of the Nickelodeon Writing Fellowship
“It’s amazing to me how few television writers actually know about this fellowship, especially because it’s a paid program!” says Karen Kirkland, Executive Director of the Nickelodeon Writing Fellowship. Karen’s looking to spread the word, so I sat down with her to chat about what she’s looking for, what sitcoms writers should spec, what happens during the fellowship, and what previous fellows have gone on to do.

Do you think writers decide not to enter the program because they think “Oh, it’s Nickelodeon, and I don’t want to write kids’ stuff”?

It’s unfortunate, but I think a lot of writers don’t enter the program because they believe there’s a big difference in writing for Nick as opposed to writing for more “adult” network shows. If you’re a fan of our programming, you’ll notice it’s pure entertainment for kids, but there’s also a wink every now and then for the adult or older sibling who’s watching along. Keep in mind the stories are written by adults, but the one thing we do not do is dumb anything down for kids.

In order to submit to the program, you do NOT have to submit a spec script for a Nickelodeon show, it doesn’t even need to be kid-friendly. We accept spec scripts based on any ½-hour comedy out there currently on-air and in production on primetime network or cable.

Great story-telling is great story-telling. The content might be a little bit different, but I don’t think it precludes one from then going on and pursuing a career outside of Nickelodeon – if that’s what they so chose.

Bottom line – it’s about the work. The writers who have come through the program and have been staffed on Nickelodeon shows are doing well and are very happy – as are the writers who have come through the program, been staffed on our shows and have since moved on to primetime network shows.

Nickelodeon has been able to put kids first in almost everything we do. Having stories that are kid-relatable, stories that are funny and stories that originate from character – that’s what it’s all about.

How is writing for a Nickelodeon show different than writing for more adult shows?

In my opinion, it’s not really all that different. I think from a story perspective, making sure you understand the tone of the show, having a solid grasp of the character’s voices, having a unique story to tell and injecting the script with a huge dose of funny – it’s all the same.

I would say, however, that writing for our animated shows has proven to be a challenge to some of the writers that come through the program. For any writer who writes short stories, they know it’s not easy to clearly and concisely convey an action-packed story in 11 minutes.

I want to work with a writer that can give me a fresh perspective on the show they're writing for. However I still want the tone of the show to remain intact and I still want the character voices to be accurate, but I’d want to get a sense of the writer’s voice, in terms of his or her point-of-view on a specific topic. That’s not an easy thing to do whether you’re writing for Nickelodeon or primetime network.

Do the fellows generally stay at Nick or move onto other kinds of shows?

Our 2009-2010 Writing Fellows “graduated” in October of 2010 and two of them got staff writing jobs. One got staffed on Fanboy and Chum Chum and the other got staffed on The Penguins of Madagascar. The third fellow is writing freelance on a new show for Nick.

When it comes to writers who have graduated from the program, some of them get staffed here at Nick and some of them don’t. Some of them get staffed here first and stay for a few years, then move on to other staff writing gigs once production has ended on the show they were writing for.

As a result of being in the fellowship, the majority of the writers who have come through the program have received multiple produced credits on Nickelodeon shows. However, our main objective is not only to get them produced credits, but also to get them staff writing jobs.

In the last six years, we’ve been successful at staffing the majority of our writers on Nickelodeon shows. In addition to those that are still writing for Nick (Jonathan Butler, Gabe Garza, Jessica Gao, May Chan, Ron Holsey, Ivory Floyd, Kerri Grant, Stacie Craig), others who have come through the fellowship are currently writing on or have written on shows like Modern Family, The Cleveland Show, Mr. Sunshine, Sesame Street, Everybody Hates Chris, My Boys, Arrested Development, and Aliens in America to name a few.

But for the writers who don’t get staffed, I don’t abandon them either. For instance, there was one writer this last cycle that didn’t get staffed, so I put her on a six-week script schedule and she started writing a Community spec. She completed that spec and now she’s on a new six-week script schedule for Modern Family. My door remains open... Even for the finalists who make it to speed interviews but don’t get chosen as Fellows, they know they can always pick up the phone and call – or come in for a Script Review.

What are some rookie mistakes you see writers make?

But it’s my opinion that in order to succeed in this business as a writer – you’re going to have to develop a thick skin. I know it can be tough at times because there are some execs out there who are frustrated writers themselves and they want you to take their notes, and commit entirely to their thought process.

Within the confines of the Writing Fellowship - a writer needs to be able to come to the table with the understanding that this is going to be a collaborative process. We’re going to have a conversation about structure, tone and dialogue and we’re also going to talk about what my “take away” is as a reader, as an audience member. I’m diving into your story with an open mind. What am I feeling? Is this what you’re trying to convey? What are the character motivations here? What kind of story are you really trying to tell? I think those questions are important ones. Also, on the flip side of that, a writer shouldn’t just agree with everything I’m saying. You can’t. You have to be committed to and stand-up for your creative vision. And I think that’s the fine line. The writers may not be as savvy coming into the program, but once they leave, they know exactly what that fine line is and how to navigate it. They understand the difference between not fighting for everything, but picking and choosing their battles and fighting for enough.

What are you looking for in the applications?

I don’t look at applications or bios and resumes until the very, very, very end of the application/submission process - which is usually about an hour before I’m about to get on the phone and do a phone interview with a writer. And the reason is that I want the work to speak for itself. When the scripts come in, we will tear off the cover page so we don’t know if you’re from California, Utah or New Jersey. We don’t know if you’re male or female.

Our selection process is very rigorous! There are three ‘rounds’ of reading. During round-one, all of the scripts are read by professional readers who are experienced at doing coverage and who understand the sensibilities of the fellowship. They understand precisely the qualities that make for a good script. Scripts that make it through the first-round are then moved into the second-round. The second-round scripts are read in-house by the coordinators and managers within Network, in both development and current series (both live action and animation). The third-round of reading is done by the Directors, EICs and VPs within development and current series, again both live action and animation.

After the scripts have gone through the several rounds of reading, I then read the scripts that have come through the sifter. At that point I may or may not "pass" on a few more. The writers of the remaining scripts become the semi-finalists. Keep in mind that at this point, we still haven’t even looked at the application, the bio or the resume for the writer. We don’t know anything about the writer other than his or her writing ability. All semi-finalists have a phone interview with me and it’s usually during this time I’ll take a look at the bio, resume and application so I can start to get a feel for who they are, what their passions are, etc. I’m intrigued by people and I want to find out what motivates writers and what drives them to create. During the hour-long phone interview is when I ask for a second spec (hint, hint). If the writer doesn't have a second spec – they’re immediately disqualified. It's my belief that if you're a writer - you're constantly writing, and if you're a television writer - you should have more than one television spec. Once I read your second spec, you're then called in for an in-person interview. If all goes well during the in-person interview - you're then a finalist and moved into speed interviews. Speed interviews are a super intense series of interviews (with show creators, head writers, line producers and network executives) that take place over the course of a few days. Eleven interviews over a course of 4 days to be exact…

Would you read half hour pilots, or just specs?

Just specs. For submission to the fellowship you must submit a ½-hour spec script based on ANY comedic television series currently on-air and in production on primetime network or cable. Any ½-hour spec. It does NOT need to be for a Nickelodeon show, nor does it need to be kid-friendly. Keep in mind that we don’t accept pilots, original material or feature-length scripts.

A writer’s best bet is to write a spec script for 30 Rock, Modern Family, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Community, Curb Your Enthusiasm, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, How I Met Your Mother - just to name a few.

The script will mainly be judged on story, humor, dialogue, character development, structure and originality.

Do you think being good in a room is just as important as your writing?

I think so – but being “good” in a room is only relevant to the writer’s room you’re in. Every room is different. We’re looking for strong writers with great personalities. A writer that has a creative point-of-view, a writer we’d want to spend an entire year with, a writer that we’d feel comfortable sending into one of our writer’s rooms, someone who can hold his or her own. A writer that is able to pitch out jokes and break story. You have to know when not to be annoying. And for most writers who have never been in a room, it’s a little bit intimidating. But each of our productions have great creative teams that will help you along the way.

Did some of your previous applicants of fellows lack room experience but impress you anyway?

Yes. The majority of writers who become writing fellows don’t have any “professional” experience to speak of. In addition, to be considered for the program, you can’t have had any network or cable produced television credits. The program is here in part to help writers gain room experience.

So people shouldn’t be worried that they might not be ready for this?

No! I want writers to exercise their creative visions and realize their dreams. You are ready – right now!

Does diversity play a big part in choosing your fellows?
Yes it does! Writers sometimes think they shouldn’t apply because they’re not “diverse” – but “diversity” is inclusive of everyone. What does that mean? It means that we’re giving everybody a fair share and equal opportunity. That’s really important.

What is it that really impresses you in the scripts that are submitted? Is it a fresh unique point of view, a writing style, etc?

It’s a combination of all of that. I love it when I can read a 30 Rock spec where the writer has not only given me a fresh perspective on the show in terms of the story idea and the premise, but that I can still feel the tone of the show, the character voices have remained intact, but the writer’s voice - in terms of his or her perspective, is also coming through in that script. That’s a really difficult thing to do. And of course, your script has to make me laugh out loud! It has to be funny. The dialogue needs to be witty. Your story, the arcs and your characters all need to be multi-layered. I can always tell when a writer’s had fun writing their script because I have fun reading it.

So do you think it’s a bad idea for writers to spec shows they don’t love?

I think yes and no. For entrance into competitions such as this one - to showcase your best work - yes, I think it’s best that you stick with a show that you absolutely love. Pick a show that you find humorous and a show that you can relate to. But on the other hand, once you get into the program, it’s not always going to be that easy. We’ve had writers in the past who were assigned to write specs for shows that they were not necessarily big fans of. But what if you get hired on a show you don’t like? The showrunner doesn’t care whether or not you like the show - they care whether or not you can deliver a good script. For programs like this, yes, write something that you love, but be prepared that you may not always be able to do that.

So what happens when the fellows are actually in the program?

The Fellows begin in October every year, and they come into the office every day from 10am to 5pm.

We feel that one of the most beneficial tools a television writer can have is the working knowledge of the creative process of getting notes from an executive and learning how to incorporate those notes into their scripts. To that end, we assign the Fellow to an Executive in Charge of a show (an EIC). The Fellow will spend a week researching that show and coming up with 3 story ideas. The Fellow will then pitch his/her story ideas to the exec. The exec will choose one of them, give the writer some notes and then the writer will have two days to write a premise based on that story idea. Once the premise is complete – we’ll then put the Fellow on a six week writing schedule. During this time, they’ll have two weeks to write an outline, and turn it into the EIC. We schedule yet another notes meeting and the writer will either need to revise the outline, or move on and write the first draft. They’ll have a week to write the first draft, followed by a notes meeting, then two days to write a second draft, then a notes meeting… They’ll continue on this path all the way through to the final draft. Each fellow does this for both a live-action show and an animated show.

In addition, during the first few months the writers are inundated with meetings with everyone at the Studio, from executives, to show creators, to head writers, to line producers and even folks in our post-production department. These are elongated one-hour meetings, and the writer must come to the meeting prepared with at least 10 questions for the person they’re meeting with. The fellow is then free to network and nurture relationships, which is something we encourage.

Interspersed with their writing and their meetings are in-house workshops on how to break story to how to write for comedy to how to succeed in Hollywood - and that’s over the course of 4 or 5 months. Then we send them to UCB, where they take improv classes. Then we send them off to the Robert McKee “Story” weekend.

By March or April, they are ultimately placed on a show – where they get experience in the writer’s room – which is so incredibly valuable. Within the first few weeks of being on the show, the fellow is usually pitching out story ideas and/or they’ve been assigned another script to write (this one getting produced). Ultimately, the fellow stays on that show until their fellowship is over in October, and hopefully – like many of our past writers, will then segue onto the show as a staff writer.

Has the program changed at all over the past few years?

I think the program has grown by leaps and bounds! There are now distinct systems in place that help to ensure we’re staffing as many writers as possible within a given year. When I first began at Nickelodeon six years ago, the program was not very well-known within the industry at-large. I was amazed by how few writers, executives and agents knew about the program. Especially because it was such an amazing opportunity for writers to get paid while doing what they love to do – write! Unlike before, now many of the writers that graduate from the program are either being staffed on our shows, or they are leaving well-equipped to get staff writing jobs elsewhere within the industry.

The way in which we recruit writers has changed as well. We now take a very active approach in discovering new writing talent. We spend hours & days at film festivals exposing writers to our How to Tell a Story workshop and giving Script Reviews. I travel a lot throughout the year to various colleges around the Country spreading the word about the program and encouraging graduating students to apply.

Just this year we finally have a presence on Facebook and on Twitter. We’re attempting to take advantage of as many social media outlets as possible. We’ll most likely be starting a blog soon.

I would say that now after many years of marketing the program and after many staffing success stories – we’ve begun to nurture relationships within the industry as a whole and folks are starting to take notice.

What feedback have you gotten from the showrunners and show creators about the program?

I think I’m really lucky (and so are the Writing Fellows) because I oversee (and they are a part of) a program that the Network and the other Producers here at the Studio absolutely love. A huge amount of value is placed on the program and the Network is completely committed to helping us place the most talented writers into the program and ultimately onto our shows. I think of this program as a talent pool, and when an exec or a production is in need of a writer, they know exactly where to go!

I think part of what makes this program so successful and why we’re able to staff so many writers on our shows is that we’ve gotten complete buy-in down the line - from our exec team to our show creators, to our line producers and from the other writers on each of our shows.

Anything else people should know if they’re thinking of applying?

Have multiple 1/2-hour television specs written - assuming you want to write for television.

Beware of typos - they are not your friend!

Do your research - it's not enough to watch a couple of episodes. Watch them all - multiple times!

Before you write your spec, do yourself a favor - write a 1/2-page premise first, then an outline, then (and only then) should you write your first draft.

Have a unique premise, a well told story, a clear A, B and C story, clearly defined character motivations, scenes that move the story forward, and a solid structure.

The Nickelodeon Writing Fellowship is definitely a fun program to be in, but it’s also a very tough program – a boot camp of sorts. The program is geared toward writers who are seriously committed to their craft, to becoming better writers, to learning more about the business and to being open to the process. The writers that are in this program work really hard to be successful.

The deadline to apply for this year's program is February 28. For more information, check out the Nickelodeon Writing Fellowship official website, follow them on Twitter and find them on Facebook.

Don't Be Afriad to Ask For Help

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Thu, 13 Jan 2011 19:48:00 +0000

2010 was a year of many [entertainment industry] firsts for me. My first time writing a half-hour sitcom (since college). My first time writing a pitch for a one-hour… and a half-hour…

Formatting of one-hour dramas is second nature to me. But when it came time to write half-hour scripts and pitch documents, I was lost. I’ve read literally hundreds of half-hour scripts, but the formatting never stuck in my head because I never paid much attention to it. What do I capitalize? What do I underline? How many acts are in a half-hour multi-cam again?

Given the fact that I have an actual degree in scriptwriting, I was embarrassed that I didn’t know these things. But the truth is, it’s completely normal to study television writing for four years and never see a production draft of a real television show or a pitch document. (It’s also completely normal to actually work in television for four years and never see a pitch document.)

My point is, if you need help, don’t hesitate to ask for it. I emailed my agent’s assistant and asked her to send me a half-hour multi-cam script so that I could study the formatting. And I asked my husband to print out a couple of his old pitch documents so that I could read through them. When I was writing my pilot set in med school, I asked my agency to send me scripts of several medical shows so I could learn how to format scenes that take place in the O.R.

Many assistants are afraid to ask their co-workers and bosses for help because they don’t want to look unqualified. But please trust me when I tell you that no one expects you to know everything. I didn’t know what a call sheet looked like until I was hired as a PA. So, on my first day, I asked a fellow PA, “When you have two minutes, can you walk me through this call sheet in case I ever need to update it?” And he did. When I became a line producer’s assistant, my boss asked me to do script coverage on every episode. I had loads of experience writing coverage for films, but not for television. Did he really want to me write a synopsis of the episode after he’s already attended several rehearsals. So I asked him, “Do you just want me to type up a traditional coverage document with the logline, synopsis, etc.”

“No. I just need you to make a list of props for each scene so I can make sure the prop department is on top of everything. Just write the list on the back of my script.”

Glad I asked. The “coverage” took me about 10 minutes.

Don’t ever be afraid to ask for help. If you’ve never done something before, it’s okay to say, “This is my first time doing this, and I just want to make sure I’m doing it correctly.” Asking for help doesn’t make you a bad assistant; it makes you a better one.

LINK: Chad Gervich's Resources

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 02:50:00 +0000

A new link for a new year: Check out Chad Gervich's resource page including Entertainment News & Tracking Resources, Job-Hunting Resources, Screenwriting Software & Filmmaking Tools and more.

WGF Presents THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT Screenwriters at Ca Brea Restaurant

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 04:38:00 +0000

Warm up your January with some hot writers at Ca Brea Restaurant when the Writers Guild Foundation presents:

LISA CHOLODENKO AND STUART BLUMBERG
Wednesday, January 12 - 7:30 PST

Ca Brea Restaurant, 346 S. La Brea Avenue, LA 90036 **PLEASE NOTE SPECIAL VENUE

Hosted valet parking & reception included
Writer-director Lisa Cholodenko (High Art, Laurel Canyon) teamed with writer Stuart Blumberg (Keeping the Faith, the Girl Next Door) to write this year’s breakout indie hit The Kids Are All Right. They will talk about this movie and about their approach to writing.

Seating is very limited.

GET TICKETS NOW - click here
General - $25 + 1.99 fee
WGA member w/ ID - $20 + 1.99 fee
Student w/ dated current ID - $15 + 1.99 fee
or call 800-838-3006

NO REFUND, NO TRANSFER.
SALES END 2:30PM, DAY OF EVENT.
NO WAIT LIST.

Tickets and Info: www.WGFoundation.org

Fox Movie Channel's LIFE AFTER FILM SCHOOL and WRITER'S DRAFT

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 08:00:00 +0000

For behind-the-scenes video interviews with writers, check out Fox Movie Channel's LIFE AFTER FILM SCHOOL and WRITER'S DRAFT series.

In LIFE AFTER FILM SCHOOL, film school students interview filmmakers to learn about the reality of Hollywood. Former USC student Lauren Gable, whose blog, DESTINATION HOLLYWOOD is listed in HU's Blogroll, is one of the hosts of LAFS. Click here to read about her experiences on the series.

WRITER'S DRAFT examines the screenwriter's process and emotional journey, from concept to screen. Below is an interview with Graham Yost, Creator of JUSTFIED (currently my favorite show).

Ken Levine's Comedy 101

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 00:12:00 +0000

Check out Levine's free lessons in television scriptwriting.

How to Get an Agent

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 08:00:00 +0000

There are two ways to land an agent in Hollywood. The first is through a connection. If you, personally, know an agent, you can ask them to read your material. If you have a friend who has an agent, that friend can pass along your spec for consideration. (Please note, not everyone is comfortable passing along a script to their agent. Don't be offended if your friend politely refuses your request.)

In addition, many aspiring writers make friends with agency assistants who become agents around the same time the writer lands his or her first staff job, and the two subsequently form an agent/client relationship.

The second way to land an agent is by landing a writing job. I know that seems backwards, but assistants who do not have representation are often promoted from within to staff writer. If this is the case, many of the writers on staff, as well as other writers you know will recommend you to their agents. Almost all agents are happy to meet with a writer who already has a job. At that point, you will meet with various agents and pick the person who you believe is the best fit.

The process for landing a manager is similar, though some managers will read unsolicited scripts.

Hate the New IMDB Layout?

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 04:31:00 +0000

If you hate the new layout of IMDB, John August has the answer: LESS IMDB.

A Note On Food Allergies

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 08:00:00 +0000

As a PA, it is often your job to not only pick up lunch (and make sure you have the correct, complete order before leaving the restaurant) but to place the order over the phone. It's also your job to stock the kitchen (writer's room kitchens are like gigantic vending machines) and wash the dishes.

Let's talk about ordering lunch for people with food allergies.

People who don't suffer from food allergies often think of allergy symptoms as itchy eyes or sneezing. Food allergies are different.   Think of the food as poison to those who are allergic to it. Food allergies kill people.

I'm allergic to celery. And avocado. And spinach. And tuna and salmon and blueberries... The list goes on. If my club sandwich arrives with a slice of avocado on it or my salad arrives with a leaf of spinach in it and I spot it, I can simply pick it off. If I miss it and accidentally eat the avocado or spinach, my lips will swell up, and for the rest of the day, I'll look like I just had collagen injections. But I'll live.

If my salad dressing has celery or celery seed or celery salt in it, I will die. If my chicken is marinated in chicken broth that was cooked with celery stock, I will die. Within a matter of minutes, my throat will swell shut, and I will die.

If you're placing a lunch order for someone with food allergies, explain the severity of the situation to restaurant. Don't just say, "Is there any celery in this salad? Say, "The person I'm ordering this for is allergic to celery, so can you please check the ingredients in the salad dressing? She's allergic to celery, celery salt, and celery seasoning. If any of those ingredients are in the dressing, I need to order something else for her."

The fact is, shows tend to order from the same 10 restaurants over and over, and people tend to order the same meal over and over so by week four, you know which dishes the person can and can't eat. I swear, I know the ingredients in every dish from every restaurant that delivers to Sunset Gower Studios.

If you place an order for someone with allergies and realize you forgot to mention the allergy to the restaurant, TELL THEM. They won't hate you, they'll love you. It happens. When I was an assistant on According to Jim, our production coordinator was out of the office when we placed the lunch order, so I ordered for him. He always ordered a Chinese chicken salad. From every restaurant that had one. So that's what I ordered for him.

He returned for lunch, opened his salad and said, "Does this have almonds on it?" I said, "I don't think so. Who puts almonds in a Chinese chicken salad?"

Answer: This restaurant. And he was allergic. Thank god he took a closer look before taking a bite. It was the day before his wedding. If he had eaten the salad, he would have been married in a hospital.

Oops.

Let's talk about stocking the kitchen.

If a person in your office is allergic to peanuts, don't stock the kitchen with bags of peanuts and jars of peanut butter. Unless, of course, it doesn't bother them. Some people are "more allergic" than others.   My son, for instance, is allergic to peanuts, but has no reaction when others eat them in his presence. As long as he doesn't shove a spoonful of peanut butter into his mouth, he's fine. Other people can die simply from inhaling peanut dust.

I worked with a writer's assistant who was allergic to nuts, and some of the people in the office just refused to respect her allergy. There were days when she had to leave the writers room and take a Benadryl to stop her allergic reaction. Have you every tried to take notes while on Benadryl?

Be considerate.

Now let's talk about the doing the dishes.

Make sure you thoroughly wash the dishes. If someone sticks a knife into a jar of peanut butter and you return it to the drawer without thoroughly washing it, someone with a peanut allergy may use it to cut an apple, and they could die.

Why don't people with allergies just bring their lunch?

Often times I do. When I don't, I often call the restaurant myself and speak with chef before the PA places the order. Until I get to know the PAs well, I don't like to burden them with my allergy issues; they have enough to worry about without the pressure of trying not to kill me. But occasionally, I'll be stuck in the writer's room and we'll be ordering from a place I've never eaten, and I'll ask the PA to call for me. (Thank you to Sam for always taking care of me on In Plain Sight.)

But the more important question is, why is it so hard for people to be patient with those suffering from allergies? We're not being a pain in the ass. We're not being picky. It's a matter of life and death.

Thank you again to all the PAs I've worked with for not killing me.

Interview with SKYLINE Co-writer Liam O’Donnell

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 20:29:00 +0000

Via BU Today:

BU Alum Hits the Big Time with Skyline

Writer’s first feature film debuts tonight

By Amy Laskowski

Skyline is in theaters today, November 12. Below, O'Donnell (second from left) poses with some of the cast and crew.

Before the release of his first film, Liam O’Donnell was already being asked about a sequel.

O’Donnell (CAS’04) is the coauthor of the sci-fi film Skyline, which rolls into theaters today.

“We brought the film trailer to the Berlin Film Festival, and they were asking about the sequel there,” he says. “We have a kernel of an idea, but we’ve developed a treatment and people are excited. When Skyline is released in theaters, I want to see what part the audience is most excited about, because we have a general idea what it might be.”

O’Donnell, a political science major at BU, moved out to Los Angeles shortly after graduation, with aspirations of going to law school, not becoming a screenwriter. While in LA, O’Donnell became friends with Colin and Greg Strause, the directors of Skyline and owners of visual effects company Hydraulx, which orchestrated the explosions and monsoons in the box office blockbusters Avatar, Iron Man 2, and The Day After Tomorrow. The Strauses also directed AVPR: Aliens vs. Predator—Requiem.

O’Donnell soon began working with the Strauses writing storylines for Fresca and Coke China commercials. He went on to write music video storylines for rappers 50 Cent and Usher. Just before Thanksgiving 2009, the three were having lunch with Joshua Cordes (Skyline cowriter) throwing around ideas for a project they could create together. “The brothers own all these great spaces,” O’Donnell says, “and we had these awesome cameras and wondered what we could do to take advantage of that.” The result was Skyline.

The film opens with alien ships cluttering the Los Angeles skyline. Soon, extraterrestrials begin swallowing humans, threatening their entire existence. The film, which stars actors Eric Balfour (24), Scottie Thompson (Star Trek), Donald Faison (Scrubs), and Brittany Daniel (Dawson’s Creek and Sweet Valley High), is being released by Universal Studios today, November 12.

O’Donnell, now the head of development for Hydraulx Entertainment, is at work on a sequel to Skyline. He says he drew on his BU experience in writing his first feature film. “They told me that I would learn on the job, and I had only written the first act of a script before I really started working,” O’Donnell says. “But the essay writing of political science definitely crossed over, like writing a proper introduction, theme, and organization.”

BU Today talked with O’Donnell about the making of Skyline.

BU Today: How did a BU political science major get into writing and producing?

O’Donnell: When I was at BU, I took a screenwriting course for one semester. I’d always been interested in writing and science fiction from writers like Michael Crichton, and writing was something I had always wanted to do. I thought I could become an entertainment lawyer. I was accepted into law school, but deferred for a year to go to Los Angeles. I went out to there in the summer of 2003 to take classes at UCLA.

Within six months I was working at smaller production companies, and I started writing treatments for commercials, which are basically mini-scripts. I began gaining confidence this way. I worked with the Strauses on a few projects, and we realized we wanted to do something independently. Films like District 9 and Paranormal Activity got to take risks because they had a low budget, and you can’t take those risks with a big-budget movie, because you have to send every idea up the corporate ladder.

How did you prepare to write the script?
As soon as we had the concept, we wanted a different take on the subject, like a siren or a mythological invasion. We thought of this blue light, a syndrome that makes you look, and then pulls you out and sucks you up into the ship. It’s a simple fire in the sky. We thought it would be interesting to suck up an entire metropolis, and that was the basis for the whole movie.

I wrote a three-page treatment in one night. My cowriter, Josh Cordes, did the same thing. The next morning we lined them up, and then we just took the best from both. We worked tirelessly for a month writing a 35-page treatment, and then we had the script.

What was it like working with a cowriter?
It really opened my eyes working with such a talented writing partner. We got all our fights out in the beginning. One of us was working on the script every 24 hours, because I’m a night guy, and my partner is a morning guy. We’d keep adding to what the other had done.

When it’s your own team, you’re not having a real conflict, because everyone wants the movie to be a success. If you disagree, at the end of the day you have the same goal, so you figure out how to get to there. Everyone has a different idea, but the best idea wins. We didn’t have any real major disagreements. Once rewriting begins, you try to make everything as tight as possible.

You had a low budget for this film. How did you deal with that challenge?
It was almost unbelievably low—the physical production was $500,000, and the budget was under $10 million. We shot it in Greg Strause’s apartment, which has a great view of Los Angeles. It’s a 20-story condo building in Marina del Ray. One of the codirectors lives in the penthouse. About two years ago I lived on the fourth floor because, hey, I’m just a writer, not a director.

We figured this would be the scene for the movie, and we had different settings, like the pool, the garage, the rooftop. It was extremely challenging to do. Every time you have boundaries like that, you focus on the story. The biggest advantage was that I had lived in that building. I knew the set when writing the story. That was almost like cheating—it was great—because we could walk through the set while writing the script. We would do blocking videos and act out scenes before we filmed them.

The most challenging part of the movie was seeking people’s advice. They can see things better than you, but I thought we did well in addressing those challenges each day, but not giving in to an easy fix.

Did the neighbors want to kill you?
Yes. It’s an upscale building. The neighbors are used to luxury. We had a crew of 20 people, mostly large males. The vocal minority are always the ones that complain, but there were a lot of people who were positive.

You’ve worked on music videos with rappers Usher and 50 Cent. Do tell.
Both were really cool. Usher is the consummate professional, doing dance moves take after take. I worked with him on the Moving Mountains video, where the stunt double couldn’t perform the stunt, and Usher ended up doing it at 4 a.m. I thought that the guy kicked ass.

50 Cent is crazy. We had fake glass that he was supposed to punch, but he ran through it. Dove through it, fell all over some of the crew, but no one was hurt. I loved the enthusiasm.

What advice do you have for people trying to get into the film business?
If you want to be a writer and do films out in Los Angeles, you have to take the jump. Get used to the rejection, and believe in this dream. Surround yourself with people that challenge you. If you’re the only one within your creative circle who’s trying to get there, it’s going to be hard. A movie is a team effort. Believe that you can all achieve this.

How was your time at BU?
I came from a really small town; there were something like 60 people at my high school graduation. At BU, I didn’t feel like I was being coddled, and it taught me to take responsibility. It taught me that life is not an idyllic campus, and you have to make your own way in life. I’m thankful for the way that prepared me for Los Angeles.

Skyline is in theaters today, November 12. Movie times are available here.

Amy Laskowski can be reached at amlaskow@bu.edu.

What it Takes to Become a Writer

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Fri, 12 Nov 2010 08:00:00 +0000

A reader asks:

What do YOU think it takes to be (or become) a good writer? And statistically speaking, what is the median age of a writer who lands their first writing gig?

I'm sure every writer would answer this question differently. What do I think it takes to become a good writer? Life experience and discipline, in that order.

Many recent graduates are frustrated to find that they are not immediately staffed on a show. But the truth is, most producers don't consider 22-year-olds who have spent most of their lives in school to have enough life experience to be on staff. Of course there are exceptions. But it's important to understand the job of a writer on staff. It's not just about writing dialogue. It's about pitching ideas for 10 (or more) hours per day, five (or more) days per week. It's about taking your own experience and turning it into a story. It's not about how many independent films you've made or specs you've written. It's about what your life experience adds to the story generating and breaking process.

The most difficult part of writing is writing; forcing yourself to sit down and write. Many people have the skills and talent, but not the discipline. You need to generate a large body of material to demonstrate your ability. One great script isn't enough.

And I don't know the median age of staff writers, but I can tell you I don't know of any staff writer younger than 26.

Copyrighting Question

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Thu, 11 Nov 2010 19:35:00 +0000

What if your script is based off a real person and you're waiting for permission from their estate before submitting your script? Could you have your script dramatizing that person's life copyrighted BEFORE permission is obtained or AFTER?

The above contains two separate questions. First:

Could you have your script dramatizing that person's life copyrighted BEFORE permission is obtained or AFTER?

You can copyright your script at any time regardless of the subject matter. Click here for more information on how to copyright your spec.

What if your script is based off a real person and you're waiting for permission from their estate before submitting your script?

That is a different question entirely. You can write and submit any spec, regardless of subject matter, as a writing sample. However, if you plan to submit a script based on a real person with the intention of having it produced, I advise speaking to an entertainment attorney regarding the legalities. Writing a script based on a real person to use as a writing sample is one thing. Selling/producing a script based on a real person is another; you can be sued.

Does Jessica Alba Adlib Her Lines?

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 03:13:00 +0000

Jessica Alba is Elle Magazine's December cover girl. She's quoted as saying:

“Good actors, never use the script unless it’s amazing writing. All the good actors I’ve worked with, they all say whatever they want to say.”

I'm an avid reader of Elle (which may tank my credibility with some readers, but so be it), and I intended to read the quote in context before commenting. Levine and August, however, are already sounding off.

Photo: Carter Smith

A Note On Query Letters

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 02:52:00 +0000

A great post from Alex Epstein:

I recently finished a film and I'm ready to put it out there. As it is a very specific niche film, I've done some research and I think there's a particular distributor that can best handle a project like this. I've acquired the contact information for their director of acquisitions and I'm ready to try and make contact.

The only problem is, reading through the distribution site's 'terms of use', it looks like they have a policy about not accepting outside materials (for fear of litigation for stealing ideas). I don't know if this is strictly for web submissions, or if it's the company rule throughout. Is this common? If I send an email should I not include any description for fear they'll simply delete it? How do I get them to look at my product if they're specifically saying the don't want a submission?

Generally companies that have policies about submissions mean they don't want you to wrap up your script or movie and send it to them. They don't mean you can't query them about submitting your script or movie. They are, after all, in the business of buying / optioning / licensing / repping scripts or movies.

You can't copyright an idea, only the execution of an idea. Therefore they can freely read your query (which is only long enough to contain an idea); they just don't want you to send them your script or movie (which is the execution of your idea).

Of course if you're unsure, you can always call them. I realize this is a shocking notion these days, but your phone can do so much more than text, give directions, and play music. You can actually use it to talk with your voice to another human being.

Why Does It Take Hollywood So Long to Respond to an Email?

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 20:54:00 +0000

Unfortunately, there's a growing trend among Hollywood professionals to ignore emails. Agents, executives, and the like receive hundreds of emails every day, and it's impossible to respond to each and every one. (I'm not exaggerating when I say hundreds. As an assistant at Touchstone Television, I received 200-300 emails per day.)

In addition to hundreds of emails, the phone rings constantly and when an agent must decide who to respond to first -- the person on the phone or the person on the other end of an email -- the caller wins.

In my experience, emails are responded to either immediately or two weeks after they are received. Everyone in Hollywood has a blackberry and if you ask a yes or no question, you'll often receive an answer within seconds. However, if you ask a question that requires decision making, research, or correspondence with other parties, be prepared to wait up to a week (or longer).

My point is, don't panic if you send an email and you don't received an immediate response. Most of my emails begin "I apologize for the delay..." I have a habit of letting my inbox overflow before sitting down to respond to my messages. My response time is something I strive (and fail) to improve every day.

That said, if it's been two weeks, or if the subject matter requires immediate attention, feel free to follow up.

Pitch Festivals

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 20:44:00 +0000

I've received several emails asking my opinion on pitch festivals.

I've never attended a pitch festival, nor has anyone I know. If you have and would like to share your experience, please email me or comment on this post.

Personal News... and other links...

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 04:16:00 +0000

I apologize for my unexpected hiatus from blogging, but I'm thrilled to announce that my husband, Warren Bell, and I sold a pilot to Nickelodeon. I hope to blog about my experiences writing pitches, rewriting pitches, and actually pitching very soon, but for now...

Links from around the web:

Amanda the Aspiring Writer posted three great interviews with industry professionals:

John August's thoughts on script consultants as well as what your email addy says about you.

Every link The Thinking Writer posts.

Ken Levine's Adventures in Pitching Pilots.

P.S. How does IMDB know I'm married to Warren Bell?

The CRY HAVOC Company's OPEN WORKSHOP SERIES

noreply@blogger.com (Jessica Butler) — Sat, 23 Oct 2010 20:45:00 +0000

The CRY HAVOC Company, Inc. is a not-for-profit theater company in New York City. Led by Artistic Director Kitt Lavoie, CRY HAVOC is committed to developing new plays and reinvestigating existing plays in an environment that demands that artists challenge the boundaries of their talent and technique. CRY HAVOC is committed to creating raw, provocative, and humane theater by approaching all plays – both comedy and drama – as conflicts between individuals struggling to do what each desperately believes is right. CRY HAVOC is committed to bringing the best of this work to the public as a powerful and sustained voice on the Off-Broadway stage.

The CRY HAVOC community began working together in 1997, and was formally incorporated as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization in 2008 in honor of its tenth year of work. Since its founding, CRY HAVOC has developed more than seventy new plays and scores of new approaches to existing plays through its active Workshop and Lab programs. In that time, CRY HAVOC has also brought more than 25 of these projects to the New York stage, including its critically acclaimed production of Romeo & Juliet (featuring two women in the title roles) and the world premieres of more than a dozen new plays. Projects developed with CRY HAVOC have also appeared in more than 35 productions at other major Off-Broadway, New York, and regional venues.

The CRY HAVOC artistic community is comprised of more than 150 actors, writers, directors, designers, composers, and production staff, and is the home of The CRY HAVOC Resident Company.

The CRY HAVOC Company is proud to announce the opening of its new rehearsal and performance space at 347 West 36th Street. After nearly fourteen years of developing raw, provocative, and humane theater, CRY HAVOC’s two hundred actors, writers, and directors now have a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week home to create and present challenging new work.

Our new workspace will allow us to expand our educational and literary programs exponentially, serve many more artists, and do even more rigorous work on plays under development with the company. And it will allow us to share our work much more frequently with our audience.

CRY HAVOC is committed to bringing our audience inside the development process to see and interact with our writers, actors, and directors at phases of work that normally happen behind closed doors.

With the opening of our new space, our open workshops, interactive rehearsals, and discussions of new plays will occur much more frequently, beginning with a slate of events that will allow the public to encounter some of the work that we are already doing in our new home:

The “How We Got Here” Open Workshop Series – featuring discussions of plays that have played a pivotal role in the history of CRY HAVOC and discussion with the artists behind them.

Monday, October 25 at 7:00pm
Makes Three – discussion of the full-length play through which CRY HAVOC’s new play development approach was honed.

Thursday, November 4 at 7:00pm
CRY HAVOC and Shakespeare – discussion of CRY HAVOC’s approach to Shakespeare featuring selections from Romeo & Juliet, Macbeth, Much Ado About Nothing, and other plays that figured significantly into CRY HAVOC’s history.

Friday, November 12 at 7:00pm
The Median Line and realer than that – discussion of two plays by the same writer, addressing similar themes, written fifteen years apart – one the first play that CRY HAVOC ever produced, the second a play from the Workshop that was recently published.

The Moving In Plays – The first three weekends in December, we will share plays written by ten CRY HAVOC writers specifically to celebrate the opening of our new home – each inspired by photos of an empty room… and the two characters who are moving in.

If you would like to join us for any of these Open Workshops, please RSVP at rsvp@cryhavoccompany.org.