The Aspiring TV Writer & Screenwriter Blog

WriterDuet App helps you collaborate on scripts

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:44:00 +0000

ScreenPlayPen LCC, the same folks behind ReadThrough.com (the screenwriting app that lets you hear what your script would sound like read aloud by actors), has just launched a new tool for screenwriters: WriterDuet.com. WriterDuet brings to life what many writing teams and rooms have probably already yearned for: a screenwriting answer to cloud-based Google Drive - one that allows for multiple authors access to a script, industry standard formatting, and seamless tracking of who changed what (and when). It's also free.

Unlike some other third party screenwriting apps, WriterDuet plays nice with screenwriting software you're already using. The app can both import and export Final Draft 8, Celtx, and Fountain files with zero formatting discrepancies, and spit out PDFs for your (or some intern's) reading pleasure. Other bells and whistles include scene-by-scene navigation, a simple set of keyboard shortcuts, and built in video chat for face time with remote collaborators. There's even a Grooveshark plug-in for those who prefer to write to their own soundtrack.

The only glitches: there appears to be no way to generate a title page or add numbers to the pages.

Interview with Exec-turned-writer/EP Dan McDermott

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Sat, 11 May 2013 00:38:00 +0000

Screenwriting links: Friday, May 10

noreply@blogger.com (Connie) — Fri, 10 May 2013 21:43:00 +0000

Inside Amazon's Super-Weird, American Idol-Style TV Series Development Process [LA Weekly]

Network TV Is Broken. So How Does Shonda Rhimes Keep Making Hits?
[NY Times]

“Bring the Funny”: First of its kind panel explores how female Asian American comedy writers have found a place in the industry [WGA West]

There's a new app that prevents you from having TV shows spoiled on Twitter, so that's all on you now [The AV Club]

Do script readers use the "fan" test?

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Sat, 04 May 2013 16:19:00 +0000

Erica asked via Twitter:

@amandapendo Read your commentary on Black List. Does the "fan test" still happen? Do scripts still get tossed at first sign of mistake?
— Erica Maier (@celluloidcinema) April 25, 2013

@amandapendo that when someone "fans" thru it & can easily find problems w/ formatting etc (book is about formatting), it would be dismissed
— Erica Maier (@celluloidcinema) April 25, 2013

The physical act of "fanning" is falling by the wayside, since many of us now read scripts on screens instead of on paper. (My ability to perfectly "spine" a script - write the title on the side with a sharpie - is also obsolete.) But do script readers make immediate first impressions when we open a script? Sure.

Professional readers can't "toss" a script that gives a bad first impression; we're required to read the entire thing and write a synopsis and comments. However, a script with an unorthodox title page, a super long page count and/or obvious formatting mistakes does make me think that I'm probably in for an arduous day. Try to make your script appear as professional as possible; please don't give us a bad impression before we even start reading! Another thing to think about: why should we take a script seriously if it's clear the writer doesn't? So much information about screenwriting is available on the internet - Google is your friend!

One mistake is certainly not a reason to pass on a script - but in my experience, scripts with multiple superficial mistakes often have bigger deficiencies, too.

The book Erica's talking about is The Hollywood Standard, which I own and have found to be a helpful guide, especially for unusual situations (intercut flashback montages, anyone?). The best way to learn script format, though, is to read as many professional scripts as you can (see "download scripts" on the right side of this page).

Screenwriting links: Friday, May 3

noreply@blogger.com (Connie) — Fri, 03 May 2013 17:14:00 +0000

Daily Rituals: Entry 10: Kafka was a great procrastinator [Slate]

Exclusive: The Making of Brad Pitt’s World War Z, from Stunning Budget Overages and a Reshot Ending to Lots of On-Set Drama [Vanity Fair]

Pete Holmes: The 3 Agonizing Stages Between Talk-Show Pilot and Talk Show [Vulture]

'Dexter' screenwriter Scott Reynolds encourages EMU graduates to follow their dreams [AnnArbor.com]

The Business of Screenwriting: Everything you wanted to know about specs [Part 12] [Go Into the Story]

Splitsider Presents debuts with experimental screenwriting film - go to the premiere for $5!

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 06:24:00 +0000

We live in a bold and frightening future, one fraught with tweets, pokes and #yolos. But with that bold future, we're also starting to see new and exciting ways to find, distribute, and watch films. Splitsider Presents, the newest initiative from comedy site Splitsider.com, aims to debut comedy features, docs, and stand-up into the ever-growing field of independent digital distribution. If you're an aspiring writer, widening avenues of developing, producing, and distributing scripted content outside of the studio hierarchy are good news, especially in cases such as Splitsider Presents.

Their website explains: "because we're selling directly with no other partners, we're able to give a majority of every sale price right back to the comedians and artists behind these projects."

Splitsider Presents' debut feature shines the spotlight on screenwriting. A hybrid narrative/doc about a fractured troupe of NYC comedians who come together to write one last experimental film, The Exquisite Corpse Project (directed by Ben Popik) is a continually engaging, funny, and touching screenwriting meta exercise. In the film, each comedian writes 15 pages of the same film, with only the preceding five pages from the last writer to inform his segment. The result - a schizophrenic, yet oddly cohesive funhouse of a movie - examines screenwriting principles, collaboration, and friendship in disarmingly incisive ways.

Check out the trailer:

The Huffington Post raves: "The concept is wildly original and consistently entertaining."

Even better news: The Exquisite Corpse Project is premiering in LA this Weds night, with a special deal for Aspiring TV Writer and Screenwriting Blog readers. Simply visit http://ecpmovietourla.brownpapertickets.com/ and use the promo code amandablog to get $5 tickets! You'll also be treated to a Q & A with filmmakers.

Date: Weds 5/1
Time: 7 pm
Location: The Silent Movie Theatre: 611 North Fairfax, near Melrose
(Note: The movie is NOT silent.)

Screenwriting links: Monday, April 28

noreply@blogger.com (Connie) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:00:00 +0000

'Star Wars: Episode VII' screenwriter Michael Arndt is having trouble writing [Vulture/Funny or Die]

Buffalo-born screenwriter is not in Narnia any more [The Buffalo News]

Getting through Writer's Block [BBC Writers Room]

NYTVF: Home for Comedy Voices [ThePit NYC]

The 27 Stages of Getting Addicted to a TV Show [Buzzfeed]

Salman Rushdie Turns Screenwriter for Midnight’s Children [Vulture]

Interview With Screenwriter, Derek Haas; The Formative Years [HuffPo]

Screenwriting links: Friday, April 19

noreply@blogger.com (Connie) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 21:39:00 +0000

What It's REALLY Like To Be A Hollywood Assistant [Buzzfeed]

Is waking up early the secret to artistic success? [Slate]

Marcel Proust, Franz Kafka, and other artists who did great work in the wee hours [Slate]

Should You Go to Film School? [Film Crit Hulk/Badass Digest]

5 Questions with a comedy showrunner assistant

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 18:40:00 +0000

Scott Brody works for comedy writer-showrunners Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen. He was kind enough to answer 5 questions about his job:

1. How did you get your job?

I think the same way most people end up getting jobs. Timing, luck, having a good relationship with past employers, and a smidgen of balls. I glued myself to the trades and created a spreadsheet of development and pilot news (something I didn’t realize at the time futoncritic.com was already doing for me). I wrote down any connection to any pilot that I could possibly string out, no matter how remote, and started emailing friends and former colleagues.

One such connection was from my time working as an assistant at a production company that had developed something with Andrew Reich and Ted Cohen. I remembered chatting with them and figured they might be nice enough guys to pretend they remembered me, too. So, I emailed my old boss at the production company and asked if he might reach out to them on my behalf. The assistant they had lined up had just fallen through and they happened to need someone urgently. I got called on a Thursday, interviewed Friday, and started the next Monday.

2. What are the basic duties on a typical day of your job? Do you have time to write?

My job has changed in nature a few times. When Andrew and Ted were doing two pilots at once, my job was a lot of scheduling and coordinating. Then when Work It got picked up, I got to/had to read tons of scripts from writers at all levels for staffing. That was also an opportunity for me to give some input and show that I have a brain. Opportunities to prove you have a brain are important as an assistant. You want to make sure your boss doesn’t end up just thinking of you as Assistant-bot 5000, or “that dude who fixes my iPhone.”

In series, my job was a lot of “shadowing": always following my bosses around so that I was there if they needed anything, but trying not to get in the way or generally say anything stupid.

Finally, when we transitioned to development, my job became more flexible and I’ve had to be game for anything from scheduling to proofreading scripts to picking up my boss from the mechanic when his car was getting serviced.

I have had time to write, and I’m sad to say I didn’t always take advantage of those opportunities. But ultimately, I learned how to be productive in the stretches of down time I had and quickly shift gears when necessary.

3. Have your bosses read your stuff/helped you at all?

Yes. And I think that probably most bosses, if you work hard for them and take the time to develop a good relationship, will want to help you out even if it is just in some small way. Andrew and Ted have been amazing in this regard, and have mentored me through the process of writing a fresh spec. They’ve been really hard on me at times, even asking me to do a page one rewrite at one point - but it has very much made me a better writer, and I was able to eventually get that script to a place where they were really happy with it (and so am I). With any luck, it will end up being a good and useful writing sample for me.

4. What's something you learned about writing or the industry from your job?

Don’t pitch problems. Pitch solutions. You’d be amazed how many writers forget that.

Also, the thing that seems like the most important thing in the world to you is probably pretty low on the list for just about anybody else.

And make sure you earn your favors, whatever they are, through your relationships with people. Nobody is going to help you if you haven’t given them a chance to get to know you (and ideally like you) first.

Along similar lines, as an assistant, make sure you are absolutely certain it’s okay for you to be pitching something before you open your yap. It will be frustrating at times. (I know it was for me, as the former kid in class who always had his hand raised. Shut up. I liked school.) But, pitching at times you shouldn’t be pitching is a big no-no. Until you know for sure when it’s okay, better to play it safe and run your pitch by a writer on staff who you trust, in private.

Also, the other assistants are not out to get you. That is in your head. Probably.

5. When you had to read lower-level staffing submissions for your bosses, what did you look for? What were common mistakes writers made?

The most unbelievable thing was when a script had bad typos, weird formatting, or seemed just plain unfinished. I don’t think there is anything worse than coming away from a script thinking that either the writer or the rep was lazy, or that some kind of mistake had been made with what file was sent over.

The most important thing in a script was just that it was good. Funny, clear characters, clear voice, engaging story, well paced...you know, good. I don’t think it’s as important to match the exact tone or style of a show you’re being submitted for.

One thing I think is important to keep in mind for low level writers submitting for network comedy in particular, is how difficult it is to execute a good original pilot script. And the reality is that the skills involved in writing a good pilot aren’t necessarily the skills you’d need as a staff writer. Whereas the job of writing a spec episode of an existing show closely aligns with what you’ll likely need to be able to do as a staff writer. It will vary from showrunner to showrunner, but I know that during my experience, at a certain point we told agents to only send us specs for staff writer level submissions. So, in the great debate of spec vs pilot, I think the only real answer is both.

If you are lucky enough to get called in for a meeting, be sure to show off your personality and really be yourself. Probably 90% of the meeting at that point is whether or not you mesh with the showrunner and they could stand to be around you for 14 hours per day and until 3 am if necessary.

30 Female Screenwriters to inspire you

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:21:00 +0000

According to a recent study from the Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, of the 250 highest-grossing films last year, only 14 percent were written by women, while 38 percent of the films employed one or no women in roles such as producer, director, writer, editor, or cinematographer.

"There is inequality going on, and it's institutionalized, and it needs to stop," says Diablo Cody. She also covered the topic in a different interview: "I didn’t know it was that bad. I’d have to say visibility and representation are important. The women that have power need to be vocal and not complacent. I have seen very successful women and they don’t speak out because they don’t want to rock the boat and they simply want to stay quiet and be part of the boys’ club. I understand wanting to protect your career, but I’m willing to be outspoken and obnoxious."

In a recent Broken Projector podcast, writers and critics wondered if a lack of visibility exacerbates the issue. If women don't see a lot of women writing and directing films, does that discourage them from doing the same?

I think it does. Sitting at this year's all-male panel of WGA award nominees, I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Where were the women?

There are plenty of women writers and directors out there - but perhaps, like Diablo suggests, they're less outspoken, working hard under the radar. Ladies, you're not alone. What's encouraging to me is that it wasn't hard at all to find great female screenwriters to highlight. Get inspired by these 30 kickass women:

Lorene Scafaria

Tina Fey

Katie Dippold

Annie Mumolo

Gina Prince-Bythewood

Leslie Dixon

Lucy Alibar

Karen Croner

Robin Swicord

Mindy Kaling

Lena Dunham

Kourtney Kang

Dana Fox

Kelly Marcel

Julia Hart

Kirsten Smith

Karen McCullah

Dee Rees

Elizabeth Meriwether

Laeta Kalogridis

Vanessa Taylor

Nancy Meyers

Lisa Cholodenko

Sarah Haskins & Emily Halpern

Michelle Morgan

Melissa Stack

Diablo Cody

Jennifer Crittenden & Gabrielle Allan

Liz W. Garcia

Stacie Passon

Screenwriting links: Friday, April 12

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 21:34:00 +0000

I'm For Sale: Creative Ambition Versus a Financially Stable Job [Elle]

"American Idol" For Screenwriters: Hit Movie Scribes Podcast Weekly From the Belly of the Hollywood Beast [Fast Company]

Fisherman’s Blue: Interview w/42 writer-director Brian Helgeland [WGA.org]

Interview: Eric Heisserer (2012 Black List) [GoIntoTheStory]

Screenwriting links: Monday, April 8

noreply@blogger.com (Connie) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 18:38:00 +0000

Roger Ebert dead at 70 after battle with cancer [Chicago Sun Times]

The Sane Women Behind the Unraveling Men: ‘Mad Men’ Season 6 Focuses More on Women [NY Times]

For Louis C. K., the Joke’s on Him [NY Times]

12 Essential Screenwriting Tips For Aspiring Screenwriters [WhatCulture]

Everything you ever needed to know about screenwriting (but were afraid to ask) [The Independent]

5 Questions with a cable drama writers' assistant

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 21:05:00 +0000

Aaron is a writer's assistant on a cable drama. He was kind enough to answer 5 questions about his job:

1. How did you get your job?

Years back, I was an assistant at a TV production company and was able to make a good impression on a veteran writing team that was attached to one of our projects. They were pitching the project to every cable and premium network in town within a matter of days, and I had to schedule all that, coordinate everyone in our pod, adjust for last minute changes, etc. Kind of a heavy plane to land, but it all went well.

Two years later, I had left the business to assistant manage a restaurant (more money, more time to write, etc). It turned out being a restaurant assistant manager is a nightmare. Everyone - customers, staff, vendors - everyone shits on you. That's what you're there for. So there I am, pack a day, trying to decide between buying a gun or starting Paxil, when I get an email from that writing team:

"Just wanted to know what you were up to and if you have any interest in being put up for an assistant to a showrunner? If you are, send us your info..."

I hadn't had any contact with these people in almost a year...

So I met the showrunner, we hit it off, and I got the job. Miracle.

I'm still working on the same show and have since been moved into the writers' assistant position.

2. What are basic duties you have to do on a typical day?

I have two basic duties. My first and primary duty is to keep the room notes. That's just about writing down everything the writers say and then organizing those thoughts into an easy to read document. That organizing step can be time consuming.

The second big thing is research. The show I'm currently on aims to be as realistic as possible. So if someone pitches a crazy idea about a killer rapist dolphin, I pull up all the dolphin research I can to see if there are any facts to support the idea. Or alternatively, the research is done as a first step and the room starts drawing story from the research.

3. Do you have time to write?

Sometimes the work schedule/demands are very intense and sometimes they're easy, so it varies, but even if it's very intense, I make time to write every day even if it's just a half hour in the morning. Have to.

4. What kinds of things have you learned from your job?

The coolest thing I've been shown is the value of immersing yourself in what you want to write about. If you want to write about cops, but don't know anything about cops - call the cops. Visit a police station. Walk up to a cop on the street. Find out if you've got a cop stashed in your social network somewhere and then go ask him/her questions. Anyone - lawyers, paraplegics, local politicians - if you approach them and say, "Who you are and what you do fascinates me, would you please talk with me for a minute?", what are they going to say? "Go fuck yourself"? Maybe, but probably not.

5. What advice do you have for people who want to get a job like yours - and succeed?

It took me 5 years to get a job near a writing staff and I was pretty lucky when I did, so... But I think I got this writers' assistant job because I worked hard as the showrunner's assistant. I got that job because I worked hard as an executive assistant. I got that job because I worked hard as a receptionist, cleaning out the toaster and shit. I got that job because of Craigslist.

A lot of my opportunities have come from unexpected people. People I didn't realize were watching, were watching. And luckily I was doing a decent job when they were.

So my advice has to be:
Let everyone know where you want to go.
Take pride in your work.

Attend an ABC/Disney Writing Fellowship informational event Tues 4/23 in LA

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 21:02:00 +0000

Meet the the directors of the ABC/Disney Writing Fellowship, Frank Gonzalez and Ollie Ashtari-Larki! Learn more about the program, get your questions answered, and kickstart your application. One night only.

Date: Tuesday, April 23
Time: 7-9 PM
Where: Busby's
5364 Wilshire Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90036

Screenwriting links: Tuesday, April 2

noreply@blogger.com (Connie) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:07:00 +0000

Interview: Marcus Dunstan On The Beauty Of 'The Collection' [MTV Geek]

‘Batman’ screenwriter David S. Goyer brings real-life superhero, Leonardo da Vinci, to Starz [The Washington Post]

How to write for Tina Fey from ADMISSION screenwriter Karen Croner [ScreenwritingU]

UCLA/WGA Report: TV Writing Staffs Still Overwhelmingly White and Male [Hollywood Reporter]

The Sins of the Father: Derek Cianfrance, Ben Coccio, and Darius Marder on The Place Beyond the Pines [WGA.org]

Graham Yost talks Justified, Speed, and… Full House? [The AV Club]

Launch Your Own Script Frenzy

noreply@blogger.com (Rob) — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:52:00 +0000

Update: one site aiming to take the place of Script Frenzy is the April Screenwriting Sprint, aka 120 in 30.

---

'Tis the season, people. Time to take stock of our endeavors, pin our hopes, fears, and insecurities into submission, and race to weave them all into one cohesive document. Nope, it's not our taxes, it's Script Frenzy, the international screenwriting event that challenges writers to complete 100 pages of scripted material during the month of April. Those familiar with NaNoWriMo probably get it, right? Yeah, you get it. Technically, the official Script Frenzy competition was canceled after 2012 - but we like the idea of the challenge. Why not start your own Script Frenzy? Especially if you haven't finished your first script yet, or if you've been struggling with a specific project, it can be a great motivator.

The rules:

1) You must write a script (or multiple scripts) of at least 100 total pages.

2) You may write individually or with a partner. Writing teams will have a 100-page total goal for their co-written script or scripts.

3) Scriptwriting may begin no earlier than 12:00:01 AM on April 1 and must cease no later than 11:59:59 PM on April 30, local time.

4) You may write screenplays, stage plays, TV shows, short films, comic book and graphic novel scripts, adaptations of novels, or any other type of script your heart desires.

5) You must, at some point, have ridiculous amounts of fun.

Last year, 16,500 people took part in Script Frenzy, racking up a total of 85,000 participants since its debut in 2007. And while plowing through 100 pages in one month isn't always advisable, with the right prep, self-imposed deadlines like Script Frenzy can produce breakthroughs for writers who need to shake up their process, or newcomers ready to get that first "vomit" draft out of the way. Sometimes you just need to know that you CAN do it.

Since you can't use the actual Script Frenzy website anymore, perhaps you can tally your work with another site or app. A simple Excel doc also works!

Screenwriting links: Tuesday, March 26

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 02:05:00 +0000

AFF Interview with Greg Beal, Franklin Leonard, and Matt Dy
[Austin Film Festival]

Chuck Lorre: Make 'Em Laugh, and Don't Micro-Manage [Variety]

John Hawkes Gives Seven Tips to Survive the Film Industry [MovieMaker]

Slamdance script competition early deadline approaching

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 21:00:00 +0000

Planning on entering Slamdance this year? Apply by the early deadline of March 25 to save some cash! (The regular deadline is May 13.)

From their website:

The Slamdance Screenwriting and Teleplay Competition is dedicated to discovering and supporting emerging writing talent. To that end, we are unveiling an exciting new partnership this year with JuntoBox Films who will be awarding a Grand Prize of $10,000 cash and a $50,000 production grant to the winning feature length script. JuntoBox Films’ goal of producing films and finding writers with innovative and interesting stories is a great fit with what Slamdance strives to achieve.

We welcome screenplays in every genre, on any topic, from anywhere in the world. A unique feature of the competition is providing constructive feedback for every entrant. In addition to this, we also offer a more intensive coverage service for a supplementary fee. Now in our eighteenth year, we have a history of highlighting talented, independent screenwriters and introducing them to the entertainment industry. All of our readers approach scripts differently, but in general we are looking for originality and promise in a work. As an organization, we strive to foster an independent spirit among new writers and filmmakers. We've established a strong track record through our competition successes and are committed to continuing our pursuit to champion outstanding new work.

Categories:

• Feature
• Short
• Horror
• Original Teleplay/Webisode

Deadlines:

• Early Deadline: Feb. 25th - March 25th, 2013
• Regular Deadline: March 26th - May 13th, 2013
• Late Deadline: May 14th - June 25th, 2013
• WAB Extended Deadline: June 26th - July 2nd, 2013

Prizes:

• A total of $19,000 will be awarded to the winners this year.

• Slamdance Grand Prize by JuntoBox Films: $10,000 cash and $50,000 in production funds for the best feature length screenplay regardless of category.

• The winner of the Feature, Horror, and Original Teleplay/Webisode categories will receive $3,000 each.

• The winning Short screenplay will have an option to be produced and screen at Slamdance 2014.

• The top three screenwriters in each category will receive prize packages that include Festival Passes good for all screenings and parties at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah (January 2014)

• The top three screenwriters in the Feature and Horror category are eligible for membership in the Writers Guild of America’s Independent Writers Caucus.

• The winning Short and winning Feature screenplays will receive $2,500 in legal services from Pierce Law Group, LLP.

• The top three screenwriters in each category will receive merchandise from the Slamdance SHOP (T-shirts, beanies, etc.).

• The top three screenwriters in each category will be included in the 2014 Slamdance Film Festival program which is distributed to industry professionals in Park City and year round.

• Production companies, studios, top agencies and managers request to read our top scripts

Screenwriting links: Friday, March 22

noreply@blogger.com (Connie) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:12:00 +0000

'Admission' screenwriter talks higher education, comedy, and writing for Tina Fey [IFC]

Mindy Kaling Tells Us Why The Mindy Project’s Mindy and Danny Can’t Do the Nick-and-Jess Thing [Vulture]

Find The Thing You're Most Passionate About, Then Do It On Nights And Weekends For The Rest Of Your Life [The Onion]

The Hero's Journey Meets the Screenwriter's Journey [Huffington Post]

Get inspired by pro writers' early scripts!

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 16:00:00 +0000

Note: this post was written by new blog contributor Rob Pilkington.

If you’ve logged even just a couple years in this whole “aspiring screenwriter” thing, you’ve probably discovered that revisiting your old material isn’t always a picnic. Sure, there are lessons to be gleaned from some of those crude, bumbling, early pages, but the spirit of learning is likely trumped by the urge to lock those embarrassing attempts forever inside a fireproof safe - and to drop that safe into some shark-infested waters.

If nothing else, it's comforting to know that even the most successful professional screenwriters were once just like us. We now have proof: a few online resources have cropped up that allow us to examine early scripts by actual working writers. Show Us Your Specs is a new online library of the spec scripts that first got now-showrunners noticed. Early entries already include Revenge’s Gretchen J. Berg & Aaron Harberts, Once Upon a Time’s Jane Espenson, and Don't Trust the B’s Dave Hemingson.

While all these writers can stand to leave these specs off their resumes now, it’s easy to see why they’ve become responsible for what’s piped into our living rooms every week. I haven’t watched Homicide: Life on Street in over a decade, but Matt Olmstead’s spec, which landed him both a Sopranos offer and a NYPD Blue gig, conjured tone and character voices I recognized in an instant. Here’s hoping that more TV pros join int he fun and send Show Us Your Specs a little love.

If you’re looking for something a little more on the raw and vulnerable side, look no further than the Scriptnotes podcast by John August (Big Fish, Frankenweenie) and Craig Mazin (The Hangover Part II, Identity Thief). In episode 58, John and Craig are brave enough to summarize, discuss, and even post (post!) the first three pages of their very first screenplays (Here and Now and The Stunt Family, respectively). It’s heartwarming and inspiring to hear these two pros tear apart their maiden voyages, knowing that they've both grown into highly successful and super cool screenwriting dudes.

Ideally, this level of transparency that Show Us Your Specs and Scriptnotes offer will continue to rise on the web, particularly concerning those first (and sometimes gruesome) milestones every TV and film writer must endure. As John eloquently puts it, “you just need to get that [first] one out of your system” before graduating to the good stuff. And if you can, and people pay you for it, the good news is that sharing your first scribbles will be an enormous generosity…and not a requirement.

Because seriously: no one is finding that safe.

Screenwriting links: Tuesday, March 19

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 19:42:00 +0000

How Netflix and the Internet Might Impact This Year's Emmy Race [TV Guide]

Breaking In -- with Meredith Jacobson [Hollywood University]

Five Award-Winning Screenwriters Discuss Their Craft [NoFilmSchool]

Six Tips on Writing from John Steinbeck [BrainPickings.org]

Screenwriting links: Friday, March 15 - and all the 'Veronica Mars' articles you can handle

noreply@blogger.com (Connie) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 18:08:00 +0000

Vimeo Launches On Demand Distribution Offering Creators 90/10 Revenue Split: SXSW [Deadline Hollywood]

Playing the Spy Card - Q& A with FX's "The Americans" Showrunner Joe Weisberg [WGA.org]

Joss Whedon’s Top 10 Writing Tips [Aerogramme Writers' Studio]

How to get laughs without writing jokes [Ken Levine]

A Map to Get Out of Writer's Block [NY Book Editors]

Will Smith and John Lassiter TV script contest [TV Script Doctor Blog]

And for all you VERONICA MARS fans, here's a roundup of articles about the record-breaking Kickstarter movie project:

'Veronica Mars' creator Rob Thomas on the wildly successful Kickstarter movie campaign [HitFix]

Has 'Veronica Mars' Ushered in a New Era of Movie Development? [The Hollywood Reporter]

'Veronica Mars' Kickstarter: Why It's Good (Even if the Movie's Not) [HuffPo]

$2 Million for 'Veronica Mars' Breaks Kickstarter Records, Gets Greenlight [Variety]

'Veronica Mars' movie: Meet the guy who just pledged $10k for a speaking role [EW]

Why the World Needs a Kickstarter Veronica Mars Movie [Time]

What's Really Fueling the Veronica Mars Frenzy [Vulture]

The Veronica Mars Kickstarter Problem, and Ours [S.T. VanAirsdale]

Anyone Know of a Better Charity than The Veronica Mars Kickstarter? [The Atlantic]

Veronica Mars Kickstarter Thoughts [John Rogers]

Screenwriting links: Tuesday, March 12

noreply@blogger.com (Zach) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:15:00 +0000

22 Rules of Pixar Storytelling [The Pixar Touch]

Should Wannabe Writers Be PAs? [The Anonymous Production Assistant's Blog]

Avoid My Mistakes and More Mistakes I've Made [Let's Schmooze - Doug Eboch on Screenwriting]

"Red Widow": "Twilight" Screenwriter Turns to TV [NBC Bay Area]

'Bates Motel's' Carlton Cuse, Kerry Ehrin on the 'Psycho' Appeal, Lessons From 'Lost,' 'FNL' [THR]

Screenwriting links: Friday, March 8

noreply@blogger.com (Connie) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:01:00 +0000

'Always Sunny's Glenn Howerton Is Soliciting Scripts on Twitter [Splitsider]

Nora Ephron’s Final Act [New York Times Magazine]

Best Movie Theaters In Los Angeles [LAist]

Sundance, Black List Partner to Aid Aspiring Filmmakers [The Wrap]

Scott Z. Burns talks screenwriting and 'Side Effects' [Entertainment.ie]

Late-night writer Nell Scovell: "I realized that this was my dream job not because I didn’t think I could ever do it, but because I actually knew I could." [LeanIn.org]

Multi-cam sitcom format vs. single-cam sitcom format

noreply@blogger.com (Amanda) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 05:42:00 +0000

Aspiring writers often get confused by comedy script format - especially since multi-cam sitcoms are formatted differently from single-cams. Below is a sitcom formatting guide to make things easier.

Note: This post contains snippets of copyrighted material presented as instructive examples in the craft of screenwriting. If you own the copyright to any of these scripts and want them removed, please contact me.

Single-cam sitcoms (like MODERN FAMILY and PARKS AND RECREATION) are formatted just like feature screenplays. The only difference is that the beginnings and ends of acts are labeled (such as ACT ONE and END OF ACT ONE), centered, underlined and in caps - and new acts start on new pages. For example, here's a page from the 30 ROCK episode "Flu Shot":

Keep in mind that premium cable comedies sometimes leave out act break labels, since they don't need to accommodate commercials.

Multi-cam sitcoms (which generally have laugh tracks and are filmed in front of live studio audiences, like BIG BANG THEORY and MEN AT WORK) are formatted differently, with double-spaced dialogue, capitalized action/description, capitalized parentheticals (which don't go on their own lines within dialogue), lettered scene labels and lists of who's present at the top of each scene. Take a look at this page from the FRIENDS episode "The One With the Butt":

IMPORTANT NOTE: Many of the scripts you find online at the Google TV writing page are shooting/production drafts, not writer's drafts. These can be enormously helpful - but you don't want to copy these exactly. You DON'T need character lists, location lists, scene numbers or (DAY 1) and (DAY 2) in your sluglines. Try to find WRITER'S DRAFTS if you can. The aforementioned 30 ROCK script is a good example of a single-cam writer's draft; this BIG BANG THEORY pilot script is a good example of a multi-cam writer's draft. (Drama writers: Here's a good MAD MEN writer's draft - but note that MAD MEN doesn't label its act breaks.)

If you're writing a spec of a show, read all the scripts you can find to discover its specific formatting quirks, names of common locations, etc. (Reading a variety of scripts can also be useful in formatting a pilot.) For example, both PARKS AND REC and MODERN FAMILY use mockumentary interviews, but PARKS AND REC calls them TALKING HEADS, while MODERN FAMILY calls them INTERVIEWS.

PARKS & REC (this is a shooting draft):

MODERN FAMILY:

Also pay attention to act structure; you might be surprised to learn that NEW GIRL is in four acts.

The more you read professional scripts, the easier this will get. It's also a good idea to keep a folder of pro scripts on your desktop so that you can search through many scripts quickly when you have a specific formatting dilemma. If the PDFs have been converted from Final Draft files (rather than scanned from paper copies), you can use the search box and search through the text of all the scripts at once. So when I write a montage, for example, I can just search that term and pull up 10 scripts to read how different pros chose to format their montages.