Getting knee deep in the muck now - production approaching fast...crew starting to arrive...network and cast lobbed in a few wrenches (bad)...delivered a draft today (good)....notes back tomorrow (ugly?)....
Scripts aren't getting eaten up by the big bad series tv monster quite yet, but soon...very soon.
Series TV Tip #4 - the writers room is always going going going - silence usually a sure sign of trouble. There are tight deadlines so the ideas fly fast and furious...a constant chitter chatter of spinning, pitching, fixing, reworking, and trouble-shooting. And the reality is there isn't the time to always come up with the perfect line or beat or moment - but you still need to get your point across to the table.
Enter 'the bad version'.
As in..."Okay, here's the bad version - Joe's in the hospital bed, and he looks up at his mom gazing down at him and yells something like: 'Why are you even here? I don't have a mother anymore.' And she smiles and says: 'You'd love my son - he sounds just like you....'" (hmmm that's actually pretty good - hang on while I write it down... kidding). It's not how you'd actually write the scene (well, maybe on your first pass), but hopefully it quickly conveys the gist of the moment to the rest of the room so you can agree it's an idea or fix that works and then move on.
Moving on...
p.s. my apologies in advance if any of these so called tips have been already posted in some form or another by better bloggers/writers than I - just posting off the top of my head.
3 comments:
Hey don't worry, every tip is a valueble one and it's good to hear from you.
All experience is valid, as far as I'm concerned. Everyone's got their viewpoint and it's great to hear your experiences from within the writers' room - fascinating stuff.
Keep it up, fella!
Another great tip. One of my favourite parts of your blog, Dixon.
Post a Comment