The Saga of a Developing TV Writer

XIII

2012-01-25T20:38:00.004-05:00

Hello there! It's your favourite neglectful blogger. I always promise to update often, but it never happens - but then quality is better than quantity though, isn't it? ISN'T IT?

It's been about 7 months since my last update, and I'm no longer on Transporter, though that show is (apparently) still shooting. Well, not shooting right now exactly, because they're on hiatus. But regardless, neither I nor the writers I was working for will be on the show when it returns from torpor. Transporter was a really great experience, and I worked with some fantastic writers, but sometimes a production has other issues.

However, this happened to come at a perfect time - about 2 weeks after the hiatus started, my daughter Ava was born! So I was able to be around and help my wife in the first months of my daughter's life, which was just amazing. And if you thought you didn't have time to write before - try having a baby. For the first 6 weeks I couldn't even think about sleeping, never mind writing. I have no idea how people go to work right after having their first. I couldn't have done it. But after 6 weeks, Ava started actually sleeping at night, we became more accustomed to her rhythms, our lives started returning to (somewhat) normal, I could think again (as much as I could before, anyway), and I got back to writing.

One of the most invaluable things about working with TV writers is that they will sometimes read and give notes on your scripts, and then you're getting professional notes from people that actually write for TV for a living. I asked a couple of writers I've previously worked with if they could read my pilot, and they did and gave me excellent notes, and so far they seem very happy with the direction that I've taken the re-writes, so I'm going to start re-writing ASAP.

And about two weeks ago I was starting to get the itch to go back to work, and by a stroke of luck got hired as Script Coordinator on the second season of the Canadian series XIII! It's on Showcase in Canada, and M6 in France. It doesn't have a US broadcaster yet as far as I know. However, the showrunner is Roger Avary, the co-writer of Pulp Fiction, and he's a really nice guy (as is everyone else on this show), so I think this is going to be a really great experience. Hooray for sane shows!

Well, that certainly changes things.

2011-06-30T14:09:00.004-04:00

My wife is pregnant.

I don't normally write about my personal life on here, because I try to stick to the topic of breaking into the TV industry, but I'm going to change that at least for today, because I think this does have to do with my career, as this little fact will very much affect it (along with every aspect of my life). Holly's actually quite along at about 5 months (the baby is due in November). This is something that is nerve-wracking for anyone, I'm sure, but it's certainly a frightening prospect as a writer, and especially as one that is still trying to, you know, get paid to be one.

Saying that, I am VERY excited. But that doesn't make it any less frightening.

As far as I'm concerned, as long as I continue seeing progress in my career, I'm not too worried. And right now I'm still working on The Transporter, and this contract will go all the way until the end of November, right in time for the baby to be due! It's also likely that I won't get another job until early 2012, seeing as the Toronto winter is slow for productions, and that will give me some time off to get to know the baby and change some diapers.

One disappointing aspect about the impending baby is that I will lose my beautiful, writerly office. I was so excited when we bought this condo because it had an extra room, and I bought a nice new desk and set up my writerly books and writerly pens and painted it a writerly forest green. I tried to explain to Holly that a little baby doesn't actually need their own room because they're so small you see, but she just locked me with her laser eyes and told me that wasn't going to happen. Then I said," but you can use my desk as a change table!" and she laughed and laughed and laughed. So I suppose I'll have to find somewhere else to write. And buy a bigger house when we can afford it.

One of the writers on The Transporter, Joseph Mallozzi, writes his own blog and details our production exploits on it. I told Joe that Holly and I were having trouble deciding on a name, and he took it upon himself to hold a contest where his readers will pick a name through a poll:

The contest

The finalists

The winner!

So, uh... thanks Joe! I'm sure Holly will be excited that we have one less thing to figure out.

In other news, my pilot Merely Mortal was taken to the Banff TV Festival a couple weeks ago by the production company and they apparently got some interest on it! They're sending out materials now.

As well, excitingly I'm involved with the creation of the web content for The Transporter, working with a producer, Sasha, that has been hired specifically for the project. We were originally going to have both webisodes and an online game for Facebook, but unfortunately due to budget constraints we had to nix the webisodes, which is disappointing because I was going to write them. But I am looking forward to working on and writing for the game. We've already been brainstorming about it and there are some fun concepts that could work. I'm definitely interested in video game writing, so this should really be interesting!

The Transporter Writers' Room

2011-05-26T15:17:00.006-04:00

I've had the pleasure of being able to sit in the Transporter writers' room and see the writers break story over the past week. I'd never been in a proper writers' room before, so it was quite interesting to watch the Writers (Joseph Mallozzi, Paul Mullie, Alexander Ruemelin, Rob Cooper and Carl Binder) work their magic. By "magic" I mean efficient story breaking, as well as a massive amount of poo poo and penis jokes.

The process is quite simple. One at a time, the writers will pitch story ideas, and try to get the others excited about the idea. They may reject the ideas outright, or just not be crazy enough about it and move on. Eventually, ideally, one of the ideas hits a note and the room really responds to it, and starts riffing on it. Other writers say "yeah that's great, and how about then the genetically enhanced monkey genius turns on the time travel device and sends Frank back to the age of the dinosaurs" (that is actually the plot of the pilot, so I'm sorry for letting that one out of the bag). Once they find an idea they really like they write it down on the whiteboard, and start hammering out the acts, beat by beat. In Transporter's case, we have four acts (though apparently they're just for us because all the networks will ignore our act breaks), so a person (normally the writer that will end up writing the episode) stands up and writes down the beats of each act as the writers' room develops it. And they do that for each episode. Then one of the writers goes off to write the first draft.

They had already broken and started writing 7 of the scripts before I ever started on the show, so I didn't get to see those get broken. Since there will be 12 episodes in the season they have 5 more to break. In the past week they broke two of those episodes, which Carl and Alex will now go off to write.

In other news, the production company that optioned my pilot Merely Mortal is going to start pitching it to broadcasters in a couple weeks, and will be taking it to the Banff TV Festival next month! For those of you that don't know, Banff is one of the biggest and most influential TV festivals/conferences in Canada, so this is very exciting. And now I'm starting to think of ideas for episode #2 and #3, and to write treatments for those episodes, so they can show them to those prospective networks. So the next couple months should be really interesting!

First optioned script!

2011-05-17T14:11:00.015-04:00

I have reached another important point in my writing career - I have optioned my first script!

That is, it's my first option, but it's also my first pilot. Merely Mortal is a one-hour comedy/action/drama. It's still in the very early stages (I just signed the option agreement at the end of last week), so I'm not going to name the production company just yet, but it is an established Canadian production company, with quite a few feature film and TV series on the air.

Of course, that's great but it's not the end of the grind. An option basically gives the production company the "option" to produce it within a set amount of time. In my case they have 1 year, but they can renew the option for several years after that. Now the production company will go to networks and attempt to pitch it to them. If the Networks want it, then we can go forward with development. If not, then... not. And that's really all I know about the process right now. So this should be interesting! I have heard that they are thinking of pitching it in the US, which is pretty exciting.

This past weekend I also finished my new pilot, Garrotte, which is a western with a twist. I'm really excited about it and the people that have read it really seem to like it. I'm rewriting it now but am planning on sending it out to my agent and then production companies within a week or two.

As for my job on the Transporter, it's going quite well! I'm really enjoying reading the scripts and working with everyone here. What's not to like? The show has fast cars, guns, naked girls and ... what was I talking about?

Job done! New job!

2011-04-18T11:29:00.008-04:00

Well, I'm now finished on Awakening. We wrapped just over two weeks ago, and now they're going into post production. Hopefully they'll get picked up, it's a great show and the cast is awesome (one of which was Titus Welliver from Lost, Deadwood, Sons of Anarchy). It was a great experience working with Bill Laurin and Glenn Davis, who are two great writers/EPs, and nice people to boot!

I've now somehow lucked into another fantastic job, in record time from ending my last contract. In the past two weeks I interviewed for, got, and started the job as Script Coordinator/Writers' Assistant on another show, The Transporter, for HBO/Cinemax. Yes, it's based on the movies that starred Jason Statham, and no he won't be the star. First of all, I'm really excited because it's a series! I've worked briefly on other series, but never for the entirety, and I've never been able to sit in on the writing room while they're breaking story, which I'm really excited about. Also, most other shows I've worked on are American, and with US shows the problem with being a Script Coordinator or assistant is that you will never be in the writing room, because it's in LA, so normally your education is limited to what is outside that room. For aspiring writers, such as myself, that's the downside to working on US shows. But since Transporter is a Canadian/French/German co-production, is being partially shot here and is an English show, the writing room is in Canada, and I get to sit in on meetings and watch how it's done. Very exciting! I will try and share what I learn about the story room process.

I'm working with three writers, Joseph Mallozzi, Paul Mullie, and Alexander Ruemelin. Joseph and Paul are from the Stargate franchise (another movie that was turned into a series), and Alexander is a German screenwriter. They are all hilarious, really nice and are all dorks just like me. I can tell this is going to be fun. I don't actually know how long this contract is going, which is also nice - so far I've been working on short term contracts because they've been mostly pilots, TV movies, ect. Actually being there for the writing, prepping and shooting of 12 episodes of a series will be a nice long run, where I can learn a lot and also not have my wife nag me about getting a more regular job. Also, I've read the first few scripts and the outlines for the first 8 episodes, and this show is going to be awesome. I'm excited to work on it, which I think is important.

Last week was my first week, and as the office hasn't officially opened yet, it was pretty relaxed, as everyone is still in the process of adjusting to the office and developing a rhythm. I find that every production office has it's own, and it takes a bit to find it, but once it happens the office really kicks into high-efficiency gear as everyone knows what and how to do their piece of the puzzle. I really like that aspect of it, the only downside that I've experienced is when you're working on a pilot and create a really great rhythm, then it's all over after 1-2 months. I'm interested to see what happens when you take that and transfer it to a longer period of time.

One of the writers, Joe, also has his own blog, which is updated much more than mine. I will try and take a page from his book and attempt to update more frequently. It should be an eventful experience, so I'm sure I'll have quite a bit to write about!

Update! What whaaat?

2011-02-24T16:20:00.001-05:00

Well I'm long overdue for an update, so I sincerely apologize.

Since we last met, I've continued working as a Script Coordinator, PA and Producer's Assistant on various shows (Blue Bloods, The Yard, Covert Affairs). Right now I'm working as the Assistant to the Executive Producers/Writers on a new pilot for Warner Bros. and the CW called Awakening, about zombies. Zombies! I may have got the job because in the interview I pointed out that at my wedding, 4 of the 7 speeches mentioned my love of zombies. Not even kidding. I just started last week, but everyone here seems really cool so far. The writers of this US show are from Toronto and still live here, so it's good to know that's possible. That's my ideal situation, to work in LA and live in Toronto.

As for my own writing, I wrote a spec of Fringe, and have been writing a one-hour drama pilot, of which I'm about 3/4 finished through the first draft. My agents have been actively getting me meetings and sending out my scripts, and I've been getting a few nibbles. It's nice to get some kind of confirmation that things are going forward in your career, even though there hasn't been any solid, you know, cash money yet. It's an interesting/frustrating/satisfying place that I'm at right now. I have an agent, I am getting meetings, people are liking my pitches/scripts/ideas, and I've been getting really close to writing gigs, but haven't got one yet. One show my agents were trying to get me on said they thought I was a good writer, but they wanted someone that's not quite as "junior". Meaning, that I don't have enough credits yet (or any, to be precise). It is frustrating, because how is a writer supposed to get experience if no one gives them a chance? It makes it so much more difficult when Canadian shows don't have to hire on at least 1 fledgling writer like American shows have to. But, I know that it's just a slog and you have to keep going. If you're good enough, eventually someone will take a chance and you will make it.

Saying that, I might actually have some big news soon, though I don't want to jinx anything. I could potentially have an update on that in the next week or two. We'll see!

Why the hell does that guy have an office?

2010-04-05T11:36:00.009-04:00

Contract completed! And, second imdb credit acquired!

I have finished my job as the Script Coordinator for the CBS Pilot Blue Bloods, and (so far) it seems like I did it without any major fuck-ups. Which is all I can hope for, really.

To be honest, I think I did a good job. And I think that was because I was fast, since I knew my way around Final Draft so well. The writers would essentially hand me a printed script that they had scribbled all over in pencil, various things crossed out, and entire scenes written in the margins of the page, and my job was to first decipher their handwriting, and then enter it into the script in the correct format. So it's also a good thing that I know screenplay format like the back of my hand (thank you Screenwriter's Bible!). I'd quickly put it all in the script, print it out and hand it back to them, and we'd go through this again until they were satisfied. Then I'd release the pages to the crew in the correct revision colour. If there were minimal changes (less than 50% of the pages) then I'd just release pages and people would, for example, put the blue pages in the white script. However, if the changes were major, (more than 50% of the pages) then I'd release the script again as an entirely new colour. Most of the time it was an entirely new colour. There was effectively a brand new script released every three days.

I also dealt with clearances. CBS had hired a research company to double check names of people and organizations, and I had to stay on top of it all to make sure that we had cleared every name by the time we started shooting. We only picked the names of the major characters (Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg's characters) the Friday before the first day of principal photography (which was on Monday). You wouldn't believe how difficult it is to pick a name. It has to be a name that there's either no one in the country with that name, or more than 3 people. Because if there are two people, they might sue you, especially if your character is morally bankrupt.

I started out working in the production bullpen before the writers arrived in Toronto, and I basically was a glorified PA for a couple days. Then when the writers arrived, I found that I was too far away and asked if I could use the office of the Executive Producer, who wasn't arriving for a couple weeks. Thing was, that this was one of the nicest offices on the lot, with big windows and a large mahogany desk. So when the director came by (who directed most of the entire first season of Dexter), he took one look at me and then asked the assistants outside the door, "who the fuck is that guy?". And they said, "oh that's the script coordinator". But that didn't go over well because the director's office did not have a window. Later, I moved into another spare office to be close to the writers and once again every person that passed, including the director, asked "why the hell does that guy have an office?". I even had a couch. I was told that is not the normal script coordinator experience and I shouldn't expect that next time. It was good.

So it was a great experience, I got to work with two of the best writers in the business, witnessed their writing process first hand and made some great connections. Obviously it would be ideal to work on a show that continues shooting in Canada (it's unlikely that they'd bring me to New York as a mere Script Coordinator), but now I know I could handle the job on any show since this was a particularly busy and intense one. That's the drawback of being part of a Canadian crew on a US show - if the US show gets picked up, you probably don't. But as a writer, the experience and contacts are invaluable.

For now, with my new found freedom, I'm going to continue writing specs (I've finished my Fringe spec and am just tweaking it before handing it over to my agent).

Oh, and I'm going to the gym. Film catering is evil; one should not have cake after lunch every day.

Script Coordinator

2010-02-28T23:11:00.005-05:00

I have a job! And it's actually related to TV writing!

Tomorrow is my first day as the Script Coordinator for a new CBS drama pilot, Blue Bloods. It's only a short-term gig (likely one month), as it's just a pilot and not a series, but it's exciting nonetheless; It'll be great experience and should result in a few good contacts. I'm quite excited because the pilot was written by two writers that were previously writers on The Sopranos and the Director did most of the first season of Dexter. I'm going to have to try very hard to restrain my inner fanboy.

From what I understand, the Script Coordinator is the person who liaises between the writers and the production office. They're in charge of the script, making sure it's spell-checked and entering the revisions into the script, and making sure everyone has the most up-to-date copy. They also deal with clearances, essentially making sure that any names or products named in the script are legally cleared for use. They can also write the show bible, but I'm not sure I'd do that for a pilot. I think that's something that's done when a show is picked up. Aside from that, I'm not entirely sure what my day-to-day will be, but I'm excited to be working in such close proximity to the writers, and to be doing something that almost resembles TV writing.

I got this job through cold-calling production offices and asking to speak with Production Coordinators, and just telling them I was looking for more PA work. If I was lucky, they'd ask me to send a resume. Most of the time I never heard from them again... in this case I sent a resume months ago and they recently contacted me as a PA gig came up. I went in for the interview and they saw that I have a lot of experience with Final Draft (which is, by the way, a reason to learn to use Final Draft, as all major productions I've seen so far use it exclusively), and they thought I'd be better suited as the Script Coordinator. Which of course I thought was a great idea, of course.

I'd better get some sleep so I can get a good start tomorrow - I'll update to let you know how it goes!

Dexter, the One that Got Away

2010-02-16T11:16:00.008-05:00

Ben writes,

"... in May of 2008 you were outlining a spec for Dexter... Did you ever finish it?... I've never written a spec before but I'd really like to write one for Dexter ... I'm 23 working as a waiter and have dreams of writing... something. I know that I'll never make a living with it, and probably never even make a dime with it, but it's fun and I would like to do it as a hobby ..."

Well Ben, first of all, yes I was writing a Dexter spec. But no, I didn't finish it. It's actually the only show I've tried and failed to write a spec for. Essentially I couldn't come up with story lines that I was satisfied with (quality-wise and tone-wise), and it was taking me so long that I realized I should move on. Because the thing is that in the real TV world you don't have that long to write a show. Maybe a month. So obviously if you're not working as a full-time writer that's going to take longer but if you can't do that in 2 or 3 months, I think it's time to move on to another spec.

I also just don't believe Dexter is a good spec. My reasons are:

1) It's a highly serialized show. If you saw the season finale you'll understand how difficult it would be to write an episode not connected to any particular season. And once you connect it to a season, it's shelf-life is directly connected to that season. Writing a spec in between seasons is an idea, but as soon as the next season starts your spec is totally useless. It's just easier to choose a show that is more procedural.

2) Dexter is kind of old, for a spec. It's still very popular but it's not the hot new thing, which I think is what people want to read. By this point a lot of people have written Dexter specs, and agents and producers may be tired of reading them. Saying that, as long as a show is on the air, you can spec it.

3) Dexter is a really smart, well-written show with an unusual structure. This means that it's really tough to nail. TV writing requires a mastery of TV structure and Dexter is purposefully written without one. Keep in mind it's a Showtime show, and they don't have commercials. I think you need, as a budding writer, to start with network shows that have commercials and therefore clear act breaks. If you want a challenge, go ahead by all means but I wouldn't recommend it for your first spec. Build up to it. My first spec was a Heroes, but I graduated to a Mad Men (although now I'm writing a Fringe). Start with something simpler. Also, it might be a better example of your ability to follow a particular structure if you write a show that has a clearer structure.

Now as for your personal aspirations, I know exactly how you feel. It's true you might not ever make a dime from it (I haven't yet, and I have an agent). But you should decide whether you really want it before starting it. I think it's the wrong attitude to say you know you'll never make a living from it because you're setting yourself up for failure. Of course it's possible you won't ever make a living from it but you have to believe that ultimately it's also possible that you will succeed. Because the only way you'll ever make it doing this is if you have the motivation to continue to do it unpaid for years until somehow things start to line up through sheer perseverance (and talent, hopefully). Because wanting to do it as a hobby is not enough. Writing TV specs is hard and in the end all you have is someone else's product. The only thing a finished TV spec is good for is to get you a job as a TV writer. So, if you want to write as a hobby, there are a ton of things you would be better off writing that in the end could result in you, say, selling your writing, for example. Like a screenplay or a novel. Because at least then you own your final product. I don't mean to discourage you but to have you think about what you really want to do. Because if it's TV writing you need to be focused about it and know what you're getting into.

Also, in case you haven't already done this, I'd suggest as a first step that you read some books and become familiar with screenwriting and TV writing structure. There are 10 books that I own on the subject and I read two of them (Story and Screenplay) back to back before even attempting to start writing. And I've read most of them more than once. Some books I particularly recommend are:

Story by Robert McKee
Screenplay by Syd Field
Writing the TV Drama Series by Pamela Douglas
Crafty TV Writing and Crafty Screenwriting by Alex Epstein
The Screenwriter's Bible by David Trottier (absolutely indispensable for script formatting - I refer back to this book almost every day)

Again, I hope I haven't discouraged you, because that wasn't my intention. I just think that the only way anyone will ever become successful at something is if they put consistent, steady energy into it, and know the steps they have to take to achieve something. And I hope you realize that this is something you'd like to do, and I hope you get paid! Speaking of which, I hope I get paid too...

A Writer Represented

2010-02-10T13:52:00.005-05:00

I have acquired a literary agent!

I'm now repped by Perry Zimel at Oscars Abrams Zimel. I'm excited to be working with Perry (and Karen, his Literary Associate) for many reasons, one of which is because he works as an agent and a manager simultaneously. This means he'll help me both direct my career and act in my interest with producers, as opposed to just negotiate for me. He represents writers, directors and actors (and more, I believe), and I've heard great things about him by asking around the industry. Plus I met with him and Karen and we all got along great. I think it's kinda awesome that my agent also reps Christopher Plummer. Just saying.

As a point of interest, I was connected to my agent through a referral. Two years ago I was spending my time and money submitting my scripts to competitions, and I read a post by Alex Epstein, which explained "there's only one real kind of screenplay competition, and that's the one every agent and producer runs. The prize is a produced picture. The application fee is nothing." I took his advice and altogether stopped caring about competitions (although fellowships are still good from what I hear). Instead I figured the best way I can get an agent or a job is by becoming as good a writer as I could, and really all that meant was writing lots of spec scripts. So I did. And then I re-wrote and re-wrote and re-wrote and eventually some of those scripts were half decent. One of my friends read them (who also happens to be a screenwriter - this is why networking is key), and told Perry about me, and I was told to drop my scripts off at OAZ. And that's it. I didn't even send a query.

So now I'm represented and it's nice to think that maybe, just maybe I'm not crazy after all. I mean, how do you really know you're any good at anything until there's someone that is willing to professionally bank on it? I might not be entirely convinced until I actually sell something or get hired on a TV show. Even then, I'm not sure I'll ever believe it; I think one of the defining factors of a writer (or any artist, really) is self-doubt. Makes us all introspectey and stuff.

So I'll pretty much continue as I've been doing for the past couple years - writing. I'm finishing up a Fringe spec, and then I'll immediately start writing something else (what that is, I have no idea yet, but I'll discuss that with my agent). And hopefully I'll have some real, actual paid writing work to talk about soon!

I wonder if I'll have to change the title of my blog?

How to Stop Worrying and Love your Job

2009-10-27T12:46:00.011-04:00

The irony is that when I actually have something worth writing about, I don't have the time to write it.

After not getting into the CFC, I had to re-evaluate my year, as I'd essentially pinned all my hopes and plans on it. I immediately decided that I had to quit my day job, as it wasn't in film or TV and was hurting my soul. Most of all, it wasn't giving me time or energy to write, so I was going nowhere by working there.

So I quit with no immediate prospects, and started looking. Some months beforehand I had made cold calls to the productions listed on the OMDC In Production list, and had spoken to a few people and sent out some resumes, but nothing had come of it. There was one person that I'd ended up chatting with more than the others, as they were also an RTA grad, and I sent him an email to say I was looking again. Well my timing was perfect, because he soon replied to say that he was working on a TV movie and they needed assistants. I went for an interview and was hired! So I'm currently the Assistant to the Executive Producer of an American TV movie. This job would never have appeared to me without having made an effort to network, or by following up later with my new contacts.

My boss is an LA producer, who does a lot of stuff for HBO and Showtime (though this specific project is a Sony/Lifetime production). I've been doing the basic admin stuff assistants are expected to do, but she's really taken an effort to make this a learning experience for me. She knows that I want to write and produce, and I've been watching all the script revisions (and how the writing affects and is affected by the production team), the casting process, the entire pre-production process, and the politics between all levels of production. She now has me doing development for her as well (for projects she wants to do after this), and I'm learning how to write coverage. Maybe I can convince her to carry me back to LA in her suitcase...

I had been the assistant to an Executive Producer once before (at a reality TV company) and from that experience I was convinced that I just simply wasn't cut out to be an assistant, all because that particular EP was basically just a cruel and unhappy person. I am glad I took this new position, because I LOVE this job. And while that's partly because I actually want to work in scripted TV, it's mostly because my new boss is awesome, and is kind and a pleasure to work with. And because I'm enjoying myself, doing a good job. Who knew that liking your job was the key to being successful at it?

At the same time, I can see that my boss is unusual in this industry, and even in my office. There is another EP, a Producer and a Director in the office, each with assistants, and mine is definitely the nicest. The other assistants all complain about how unreasonable or sadistic their bosses are. What I can see is that, if you are a boss and have an assistant, you'll get more out of being nice to them, than if you are cruel. Either way, all they want to do is impress you, and they will do whatever you want, as fast as they can. But, if you're mean to them, they'll do this out of fear and hold resentment towards you, and dread coming into work. If you're nice and show appreciation, they will work harder and longer without complaining, and they will feel a strong sense of loyalty to you. I am going to try my damnedest to remember what kind of boss I want to be, when I get there.

As a point of interest, I was partially hired because of my technical skills, with computers, programs, technology in general, ect, and I've kind of become the production's resident tech/IT guy. It never occurred to me how important that might be on a production, but I was chosen over another person because of it. I'll be sure to emphasize it more on my resume from now on. For those of you not particularly technically inclined, try to think of what skills you have that can set you aside from all the other people with exactly the same education and years of experience as you.

So, the CFC would have been a great experience, but if I'd gotten in this year I would never have been able to take this gig, and this experience and contacts I've been generating are invaluable. Hooray for failure!

Large victories are reached by climbing small failures.

2009-08-15T09:56:00.014-04:00

Well, I didn't get in to the CFC this year. I did hear, from people that have taken the program before, that making it to the interview stage is a very significant thing, as they only interview approximately 20 people, 8 of whom are picked for the program. And that this year there were many more applicants than usual (probably due to the economy).

Last week I got a follow-up call from the CFC. They told me that they liked my writing, but that applicants in general were extremely strong this year. They gave me some very insightful notes on my pilot and spec, and implored me to apply again next year. They knew about my writing group (5 of us applied to the CFC, 3 got to the interview stage, 0 got into the program), and they said that having a writing group is a great thing, but that I'm at the point in my skill level where I could use the eye of a professional story editor, someone who does TV writing for a living. Well, OK, I said, that's a great idea but where would I find a person like that? "Oh, we might be able to help you find someone." That blew my mind - that a program I didn't even get into would go to all that trouble! I'm not sure what exactly it entails, but it's certainly above and beyond what is expected of the CFC, and it really gave me a confidence boost.

In agent news, there is a particular Toronto agency that I'm interested in having represent me, and I called them up and they surprised me and asked to see my pilot and resume. I promptly sent those out and quickly got an email back saying that they had read on my resume that I had two specs, Mad Men and Heroes, and asked me to send them both. I was worried, since Heroes was my first spec, and I believe my weakest, but they insisted on seeing them both, so I sent them. About a month later I got a call back, and they said that they thought I had talent, but that my specs were problematic, and then they gave me some great notes. They said in order to take on a writer the writer would have to have 2 TV specs that were at least re-writeable, but unfortunately, the types of corrections I'd have to make would require me to completely re-write the storylines of the specs, so they suggested that I start a brand new spec. In the meantime they said they can't yet offer me representation, but they are willing to read my new scripts and give me notes on an unofficial level. Though of course I had wanted representation, I actually agreed with their notes and jumped at the chance to have them be at all involved with my career. Having professional eyes on my work can only be a good thing, and who knows, it could lead to representation in the future. So now I've decided to write a Fringe spec. Heroes and Mad Men were bad specs to choose, I think, since they are either too serial or too unusual in structure to be a good spec for a new writer such as myself. Fringe, as long as I stay away from the serial elements, will be a good, episodic, normally structured show to show my chops with.

I'd like to note, on the spec vs. pilot debate, that they had not read my pilot. In fact, they couldn't have cared less about it, and it was only on my surprise about that fact that they even offered to read it. They said the reason they don't care about pilots with new writers is that our first job is going to be writing on someone else's show, so it's important that we have 2 specs of other shows that are brilliant.

So all in all, this has been a sobering, humbling past month for me. I've realized that I still have some ways to go before I'm at the level that I thought I already was at. But it's also given me hope because at every point, I have been encouraged and nurtured, even by the people who have turned me down, and this has to mean something. So I carry on.

CFC interview!

2009-07-17T18:12:00.006-04:00

I received a call this morning from the Canadian Film Centre and I've been asked to go in for an interview for their Prime-Time TV Writer's Program! They don't know exactly when yet, but likely over the August long weekend. I was planning a camping trip that weekend, but I'll cancel that eagerly for this.

There were 5 people, including myself, that applied to the CFC from my writing group. Two were given rejection notices on Monday and since then the rest of us have gotten requests for an interview. Of course I was the last person to find out. It sucks for the people that didn't get in because they are both great writers, and for one of them this is the second attempt at applying. Ironically last year they got an interview and they didn't this year even though they felt like their material was stronger. I'm not sure what to make of that, though I was told that there were many more people that applied this year than previous. Perhaps that's because of Denis McGrath, Alex Epstein and other Canadian scribes extolling the virtues of the CFC over the blogosphere?

Past the first gate and closing in on the second!

On the Definition of "Collate" and it's Importance to Scripts

2009-05-15T12:36:00.007-04:00

Yesterday I delivered my application to the Canadian Film Centre's Prime Time Television Program. The time it was due? 5pm. My submission time? 4:59pm.

Cause that's how I roll - on the edge.

That was a monster of an application package, surely bigger than anything else I've ever submitted for anything.

It included:

1 spec script - Mad Men
1 original one-hour drama pilot
my CV
a one-page Letter of Intent
a synopsis of my Mad Men spec, as well as a synopsis of the next spec I want to write
a synopsis of my pilot as well as synopses of two more pilots I want to write
a top 10 list of my all-time favourite shows

Of course, I only realized the night before that I hadn't written the extra synopses, which meant I may have somewhat rushed through them. In the sense that when I did a spell check I found that at least one word had exactly 0 correct letters in it.

Then while I was printing the triplicate copies of my scripts (you had to hand in 3 identical packages) out at 4pm, I found that somehow the printer wasn't set to "collate". I must admit, though I consider myself as the keeper of an above-average vocabulary, I didn't actually know the definition of that word. I certainly know it now.

col·late (k-lt, klt, klt)tr.v. col·lat·ed, col·lat·ing, col·lates

1. To examine and compare carefully in order to note points of disagreement.

2. To assemble in proper numerical or logical sequence.

3. Printing

a. To examine (gathered sheets) in order to arrange them in proper sequence before binding.

b. To verify the order and completeness of (the pages of a volume).

I printed out 3 copies of 2 60-page scripts, but somehow I had only two piles. Each pile was ordered like so: Page 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3 ... and so on, for 360 pages. It was now 4:10, and I knew it would take me at least 15 minutes to drive to the CFC. So I sorted them all out and hopefully I didn't mix the pages up; I didn't have time to go through each script page by page to make sure.

Ordered, bound and clipped, I set out for the CFC. Traffic is clear, until Lawrence and Bayview. At 4:45 I'm stuck in traffic, a 5 minute walk away from the CFC. At 4:50 I'm freaking the fuck out. At 4:55 I'm considering just driving off the bridge and making it all go away. Then traffic starts to move, I almost get in several accidents, and when I finally find the CFC laneway, I park the car and run/jog to the door, getting inside at 4:59pm.

And now I wait.

One week. One Pilot (1st draft, that is).

2009-05-12T12:34:00.006-04:00

It is done!

One week. One pilot. I think that's acceptable in TV land. 2 days until the CFC application is due, and everything is coming along nicely.

I was very happy with my first draft. I'll venture to say it's the best first draft I think I've ever written. And it's also the longest completely original script I've ever written, as it's my first pilot. So with confidence, in the wee hours of last night I sent out the first draft of my original one-hour dramedy pilot, "Merely Mortal", to my writing group. I know there will inevitably be problems to fix because you can never write a perfect first draft, but there weren't any problems I could see. And I think that's an important distinction to make because you should only ever send out a draft for notes if you can't see anything wrong with it. Too many times people send out drafts and when they get notes they say "oh yeah I knew about that", or they preface their script with the warning that they know there's a problem with this, that or whatever. Well if you knew about it why didn't you fix it? I think it's lazy writing to not try and fix everything you can on your own.

I also don't think a first draft should be the very first draft. It's the best you can make it in your first shot. Your very very first draft will likely be your word-vomit. Personally, I like to just write my first draft as fast as I can and then go back and tweak a bit. Three quarters of the way through my story I realized I was missing an entire plot. So I added that in, finished the script, then went back over it and looked for problems. I found some, fixed them and then sent it out.

Having immersed yourself in the research and characters you will have difficulty being objective about your script after a certain point. You need two things to overcome this: other people and time. Other people will point out things that don't make sense or aren't expained well enough. Once you send out your draft, even if you get notes back immediately, wait at least a day before going back and writing the next draft. You'll see your script with fresher eyes and subconsciously your mind is going over and over your plots, and working it out and identifying problems. So when you come back you will probably find you can point out issues you didn't realize existed.

There have already been notes trickling in (thank you guys!) and tonight I will re-attack the script and try and fix those problems. So far it seems it's all minor stuff, no huge structural changes. And that's not surprising because I felt when I sent it out that it was working well structurally.

I think the main point I'm trying to make is to do your own work, and let others help you in the ways you can't already help yourself.

TheSketchers.com website launched!

2009-05-04T12:17:00.004-04:00

Not a huge post today, as I'm still plugging away at my pilot (10 days to go until my CFC application is due! eek!).

I just wanted to let the internets know that my sketch comedy team just launched our brand spankin' new website today! And though there's only one sketch up there at the moment, it is mine, all mine.

Check it out: http://thesketchers.com/

Denis McGrath on TV Specs

2009-04-23T21:57:00.018-04:00

I had the good fortune of attending the Canadian Film Centre information session last Tuesday night, and of hearing the wise words of Mr. Denis McGrath, who was there to talk about how to properly spec a TV show. And though I feel anxious about taking any time from preparing my CFC application (that's due on May 14), I wanted to share some of Denis' fine insights. He had also hosted a similar talk a few weeks ago on April 8th, and though I wasn't there my writing group member Filip was, and I've combined the two sets of notes while trying to organize them into cohesive sections. The following is the result of those notes as well a certain amount of memory and interpretation, so hopefully I don't make any huge mistakes and find myself on the ass-end of a libel suit.

Which show do I spec?

Before deciding to spec a show, make sure it has already found its feet. For example, if you watch early episodes of the X-files it's obvious that they're still feeling out the show, and are playing around with structural and story elements. You want a show that is already fairly consistent from episode to episode, and that sometimes only happens halfway through the 1st season. Shows in their first season are generally not a good idea, unless that show is already a big hit right out of the gate (example: The Mentalist). If that's the case and it's almost guaranteed that it will be renewed, then if you spec that show you'll be in the front percentile for that show and therefore the readers won't be sick of reading that show yet. You have to realize that most of the people reading specs read piles of the same show, and in those cases the only specs that will stand out to them had better be frakin' awesome. You don't want to write a spec after everyone else has already specced that show, because it makes it that much harder for you. However, it's equally important that the person reading your spec has seen the show in the first place, because if they haven't it won't get any traction; therefore the show has to be popular enough to assume that most agents, producers, ect will have seen it. For most shows, a good time to spec it is near the beginning of the second season.

Do not spec your favourite show. You won't be critical, and your internal fanboy will take over, and the script will read like fan fiction. You need to be able to take apart the show, and identify the elements, strengths, and weaknesses. You need to write a dispassionate but good spec. Also, if it's your favourite show when you start writing the spec you will probably ruin your affection for it, just like writing an English report in high school ruined your favourite book.You also can't hate the show, because that will come through if you have contempt for the show and/or think you're writing "down". Ideally you should find a show you have an affinity for but aren't obsessed with.

Be anal about checking ratings. No one wants to read a cancelled show, even if it was just cancelled one minute ago. Sorry.

Good shows to spec

Drama

CSI
Cold Case
Criminal Minds
NCIS
Bones
The Closer
Saving Grace
Law & Order (any one, though you better have something good)
House - problem is that it's been done to death, so it had better be good. And if your sister in law isn't a doctor, don't bother. The medical stuff has to be spot on.
Mad Men
Hannah Montana - if you want to do kids stuff, great. But remember that the industry, especially Hollywood, loves to pigeonhole. Writing one of these would probably do that to you.
True Blood
Big Bang Theory
Numb3rs
Without A
Supernatural Trace
Big Love

Comedy

American Dad
Family Guy
Ugly Betty
Big Bang Theory
Chuck (really good)
Samantha Who
How I met your Mother
Entourage
Weeds
Simpsons

30 Rock might not be a good show to spec, because it seems to be 4 different shows at different points, depending on Tina Fey's mood. Therefore it's kinda hard to nail.

Though this should not be true, it's probably not wise to spec a Canadian show. It's a wierd situation in the Canadian TV scene because there's a lot of pettiness. Since it's such a small industry, producer for Show A may not like the producer from Show B, and then your brilliant spec of Show B is useless. On top of that, the producers and writers in Canada often don't watch each other's shows; Canadians can be self-hating about our own content, and this includes the people making the content. This all boils down to the unfortunate truth that with all the baggage associated with Canadian TV you simply have a better chance if you spec an American show. Saying that, the two Canadian shows that are likely best to spec are Flashpoint and Being Erica (though you should only reference this show after episode seven).

Deconstructing a TV show

You want to watch and deconstruct 2-4 episodes of the show. One or two may not tell you what the patterns are but the more you see the more you can see the structure underlying all the episodes. Get scripts but if you can, ignore the pilot script, as it's likely not indicative of the show's tone and structure.

Steps

Go through each of these episodes and write a skeleton - how many scenes, how many plots (A-, B-, C-), when do the plots kick in, what does the show do off the top?
How many scenes are there per act? Create a chart where you get the exact timings of the scenes.
Break down the main and secondary characters, who are they, what are their characteristics, what are their stories?
Ask: are the A-, B-, C- plots tied together thematically? Where exactly does the climax of each plot come?
Look at the act outs, what type of beat do they go to commercial on?
Ask: Do the characters change at all? If so, to what degree?
If it’s a humorous show, what kind of humour is it? (i.e. cruel, uncomfortable, slapstick, witty). Also ask, do they use callbacks? Buttons? Rule of Three? Who gets the jokes, and how many times? For a comedy, do not impose your specific type of humour on the show, rather, try and mimic the style of humour the show already uses.
Break down how many locations there are. Ask: how many scenes are on the “home sets”? Do not exceed these numbers in your spec.
Exercise: Is there another angle not listed above that you can use to break down the show with?
With all this information, reverse engineer a beat-sheet for each episode.

A good exercise is to deconstruct Shakespeare's Macbeth by following the above guidelines, as Macbeth has a fantastic 5 act structure, and you'll learn a lot.

Preparing to Break Story

Have the basic rules down for the show. Capture the true voices of the characters; show the twists and turns in the same place and way as the show; write with the same themes in your storylines. However, you are not writing just any episode of the show. You are not reaching for mediocrity. Your spec has to have that "X-factor", it has to be an above average episode. Denis told us a story about a recent girl being hired onto a Canadian show, and the showrunner told Denis that her spec was the best spec that he had ever read. That's what we're up against.

Don't annoy the reader or make their job difficult. For a cable show like Dexter, or an otherwise highly serial show, a lot of people make the mistake of trying to place it "between episodes 3 and 4 of the 2nd season" (Trevor's note: I did that with my first spec, a Heroes. Woops!). Think about how annoying that would be for the person reading it, to try and figure out where it is in the timeline. There are two ways to spec these kinds of show 1) do a completely stand-alone episode or 2) write the first episode of an imaginary season. You can even have some elements that don't get resolved, like in any season opener. That should free you up creatively as well.

Do not fuck the world. Remember you are not there to fix the show, and you are not writing fan fiction.

Don't make the episode about the guest character. Guests are supposed to reveal aspects of the main characters. However, you can focus your spec on a little-used regular character. If you think of a story that would go perfect with Angel from Dexter, for example, then that could impress.

You need to know why people love a particular show, and you need to deliver that. People watch serial shows because they fall in love with the characters. People like to watch David Caruso take off his sunglasses. Don't deny them that.

The first 20 pages are crucial. But, the first 10 are even more important. The beginning needs to be exciting, vibrant, and page-turning, because every ten pages are a negotiation; you're constantly negotiating whether or not they are going to read the next 10 pages.

There are 3 basic skills to be a TV writer:

being a good writer
being good in a room - have the ability to give and take ideas
being good at pitching

A true introvert will have immense trouble being a TV writer, as it is a highly social job. At a certain point in your career it will be assumed that you are a good writer, and at that moment, the other two skills become much more important. If you think you are too introverted, a good way to counter that is by taking acting classes (it doesn't matter if you don't want to be an actor, but it will help you become used to standing in front of people and talking). Otherwise, maybe you should think about film.

I hope that was as useful to you as it was to me! Back to writing!

TV Tropes

2009-04-14T23:36:00.004-04:00

Exactly one month to the CFC application deadline.

I just found this incredibly useful wiki site, TV Tropes, which identifies tropes and idioms in television writing. Which is great, because that's freaking useful, but it also sucks, because I've suddenly realized how derivative my pilot is (so far). I've been thinking of weaving in an Adam and Eve plot into my post-apocalyptic drama. Great.

That being said, the site explains on the home page that it's not about pointing out cliche's and making fun of them (though it does periodically do this), but it's looking to identify and celebrate TV devices and conventions. Look up any of your favourite shows and you'll see that they all borrow from these storytelling tricks.

So, it doesn't matter that the world of my pilot has already been created in previous shows or films, it just matters that I can infuse my characters and situations with as much life and originality as possible. Every thing's been done, so all you need to do is re-package it in a fresh way. That's actually quite freeing; I've been trying to come up with a truly original concept for a pilot for the last month, and each time I come up with one I realize it's been done. Now I can finally stop looking, pick a damn scenario and make it my own.

Everybody Look at Me, Cause I'm Sailing on a Boat!

2009-04-07T15:48:00.003-04:00

me, originally uploaded by Trevor Finn.

38 days until the CFC application is due. And I still don't have a pilot.

I've been flip-flopping like Andy Samberg about what kind of pilot to write. I came up with an idea about a week ago for a post-apocalyptic TV show, and I think I'm liking that. But then I started thinking about this other idea, a noir-influenced procedural. And now I'm back to wanting to do the post-apocalyptic one.

My idea is like Jericho, but much, much darker. Essentially the show I would have liked Jericho to be. The tone is probably closer to BSG than anything else. I won't give more details because I'm still hammering them out but I was influenced by Cormac McCarthy's The Road, as well as the video game Fallout 3, so if you've come across either of those you know what I'm talking about. Cannibals!

But I was concerned that this would be too dark. One of my writing group members pointed out that people don't want dark right now; they want light, fluffy stuff to contrast with the bleak fiery wasteland that is our day to day existence. However, while that may be true, our economy won't always be in the shits; people will want their bleak shows again. And I'm writing this primarily to get into the CFC, where I will write more pilots anyway, and all they want to know right now is that I can create and write an interesting show. And I think it's always best to write what you most feel like writing, because you never know what will be hot in two months, and if you like what you're writing that comes out. And if I force myself to write light and fluffy drama I might just throw myself into the water.

On the completely opposite side of the writing spectrum, I've recently joined a Sketch comedy troupe, The Sketchers, as a writer and performer, along with a large group of about twenty other people. We've been going for a month now, have already filmed five sketches, and are working on the second five, all of which will be available May 1 on www.thesketchers.com. The plan after that is to release 5 or more sketches per month and build up an online presence. I've been told the others are interested in doing an online comedy series, so I'll likely start developing one of those after I've dealt with the CFC thing.

Apocalypse, now!

Finish the Spec, Save the World

2009-03-04T13:00:00.006-05:00

I finished my Mad Men spec! This time with all the words in it and everything!

A few weeks ago I'd sent it out to my writing group 2/3 complete, and from that I took their notes, re-shuffled my index cards and completed the script. It's sitting exactly at 60 pages, like a good little drama. And I thought it would be short. I'm presenting to my group again on Saturday, so I just sent out the newest, complete script to everyone.

I did end up going back to the 5-act system, though. I apologize for the flip-flopping, but that's part of the process, OK? The three-acts didn't feel, I dunno, TV enough. Maybe I should post my spec online, and link to it here on my blog. I don't know if there's a point in having it registered with the WGC though, since I can never sell it anyway. And why would someone steal a TV spec?

This means I am 50% to my goal of the two scripts needed to apply to the Canadian Film Centre for the Prime-Time Writer's Program starting next September. It requires one TV spec and one original script (I'm going with spec pilot), so the latter is what I'm now going to concentrate on. So all I need now is a brilliant, original, commercial idea with a great hook and complex, compelling characters! And who doesn't have those?

In comedy news, this week I also joined a sketch comedy group, the Sketchers, who are in the process of creating an online SNL-like show to be posted once a month on sites like Funnyordie.com, youtube, ect, and possibly on our own website. Even though I want to write hour-long drama, I still have a comedy bug I need to explore. And I decided I also have to try my hand doing stand-up, possibly at Yuk Yuk's amateur night. Because I'm masochistic. Maybe I can convince my sister to come. She laughs at everything I say.

Introducing the first Tele-Director

2009-02-18T11:58:00.009-05:00

I had my first directing gig this past weekend. And I wasn't even there.

The doc/corporate video company that I've been recently writing scripts for was hired by a giant metal processing company based in Toronto, but with satellites all over Canada and the US, to make videos for several arms of the company for their annual meeting. Each video is supposed to show what each arm has accomplished in the past year, and this particular division was the Mid West, based out of Detroit. They told us all the major points they wanted included in the video, so I took that and wrote a comedic 5 minute script around it, that has the Detroit office start a Powerpoint presentation in their boardroom that slowly morphs into an episode of Star Trek (with a little Star Wars for good measure). Their presentation screen turns into the bridge monitor from the Enterprise, their cellphones are communicators, and they have to expand outward from the post-apocalyptic wastes of Detroit (their light speed travel displayed by the "star field" screen saver on most Windows computers of course).

And my producer, Bob, likes the script so much that he says I should go and direct it in Detroit! Fantastic!

Then we get to the border. Apparently we don't have the right working papers to get into the US. This confounded Bob as he's been doing videos in the US for twenty or so years and has never had a problem at the border before. We were hiring an American crew, and just coming in to oversee the production. We thought that since we weren't actually getting physically paid in the US to do the job that it was OK for us to go in and obviously that was wrong. So they kept us for 3 hours at the border while they "processed" us, taking our photos and our fingerprints (!), so now we are officially in the Homeland Security system. They claimed that this won't affect us getting back into the US, should we have a good reason or proper papers, but I get the feeling that I'm always going to have a hassle from now on. Sigh.

So we retreated to a hotel near the border in Sarnia, and tried but failed to reach anyone in Detroit, because by now it was midnight. The crew and the office staff were going to show up at 7:30am, so what would we do? We decided to go to sleep, of course.

At 6:30am we got a call back from our DP, Ed, and we asked him if we could try directing by phone from Sarnia, and surprisingly he was all for it. I fortunately had done a lot of prep, having done thorough storyboards and a shot list. I faxed everything to him and then he would call me before setting up a shot and I would tell him how I wanted it done, how it should be acted, ect. Then he'd do it and call me with the next one. And it went fast; he finished early. Of course, I have yet to see a single frame, so I have no idea what it actually looks like but the actual shooting day went extremely well, and it could have been a complete disaster.

I have to say, after the border ridiculousness, it was a very comfortable experience directing from my hotel room. I think I may be the only Director I know of that has not been present for the actual production. Well, physically anyway. Is this a new fad? Maybe Roman Polanski can follow my lead and start Tele-Directing in the US?

Mad Men Speccing - Part 2

2009-01-27T12:34:00.003-05:00

Things have changed for my little spec. I sent out my beat sheet to my group, and it was largely well received, except one of my group members, Deb, suggested that perhaps my A story was actually my B story and vice versa. Well, I completely agreed with her so I shortened the A and lengthened the B story. I was wary to give Peggy the A story but she has had it before, and that story really does have more weight to it.

Then it became clear to me that Mad Men is not written with 5 acts, but 3. Which should not have surprised me since the writers don't conform to any other TV drama rules, why would they care about the normal 5 act structure? So I reworked the beats with 3 acts, each act being about 14 minutes long, and that felt more natural so I think I'm on the right track.

I set out to actually put pen to paper yesterday. Since my first draft is due to my group by Monday, I have essentially 7 full days to write it. Yesterday I wrote 5 pages. An average Mad Men script is about 60 pages. So if I write 7-8 pages per day, I'll be fine. Of course, I'm talking about writing an episode of the most subtle and complex show on TV in one week flat, so obviously my first draft will be perfect.

Mad Men Speccing

2009-01-08T11:47:00.008-05:00

I finished my Mad Men spec's beat sheet, and sent it out to my writing group. Mad Men is an interesting creature, and deconstructing the show and writing the plots was very different from my Heroes spec experience.

Mad Men does use 5 acts, but they don't work like true acts. I was confused when I got the scripts (unfortunately only from the 1st season); in the scripts there are no act breaks yet it's written for networks that have commercial breaks. I wrote my beat sheet with the act breaks but I'll just take them out when I put it to script. However, even though there are acts, they aren't typical. There are no cliffhangers, and the tension is compounded very subtly (totally different from Heroes, which has a very physical, obvious ratcheting up of stakes). Not to say there isn't drama - there's lots, but the drama here is often internal, in what people aren't saying or doing. Sounds boring when you say it like that, but it really isn't. Mad Men is written more like a film than a TV show; though it's written as five distinct pieces each episode needs to be viewed as a whole.

And going along with the theory that there are no true act breaks, I've even found that AMC and CTV in Canada use slightly different spots to insert commercials. And though I mapped out the plots of several different shows, there seems to be no clear pattern of scene order or length. I found this to be the same case with Dexter, where I know that the writers make a conscious decision to place the scenes where they belong best in each story, without much regard for any "structure".

However, I did discover that the plots themselves follow a structure (in length). There are typically about 24 scenes in an episode. The A plot is always about Don, and the tragedy of his life. This plot is always the longest, let's say 12 scenes. The B plot is less, maybe 8 scenes, and the C plot is usually about 4 scenes. Then there are runners which I don't think are particularly necessary as they usually deal with season archs.

For simplicity, I am only writing A, B and C. My A plot is about Don & Betty, my B plot is based around Peggy and the "ad of the week" and my C plot is about Salvatore exploring his... options.

I've structured it like so (which will probably change):
Act 1: A/B/B/A/A
Act 2: C/C/B/A/A
Act 3: B/B/A/C/A
Act 4: A/B/A/A/B
Act 5: B/B/A/A/C/A

Thinking up plots for Mad Men was fun. First I did extensive research on the 1960s in general, 1960s advertising, Madison Avenue, race relations, gay culture, and the changing morality of the times. Then I tried to think of what would be the most interesting, visceral thing to happen to the characters of the show within this period. I tried to keep with the show and have it be more about internal conflict than external, though there is still plenty of both. After thinking up various different plots, I had to ensure all the plots and the "ad of the week" were tied into themes that resonate with each other as well as society today.

Mad Men is a period piece but it's like good science fiction - it's showing our society through a prism. It may look very different at first glance but it's supposed to be showing us, and the themes and plots for a spec of the show have to reflect that.

I Call Bullshit on Internships

2008-12-16T10:48:00.009-05:00

I have a job again.

Or at least, I have the same job again. I got a call this morning that they want me to come back in January as a writer for the corporate video/doc company. They don't know how long for. Or even how much work there is. But I'm just glad to not have to compete in the blood bath that is our TV industry right now.

And, just as a side note, as someone that has been scouring job postings for the past couple weeks with little or no luck, how useless is Craigslist (or the internet for that matter)? Not the site itself, it seems like a good space for posting, but there are just no good jobs posted. I'd find a gig that read like my perfect position and then find that it's a 3-month volunteer internship. For God's sake, pay your PAs, researchers, script assistants at least minimum wage.

In fact, I'm going to go out on a limb here and call bullshit on internships. I don't mean that all internships are bullshit. Those that are part of school, fine. Those that you can do part-time or telecommuting, while working a paying job, OK. And if they are teaching you valuable lessons about your chosen career, great! But those that have you come to work for 8+ hours a day, after you've graduated from University or College and have rent, food, and student loans to pay back, and who could hire someone for $9/hour but don't want to spend the money, that is slavery.

Let's just think about this - you're working full-time, doing bitch-work for no money with the possibility that you could be hired on to be paid afterwards. In the US there's the Fair Labor Standards Act, which says that there are 6 conditions to be met in order for an internship to be legal. The two most important rules are that an intern cannot do the same work as a regular employee, and that the employer must not obtain "immediate advantage from the activities of the student." So your photocopy and FedEx internship is not only a waste of time, it's illegal.

Anyway, this blog post is much longer than I'd originally intended. I certainly didn't plan on linking to a government website.

And the ironic thing is, even though this is my opinion about the industry at large, if I was offered an internship on a scripted TV show, I'd take it and shut the hell up. *sigh*

In My Mind, I'm Very Special

2008-12-15T12:29:00.008-05:00

I got into the CFC last night. I wrote my specs, applied, went to the interview, and was accepted (on the spot).

And then I woke up.

My morning yogurt depressed me, because it was not a yogurt of celebration. But at least now I feel like I've already done a practice round.

I should probably explain that I have decided to apply to the CFC Prime-Time Television Program for Sept 09. I'm slightly daunted by the fact that they accept 8 people a year, but in my mind I'm very special so I figure I've got a shot.

I've also decided, after flip-flopping like John Kerry (too late?), that I'm going to write a Mad Men spec. Even though it's probably one of the toughest shows to nail, it's the only one I really want to take a crack at. And I've heard that if you can nail a Mad Men, you're golden. And golden is what I want to get into the CFC. So stay tuned for a Mad Men deconstruction.

Ink Drinks

2008-12-08T14:03:00.009-05:00

Went to the "Ink Drinks with Jim Henshaw" event on Saturday and it was great! Basically it was an excuse to get a whole bunch of TV writers (pro and burgeoning) together to have drinks and chat. And naturally, most of what we talked about was TV. I'd only been to one other TV writer event, the Writer's Watching TV series a couple weeks ago, but I didn't really talk to people much there, as I just watched the show, heard the writers talk and then went home. This event on Saturday however was an entirely social experience. It's nice to be around people that think about the same things I do; mostly when I'm around my family and friends I bore them to tears with talk about the industry, which is almost all of the time. About 13 people showed up while I was there. I wasn't sure what to expect, I thought maybe we'd just be listening to Jim talk but actually he didn't dominate the conversations at all, but was there to talk to us about his experiences, and whatever we wanted to talk about. Also, Denis McGrath showed up, which was a pleasant surprise since I'd missed the last Ink Drinks event where he was the official guest. Denis is as animated and passionate about Canadian politics and the industry as he is on his blog, which makes him perfect for facilitating great conversations (not that a group of opinionated writers need much facilitating, but still). Also present were some members of my writing group, including Ink intern (and organizer of the event) Brandon. I highly suggest any writers in Toronto (or any other cities that have these kind of functions) check these events out in future. I'll definitely be at the next one.

I really have been amazed recently at the usefulness of Facebook when it comes to career networking. I'd never heard of these events until a few weeks ago when Alex Epstein mentioned the Canadian TV Writing group on Facebook, Ink Canada. Until recently I was the only person I knew actively trying to become a TV writer (despite having taking Radio and TV at Ryerson), and I had no idea how to meet other TV writers. Since reading that post a few weeks ago I've joined a TV writer's group, attended two industry events and increased my network within the scripted TV industry exponentially. For anyone interested, the facebook page for Ink Canada (a group for TV, film, and new media writers) is here.

As for how my career is doing right now, it's not pretty. I just finished my contract with the doc/tribute/roast production company. I have enough cash to carry me through January on a pauper's budget, so I can apply for work until then but in reality the industry seems to be in the toilet right now. With the 300+ people just laid off from Much Music, CanWest, and who knows how many others, I'm now competing with people with much more experience than I have. I'm hoping that in January when production starts up again I can get an assistant job with a scripted series, but realistically I may need to keep my eye on reality and lifestyle opportunities as well. So I guess I'll also be looking for assistant, researcher, writer and Associate Producer positions with those kind of companies.

Of course, I could also end up walking down the street wearing a sandwich board for Pizza Pizza. Which is unfortunately more likely.

One Writing Group, Two Writing Group

2008-11-24T16:12:00.005-05:00

A brand spankin' new group!

The meeting on Saturday went swimmingly, I think. 7 of us showed up and discussed what we'd be looking for in a group and I think we're all on the same page. Two members are currently in the CFC Prime Time Writer's program, several others are in various stages of our writing careers, and one person is actually a seasoned writer and showrunner, so the group is quite varied in experience levels. Because I feel so strongly about this group, I've already quit the other.

We've decided that since this is a TV-writing group, it should be devoted to all things TV. So, no short films or features, just specs and spec pilots. We're meeting every 2 weeks on Saturdays. I'm not presenting for a few weeks but I'd better figure out soon what I want to write next - most likely a spec pilot.

Peter, one of the CFC students, gave me a list created by Meridian Artists in Toronto that lists all current TV shows and their speccability. It's 5 months old, but still pretty useful, and discusses why each show is or isn't good to spec. I should have read it first before trying Dexter. It's labelled "not a good show to spec" for the reason that it's hard to spec because of the season archs. Well yeah I see that now! I'm surprised that House and The Simpsons (for animation) are still considered good shows to spec. I'm thinking after my pilot, I'll write a True Blood. Just started watching it and it's great.

I don't think my excitement about True Blood carried through there. It's FUCKING AWESOME. Race relations between vampires and humans in the American South, and created by Alan Ball? Brilliant!

Writers Watching TV

2008-11-21T15:09:00.004-05:00

Last night I went to my first Writer's Watching TV series, put on by the WGC. It was held at Camera on Queen W., in the screening room, and it was packed full. They screened two episodes of Flashpoint, the CTV/CBS production, and then afterwards had a discussion with the creators, Stephanie Morgenstern and Mark Ellis.

I really think I've been underestimating Canadian TV, because I admit I hadn't seen the show before and I thoroughly enjoyed both episodes. They've managed to infuse a procedural with a high degree of emotional weight and moral complexity. It was interesting to be in a room full of writers watching the show because the questions asked were much more focused than a regular crowd's would have been. I thought the event would be mostly aspiring writers, but in fact it seemed to be largely composed of established writers. Interesting then, that those that have already broken in find it educational to go and listen to their peers speak about the craft. Obviously then it's important for those of us not already part of the Guild, so I'm going to make an effort to go to these as often as I can.

Stephanie and Mark talked about switching from acting to writing and they solidified my intention to go and audition as an actor. I know being an actor helps you as a writer, but they brought up another point which was that when you are in auditions you are constantly reading scripts. Next to being a pro reader, that's probably the next best way to read the best and worst scripts out there.

On another note, I'm thinking about switching writing groups. My current group is composed entirely of screenwriters, and I'm the lone TV writer. As well, I'm not sure about the skill level or seriousness that my current group members possess. While some of them are more talented and more serious about becoming a pro than others, I feel like they are outweighed by the hobbyists. I need to find people that are as serious about it as I am - this is what I want to do for a career. And though screenwriting and TV writing are related, I think the two spheres use different skill sets and therefore I need to find a group that can help me grow as a TV writer. Saying all that, I may have found one. Through Ink Canada on Facebook (I knew it was good for something!) I've signed up with a few others to meet tomorrow and talk about possibly setting up a TV Writer's group. Exciting!

Dinner and Criticism

2008-11-13T09:58:00.006-05:00

I haven't actually started writing my next spec because for the last few weeks I've been sending out my short script, getting notes and re-writing it. The most help, even more than my writing group, was my cousin Kevin. He works in the industry as an assistant to a prominent Toronto producer, and so he reads a ton of scripts. I asked him to take a look at mine and we sat down for dinner the other night.

Kevin told me that there are two things he does when he gets a script: 1) he looks at the title and 2) he looks at the final page to see how long it is. That gives him an idea of whether or not he's going to enjoy reading it and sets his mood about it. Well, I didn't pass his litmus test as he told me that he didn't like my title, The Hunt, (it's boring) and the "short" script is too long. It's currently 17 pages, and he suggests that I cut it down to 10.

After that, he gives the script about 5 pages to hook him. If it doesn't, it goes directly into the recycling box. 5 pages? I thought it was 10. Fortunately I passed that test, as he said I kept him interested all the way through. He did say that the idea was really strong and original, and could make a great short film, but that it needed work. For example, my characters need to be fleshed out and made 3 dimensional. He also didn't like my opening and thought I revealed too much exposition through dialogue. However, he was crazy about my ending, so that's really good. So, I'm back to re-writing, but I have a definite idea of where I'm going.

Interestingly Kevin told about the difference between the Canadian and US relationships between screenwriters and production companies. With his production company (and apparently most Canadian companies) they don't option a script until they know it's ready. So they'll develop a relationship with a screenwriter, give them notes and guide them through re-writing, and months later when it's ready, they'll option the script. The idea is that we have more limited money in Canada so if they option a script for a year and it takes a year to re-write then they've wasted that money. However they still give the screenwriter money if he needs it, so I'm not entirely sure why they don't just option it (or how agents fit in here?). Apparently this doesn't always work out, which isn't that surprising. Kevin told me about a recent case where he was helping a screenwriter with development notes and over a year helped the writer to craft the story into something really good and got his bosses interested in it, however Kevin's prod co never optioned it. To complicate things, since the writer was an actor, he wanted to have it in his contract that he would also be an actor in the film. Kevin told me that they couldn't promise that - how can you bring on a director and then tell them that you've already casted his film? So the writer took the finished script to a different production company who optioned it immediately and would promise the writer that he'd be in it. Apparently this was a bad decision on the writer's part as Kevin's prod co is one of the biggest in T.O. and now holds a grudge against the writer as a writer and an actor.

Bringing this back to me (me me always me), I've realized that I probably shouldn't write a spec pilot just yet. I'm going to keep writing TV specs (of existing shows) until I can write any spec for any show in 2 months. Then I'll write my own pilot. So for my next spec I'm trying to decide between Terminator: SCC or Mad Men. I realize these are drastically different shows, and that Mad Men is definitely more difficult/complex to write, but if I can nail a Mad Men I think that would be more impressive than a Terminator. And I think I just answered my own question there.

short film scripts make good rolling paper

2008-10-26T23:54:00.006-04:00

Ok, finished writing my short film, The Hunt. It's a dark dramedy about a recent grad violently looking for work after university. I presented it to my writing group this week and I got very positive feedback, which is somewhat unusual in my group. Since then I've sent it out to a few people in the industry, but I'm still trying to figure out what to do with it. Sell it? Just try to get a student to make it? Keep it as a sample? Use it as rolling paper?

I've been mulling over what to do for my next project, and before I get to another TV spec of a current show, I'm going to write a spec pilot. A pilot has a much longer shelf life than a spec; since you want your TV specs to be as up-to-date with the series as possible, it makes more sense to do the pilot first. One thing I'm unsure about however is whether to do a half-hour comedy or hour-long drama. I'm leaning towards a half-hour comedy even though I want to write hour-long drama as a career (though in Canada we are able to do both). I think that what they want to see in a pilot is originality and talent. And if I was to follow it up with 2 specs of hour-long dramas then I know I'd be set.

When to Quit

2008-09-27T18:26:00.006-04:00

No, I'm not thinking about quitting writing. Writing is my nature, and it's what I do best. If I stopped doing that, then... well that would be depressing.

Instead, my question revolves around specific scripts. When do you give up if it's going nowhere? And what does it mean if you give up? Does it mean you aren't a good writer?

I've been writing my Dexter spec for almost 6 months now, writing and re-writing the plot points. That is about 2-3 times too long. You should be able to conceive, plot and write a TV spec in 2 months (though I think 3 months is OK if you have a full-time job). And I hadn't even started writing the script. So I decided yesterday, painfully because I've put so much time and energy into it, that I'm giving up my Dexter spec. I knew that Dexter would be a tough nut to crack, as it's one of the most complex shows on TV, but it's one of my favourites and so I gave it a shot. I came up with storyline after storyline, but very few of them really spoke to me. So I re-wrote and re-wrote, and eventually I think I got sick of it, which made me neglect my writing. If this were a film script, I'd put it to the side, turn to another script and come back when I felt refreshed, but this is a TV spec that is already approaching the expiration point, as the 3rd season begins tomorrow.

Now, it's also been difficult for me to let this script go because a point of a spec script is supposed to be that you are showing that you can write anything. If you're hired on to freelance for a show then you can't just *not* write it. But perhaps that is the point: I'm still learning. Maybe I should have done Dexter as my 3rd or 4th spec; maybe it was too much to bite off right now. I'd only written a Heroes spec before, and that is a much simpler show on many levels: plot, dialogue, structure, morality. While I feel shame for admitting this, I realize that when you're hired on a series you break story with the room, and then write the script around that predetermined story. This is another reason I think that 3 months for a spec is more fair than the 2 month limit. So what I need is a show that is more basic, at least in structure (part of the problem with Dexter is I had a lot of trouble figuring out the acts, and I found out later that the writers practically ignore acts). So for my next attempt, instead of doing a Mad Men, perhaps it would be better to write a Terminator: SCC spec.

But before I begin another spec, I need to create something. I can't go this long without writing a script, so I'm going to write a horror/comedy short that I've had percolating in my head for a while. A short script will give me some much needed creative release, but also will add another completed work under my belt. Never underestimate a sense of accomplishment!

Update: Saw the 3rd season Dexter premiere, and my spec would have been completely useless now, because my B plot was introduced at the end of the episode! At least it means my ideas are spot on...

Quill and Ink

2008-09-17T19:06:00.001-04:00

Quill and Ink, originally uploaded by Trevor Finn.

I'm back from my 2-week trip to Italy! On one hand that's depressing, but on the other hand I didn't get a chance to write the entire time I was there, and for a writer that's excruciating.

So, while I was there I confirmed my writerdom by getting this pretty feather quill and ink for my desk. I have no idea how to use it, let alone write in courier font, plus I'm left handed so even if I did know how to use it, I'd smudge the ink all over everything anyway.

But, it looks pretty, and it will give me luck.

As for the career front, I started my first week of being a paid writer/producer this week, for the company I mentioned before, that does corporate tribute videos. Meaning if a CEO is retiring from the company, we're who they hire to make the video either celebrating or lampooning them. So you can imagine the sheer lengths to which I can stretch my storytelling and comedic muscles. I self-deprecate, but actually, I do like it. I can actually say I'm a writer. I can't say I'm writing what I want, or getting paid how I want, I'm not in the Writer's Guild and am not even writing for broadcast TV but damnit I'm a writer!

Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

2008-08-28T19:47:00.006-04:00

I'd been hearing good things about Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, so I picked up the first disc from Blockbuster.

And... I'm not really sure how I feel about it. Perhaps I was expecting to be blown away like I was for the pilots and first few episodes of Battlestar, LOST, Dexter or even Mad Men. Maybe because I know the story of John Connor through so many films, it's just not fresh to me. Although, I must say that Lena Headley is a total MILF (those are actually my girlfriend's words) and Summer Glau is cyborg-next-door fantastic as a sexy but naive Terminator.

Granted, I've only seen the first two episodes, and will watch the third tonight. I know that a show can take a while to hit it's stride and pick up steam. I do like it enough to continue watching it for now, so we'll see where it goes. Don't get me wrong, it is exciting. It's visceral in the punch-you-in-the-nuts variety, but I'm still waiting for the emotional meat. I'm an omnivore, you know?

Update: I'm on disc 3, and it's getting good. Really good. It's not Battlestar Galactica, but there is some serious man/machine conflict, and not just the physical kind. Guess it just needed time to ferment.

Will Spell-Check for Change

2008-08-21T17:26:00.009-04:00

I am sorry, blog.

I have been neglectful of my blog these past few weeks, because things in my life have become increasingly, maddeningly busy. My new writing gig has begun part-time on top of my full-time non-industry day job (which I just gave my 2 weeks for! woo! that felt good). I'll start with the prodco full-time in mid-Sept, as I'm going on vacation to Italy for the first 2 weeks of the month. So I'd better get blogging before I go. For that matter, I'd better get writing in general - I'm not bringing my laptop so that will be 2 weeks without writing a single courier font character. This will be painful. I played with the idea of heading to an internet cafe each day but taking a holiday means taking a holiday. As a writer, all writing is work, and if you work on vacation then I think you're not really taking a vacation. Ideas and brains can get old, stale and cobwebby and I think a periodic cleanse can bring clarity.

On top of this, I'm launching a guerrilla marketing company with a friend. Because I think to make money in Canada as a screenwriter, you always need to have your hands in different picnic baskets. Especially when you're starting out. I did acquire a full-time writing/producing gig with the prodco, but it's only a 3-month contract and therefore expires in mid December. It took me 8 months to get that job since my last industry job, so while I know each credit makes it easier to get the next I'm not fooling myself. I know I could end up scrambling in December, so I'm taking some precautions: 1) starting to search for my next job now and 2) taking any other opportunities to earn money, as long as they don't conflict with writing. Maybe I should start a paper route?

Huzzah!

2008-08-02T11:33:00.006-04:00

My first paid writing gig!

I've been hired by a production company that makes tribute and roast videos. Essentially companies, or people, hire out this company to create a doc/mockumentary about someone, usually for their retirement, birthday or whatever occasion. So I'll research, write and associate-produce these videos. I get to be funny, and be paid for it.

The producer asked me to write a sample roast and tribute for him, essentially 2 10-page shorts written in documentary format. He liked them, so told me this morning that he would be using me as a writer.

Of course, this is the tv-writing equivalent of a wedding singer. But it's a definite resume and contact builder.

Slow News Day

2008-07-28T13:16:00.009-04:00

I had the chance this weekend to read the winning spec of the Script P.I.M.P. TV competition. It's a Dexter spec entitled "Slow News Day", written by Ryan Harris & Brian Lubocki. I was interested for 2 reasons, one being that I didn't win the competition and wanted to read the script that did, and second being that I'm currently writing a Dexter spec myself, and have been having trouble with it.

First of all, the script flows, and fast. I read it in one sitting, almost by accident; I just wanted to take a look and read it later but ended up being swept up in it. I like how they made the episode stand-alone, not only from the series, but from the seasons. There's no mention of the Bay Harbor Butcher, the Ice Truck Killer, Lilah or even Doakes. This gives them immense flexibility of storylines since they don't have to fit within any particular timeline, and it gives the spec a much longer shelf life to be used as a sample. Unlike my Heroes spec, which will expire as soon as season 3 starts.

They had only A, B and C storylines, which surprised me. I've been trying to create mine with A, B, C and several runners, but their approach makes sense, since the runners usually have to do with the season arc anyway. As well, the A and B stories were so intertwined that almost every scene with the B story also had the A story plot pushed forward. The A story was a "killer of the week" story, the B story started out as a feud between the police station and the local news team (revolving around the A story) and eventually turned into something more sinister. The C story was the only thing separate, dealing with Dexter's relationship with Rita's family.

I asked Ryan and Brian how they structured the script, since Dexter episodes do not have clear act breaks and the scripts read like a screenplay. They said they used four acts, but with a cold open it seems almost like five, which they deciphered from watching the show and reading the original scripts.

I understand why they won. Their spec is great. It was funny and freaky in all the right places. The dialogue was spot-on for each character. The plot was the exact type of Dexter plot you'd see in the show, and it had a definite Miami feel. The plot twists were fresh and extremely satisfying. I'm jealous, actually. I hope that my Dexter spec reads as well. I'm pretty sure that reading their spec has helped me just as much as when I read the original episode "Crocodile", because it shows how others dealt, successfully, with the issues I've been struggling with in writing my spec.

Congrats, guys!

Writing teams and credit

2008-07-21T17:20:00.010-04:00

I'm writing a screenplay with some friends.

My friends Saul and Yoni, for whom I was story editor on a previous short animated film of theirs, came up with the idea. They pitched me the concept, which essentially just consisted of the main villain. I took that idea and created a story around it, with the occasional input of Yoni. We did some brainstorming sessions but the bulk of the writing/creating is mine. I wrote half the beat sheet and took it to my writing group last night.

I can't seem to figure out how to designate credit. Obviously I'm the writer, but how much input allows for credit as a writer? Yoni wants to be credited as a co-writer, though he doesn't know how to structure or format a screenplay and so far the creative process has been 90% me and 10% him. Do he and Saul get a "story by" or "characters by" credit? At what point can someone receive a "written by" or co-writer credit? How much actual writing does a person have to do?

How I think I could work around this situation:

Me: Writer
Saul: Based on characters by
Yoni: Story by

All this depends on how much writing Yoni does after the beat sheet of course, but I'm guessing that it's going to be mostly me doing the actual writing. I do know that some writing teams work in the way where one person writes and the other speaks, or does characters. You have to find that balance, so if I can actually develop some system with Yoni where we are writing it together, then that will make it easier to figure out.

Or maybe I should stop worrying about that and just get back to writing the damn thing.

On Networking and Shakespeare

2008-07-13T13:27:00.015-04:00

I went to a high school reunion a couple nights ago. It's interesting to see where people have gone in 10 years (yes, I graduated that long ago - I took 4 years off before TV school). Most of us who showed up were drama geeks and were in our high school performance of Midsummer Night's Dream (I was Theseus, because of my manly voice and then long-flowing hair). My friend who played Lysander went directly after high school to USC and studied acting. Now he's starting to get bigger parts, including a role in LOST last season. He said that his friends are starting to get even better roles... some of them are in the show Heroes, for example. As a joke I said well then maybe he can show them my Heroes spec and they can tell me if I got their characters right, and he said "yeah, no problem." So now I'm scared to send him my spec, because the real actors of the characters in my spec were the last people I ever expected to read the damn thing.

Another friend, who played Puck, also eventually went to LA, and studied at AFI. He's now producing a film starring [someone famous]. This impressed me since he only graduated last year. He told me (without me asking him, mind you), to send him something once I've got an original pilot or screenplay.

I've read this in several places recently, but this reminded me that you should network by being passionate and excited about about what you're doing, but that you shouldn't ask people to further your career for you. Be interested in what they're doing (for their sake, and not for what it means to you); natural partnerships will form when people are genuine and enthusiastic. And if you are going to ask people for something, let it be for feedback and not a job. You have to also mind your familiarity; your level of rapport is important when deciding whether to ask someone to even take a look at your material. It seems that your true network forms when you aren't using people for what you think they can give you, but when you develop real and trusting relationships with people. And hopefully some of them happen to also be wickedly connected (compared to you, anyway).

Tripple Knitter

2008-06-28T11:13:00.007-04:00

I'm not treading water with my Dexter spec, I'm actually swimming backwards.

Having almost finished my beat sheet, I realized the new season begins in just over 2 months. So even if I'm finished this within the next month, that leaves 1 month until my spec becomes obsolete. So I'm back to re-writing the plots, specifically the one with Lila and anything concerning the BHB. I think I will place my episode directly after the end of the season finale. That should let my spec last the longest since by then all the threads are tied up, and I can be more free to do a contained episode.

Aside from my spec, a few friends have asked me to help them with writing their scripts, and now I'm finding myself stretched a little thin; I can't spend all the time I need to on my own script, and neither can I totally be 100% involved in theirs. Compound this with a day job and it does not make for a productive lifestyle. It's like knitting three sweaters at once. I think I may need to step back from the secondary projects to get this spec done as fast as possible.

Meniscus Point

2008-06-16T18:51:00.005-04:00

After reading so many different books and taking so many classes on how to write, I think I'm at the point now that any new writing advice feels useless. Not that I believe I'm so good that I can't take advice, but I'm sitting at a meniscus point; I've internalized screenplay structure to the point that any new info seems to conflict with what I already know. I've read so many different styles and techniques for screenwriting that I now just have to nurture my own style.

On Denis McGrath's suggestion, this weekend I picked up a copy of Billion-Dollar Kiss by Jeffrey Stepakoff. Stepakoff's book is exactly what I'm into right now - looking into the world of Hollywood and how it works. How others have made it outside of having talent. And it's imprinted a big footprint on my ass. Stepakoff talks about his first TV spec, written while he was at school; he wrote a spec of the half-hour show Molly Dodd in one week. This one spec impressed John Wells and then got Stepakoff an agent in LA. One week! I know Dexter is hour-long and is a more complex show than Molly Dodd, but reading that has made me write like a maniac over the last couple days.

Makes me think though. I thought you needed 3 specs: 2 existing shows and 1 original pilot/play/ect... Right now I have 1 Heroes spec and 1 original TV script. Would it be a mistake for me to start looking for an agent before I have the Dexter completed?

Writing Group #1

2008-06-10T17:06:00.006-04:00

I attended my first writing group meeting on Monday. It's composed of people in various stages of their screenwriting careers, some of whom are pro and some of whom are on their way (or at least think they are). Most have at least one produced credit; one of them wasn't there because she's apparently got something going in LA, and another guy that presented his pilot last week has set up pitch meetings with broadcasters this week, so they're all people who are serious about the craft.

One thing I wonder is whether it should matter that most of the people in the group are screenwriters, while I'm aiming mostly towards TV. I suppose a script is a script, but can they can help me as much as a group of TV writers could? They'll give me good notes on character and structure, but may not be aware of what a TV spec script needs to be (whether I'm capturing the voice of the series, the characters, ect). Of course, this is all conjecture and I'll know once I bring in my own material. For all I know they've all studied TV writing as well.

Another thing is that instead of everyone sending their scripts to each other a week or two before, the people presenting just bring in their scripts on the day and they have a cold read of it before they start talking about it. This strikes me as odd because it seems like it would be too tedious to read through an entire feature (or teleplay) script and then dissect it, and you hardly have time to think about criticism. In the meeting we only looked at scenes, short sequences or outlines, which may limit the usefulness of the meeting.

But then, I've never joined a group before so perhaps this is how things are done. And I don't want to be the annoying new guy. At least not until my third meeting.

LOTTO 649

2008-06-02T17:04:00.007-04:00

I sent off my Heroes spec to the teleplay competition at the Austin Film Festival today. That's the third screenwriting competition I've applied to. Though I resisted, at the last minute (today) I gave in and paid my $30. Is this the screenwriting equivalent of playing the lottery? Every time I fix on my two brass brads I feel kinda like an old lady buying a scratch and win ticket.

As I was running to the post office to mail it off I saw an acquaintance having a beer on a patio. When I told them about the competition, and my aspirations, they told me that they had a fantastic idea that they just needed a writer for. I've noticed this a lot from non-writers, which is that everyone thinks they have a good idea, because everyone does. Or well, they think they do, but really they haven't thought it far enough through. But either way, I'm not a vacuous writing vessel waiting in limbo for a good idea; I'm too busy writing my own ideas, and even those are backed up. I think up new ideas for spec films and pilots faster than I could ever write them (every time I have an idea, which is often, I jot it down into a massive idea list that I've amassed over the years).

Of course, this was all internal, while outwardly I humoured him and said that yes, we definitely should go for a drink and talk about his wonderful idea.

New Job!

2008-05-28T18:21:00.004-04:00

Looks like I have a new job! Although not a screenwriting job as yet, I have been brought into a new marketing company to do sales and copywriting. It's writing, and it's in media. Both good.

Interestingly, several of the people in the office are established directors and screenwriters (essentially this company is the marketing arm of a new full-service media and film production company), which can only be good for me. In passing I'd mentioned to the Director of the company that I was writing a Dexter spec and his response was "Oh, yeah Michael is a great guy, I worked with him," referring of course to Michael C. Hall. Cool.

I'm supposed to start within a few weeks. Supposedly a lot of travel is required. Nice!

Structuring the Dexter Spec

2008-05-23T14:33:00.010-04:00

After much deliberation, I've decided how I'll structure my Dexter spec.

I'm going to have 3 main stories and two runners. The A and B stories will have around 12 beats each, the C story will have 8 beats and the runners will each have three beats. That gives me 38 beats in the story, which isn't far off from most Dexter episodes.

As for acts, I'm going to see where the story naturally takes me, but I am going to try and make some kind of act break or major turn happen every 10 pages or so (though in the script there will be no act breaks). So that's 5 invisible acts, which most Dexter episodes I've deconstructed appear to have.

So far I have my A, B and C stories picked and am mapping them out. I'm trying to put the story in the world of the 2nd season without too closely tying it to the arcs. I still use some aspects of the season, like the BHB investigation and Lila, but I've tried to keep them out of the timeline. My Heroes spec was done as an episode fitting between two real episodes (4 and 5 of season 2), so I kept the timeline and some story arcs in mind with that script. For Dexter I'd like to write my spec as more of a stand-alone episode: the A story features Dexter with a murderer of the week; The B story deals with Dexter's relationship with Lila and Rita; The C story surrounds the investigation into the BHB, and has Deb and Lundy getting closer to Dexter.

One thing I haven't figured out yet are the runners. I feel like I need Doakes to be following Dexter, as that is a big part of the 2nd season, but I'm having trouble thinking of a fresh premise for that scenario. Same goes for the relationship between Deb and Lundy.

To Pimp or not to Pimp?

2008-05-15T17:19:00.013-04:00

I did it. I applied to the Script Pimp competition.

As an aspiring screenwriter that has yet to aquire an agent (though admittedly I haven't tried to find one, and won't until I've finished my Dexter spec), the possibility of acquiring representation by submitting to screenwriting competitions is tempting. A few weeks ago I submitted my Heroes spec to Scriptapalooza, and yesterday I applied to Script Pimp. But though the websites of each competition suggest that your script will be judged by industry people, I'm not entirely convinced that the competitions aren't cash grabs.

However, I don't agree with some other (mostly pro) opinions that the competitions are useless. Even if I don't get representation directly through the competition, it serves me in three ways: 1) a ticking clock to finish my friggin script already; 2) a way to build my resume and therefore a crude form of credibility; 3) encouragement. The last two are obviously dependent on whether or not I place as a finalist, but I'm willing to shell out $30-$50 if it makes me finish a script quicker.

Saying that, I'm not going to apply to every TV script competition out there. I've read decent reviews of Scriptapalooza and Script P.I.M.P., and I know that every competition run by a network or studio is golden. And I may not actually be able to apply to the US studio fellowships, as I'm a Canadian citizen. I know that the Disney fellowship requires winners to be able to work in the states. Does that mean I can apply and win the fellowship, but not accept it? Maybe that would look good on the resume anyway. I'm not sure about the Warner Bros. fellowship, as I didn't see anything on the website regarding international applicants.

Canada really needs to get some equivalent fellowships. I haven't found any yet. I saw one Banff competition that initially looked promising, but on closer inspection, the competition is for people who have already had at least one produced credit. I'm trying to win representation, so I'm not at that point yet. It may be less competitive in breaking into TV writing in Canada, but it seems there isn't as much support for the writer trying to break through. So which is harder? I'll have to get back to you on that one.

Deconstructing Dexter

2008-05-12T12:23:00.006-04:00

Developing my Dexter spec has been much tougher than I anticipated. I've deconstructed 3 episodes and they each seem to have their own independent structures. There is no magic number of plots, scenes and no obvious act breaks. I purchased a copy of "Crocodile", a script from the first season, and that didn't help much as it's written without act breaks. When I do pick a certain number of acts, the length of each varies so widely between episodes that it brings my theories into question.

Josh talks here about writing the spec with a major twist every 10 pages, but also about the Dexter writers trying very hard to not have a structure. This seems contradictory. Why bother putting a structure to a show that doesn't have one? Perhaps the best technique is to abandon structure (well, you still need a beginning, middle and end of each story), and have the acts vary as widely as they need to. Because if you're trying to capture the feeling of a show, following too rigid a structure may make the Dexter spec feel like something else. I think that instead of concentrating on acts, I should just concentrate on plot, and see what organically happens.

Delusions of Grandeur

2008-05-10T11:40:00.009-04:00

The first post of my new screenwriting blog. Because the universe desperately needs another blog about a developing TV writer. I tried to write a blog a few years ago but found it self-indulgent and somewhat useless - it was a personal blog, and I couldn't bring myself to write honestly about my own internal thoughts. So basically I was left with a dishonest journal, which is worth a penny covered in shit.

But over time I've become more and more obsessed with screenwriting. It takes up all my free time (and much non-free time... I may or may not be at work right now). My girlfriend is sick of me talking about it, though she's kind enough to pretend to care. And since I read screenwriting blogs every day, and maintain a constant internal monologue about the craft, I figure it could help to write it all down in the online community. So then, if I think something, and it's shit, I don't keep on thinking it. I've learned a lot from the screenwriting blogs I religiously read every day, and they aren't all pros either. It's good to know there are other people like me, pushing towards a dream that seems almost impossible at times. It's also good to know there are those that have plowed through, eye on the prize, and made it. Fortunately, my doubt is balanced out by intense delusions of grandeur.

To introduce myself: I recently graduated from the Radio and Television Arts program at Ryerson University in Toronto, and now I'm attempting to become a TV writer. I recently finished writing a spec of the show Heroes, and I've written an original episode of a single-camera sitcom series I created with some other people (it's the 5th episode, and since it's not the pilot I'm not entirely sure how useful it is to me). Right now I'm working on a Dexter spec, and once that's finished I'll start searching for an agent.

Outside of writing, I do freelance gigs (research, PA) in reality TV, and also have a day job that is completely outside the industry. The day job sometimes makes me feel like a douche and that I'm wasting my degree, but I know in order to be a writer I really only need to keep writing. Any job outside of writing for scripted TV is just a temporary pay cheque. Or so I tell myself six times a day.

So welcome to the ongoing saga of my quest to become a TV writer. At the least I'll waste some time while procrastinating on my current script.