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Posts tagged as “Books”

Writing Children’s Animation ft. Steven Darancette (Lalaloopsy/Tumble Leaf) (PT41)

Alex and Nick invite Steven Darancette, writer on Amazon’s Tumble Leaf and Nick Jr.’s Lalaloopsy, to discuss writing for TV children’s animation.

How does a non-primetime animation writers’ room work? What are some of the distinctions in TV age-groups? How strict are censorship and regulations for children’s content? What are unique challenges in writing for young kids versus young adults? Are there any mandates on an educational or promotional standpoint?

The Paper Team channels their inner child…

SHOWNOTES

Content

Getting started writing for TV children’s animation, how the writers rooms work, and discussing content (00:55)
Resources and Next Time On (40:51)

Links

Steven Darancette on Twitter
Tumble Leaf on Amazon
Lalaloopsy (TV series)
Warner Bros. Animation
Batman: The Animated Series
Animaniacs
Pinky and the Brain
Alan Burnett
Ozzy & Drix
“A Growing Cell” (2×08 – Ozzy & Drix)
Bleak Future
KODAK Super 8
The Tick (2001 TV series)
Jackie Chan Adventures
Krypto the Superdog
Guardians of the Galaxy (TV series)
Ben 10
Lalaloopsy (Dolls)
Bob the Builder
IATSE 839 (Animation Guild)

Resources

“Producing Animation” – Catherine Winder & Zahra Dowlatabadi

This episode brought to you by Tracking Board’s Launch Pad Writing Competitions

Use code PAPERTEAM to get $15 OFF when you enter a Launch Pad Competition

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :)

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex@TVCalling
Nick@_njwatson
If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

Writing Themes and Values in TV (PT36)

Alex and Nick discuss the importance of themes and values in television writing, and how you can use them to your advantage in your own TV scripts.

Why are themes and values important in television writing? What are some examples of both? How do you work them in scripts? How do you avoid preachiness in the writing?

The Paper Team shares their motifs…

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 – What are themes and values? (01:20)
2 – How to write themes and values in TV (14:12)
3 – Avoiding preachiness in your writing (23:10)
Takeaways and Resources (27:28)

Links

Survivor: Blood vs. Water
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
“Far Beyond the Stars” (6×13 – Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
Sons of Anarchy
Everybody Loves Raymond
Desperate Housewives
“Earshot” (3×18 – Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Danny Strong
Buffy Studies
“Beer Bad” (4×05 – Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Scorpius (Farscape)
The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)
The Outer Limits (1995 TV series)
“Chaos is a ladder” speech from Game of Thrones (Video)
“BoJack Horseman Christmas Special: Sabrina’s Christmas Wish”

Resources

“Philosophy of…” Books
“The Philosophy of The Simpsons” – William Irwin, Mark T. Conard, Aeon J. Skoble
Star Trek episodes with social themes

Special thanks to Jason J. Cohn for helping us edit this episode.

If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :)

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex@TVCalling
Nick@_njwatson
If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

Independent Producing ft. Jimmy Nguyen (Showrunners) (PT32)

Alex and Nick are joined by Jimmy Nguyen, executive producer of the documentary Showrunners, to discuss independent producing, collaborating with other creatives, and lessons he’s learned over his years working in Los Angeles.

What is the role of a producer? How did the documentaries Showrunners and Barista came to be? How does he approach creative and professional collaborations? What are some tips to getting started and networking properly?

The Paper Team gets good at the ask…

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 – Moving to Los Angeles, connecting with people, and getting involved in Showrunners (00:37)
2 – Working as an independent producer, their collaborative role, and helping make Showrunners/Barista (08:39)
3 – Inspirations and other projects (38:04)
4 – Tips and advice for aspiring producers (47:15)
Resources and Next Week On (53:48)

Links

Jimmy Nguyen on Twitter
Showrunners (Documentary)
Showrunners (Book)
Barista
Comic Book Sunday
Des Doyle
Ryan Patrick McGuffey
Jason Rose
Wally Schrass
Irish Film Board
Jane Espenson
Damon Lindelof
The Pirate Tapes
Indie Game: The Movie
Charles Mruz
Going Clear
The Imposter
The Family
The King of Kong
Shut Up and Play the Hits
Helvetica (Documentary)
Searching for Sugar Man
Man on Wire
The Jinx
O.J.: Made in America
Mayor of Sunset Strip
The Kid Stays in the Picture
Heroines (Short)
The Big Short
Rachel Moore
The Champ
Search Party
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
Trollhunters
Top of the Lake
Essen Game Fair
Roy Lee
“Adventures in the Screen Trade” – William Goldman
The Ring
Gravitas Ventures

Resources

“A Pound of Flesh” – Art Linson
“Save the Cat!” – Blake Snyder

If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :)

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex@TVCalling
Nick@_njwatson
If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]