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Posts tagged as “Books”

I’ve been flashed

After weeks of research, I finally got my hands on Flashpoint’s pilot script.
Why you may ask.
The answer is quite simple: I am going to try to spec Flashpoint (following a previous advice-post by Jill Golick).
It is indeed a successful series, even on CBS, especially given its Canadian roots.
And you can also be sure it’ll last at the very least a couple of years (spec-wise).
That and it’s a fun show as Golick points out, and a procedural.

It probably won’t be an Emmy-winning script but it certainly will get me started on that action-procedural script I’ve wanted to write for a long time.
Although knowing how procrastinatable I can be, it will probably be months before a first draft rears its ugly yet awesome head.

Soon to come: a Flashpoint breakdown.

Meanwhile, I’m off to re-reading my TV books…
Well… After I’m finished reading that great Campbell hero-one.

Oh, I almost forgot.
Since you’ve been a good boy/girl…
Here’s your treat (quick!).

World-change is the new black

Looks like the current crisis is giving some execs development ideas.
2009 will be all around world-changing and/or cataclysmic events. In movies (with a lot of remakes/adaptations such as TDTESS, Blindness, World War Z) and especially on TV.
Indeed, in the last few days 3 new shows have been ordered and they seem to be quite timely, to say the least.

First up, The Return, by Greg Berlanti (creator of Everwood and Eli Stone) and René Echevarria (creator of The 4400), which, as the name may or may not imply, will delve into the “return” of aliens on Earth and the effects it has on the world.

Second, we have Flash Forward. No, this is not a Lost spin-off, although it will most likely be televised right after the Island-show. David S. Goyer (writer of the Blade trilogy as well as Batman Begins and TDK’s story) and Brannon Braga (creator of Star Trek Enterprise) co-wrote the script based on Robert J. Sawyer’s novel. The show will tell the story of the world blacking out for two minutes as they are collectively having a horrifying vision of what is coming in 20 years (Paris Hilton President?) due to scientific experiments gone terribly wrong. Braga and Goyer tried to take the show to HBO, which liked the concept but passed on it. Then there was this bidding war between ABC and FOX where the former won.

Last but not least we have Americatown. And guess what, the show will revolve around the exodus of the American populace around the world 20-25 years from now when a terrible financial crisis plunges the U.S. into decline. The writer behind this is Bradford Winters with lots of big names behind, like Tom Fontana, Barry Levinson, Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy.

Two other TV news:

Huge congrats to Jane for finally getting her own show (picked up last week – 11 hours including the 2h pilot – for a July premiere)!


There’s also a set date for “The U.S. of Tara” premiere: Jan. 18.
Mark your calendars.

I, for one, am looking forward to next year’s shows.

TV Books are back from the future (and the past)

TV Books are back from the future (and the past)

Following on the steps of previous book posts, it seems that everyday I discover more and more books about screenwriting and especially, surprinsingly, TV writing.

On television writing I have found several other books that, according to the Amazon peeps’ reviews, seem worthwhile:

Marilyn Webber‘s Gardner’s Guide to Television Scriptwriting. Webber has written other writing books on other specific subjects (such as Sitcom writing, TV Animation, Feature Animation, etc). The book seems to be hands-on although not updated in its examples (West Wing, 24, and Gilmore Girls among others).

Martie Cook’s Write to TV: Out of Your Head and onto the Screen. Cook has dedicated writing sections for each of the areas of TV shows (Comedy, Prime-time Drama, TV-Movies, Reality TV and even TV News Magazines Shows and Kid Shows). The book also contains sections on writing characters, dialogs, pilots, as well as tons of pitch/business advices. An extended preview of the book can be found here.

Ellen Sandler‘s The TV Writer’s Workbook. Sandler has written for shows such as Everybody Loves Raymond (where she was co-exec). Her TV writing book is therefore more focused on sitcom writing, although still touches on drama writing as well as networking.

Also, just for giggles, I’ve found out that there’s a TV Writing book that came out way back in…1990. Notice the high-tech computer on the cover.
The accuracy of the information provided in this bok vis-à-vis contemporary television landscape cannot be guaranteed.

Last but not least, there’s a “how-to” television writing book with the brits in mind. That’s right, a book that covers everything you need to know if you want to write for the BBC. It was written by William Smethurst. And let’s not forget that the BBC is probably the only “serious” television option opened to anyone.

More and more TV Writing books seem to come out every year, which begs the question: Is television writing becoming popular and hype?