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Spec Flashpoint – Part One (A)

Everyone needs some kind of procedural spec under his/her belt, and a great action/cop one can be the way to go.
A few reasons pushed me to spec Flashpoint, and I thought wise, for those out there who wish to spec the show, to post my various breakdowns of FP episodes as well as my overall research on the show, à la Chuck, on my blog.
So here goes.

Part One: Breaking it

A – Pilot Episode

The following is a breakdown of the Flashpoint pilot, through its shooting script.

The plot revolves around presenting us the SRU team, especially Ed, as well as the arrival of a new member, connecting everything with an enraged gunman at a Plaza.

What we will call the “Plaza sequence” is everything revolving around what happens at the Plaza with the gunman.

Storylines:

A: Gunman Plotline and Plaza sequence (comprises of Ax + Ab + Ac)
Ax : Backstory of Gunman, events leading up to SRU arrival, and what happens after to Gunman/Family
Ab: Plaza sequence with SRU on scene
Ac: Plaza sequence from Ed’s POV

B: SRU life, routine – Before and After the Plaza sequence (not including Ab)
C: Ed’s life – Before (family) and After (interrogation) the Plaza sequence (not including Ac)
D: Arrival of a new SRU member

It should be noted that a few “B story” scenes revolved around Jules (hinting at a future romance between Sam and her), but for the sake of argument, I merged her SRU scenes with the larger B storyline. Ditto for her scenes on the rooftop (merged with Ab).

Breakdown:

Episode 1×01 – 66 pages

Teaser – 5 Scenes (exposition of A story) – 3 pages
1+2 – Ab
3 – Ac
4 – Ab
5 – Ac

Act One – 17 Scenes (Before Plaza sequence) – 20 pages
5 – Ac (repeat of last Teas scene)
-> FLASHBACK
6+7+8 – C
9+10+11 – Ax
12 – D
13 – B
14 – Ax
15 – D
16 – B
17 – Ax
18+19 – B leading to Ab
20 – D
21+22 – B leading to Ab
END OF ACT ONE just as the SRU arrives on the scene -> Ab

Act Two – 29 Scenes (During Plaza sequence) – 17 pages
23+24 – Ab
25 – Ac
26 – Ab
27+28 – Ac
29 – D
30+31 – Ab
32 – Ac
33 – Ab+D
34 – Ac
35+36+37 – Ab
38 – Ac
39 – Ab
40 – Ac
41 – Ab
42 – Ac
43 – Ab
44 – Ac
45 – Ab
46 – Ac
47 – Ab
48 – Ab+D
49+50 – Ab
51 – Ac leading back to C
END OF ACT TWO just as Ed is taken away by inspector -> C

Act Three – 12 Scenes (After Plaza sequence) – 17 pages
52+53 – C
54 – Ab leading back to B
55 – D
56+57 – C
58+59 – B+D
60+61 – C
62 – B+D
END OF ACT THREE

Act Four – 7 Scenes (Continuing – After Plaza sequence) – 9 pages
63 – C
64 – B+C+D
65 – C+D
66 – Ax
67 – B
68 – D
69 – C

Summary:

Episode 1×01 – 69 beats

A storyline total: 5 + 5 + 28 + 2 = 40 beats
Ax storyline: 0 + 5 + 0 + 1 = 6 beats
Ab storyline: 3 + 0 + 17 + 1 = 21 beats
Ac storyline: 2 + 0 + 11 + 0 = 13 beats

B storyline: 0 + 6 + 0 + 4 = 10 beats

C storyline: 0 + 3 + 0 + 10 = 13 beats

D storyline: 0 + 3 + 3 + 6 = 12 beats

Tune in next time as
we will discuss in more depth the overall Flashpoint structure, through other FP breakdowns (Episodes 8 & 9).

The Box (Script) – Review

The Box (Script) – Review

I read last night the script for The Box, the movie adaptation from a short story by Richard Matheson published in the 70s and then adapted in a Twilight Zone episode in the 80s.
I have read the short story and saw the epi a few months ago. Loved them, even though the Twilight epi is somewhat different in its ending.

The movie is going to star James Marsden and Cameron Diaz as the young couple, and Frank Langella as the creepy visitor.

The original story went something like this:
A young couple receive a visitor with a box, a briefcase, and a mysterious offer.
The visitor, a man, gives them the box which has a button on it.
The man tells them that if they push the button, two things will happen:
1) Someone, somewhere in the world, that they do not know, will die.
2) They will receive a large sum of money.
The man then opens his briefcase, revealing the cash.
They have 24 hours to push, or not, the button.
After that, the man will come and take the box.

The plot might sound ridiculous but what is lost now is the original context.
It’s the 70s (or 80s) and the Cold War is still in full swing. Everyone is afraid that someone is going to “push the button” and release nukes everywhere, leading to the creation of WWIII.
The original title for the story is actually Button, Button!.

The tour de force of the original story was all about the tension that lied behind the decision to push or not push, as well as the great resolution (especially the short story’s).

If done well, a good movie take on the idea, IMO, would have been a story revolving around that decision, the 90 minutes being almost in real-time with the couple coping with the dilemma.

Unfortunately, like I was afraid of, the movie goes way over the original story, trying to explain everything about the box, the man, and everything else. Even trying to connect all the dots.

Also, the couple now has a kid.

Without giving too much away, the end of the Twilight Episode is basically the middle of the movie.

Everything ends up being waaaayyyyy out there, literally. And to be honest, the story is quite laughable. Really too sci-fyi for something that should be more psychological.
There’s even some kind of ridiculous metaphorical connection with Jean-Paul Sartre’s No-Exit being made throughout the second half of the movie.

The movie is set in the 70s, and besides no Google nor cellphones, there’s another important reason why it is set during that time.
And that reason is linked to that previous “waaaaayyyyy out there” story I was talking about.

Although it might be good on screen, some things are definitely problematic on the page.
20-30 minutes of introduction to the characters who, page after page, have more and more problems, just so you can empathize with them.
Yes, I get it, you need to feel for the characters, and emphasize their financial dilemmas, but most of it ends up being actually pretty useless.

Ultimately, I’ll probably watch the movie just to see Frank Langella’s portrayal of Arlingtown Steward that will definitely be worthwhile.
Speaking of, the character in the movie reminded me a lot of the character Andre Linoge from Stephen King’s Storm of the Century, a great TV mini-series.

Nine ideas to save Television – Part Two

Nine ideas to save Television – Part Two

Money, the Internet, ideas, pilots and big names are on the menu today with the conclusion of our 2-part article on nine ways to save the Networks and TV from going bankrupt.

5. Cost efficiency
TV episodes cost a whole bunch of money. That’s one of the many reasons reality shows began to be very popular a few years back.
Now, for better or for worse, shows are trying to get made more and more on the cheap.
An episode that is today made for 1 million dollars might be made tomorrow for 700 000.
Less money might mean more shows and ultimately more critically-acclaimed shows. Dialogue is cheap.

6. Webisodes
Every day brings its new web show it seems. They might not all be Emmy-worthy but they allow people to express themselves in ways that were not even possible a decade ago.
Web series are cheap to produce, a key nurturing element to vector original content.
And let’s not forget that “viral” part where a show generates tremendous buzz, leading them to jump screen.
Sanctuary, a web-based green-screen show, is now on Sci-Fi (starting early October).
Heroes and The Office both made webisodes that were talked about amongst fans, and beyond.
Although it is difficult to say if we will ever have 42 or 23-minute webisodes, the Whedon brothers showed everyone with Dr. Horrible that high-concept ideas could be made cheaply while maintaining that “it” factor.

7. Re-develop ideas and pilots
Not only would it save money in the long run but it would create an immense well of creativity. New perspectives might be endless.
A pilot needs to be tweaked just right to be almost perfect so why not keep it on the page until it is perfect?
HBO does it, so why not the Big Five?
Intervening on a project when there is a problem could be a great idea. The pilot of “Life On Mars” was leaked on the web and suffered harsh criticism, leading to an entire rethinking of its premise. The show may finally be quite different from its UK counterpart, for the better.
Although ideas should not stay in limbo forever, the right amount of “perfectionism” mixed with business could amount to new waves of shows.

8. Big names for big shows
The Big Five might not in a few years have big tent poles shows or even “appointment TV”.
One idea to try to counter that would be to keep banking on big names and linking them to big shows, therefore creating a package that would attract buyers.
Steven Bochco, David E. Kelley, Joss Whedon, J.J. Abrams, ever heard of these guys?
People might just watch the new show made by X instead of switching off the TV to play Second Life.

9. Take chances
No, it doesn’t go against ideas number 7 and 8, on the contrary.
New writers might offer a fresh perspective on a rotten concept.
AMC took a chance on a spec pilot that no one else wanted, and then Emmys were won.
If the Big Five want to get back some of what the cable has taken away from them, they need to take chances.
Chances on stories, chances on writers.
Big risks now means rewards down the road. Originality needs to happen.
Yes, some of the shows might fail, but television is a world of trial and errors. Mistakes are part of life.
If Cavemen hadn’t happened, we would have another horrible show on our hands. Thank God then that… Oh, wait.

Embrace change and get ahead of the competition.