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Posts tagged as “FX”

Inspiration vs. Stealing in TV Writing (PT58)

Alex and Nick discuss the differences between inspiration and stealing in screenwriting and television.

What constitutes an original idea? Where is the line between inspiration and stealing? Where can you get inspiration from? What is considered an homage? How many different stories are there to tell?

Plus, an answer to how many episodes of a TV show you should watch before speccing it.

The Paper Team pays homage…

SHOWNOTES

Content

Paper Scraps: Episodes to watch before writing a TV spec (00:52)
1 – What is an original idea? (03:34)
2 – Why everybody “steals” (06:36)
3 – Paying homage and the different stories being told (09:23)
4 – Inspiration in TV and spec scripts (22:58)
Takeaways and Next Week On (34:13)

Links

Armageddon
Deep Impact
“Protecting and Over-Protecting Your TV Script: Copyright, Ownership and Idea Theft” (PT23)
Parallel thinking
Rough Night
Girls Trip
Akira Kurosawa
Stranger Things
Aesop’s Fables
Jean de La Fontaine
Hero’s Journey
Christopher Vogler
“The Art of Fiction” – John Gardner
“Save the Cat” – Blake Snyder
“The Seven Basic Plots” – Christopher Booker
“The Six Main Arcs in Storytelling, as Identified by an A.I.” – The Atlantic
The Shield
The Simpsons movie references

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 Evan Schmitt 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]

TV World-Building 101 (PT44)

Update: PT44 transcript now available

Alex and Nick discuss the importance of world-building in television writing and TV pilots.

What is the point of world-building in TV shows? What are some good and bad examples of mythology? How can you implement world-building effectively in your own writing? What are some common pitfalls to avoid falling into?

The Paper Team sets the scene…

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 – Defining world-building (00:58)
2 – Tools of world-building (10:03)
3 – Common pitfalls of world-building (20:19)
Takeaways and Resources (29:22)

Links

The Shield
Vic Mackey
Claudette Wyms
C. C. H. Pounder
The Practice
Battlestar Galactica
The Man in the High Castle (TV Series)
Firefly
American Gods (TV Series)
Cosmos: A Personal Voyage
Logan
Defiance (TV Series)
17th Precinct
Battle of Serenity Valley (Firefly)
The Handmaid’s Tale (TV Series)
“Unfinished Business” (3×09 – Battlestar Galactica)
Caprica
Lostpedia
“TV Writer vs. Fandom: Writers’ Rooms and Fan Interaction” (PT38)
“The One with the Prom Video” (2×14 – Friends)

Resources

r/worldbuilding (reddit)
Writing in the Margins’ Sensitivity Readers

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 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]

TV Viewing Habits: Writing for the Binge (PT42)

Alex and Nick discuss how television viewing habits impact the writing and enjoyment of TV shows.

How does the way you consume a show influence the audience? How have changes in viewing habits transformed television writing itself? What are some ways to use that paradigm shift in your own writing?

The Paper Team binges in one sitting…

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 – How people consume TV today (00:52)
2 – How viewing habits impact the perception of TV shows (11:37)
3 – How viewing habits affect and influence TV writing (25:44)
4 – A little about the future of TV viewing (42:20)
Takeaways and Resources (45:45)

Links

Over-the-top content (OTT)
YouTube TV
YouTube Red
“Why mythological shows are often idolized” – TV Calling
The Hatch
Final Five
“Damon Lindelof Doesn’t Want Critics To Binge Season 3 of The Leftovers” – IndieWire
“The Art of the TV Episode” (PT20)
“Two Boats and a Helicopter” (1×03 – The Leftovers)
“Guest” (1×06 – The Leftovers)
“The Bythewoods and The Writers Retreat” – 3rd & Fairfax
Flesh and Bone

Resources

“Netflix Studied Your Binge-Watching Habit” – The New York Times
“Series, Movie, Series, Repeat: A New Netflix Binge Routine” – Netflix

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]