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Posts tagged as “Terran”

Seven Years of TV Writing (and advice)

Seven Years of TV Writing (and advice)

Television writing is, for all intents and purposes, the core subject of this website.
It would be foolish to recap seven years worth of TV writing-related content and advice in a post.
Let’s do it anyway.

We began our journey by tackling a very simple problem: how to land that first job in television. Yes, that “simple” comment was sarcasm.
It was shortly thereafter that I started mentioning a few of my favorite TV business books, and some great TV writing books.
Note to self: make another updated list. Other note to self: add previous note to self to to-do list.

June 2010 meant kick-off time in South Africa, which led me to write what the World Cup can teach you about TV writing. Hint: it does not involve corruption.

A big event of the past seven years was also my “spec experiment” in 2013 of writing and publicly publishing my spec pilot of Star Trek: Terran.
I explained my thought-process in a much-debated post entitled “Breaking Rules” — Speccing And Sharing Star Trek: Terran.

Television is a collaborative medium. We’re not writing novels, we’re making episodic scripts. And we should be learning from each other.
Sadly, besides produced scripts being traded in the shadows of Internet, there’s almost no TV writer, aspiring or pro, willing to openly share their work.
And I have to say: it’s weird.
I’m not talking about sharing projects currently in development/production or making the rounds. What I’m referring to is all the other stuff. The failed pitches, the finished projects, the canceled ventures.
This isn’t a question of getting/wanting validation from the outside. It’s obvious most writers already have a group, or an entourage whose opinion they care about. It’s about sharing the craft. The experience of TV writing.
That’s one of the reasons why I put Terran out there. Like any spec, it’s an ongoing work in progress, and I do welcome any feedback I get. Yet, I don’t expect it to be made (copyright issues notwithstanding). I put it out, in part, to share the process (good and bad).

I concluded with the following sentiments:

Writing can be a personal affair, but TV is communal. It’s teamwork. We’re all in this together.
I wish writers were more willing to openly share their work, especially when it comes to television.
It’s high time we started learning from each other’s craft. Why not become a team writer yourself?

Sounds like people need another bump to the bum!

Moving on to one of our most popular TV writing series–
“Screenwriting Lessons From” is a great little series of articles where I reverse-engineer screenwriting lessons from finished series. We’ve tackled Coupling, Friends, Parks & Recreation, Farscape and Six Feet Under.
Last December, this tweet happened:


Yes, that’s a tweet from motherfrelling Farscape creator Rockne S. O’Bannon praising my “Screenwriting Lessons from Farscape” post! I’m still in shock that happened.

And speaking of professional TV people and popular series (greatest transition ever?), we’ve had since last year our “Profiles of Television” interview series, which mixes both TV writing and TV business advice. Posted as of today:
– Kiyong Kim – TV Writing Fellow (Nickelodeon/NBC WOTV/CAAM)
– Meghan Pleticha – TV Writer’s Assistant & Script Coordinator (Silicon Valley/Married)
– Jill Weinberger – TV Writer/Story Editor (Chicago Fire)
– Matt Thilenius – TV Literary Assistant (CAA)
(and someone else we had to remove for secret reasons)
Fun fact: this is just the beginning! I’ve already got four upcoming interviews in the can, ready to fire off. All that’s left to do is the transcript for each. Shouldn’t take more than hours and hours of work.

Of course, our big takeaway for most people have always been my annual spec script lists. I’ve published, so far, 13 spec lists since our creation (or, more accurately, since 2009).
It’s fair to say that over the past few years, our focus has slowly shifted to the TV writing fellowships and specs.
The first venture into the “how-to” spec guide was with the super-duper Canadian police procedural Flashpoint and our “Spec Flashpoint” series. I broke down over seven articles how I specced that show. Everything from research to, well, development.
Let’s not forget also the various how-to articles on spec scripts, mainly how fresh a show should be to spec it, and ten spec writing rules (and why you should care).
Over the past seven years we’ve had a ton of other articles on TV writing, including:
– The difference between a “spec script” and “spec pilot”
– How to land a writing gig on a TV show
– Script Registration 101
– How to get a TV agent
– How late you can spec something
– Animated vs. live-action specs
– Is a pilot script needed when pitching?

And many more.

It has been a very fruitful journey so far, and I hope you continue living it with us.

Write on.

Scribosphere Carnival #1 – Time Capsule

Scribosphere Carnival #1 – Time Capsule

The Scribosphere Carnival is a weekly discussion from a variety of screenwriting blogs around a rotating theme.

And this is our first edition! Yay!

Instigated by Shawna over at Shouting in the Wind, this week’s topic is:

TIME CAPSULE — This topic is actually a 3-parter. First, recount your journey in screenwriting up to this point in time. Second, tell us where you are on your journey now. Finally, for the really fun, creative part — blog as if it is one year from today. What has the past year of your journey been like? What has changed? Be as realistic or not as you like — it’s your time capsule! One year from now, we will revisit our time capsules to see how we did with our predictions… Your post can be as long or as short as you like — the most important thing is to have fun with it!

My travels have been well-documented on this blog, so I’ll just give you a TL;DR version.
I created A TV Calling over five years ago to chronicle both my love for and odyssey towards television writing.
In 2010, I was finally able to move across the world, to Los Angeles (from a little town called Paris). That is, after winning the green card lottery (Serendipity? Fate? Who the hell knows). It is true that in the months following my arrival, I wasn’t able to blog as much as I used to. I went from pretty much a post a day to less than one a month. Fortunately, I’ve jumped back on the horse this year. I’ve also been working on my own writing (of course). As you saw last week, I’ve even decided to experiment with distributing some of that work online (through Star Trek: Terran).

In the few years I’ve been here, my professional experience, like anyone’s in Hollywood, has been full of ups and downs. One thing did not lead to another.
For me, “looking back” on such a short and recent period of time (in the grander scheme) seems hard to do without seeming pompous (rather than reflective), so I won’t expand. It has been frustrating at times, to say the least, but also rewarding, thanks in large part to the friends I’ve made along the way. We’re all our own worst critics, and measuring what I’ve accomplished to what I want(ed) to accomplish is more than a difficult task.

So, where to next?
Simply put: A writers’ assistant position on a show within the year; AKA the most coveted job in TV land.
(By the way, if you’re in a sharing mood and have potential leads, you should totally contact me! ;) ).
At the end of the day, this is an ongoing adventure. A journey. I could make another trite analogy–something about a race and marathon–but we all know the point already. When it comes to this industry, there’s only one quote that sums everything up: “Never give up, never surrender.”

A TV Calling blog entry from an alternate future: September 24, 2014

It has been ten years since Oceanic Flight 815 crashed and I’m still stuck on this goddamn island!
As I’m typing this, I’m wearing my Memoto camera. It’s awesome living in the future, where I have the technology to log my life. If only we had ways to transcribe, status-update, or even tweet about it in the days of yore. We were just a bunch of cavemen back then.

I miss Breaking Bad, but I’m glad I’ve found a worthy replacement in the fresh NBC series, Cop M.D.
A ground-breaking criminal/medical procedural featuring Christian Slater as a cop who goes undercover as a surgeon in a Boston hospital to root out a secret drug-trafficking operation. He also struggles with alcoholism, has a shaved head and scruffy beard, so you know he means business. Literally. They created his character to fit the network’s larger business plan of bringing the edgiest characters from five years ago. Classic NBC.
I’m glad they picked this over that Wizard of Oz-inspired drama (not that one, the other one. No, the other other one).
Now that I think about it, I don’t even know why I’m writing about this show since everyone has seen all the amazing ads that aired during the August Emmys.
In fact, I’m sure Cop M.D. will get the post-Super Bowl spot in February. They know people will chime in for this stuff.

Where was I? Oh, my life.
Good time were had by some.
Being in the room = best thing ever. Just being able to sit there and observe the process from the inside is, well, amazing. And, yes, everyone is still impressed with how fast I type things. What can I say, I’m like a writing machine. Tom Jones is on the verge of making a song about me.
I’ve had a good run with my spec, in that it didn’t make it into any of the fellowships (0.40% chance of that happening anyway).
I’ve begun work on an epic adventure feature involving space and time. But I’ve had this idea for a really cool pilot, so I may put both projects on hold and write a one-act play instead. Looks like I’ll be creatively busy for the foreseeable future.

Write on.

Scribosphere blogs also on the topic:

Shouting in the Wind | Red Right Hand | Jonathan Hardesty | Bamboo Killers

“Breaking Rules” — Speccing And Sharing Star Trek: Terran

“Breaking Rules” — Speccing And Sharing Star Trek: Terran

Click Here For Part I – Presenting Star Trek: Terran

Click Here For Part II – “Why Star Trek?”: The State of an Enduring Franchise

We’ve already explored the reasons why Trek should come back on TV. But working on Star Trek: Terran was also about something beyond the beloved franchise.
From speccing an original pilot script based on an existing property, to publicly sharing it online, here’s a writer’s perspective on the experience.

Speccing a Franchise

One of the basic rules of writing specs is to never write a script around something you don’t own the rights to.
Shocker: I don’t own the rights to Star Trek.
In fact, as we saw yesterday, corporate ownership of the franchise is convoluted (at best), with CBS and Paramount both in the middle of the space pie. Given how “mainstream” the rebooted universe is, it would be pretty strange to get a new Star Trek TV show that is set in the original, prime universe. Yet, it’s CBS that is doing the TV side of things, and they have nothing to do with that version. There’s also been many articles written on theoretical Trek shows, from a Worf-centric spin-off to Bryan Singer’s 30th-century series.

All in all, it seemed very unlikely that Star Trek would come back to television anytime soon. So I said: the hell with it.
I decided to write my own proof of concept of what a new Trek show could be.
Going in, I knew speccing a copyrighted universe would be suicidal on a development level. It’s not as if the show is ever gonna get made.
As I’ve previously said, the primary reason was to offer an original take on the franchise. But beyond, this was about something beyond the script itself. I’m not trying to pitch something to make it happen, I’m pitching it for what it represents. Hope for a new series, and also a comment about something else…

Download the pilot script (.PDF)

Sharing the Craft

With Terran, I wanted to do something different. It is, after all, an experiment. Not just about Star Trek, but about script sharing.
Distributing an original pilot script online may raise a few eyebrows. However, when was the last time anyone was excited about a script? (Never.)
Granted, I don’t think that many people will care about my script specifically, although this is more about the other side of that coin.

I want to show to all my faithful readers and aspiring TV writers out there that it’s okay to share your work.
Television is a collaborative medium. We’re not writing novels, we’re making episodic scripts. And we should be learning from each other.

Sadly, besides produced scripts being traded in the shadows of Internet, there’s almost no TV writer, aspiring or pro, willing to openly share their work.
And I have to say: it’s weird.
I’m not talking about sharing projects currently in development/production or making the rounds. What I’m referring to is all the other stuff. The failed pitches, the finished projects, the canceled ventures.
This isn’t a question of getting/wanting validation from the outside. It’s obvious most writers already have a group, or an entourage whose opinion they care about. It’s about sharing the craft. The experience of TV writing.
That’s one of the reasons why I put Terran out there. Like any spec, it’s an ongoing work in progress, and I do welcome any feedback I get. Yet, I don’t expect it to be made (copyright issues notwithstanding). I put it out, in part, to share the process (good and bad).

When it comes to TV writing, there’s one example that comes to mind of someone actually “sharing his craft”: the awesome Javi Grillo-Marxuach.
Through his Squarespace site, he has been offering plenty of material, ranging from TV pitch documents, to pilots and episodic scripts. Talk about a resource.

Which makes you wonder: why isn’t anyone else doing it?

A Fear of Theft

There’s a lot to say about the rampant fear that some writers have about someone stealing their brilliant ideas, especially when it comes to specs.
For one thing, it’s unwarranted.
You should absolutely register your work at the Writers’ Guild, but that doesn’t mean you need to be paranoid about it.

Ultimately, what risks are you taking by sharing your work, scripts and pitches alike (especially if you’re a pro)? (Again, I’m not talking about projects in development/production or ones you don’t want online for similar reasons.)
If you answered “someone may steal my super sweet lines”, I’m sorry to say that syntax technology has reached the masses.
More importantly, if someone cares so much about your writing that they’re willing to copy parts of your style, what does that say about your talent?
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” may sound trite, but here it’s pretty much the truth.
Even thinking that someone is desperate enough to plagiarize your work is, well, a bit presumptuous to begin with. It’s doubtful someone will bother.

The same exact thing can be applied to spec scripts, both original pilots and based on existing shows. In fact, you should be less scared about sharing your work and “theft” if you’re an aspiring writer. Trust me, the writing staff of The Walking Dead isn’t going to steal your cool idea.
Why? If your idea is that amazing, then chances are pretty freaking high that the staff (the one that talks, thinks, breathes this show 24/7), has come up with a variation of said idea/script multiple times. And that’s before you even thought of it. Spoiler alert: they won’t need to be aware of your spec to do the brilliant idea.

As for original specs, well that’s part of why I posted Terran. To disprove the myths about everybody ripping you off. If anything, you’ll get constructive feedback from people reading the script. Speaking of, I want to thank all the people that have been interest in reading the script. Clearly, you guys have great taste.

Educational Purposes Only

We do not learn from experience. We learn from reflecting on experience.

– John Dewey

Perhaps another reason why people are reticent to share their work is because of the type of projects that would be online. Seeing as you can’t put scripts in development or in production, you’d end up with a lot of what some may consider creative “failures” (I don’t — they’re merely unrealized opportunities). For examples, pitches that didn’t really advance past a certain stage. Among other writings, that’s exactly what you’ll find on Javi’s (and John August’s) site(s).

On some level, sharing unproduced scripts is giving fans more of what they want. Both writers have unique writing styles, and it’s great to read what they do.
It’s also about sharing experience and knowledge. When you’re speccing an existing show, you’ll be reverse-engineering the process of breaking the story.
The same can be applied to reading other writers’ projects, regardless of where the projects ended up.
Every writer has a different approach to the craft, and it’s always a learning experience to read someone else’s work. Even “failed pitches” are not actually failures. “Those who cannot remember the past…”

Writing can be a personal affair, but TV is communal. It’s teamwork. We’re all in this together.

I wish writers were more willing to openly share their work, especially when it comes to television.
It’s high time we started learning from each other’s craft. Why not become a team writer yourself?