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Posts tagged as “Whedon”

TV Writing Conditions and WGA Win – Paper Scraps Monthly (PT208)

TV Writing Conditions and WGA Win – Paper Scraps Monthly (PT208)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 32:12 — 29.7MB)

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Alex and Nick answer your TV writing questions about ideal writing conditions, writing essentials, and predatory representation contracts.

Plus, we discuss the latest news, including the WGA/WME agreement, and problematic behaviors in our industry.

Content

TV Writing Questions: Ideal writing conditions and predatory contracts (00:32)
TV Writing News: WGA/WME Agreement, problematic behaviors, and a new OTT (21:14)

Links

WGA Agreement with WME
“Gina Carano fired from ‘Mandalorian’ after social media posts” – PBS News Hour
“More Voices Speak Out Against Joss Whedon’s Conduct” – Deadline
“ViacomCBS’ Paramount+ Campaign During Super Bowl” – AdWeek
“Frasier Revival Eyed at Paramount+” – TV Line

If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

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

TV Dialogue 101 (PT51)

TV Dialogue 101 (PT51)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 40:00 — 36.8MB)

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NEW: Get the episode cheat sheet on our Patreon!

Update: PT51 transcript now available

Alex and Nick look at the importance of dialogue in TV writing, and give an overview of what makes it stand out.

What can you use dialogue for? What makes good or bad dialogue? How do you introduce character quirks in the dialogue? What are some common pitfalls in dialogue writing? How do you fix bad dialogue?

Plus, we respond to a review and talk over-used pitches.

The Paper Team trades words…

SHOWNOTES

Content

Odds-and-ends: Review & Pitches (00:48)
1 – Purpose of dialogue (09:06)
2 – Specificities of dialogue: style and character (13:08)
3 – Finding your dialogue (16:38)
4 – What makes bad dialogue and how to fix it (22:41)
Takeaways and Resources (34:42)

Links

Mumblecore
Mark Duplass
Big Brother Live Feeds
The Newsroom
Littlefinger’s “Chaos is a Ladder” speech from Game of Thrones (Video)
“Oh, hi Mark” scene from The Room (Video)
Code-switching
Draft Zero Podcast

Resources

“Dialogue Secrets” – William C. Martell

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 Prose and Scene Description 101 (PT48)

TV Prose and Scene Description 101 (PT48)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:46 — 31.1MB)

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Update: PT48 transcript now available

Alex and Nick discuss why scene descriptions in TV scripts are so important, what to focus on in your TV prose, and treading the line between writing a script as a technical document versus a reading experience.

What makes good or bad prose? What are some examples of compelling scene descriptions? Should prose be efficient or florid? How do you convey textual information? When should you “direct” in a TV script?

Plus, a quick review of Shonda Rhimes’ TV writing masterclass.

The Paper Team illustrates their thoughts…

SHOWNOTES

Content

Announcements (00:49)
Odds-and-ends: Shonda Rhimes’ TV writing masterclass (02:23)
1 – What is screenwriting prose and why is it important (07:50)
2 – Why scene descriptions need to be efficient (09:33)
3 – Script: technical document or reading experience? (17:53)
4 – Describing versus telling (22:51)
5 – The screenwriter’s voice (27:39)
Takeaways and Resources (30:15)

Links

Shonda Rhimes’ TV writing masterclass
Six Feet Under
Alien script by Walter Hill and David Giler
David Foster Wallace
Shane Black
American Gods (TV Series)
Courier Prime
“Two for the Road” (2×20 – Lost)
“Exposition in TV Writing” (PT24)
Sherlock (TV Series)
“Sherlock: How To Film Thought” (Video)
“A Brief Look at Texting and the Internet in Film” (Video)
Fringe chyrons

Resources

Hemingway Editor
Thesaurus.com
“The Synonym Finder” – J. I. Rodale

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]