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Posts tagged as “Work”

TV Budgeting and Line Producing ft. Maggie Herman (Bosch) – On the Road at SDCC 2016 (PT10)

Alex goes on the road at SDCC 2016 with Maggie Herman, assistant to the Executive Producer/Line Producer on the Amazon series Bosch, to discuss every TV writer’s favorite topic: budgeting. How much does an hour of television cost? And how do scripts get broken down into money?

It’s a double Paper Team first, as we welcome our very first guest-star, and have our very first “On the Road” episode while Alex drives up from San Diego Comic-Con 2016 with Maggie (and another surprise guest).

What is the real cost of an hour of TV? What is the process of breaking scripts into producible selection of scenes? Why would anyone want to become a line producer? What was Maggie’s favorite cosplay of the con?
All these questions and many more are answered in this special edition of Paper Team.

NOTE: I (Alex) recorded this podcast while literally on the road (riding shotgun in Maggie’s car). There should be minimal background noise after the post-production work done since I fixed it in post–but just in case, prepare your ears.

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 – How was Comic-Con 2016? (02:23)
2 – Everything you wanted to know about line producing, budgeting for television, and breaking down scripts into money (04:53)
3 – What Titus Welliver smells like and how amazing his crew gift was (58:19)

Links

Bosch – Available exclusively on Amazon
Maggie Herman’s Twitter
Chelsea Crane’s Twitter
Transmetropolitan – Warren Ellis & Darick Robertson
Sorkinisms – A Supercut (Video)

Maggie HermanMaggie Herman posing for the podcast

Bosch LP Schedule AugustMaggie’s fancy post-it-notes scheduling board for production

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]

How to Be a Great Production Assistant (PT09)

Alex and Nick talk about everything you need to know on how to get a television production assistant job, and what to do (and what not to do) so you excel at it.
What are the different kinds of TV PAs (on-set PA, office PA, post PA, writers’ PA)? What does each job entail? How do you actually get a sweet PA gig? And, more importantly, what should you be doing to make a great impression and make the best of that professional opportunity?
The Paper Team brews a fresh pot of coffee while answering these questions and more…

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 – The different TV Production Assistant jobs (00:30)
2 – Getting a PA job (15:56)
3 – What to do and what no to do on the job (21:18)
4 – How to go above and beyond (28:15)
5 – Opportunities to seize while being a PA (32:21)
6 – Keeping the ball rolling after the show wraps (37:27)
Takeaways and Resources (40:00)

Links

Below the Line listings
Production Weekly
eFax
“Attitude!” – The Birth of Poochie in The Simpsons (Video)

Resources

Needle Girl Haystack World
The Anonymous Production Assistant’s Blog

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]

Moving to Los Angeles (and Things We Wish We Knew) (PT01)

NEW: Get the episode cheat sheet on our Patreon!

In the inaugural episode of Paper Team, Alex and Nick discuss the very first step to becoming a TV writer: moving to Los Angeles.

This is not only about knowing why you need to be here, by also why you want to be here. Why did we both literally cross oceans and continents to live in LA? What can you do to prepare your nascent TV writing career before you step on a plane? And why do you need to know the town (and get a car)?

Let’s dig in…

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 – About Paper Team (00:17)
2 – Why television? (03:40)
3 – Why are we in Los Angeles? (07:23)
4 – What you need to do before stepping on a plane (14:27)
5 – Getting set up once you arrive in LA (24:32)
Takeaways and Resources (31:53)

Links

Paris – Six-Part Mini-Series From France
NCIS: LA showrunner Shane Brennan to reboot Australian TV
La Fémis Launches New TV Centered Training Program
Jeffrey Lieber’s Twitter
Academy Nicholl Fellowships
Austin Film Festival
SNL‘s The Californians

Resources

Small Screen, Big Picture – Chad Gervich
This Business of Television – Howard Blumenthal
The Hollywood Assistants Handbook – Peter Nowalk & Hillary Stamm

If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please leave us an iTunes review and/or rating at paperteam.co/itunes! :)

What is Paper Team all about?

This is a podcast about television writing and becoming a TV writer.
It is for people like us–working their way into the business from the ground up–who aspire to be TV writers (whether drama or comedy).
It is also for everyone interested in the television industry and everything around it.

We’ll be alternating every episode between two threads vital to being a successful TV writer: the business side, and the writing side.
On the industry end, we’ll be discussing things like meeting people, networking, finding work, being an assistant, and the television business itself.

On the writing front, we’ll be tackling anything related to our craft. Writing TV pilots, TV specs, taking notes, structure, theme, working in a writers’ room, in a writing team, and so much more.

Our first few episodes aim to give you a basic step-by-step guide to getting yourself established in LA, armed with a basic understanding of TV writing, and giving you the tools needed to start your journey to the writers’ room.

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]