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Posts published in “TV Writing”

Writing Samples and Preparing for TV Staffing ft. Liz Alper (The Rookie) & Kai Wu (Deception) (PT119)

Writing Samples and Preparing for TV Staffing ft. Liz Alper (The Rookie) & Kai Wu (Deception) (PT119)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:12:13 — 66.3MB)

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Alex and Nick invite fellow TV writers Liz Alper (The Rookie/Hawaii Five-0) & Kai Wu (Deception/The Flash) to debate what samples are worth writing, and how they get ready for staffing season.

Are features better samples than TV pilots or specs? Should writers chase trends? What are ways of researching a spec script? How can you get ready for staffing season? How do you handle a difficult showrunner as a staff writer?

Plus, we give feedback on three Paper tease entries and discuss the latest TV writing news.

The Paper Team cuts deep…

PT119 Liz Alper Kai Wu

SHOWNOTES

Content

Paper Tease Session (00:00:48)
1 – TV writing samples and getting ready for staffing season with Liz Alper & Kai Wu (00:17:33)
2 – Paper Scraps: SMILF allegations, Bandersnatch, and TV watching (00:52:16)
Final Advice and Next Week On (01:07:53)

Paper Tease Entries

“Endwell” by Diana Lampiasi
“Test.ed” by Melissa Long
“Mediocre” by Chris Thomas

Links

Liz Alper on Twitter
Kai Wu on Twitter
The Rookie on ABC
Deception
Daniel Kunka’s Twitter thread
Kai and Liz’s Twitter responses
Edgar Wright & Simon Pegg on Writing (Video)
“‘SMILF’ Creator Frankie Shaw Investigated Over Misconduct Claims” – The Hollywood Reporter
“Sexually Explicit Casting Contract for HBO’s ‘Westworld’ Extras Has SAG-AFTRA Concerned” – The Hollywood Reporter
“HBO Hires “Intimacy Coordinators” To Monitor On-Set Sex” – Deadline
“Inside the 2-Year Journey of ‘Bandersnatch'” – The Hollywood Reporter
Lords & Ladles
Tidying Up with Marie Kondo
Nailed It!

This episode brought to you by Script PipelineSubmit by March 1st to the 2019 Script Pipeline contest for a reduced entry fee

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]

TV Formula 101: Building an Engine For Your Show (PT117)

TV Formula 101: Building an Engine For Your Show (PT117)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 28:24 — 26.2MB)

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Alex and Nick discuss why TV formulas still matter and how to build a successful TV engine for your pilot and show.

What is a TV engine? Why is a “formula” a necessary ingredient for a sustainable TV series? What are some ways serialized and character-based series use formulas to their advantage? How do you generate a sustainable and compelling engine for your show? How do you express that formula in a script?

Plus, we launch our Patreon page and are hosting a mixer to celebrate!

The Paper Team regenerates…

SHOWNOTES

Announcements

1 – Paper Team is now on Patreon! You can support us starting as little as $2/month and get exclusive TV writing advice in exchange, including cheat sheets and bonus episodes. Join us at https://www.patreon.com/paperteam

2 – To celebrate the launch, we’re having a free mixer! Join us Saturday, January 19 at the Harlowe Bar in West Hollywood. The event starts at 5PM and runs all evening. More information available at http://paperteam.co/mixer

Content

Announcements: Patreon launch and Mixer details (00:26)
1 – Why formulas are still important in TV (03:39)
2 – How to generate a TV engine (09:09)
3 – Common questions and problems (22:44)
Takeaways and Next Week On (26:34)

Links

TV Pilot 101 (PT30)
TV Pilot 201: Keeping the Reader Interested (PT84)
Day Break
Act Breaks (PT15)
Weaving Storylines: A/B/C Stories (PT53)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode and everyone else who supported us this year.

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 Writing for Comedy & Drama ft. Michelle Badillo & Caroline Levich (One Day at a Time/The Bold Type) (PT115)

TV Writing for Comedy & Drama ft. Michelle Badillo & Caroline Levich (One Day at a Time/The Bold Type) (PT115)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 55:24 — 50.9MB)

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Alex and Nick invite Michelle Badillo & Caroline Levich, writers on Neflix’s One Day at a Time and Freeform’s The Bold Type, to discuss their experiences working in both half-hour and one-hour TV writers’ rooms.

How do you approach your first days in a writers’ room? What are some of the differences and challenges between breaking a half-hour and a one-hour show? What lessons can TV writers take from working in both multi-cam and drama rooms? How do you adapt to differences in tone between the formats? How are stories broken on One Day at a Time and The Bold Type? What was it like working on a Humanitas-nominated episode of TV? How can you use branding to your advantage as a writer? What are some tips for successfully transitioning between formats and genre?

The Paper Team changes tone…

SHOWNOTES

Content

Writing for both TV comedy and TV drama with Michelle Badillo & Caroline Levich (00:37)
Final Advice, Resources and Next Week On (47:28)

Links

Michelle Badillo on Twitter
Caroline Levich on Twitter
“One Day at a Time” on Netflix
“The Bold Type” on Freeform
Gloria Calderon Kellett
Hollywood Fringe Festival
Dan Hernandez
“Hello, Penelope” (2×09 – One Day at a Time)
Amanda Lasher

Resources

“How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying” by Carol Leifer
“Just the Funny Parts” by Nell Scovell
The Comeback

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]