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And you know I don't chuck exclamation marks around lightly! So, any aspiring TV screenwriters out there? Because I have a prize to give away.
I'm pretty interested in how the whole American TV industry functions, where screenwriting and showrunning are well-defined jobs with their own career path - which I don't think happens in the same way here in the UK. Writing takes place in 'the room', where episodes are 'broken' and there's a whole science to 'cold opens', 'act breaks' and 'teasers'. In my pontificating on the state of UK TV drama (especially in regard to shows like 'Doctor Who') I've often thought that importing a really seasoned US showrunner might help raise our game. We wouldn't need to slavishly follow their rules, but I think an ignorance of them is even worse. For a glimpse into what I'm talking about I happen to have a spare copy of a DVD called 'Breaking the Story' in which Tim Minear takes an audience of trainee screenwriters through putting together the story for a hypothetical episode of Angel - the Buffy spin-off - for which Minear used to be the showrunner. The DVD is one of the shoddily shot, edited and packaged - but still rather fascinating - 'Expo Seminar' DVDs from Creative Screenwriting Magazine in the States. (Their Joss Whedon one is wonderful, but I don't have a spare copy of that I'm afraid.)
I'm not sure how many of you out there are interested, but seeing as how I only have one spare copy, write a comment here if you're so inclined (making sure you fill in your e-mail address on the comment form - it won't appear next to your comment, though - it stays secret) and a week from now (if anyone has commented) I'll flip a coin and mail someone the disk. Enjoy.
Comments: 5
This is an interesting blog to comment on Rob as you don't seem to be asking any questions... but there's someone in my life who I love very much who is doing a screen writing course in London and who, I'm sure would love this DVD... so please put my name in the hat. :-) Thank you. isabel
Posted by: Isabel Losada on June 13, 2010 09:22 PM
The writing team for Angel (and Buffy) have always impressed me; Jane Epenson, Joss Whedon and, of course, Tim Minear.
A few of them are involved in taking the stories forward in the ongoing Buffy and Angel comics series (Dark House and IDW) - well worth checking out if you were a fan of the TV series.
Posted by: WayneSimmons on June 13, 2010 11:23 PM
I have a novel manuscript about a group of transplant patients playing Russian Roulette with the power cables to their ventilators to decide who gets the only heart available.
I have a background project on the go to transform it into a stage play, but maybe I should try a screenplay first. So do please throw my name into the hat. Thank you.
Posted by: Christian Cook on June 13, 2010 11:40 PM
I'd love to be put down for that, I've written a script that's being workshopped by friends at the moment before I send it off to the BBC writers' room.
I think one of the main things we need to learn is about avoiding plot holes. Whatever you think of shows like 'Buffy' (I love it) the fact remains that because of Joss Whedon's creative control, stuff always made sense. Obviously we don't want British TV to get bogged down with the studio politics that goes with American TV but there's got to be a happy medium.
Posted by: Nathan FitzPatrick on June 14, 2010 11:13 AM
Hi Rob
Hope I'm not too late! I'm a follower of your Dr. Who reviews and also dipping a novelist's finger into screenwriting (and thinking I like it!) As a fully paid up member of the TV generation, would love to see the DVD.
Cheers
AliB
Posted by: AliB on June 16, 2010 05:18 PM