Free screenwriting DVD! • 13 June 2010 • The SnowBlog
Free screenwriting DVD!
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.
Rob
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.