First thing I like to do is ask for an outline. I have an outline that works extremely well for me as well as other writers I know that work for TV networks, or at least for my own projects. I’m still not sure exactly how I got my first outline, but basically what I do is ask other writers on my projects to talk them through some of the basic concepts of the story line.
I’ll often be like “Hey, I have an idea. I want you to outline these characters and the story so we can decide which scene we should start in.” Or I’ll write down all the dialogue for someone, and I’ll tell them we want to start this scene at the beginning of the episode.
What’s it like getting your scripts reviewed?
It’s pretty standard. The writers I’ve known that work for networks on a regular basis will tell me to ask them to review the story line and their notes, but I’ll usually say “Okay, thanks.” Then at least one of them will start giving me notes on some of the scenes (especially if I have the first draft that they wrote in. I always ask them if they can put those notes into the scripts and if it’s okay for them to change them). The point is that if they are giving something specific, they can make it a bit clearer.
My current work tends to be with other producers like Adam Cohen, Michael Cera, Mark Johnson, etc. and they tend to also have notes, but as far as I’m concerned, I’m kind of in control of what’s written in every script I send to them.
Do you have a big budget to work with as a writer? What is your best writing process?
I don’t have a big budget when I’m writing. With some of my projects (mostly dramas) I spend like $30,000 or something and my script is not as polished as some of the scripts I’ve seen out there, but that’s mostly because I have a very tight budget. One thing I like to do is to just get out of my comfort zone and write, and in some ways, this will help me get my notes in before I write, so I can get a real sense of what’s right or wrong, and then it’s just about trying to figure out the story, and if things are going off on a different track, where the story might be going.
What advice might you give to aspiring producers looking to make
best cameras for filmmaking 2016 nfl season, sva digital filmmaking workshops boston, best professional cameras for filmmaking equipment list, filmmaking challenge, modern techniques of capital budgeting tools