Monday, July 18, 2011

Open Line Monday - Reader Questions

Well, it's that part of the summer where I pretty much hit a wall and could use a kickstart of inspiration. That means it's time for you guys to pitch in and come up with interesting questions for me to tackle over the next couple of weeks.

So hit me up. You can ask about the craft, about being a reader, about me in general, about movies in general, Los Angeles, Carmageddon... Basically, if you've got something you're interested in hearing me tackle, go ahead and ask. The worst I can do is ignore it.

No, actually the WORST I could probably do is ridicule you, but that comes with the risk of me looking like the ass too.

Submit away!

10 comments:

  1. If I'm looking to seriously break into the industry (which I am), I already know I pretty much need to move and live in LA. My question is: what are the odds or realistic time tables of landing a job as a reader or in an agency or as a writer's assistant where I can make the connections needed while honing my craft and continue writing my own specs?

    Thanks, David.

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  2. I've been talking to two independent directors about writing scripts they can produce themselves. I don't think they'll be able to pay me, which I can live with since it will add something to my resume. Have you ever worked with that sort of thing? What kind of agreement should I make concerning things like copyright, future profits, etc?

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  3. I'm curious about how to land a job as a writer (or writer's assistant) on a sitcom. I've been told things as varied as working at an agency, interning with production companies, doing stand up, or inundating yourself at the UCB theater. I'd appreciate whatever advice you might have. Thanks, Kyle

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  4. What insight can you give into the decision making process behind the reader's job?

    What kind of scripts make it past the reader, and which ones fail?

    Do you err on the side of passing a script upwards, if it has a glimmer of potential? Are you told to favor various genres?

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  5. Like Pliny, I'm similarly intrigued as to what is your streamlined process for script triage. Do you have some kind of check list so you can justify your decision on the script in an objective way. Or do you just read until your gut feeling tells you the script hasn't made the cut? Cheers! Malc.

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  6. Are all readers hopeful writers, or are there some that just like to read, have good ideas for corrections, but no desire to actually write anything?

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  7. Let's say a character in one of my scripts enters a kitchen, talks to her roommate, then later uses the stove. Do I need to mention the stove in the action line after the slug, or can I just say, "She turns on the stove" when she interacts with it?

    Let's say instead of turning on a stove, she throws an eggbeater at her roommate. Should I just say, "She throws an eggbeater at her roommate"? Not every kitchen would have an eggbeater, so it seems weird to have one materialize if the reader had been picturing a kitchen without an eggbeater.

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  8. I'm about to send out query letters to a bunch of production companies, so I've collected all their contact details. But I'm wondering if I should send these letters out via e-mail or regular mail. E-mail would certainly save on paper, ink and stamps, but physically mailing letters seems much more professional. What do you think?

    Thanks!

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  9. Hi Bitter,

    In the comedy I'm working on, I was considering making one of my characters Australian. There's no story reason for him to be Australian per se, the story takes place in the States, and he could be any nationality really, I just pictured him as an Aussie for some reason.

    There are a couple of reason I'd like to do this; I have some jokes that would work, and I think it might be a good way of making this particular character stand out. It's a small part but he must be memorable since he plays a pivotable role in the story.

    I could make this character unique in other ways, of course, and I don't want it to seem like a gimmick. Is it a bad idea to pick a particular nationality? It feels a bit like a copout. What is your opinion on assigning character traits that doesn't have anything to do with moving the story forward?

    Thanks!

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  10. Hi,

    I think it would be great if you would or could address Writing Group ettiquette. There's no rules on paper but most writers are in a group and the rules vary. However, I seem to run into problems and have witnessed many "verbal" death matches over notes. So if you can give your opinion on 1) how to politely handle a script full of toilet humor 2) How to tell a writer they've written a novel - not a script 3) How to handle getting booted out of a group (yes, it happened to me..but like my mother says..."They were just jealous! lol)
    Thx!

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