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Showing posts with the label writing

CASE STUDY: 8 Take-aways from the WGAW 2015 TV Report on Writers of Diversity

Some thoughts on " The State of Diversity in Writing for Television " Finally got a chance to read the WGAW 2015 TV Staffing Brief  and the findings are somewhat depressing: " Not only were minorities still underrepresented by factors of nearly 3 to 1 among all staff writers and nearly 7 to 1 among executive producers during the 2013-14 season, but women television writers also continued to tread water, at best, relative to their male counterparts. That is, women were underrepresented by factors of nearly 2 to 1 among all staff writers and more than 3 to 1 among critical executive producer positions. Meanwhile, older writers who were represented on nearly every show staff during the 2013-14 season saw their fortunes 14 drop precipitously beyond age 50, when they were absent from nearly a third of all shows. Findings like these highlight a glaring disconnect between the increasing diversity of audiences and business-as-usual practices in the Hollywood industry. "

SCRIPT TO SCREEN: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

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The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari |  Robert Wiene | 1920 | Germany | Format: 35mm, Black and White, Silent  | 51-78 min (varies; different versions) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari opened today almost 100 years ago in 1920. Gance loved it, Eisenstein hated it. Today it's considered a horror classic and a great experiment in Expressionism. Even though we live in the digital age, it is worth going back in time to study the story of how this movie was made in an era when film was still in its infancy. We stand to benefit from the making of The Cabinet of Dr. Calgari and learn things, such as: How the writers collaborated to combine their experiences and imagination in crafting the script. How the writers used their connections to their advantage even though they had never worked for a studio before. How their passion and unique "pitch" convinced the executive to buy the writers's script. Why it's important to know what rights you are signing away. How collaborati

SCRIPT TO SCREEN: The Scripts for the 2015 Oscar Best Screenplay Nominees

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Dear Filmmaker, Here's your homework: Pick one (1) script from the Oscar-nominated ones below and study it for structure, plot and character development and dialogue.  Then watch the movie produced out of it and pick 3 scenes that moved you. Review the scenes in the script and breakdown how the scene was directed. At every point, ask yourself, "Why* did the director do this?" Look for:  What kind of shots were used?  How were the shots composed/framed and lit?  How were the shots edited together?  What kind of transitions were used in between shots?  What kind of sounds and music accompanied them, if any?  How did the actors act and what aspects of the actor's performance did the director focus on?  And how did the production's design (costume, setting, location, makeup, VFX, etc.) contribute to the overall effect? Extra credit: pick 3 scenes from any of the scripts below that did NOT move you and using the script only, determine how you would r

PRODUCTION JOURNAL: Chris Cooke's BBC Director Diary part 3

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BBC has recently launched  a series of diaries by directors . Reposted below is  part 3  of 8 journal entries filmmaker  Chris Cooke  has written to give you a glimpse of the creative thought process and the practical obstacles filmmakers have to overcome during development.  Read and see how it relates to your production life. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Chris avoids Americanisation in his third video diary I am ill and tired as usual, as regular watchers of these video diaries will know already. My flat has a small and unhealthy ergonomic triangle that is bad for me when I am writing at home. I sit typing only two feet from my refrigerator and two feet from my sofa, fags and remote control... my routine seems to be: Type and smoke; walk to fridge, make sandwich; walk to sofa; chill out and smoke and watch some film or other while eating, smoking, etc... lie down and think up new script-based idea. Er, that's it! It's all