I am consulting on a show and have read over 50 scripts for one open midlevel position. (Not taking any more submissions.) You gotta make the openings of your script sing.
And keep your scripts under 60 pages. 54-58 is good. Too many 64 page scripts floating around. Shows me you're precious about your writing & don't know how to cut. Meaning if you're on staff, I will have to do it for you.
Dec 15, 2021 • 10 tweets • 2 min read
2 years ago, I was told #TheDarkTower was not moving forward to series. I had big plans not only for that show but for a whole TDT universe. Ideas from my notes:
A big part of Jake’s story is that he bought a children’s book in NYC called “Charlie the Choo Choo.” I propose creating an animated short to for a Comic-Con trailer.
Nov 22, 2021 • 21 tweets • 3 min read
Spent Sunday afternoon reading 8 scripts. Here are my thoughts, which I mean to be helpful for emerging writers. Tips/reactions:
Read 4 scripts by @matejabozicevic and loved them all. She was sent to me months ago by a writer I love. We zoomed and I pushed her to write what she cares about. Don’t overthink. Write what’s raw. She did. Wrote some new scripts. Polished others. I could tell she had fun.
Nov 2, 2021 • 18 tweets • 3 min read
I just turned in what turned out to be the hardest script I’ve ever had to write. This thread is about why it was pure torture and what I learned from the process. I hope it helps some emerging writer out there.
Almost two years ago, I signed on to develop an IP for some fantastic producers. On Tuesday, March 10, 2020, we sold it in the room to a great network.
Aug 31, 2021 • 11 tweets • 2 min read
Spoke with an emerging writer who is making the same mistake I made at the beginning of my career. After my first gig on Nash Bridges, I didn’t land my next one (#TheShield) for 18 months.
I was supporting a wife and 2 kids. Living on residuals & credit cards. I cashed in a small pension, ran out of people to borrow money from. I was scared I would never work in Hollywood again.
Nov 25, 2020 • 6 tweets • 1 min read
They always tell writers to kill their darlings but some darlings never die.
In 2011, I came up with a cool action/horror sequence for The Walking Dead but we ended up doing something else. That happens. The episode we did, Killer Within, is pretty damn good. 1/
In 2017, I was breaking a Sin City tv series. That sequence worked perfectly as an opening but the Weinsteins had the rights and that show never happened. 2/
Jun 11, 2020 • 13 tweets • 3 min read
#TheShield was inspired by the LAPD Rampart scandal involving LAPD's CRASH unit. Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums. That should tell you a lot.
Over 70 cops were accused of wrongdoing. Look it up. Pretty interesting stuff. Cops acting as criminals.
May 27, 2020 • 9 tweets • 1 min read
Welcome to The 100
For many years, I’ve spoken with thousands of writers about writing for TV. I’ve given advice not only on the craft but also how to navigate the nuttiness that is the entertainment industry.
My friend & I thought this is the perfect time to try doing this for a larger audience over Zoom. So I am announcing THE 100, an online conversation designed to help beginning and mid-level TV writers.
Jan 14, 2020 • 7 tweets • 1 min read
Call me crazy but I believe that white men, feeling threatened by recent pushes to hire more women & POC, are not voting for films made by those people because that would validate those films & create a shift in the market place.
I'm hearing a lot of guys say they can't get jobs, that it's hard for white guys out there in Hollywood these days. The numbers don't support that but it's the current narrative.
Nov 4, 2019 • 15 tweets • 2 min read
Some thoughts on #PayUpHollywood: Yes, showrunners need to advocate for higher pay for assistants but very often the studios will just give you a flat no. Here are a few other ways to make a difference that may be not have been mentioned yet.
I buy my assistant lunch and coffee every day. It saves them hundreds per month.
Dec 18, 2018 • 12 tweets • 2 min read
Unfortunately, TV showrunners & directors receive no training on how to properly prepare and film nude or sex scenes so that actors are safe.
I have asked around and as far as I know, this is never discussed in film schools.
Aug 21, 2018 • 8 tweets • 1 min read
When staffing TV writers rooms, it’s important to get references on a potential hire from both men & women.
If the writer is a woman, men’s feedback may be biased. Very often, when women contribute (and challenge male writers), men will say “they don’t get the show.”
Aug 21, 2018 • 10 tweets • 1 min read
Here's a dirty secret about writing for TV: very often you fall behind on scripts, particularly late in the season. If you don't have a script to shoot, production shuts down. This is incredibly expensive and stressful.
The standard remedy is to divvy up the script among the staff. One writer takes one act or several scenes. Another writer takes other scenes. Still another takes others. One writer will tie it together. You could have 4-5 writers on one script.
