Lecture 1 GROW The Golden Rule of Work GROWL The Golden Rule of Work and sometimes life Personal Adage A manager spends 90 of their time managing problems with 10 of their staff IF GOD HAS SPOKEN TO YOU RULE If work is perfect do not show anyone o Collect your Emmy or Oscar Taking the money out moving locations and claiming that it is the original location because of tax credits Databases Studios and producers use this to comment about an actors performance writing or acting When you see in between two names this means they worked together The pages of the script what s used to attract stars directors studios and money o Lowell Ganz Babaloo When you see and means they worked separately o Lowell and Babaloo Babaloo came after Theatrical film A director s medium TV The writers medium Buying the pages used in film o Buying the pages that are already written Buying the writer used in TV o Prospective o They need to write each episode o Not written yet JJ Abrams started in TBV Star Trek and Star Wars Writers room has about 6 writers TV series writing almost always group written Film Writing an individual or 2 person writing team effort o Writers room Tent Pole having an opening date for a movie years in advance Show Runner A show s creator writer o Executive producer o Firing show runners Walking Dead Smash Community Show Runner s duties Final say on o Casting Writing staff Freelance writer hiring writing editing Can be overlooked by the studio or network Who has final say Whoever is writing the checks o TV Studios Film studios TV Networks o They can override Show Runner s say License fee In TV networks are always licensing programs o They are paying to have usually 2 runs of an episode Production Budget Costs Studios are producing the episodes and then licensing them to networks o The studio owns the programs o License fee is less than the production cost Co ownership of a show Networks pick up the shows and tells studios that they want 50 Vertically Integrated creator and deliver are ONE company o Creation delivery one company owns a piece of the action at each step In film writer is suppose to be paid three times for treatment first draft second draft Notes Solve a problem identify a problem indicate where you have a problem Charlie Hunnam lead actor in Sons of Anarchy Julianne Margulies star of CBS The Good Wife Lecture 2 THE NEED Theatrical Film needs about 620 films a year o MPA Motion Picture Association of America Non theatrical film supply On Demand DVD Blueray pay cable network Basic cable networks Streaming Broadcast TV THE NEED TV ABC NBC CBS each program 3 hours of prime time mon sat and 4 hours on Sunday 1452 hours o Not in Theatres can watch at home THE NEED Broadcast Networks Scripted Series o ABC CBS NBC FOX o TV beginning 39 episodes 32 episodes 14 episodes now 22 episodes Initial order for a broadcast TV series 13 episodes Typical for British TV series 6 episodes THE NEED TV Broadcast Networks need to compete for viewers o Need at least 22 weeks of new programs per time slot Programs 2 hours Mon Sat and 3 on Sunday 330 hours o 3 3 3 3 3 3 4 15 15 x 22 330 hours o So 4 broadcast networks need about 1782 hours of new programs How would the hours be reduced By reality and TV news magazines How would the hours be increased By networks having a mix of new programs THE NEED Cable Networks USA FX AMC typically order 13 episodes per season o Episodes 2 13 are 60 minutes each o Going over 90 minutes moves the episode into the TV movie category o 90 minutes maximum episode time THE NEED Cable networks scripted series usually 13 episodes o 2 or 3 original series at any given time So 3 series at 13 episodes 39 hours on the air Times 4 156 hours of original programming per cable network o Broadcast TV 2500 hours o Cable TV 1500 hours So lets say about 4000 hours of new programming needed for all US TV networks o Getting an idea film writer comes up with idea writer needs to write a script ideas alone not bought need the pages writer should copyright register the script o Best way to get a US copyright cost 35 online 45 via mail Lasts the life of the author 70 years o WGA Writers Guild of America Lasts 5 years 20 for non WGA members o Most solid approach 35 45 for the copyright o Copyright lawsuit Movie We are Marshall Based on a true story Needed permission Documentary producers sued saying o Too close to real facts lost case The Newlywed Game o YOU MUST HAVE AN AGENT TO SUBMIT ANY SCRIPT FOR TV OR FILM Agents are licensed They get 10 of what work of yours they sell o Large agencies WME William Morris Endeavor CAA Creative Artists Agency ICM International Creative Management o Baby Agents Someone that is just beginning o How do you get an agent You need pages scripts Feature films script itself TV at least 2 scripts episode of the show o Pilot Script drama or comedy o Spec Scripts they were written on speculation TV film always start with a spec script o Coverage when readers read your script and do a 2 page report Summarizes reviews script recommend 3 scores Pass consider recommend Done by an unpaid intern or freelancer who gets 50 100 per script o Company logos in movie credits means that the production companies paid for that film o Distributors and Publicity Paid to give the movie out Need to share revenue with the movie theater First week 90 10 Last week 10 90 o Development Executive D girls o Production Company Studio owned run by producer directors or actors They find and develop the product films and TV shows o What determines whether a script becomes a studio film The key determinant What is the poster Stars actor franchise director Idea is to hit all 4 quadrants Transformers The Four Quadrants male under 25 male over 35 female under 25 Female over 35 o INTERNATIONAL IS EQUAL TO OR LARGER THAN NORTH AMERICAN BOX OFFICE NOW o Tax credits States compete for production Louisiana Michigan and North Carolina are successful o Track Record Until recently what you needed to have a series bought o To be a TV writer You get to pitch ideas for a freelance script You need two spec scripts to get an agent Scripts are then sent to series staffs Honest dishonest You script is then bought o Title escalation in the past this was tied to salary increase o Producer titles Some are writers production company executives or production producers non writing Not anymore Producer o Associative Producers Almost always production related o Line Producer in charge of budget schedule and
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