Minor Spoiler Alert. Don't read if you're at all interested in Flashforward or Stargate: SGU
Earlier this week, Denis at Dead Things on Sticks had a post rounding up the new TV season. Being a fan of a couple of shows he mentioned (and curious about a few others) I decided to chime in with something that occurred to me on the weekend.
A couple of friends of mine watched the pilot of “Flashforward” and said I’d really like it. The thing about “Flashforward” is that I already knew about the book, but never got around to reading it. The author, Rob Sawyer, is Canadian and really, I owe him a lot. My buddy/co-writer/co-blogger Mark met a mutual friend in Sawyer’s sci-fi writing class at (I believe) the University of Toronto. If it hadn’t been for that class, I would never have met Mark, thus I wouldn’t be broke after many nights spent at the pub. Thanks a lot Rob! But seriously, I forgot that David Goyer was involved with the show and he’s someone I’m a bit of a fan of. (Check out the “Dialogue Series” DVD with Goyer) Anyhow, back to my point. One of my friends, a non-writer, asked me to watch it. She also wanted to know if the beginning reminded me of the pilot for “Lost.”
So the weekend came, and I got my hands on the pilots for “Flashforward,” and another show I was looking forward to, “Stargate Universe.” And here’s the thing: They obeyed rule #1 for any kind of storytelling, be it novel, short story, film, or television. GRAB ‘EM. Hook the audience. Get their attention from the start. The interesting thing is, both pilots did in fact remind of the pilot for “Lost.”
I’m not suggesting that the writer’s of FF and SGU were ripping off Lindelof and Abrams. I’m not even suggesting they were inspired by the “Lost” pilot, though it’s a possibility, for reasons possibly exclusive to the two shows. But it makes the case for what works, particularly for the sci-fi genre. (I’m not gonna go into the Sawyer/Crichton sci-fi, but not sci-fi, debate)
Here’s why they reminded me of Lost. In a nutshell: Lots of people on screen confused, scared, screaming, hurt. And even if you didn’t know who Joseph Fienns is, or recognize any of the principal characters from the ads, you would be able to lock in on who the “heroes” are based on their action (or positive reaction) to their predicament. I’m kicking myself for the way I just spelled it out, because it sounds like formula. It’s not. It’s good writing. Because there’s a world, a plot, a story, and real characters that hold it all together.
The moment Lt. Scott stumbles through the stargate aboard the “Destiny,” we know something is wrong. He looks around, he’s out of breath, he raises his gun. Before he can finish scanning the large dark gate-room, people are being flung through the stargate and he’s trying to help them. And the situation deteriorates from there. Same thing with Flashforward.
The reason I risk the wrath of geeks everywhere by saying the writers of both shows MIGHT have been influenced by Lost is because, well, I think they’re geeks too. Us geeks don’t always see other geeks as competitors. These guys are all fans of a) good television, b) the genre, and c) storytelling.
Goyer, and especially Braga (Star Trek, Threshold and more) have worked in TV before. So why wouldn’t they look at something like “Lost.” Both shows are not episodic, and from the looks of it so far, FF will most likely have a mythology.
The guys over at Stargate are massive geeks, and I say that with the utmost respect. If you look at any past episode of either SG-1 or Atlantis, there are all sorts of nods and winks at other stories in the sci-fi genre. Look at the 200th episode of SG-1. They’re also fans of great story and have experimented within their show’s framework to stretch out a little. The two-part SG-1 episode “Heroes” is one of my favourites. (The writer’s gave Saul Rubinek a juicy part and his speech/rant in part two was brilliant) They made it clear from the moment SGU was announced that they were gonna try something different, and while some fans had doubts, I was pumped. I trust these guys based on on what I’ve seen they’re capable of with past Stargate episodes. So did they rip off “Lost?” No. Were they inspired by it? Maybe. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re fans of the show. Could they have never watched “Lost” but still come up with a great pilot for “SGU?” Absolutely. ‘Cause great minds think alike.
All these shows grabbed the audience and didn’t let go. They SHOWED us who our heroes are at a frantic pace while establishing a very strong QUESTION that will drive the characters on a journey while planting our butts in front of the TV week after week.
(Oh… it’s been a while since I’ve watched something that made me want to sit down and write a new story or overhaul an old one. SGU did just that. Even the music is awesome. I can’t get the opening out of my head)
Showing posts with label tv pilot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tv pilot. Show all posts
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
Where's the time?
I don't know how the pros do it. Seriously, they write screenplays, short stories, novels, and some of them still maintain a blog. Nuts.
Got a little pumped up after some recent emails and facebook correspondence with a writer buddy currently in Trinidad, (Hugh...post something here!) so here's another attempt at a blog entry. In fact, last night I came up with some more ideas about what I'd like TWIP to be and shared them with Hugh this afternoon. Waiting on his reply....
Anywho....looking back on that last entry kind of made me laugh. But all in all, I did stick with that plan I outlined there. I did however take a long detour in March, April, and May to work on my second script which is finally in GREAT shape. Actually, I think May and part of June were spent reading and recharging my batteries. After that, I started to re-outline my 3rd screenplay. I refuse to look at the original draft, and I gotta say, this approach is really working.
I've been half assed with my market research, but it's coming along. I'm hoping to start sending queries in September or October. And though my focus has been on features, I'm still hoping to go back to that TV pilot I wrote with Mark and today I found a great entry on Dead Things on Sticks which will have me glued to my laptop this week (and inspired the beginning of this entry) Check it out here.
Hopefully I'll be back sometime this week as opposed to nine months from now.
Got a little pumped up after some recent emails and facebook correspondence with a writer buddy currently in Trinidad, (Hugh...post something here!) so here's another attempt at a blog entry. In fact, last night I came up with some more ideas about what I'd like TWIP to be and shared them with Hugh this afternoon. Waiting on his reply....
Anywho....looking back on that last entry kind of made me laugh. But all in all, I did stick with that plan I outlined there. I did however take a long detour in March, April, and May to work on my second script which is finally in GREAT shape. Actually, I think May and part of June were spent reading and recharging my batteries. After that, I started to re-outline my 3rd screenplay. I refuse to look at the original draft, and I gotta say, this approach is really working.
I've been half assed with my market research, but it's coming along. I'm hoping to start sending queries in September or October. And though my focus has been on features, I'm still hoping to go back to that TV pilot I wrote with Mark and today I found a great entry on Dead Things on Sticks which will have me glued to my laptop this week (and inspired the beginning of this entry) Check it out here.
Hopefully I'll be back sometime this week as opposed to nine months from now.
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Walt!
Well, since that last entry, I got the chicken pox and did nothing. So here I am, trying to get back into the groove. Again. Here goes....
“Walt! Walt!”
That seemed to be regular dialogue for Michael throughout most of seasons 1 and 2 of “Lost.” Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing because it crystallized Michael’s story; the struggles of a single father who had fatherhood thrust upon him when Walt’s mother died. (Quickly followed by crashing on an island overrun by psychotic cave-people posers and physics-defying smoke)
Scenes between Walt and Michael furthered Michael’s story, and to a lesser degree, Walt’s. But it was the scenes between Walt and John Locke that really hinted at what many hoped to be an incredible future story arc (journey) for Walt. It remains to be seen if fans will get to see that journey. I for one am no longer sure we will and sometimes believe that there WAS a story there, but was later shelved as priorities in the writer’s room changed.
Events in season 1 (and season 2 thanks to Miss Clue) suggested a big Walt story. “He’s special,” they said. From learning how to play backgammon to throwing knives, conjuring dead birds and (foreseeing?) polar bears, it was clear that something was “up” with Walt. But when did it start? When did we, the audience, get our first “Walt’s arc story beat?”
If I had access to my season 1 DVDs, I’d tell you.
I can say with complete... okay, almost complete certainty, that we didn’t get it in the pilot. Or did we? It certainly doesn’t seem like we did. So now, my dear nonexistent readers, I come to the point. (finally) When writing an ensemble, one that has…say… strong serial elements[1], how many character arcs do you set up in the first half of a two hour pilot?
The Secret TV Pilot
“A bunch of people struggle to maintain and protect their way of life. When it’s threatened and it seems all is lost, they go on the run to start over someplace new and safe.”
That’s a non specific concept for the TV show I’m writing with Mark and no, we wouldn’t/don’t pitch it that way.
The characters we focus on, the ones that lead the audience into this new world, have an arc that is set up in “Pilot – Part 1.” The characters grow and develop and are not static within the confines of that one 50 odd page script. Two of them, brothers who couldn’t be more different, have a kid brother they both care about. We call him…. Richard, and he’s our Walt.
When Mark and I were first brainstorming on this show over frosty pints,[2] we decided these two brothers needed… something. Something in common. Something they both care about. We discussed giving them a younger brother and after bouncing around story ideas and seeing just what we could do with this new character, Richard was born. (7 pounds, 3 ounces) But in our notes, Richard was merely described as a “wide eyed kid.” I think this MIGHT be where we went wrong, ‘cause you see, there’s something bothering me about Richard in “Pilot – Part 1.” Over the course of that script, Richard supplies some exposition (and we actually like how that scene plays out) and manages to get kidnapped at the end. But none of that, as far as we know, really sets up his character arc. And now that I think about it, I know it doesn’t. As writers, we’re not going to write this character as the kid who’s traumatized for a season or two by the kidnapping. The show isn’t about the kidnapping. The event will certainly inform the character, but nothing more. So my problem is Richard comes across as a tool. He’s just there to give these two brothers something they both care about because that makes them (especially the bad brother) nice guys the audience could like.
I want more for/from my characters.
I started writing this blog entry as a means of working my way through a dilemma. Writing is making decisions. Do we take all those scenes with Richard in the first part of the pilot and tweak them to set up some grand character arc and hint at the journey to come? Or will that merely be distraction and confuse the audience?
Well, hopefully this blogging thing has helped me again.
The Pilot is setup for the series.
Richard’s journey could only happen AFTER the events of the pilot (bunch of people going on the run). It could only happen after his ordinary world is interrupted and changed forever. Yes, he gets kidnapped, but he’s not the main character. I’ll come back to the kidnapping in a bit.
A character’s introduction is his first beat.
Firefly: Mal at the height of the war with the Alliance. Lost: Jack racing to save people. Sawyer being a jackass. (And being alone, smoking, reading the letter). In “Heroes,” Claire is introduced hurting herself because she can regenerate, but doesn’t know what to make of it. But Hiro is trying to stop a clock, and when he does, he gets excited and tells his buddy, Ando, all about it. He wants that kind of power because he wants to be a hero.
So, in writing this entry, I’m leaning towards NOT making Richard a busy-body to set up stuff the audience won’t care about yet. You see (if you had eyes, but don’t since you don’t exist, dear reader), our notes said “wide-eyed-kid” and that’s exactly what we wrote. Richard is static. The first step is making his introduction a little more interesting.
Getting kidnapped is a big deal; it’s obviously bad news for him. But it FEELS like it’s worse for his brothers, the people who care about him. One reason for that is they’re the main characters in the pilot, they’re the ones we’re invested in. I’m thinking Mark[3] and I just need a subtle change in Richard, one that’s brought about by the events of the pilot BEFORE he gets kidnapped. When this group decides to go on the run, we need to see how that affects him. We need to feel it. And if we can nudge him into a slightly negative headspace right before he gets kidnapped, we’ll feel for him too. Then, I’m hoping, he won’t feel so static.
[1] Mark and I want to write a serial. The first time I pitched our pilot at a pitchfest, the people I met with told me nobody wants serials anymore. They also said there’s no market for Sci-Fi. This was back in summer of 2006. Because of that experience, and because I’m a wimp, I say stupid things like “strong serial elements.”
[2] I’ve since switched to bottles. I drink slow and beer gets flat by the time I’m two thirds through a pint.
[3] I’m also thinking I gotta give Mark another nudge to start contributing to this blog. Otherwise I’ll REALLY come across as a lunatic talking about non existent readers and writers.
“Walt! Walt!”
That seemed to be regular dialogue for Michael throughout most of seasons 1 and 2 of “Lost.” Now, that’s not necessarily a bad thing because it crystallized Michael’s story; the struggles of a single father who had fatherhood thrust upon him when Walt’s mother died. (Quickly followed by crashing on an island overrun by psychotic cave-people posers and physics-defying smoke)
Scenes between Walt and Michael furthered Michael’s story, and to a lesser degree, Walt’s. But it was the scenes between Walt and John Locke that really hinted at what many hoped to be an incredible future story arc (journey) for Walt. It remains to be seen if fans will get to see that journey. I for one am no longer sure we will and sometimes believe that there WAS a story there, but was later shelved as priorities in the writer’s room changed.
Events in season 1 (and season 2 thanks to Miss Clue) suggested a big Walt story. “He’s special,” they said. From learning how to play backgammon to throwing knives, conjuring dead birds and (foreseeing?) polar bears, it was clear that something was “up” with Walt. But when did it start? When did we, the audience, get our first “Walt’s arc story beat?”
If I had access to my season 1 DVDs, I’d tell you.
I can say with complete... okay, almost complete certainty, that we didn’t get it in the pilot. Or did we? It certainly doesn’t seem like we did. So now, my dear nonexistent readers, I come to the point. (finally) When writing an ensemble, one that has…say… strong serial elements[1], how many character arcs do you set up in the first half of a two hour pilot?
The Secret TV Pilot
“A bunch of people struggle to maintain and protect their way of life. When it’s threatened and it seems all is lost, they go on the run to start over someplace new and safe.”
That’s a non specific concept for the TV show I’m writing with Mark and no, we wouldn’t/don’t pitch it that way.
The characters we focus on, the ones that lead the audience into this new world, have an arc that is set up in “Pilot – Part 1.” The characters grow and develop and are not static within the confines of that one 50 odd page script. Two of them, brothers who couldn’t be more different, have a kid brother they both care about. We call him…. Richard, and he’s our Walt.
When Mark and I were first brainstorming on this show over frosty pints,[2] we decided these two brothers needed… something. Something in common. Something they both care about. We discussed giving them a younger brother and after bouncing around story ideas and seeing just what we could do with this new character, Richard was born. (7 pounds, 3 ounces) But in our notes, Richard was merely described as a “wide eyed kid.” I think this MIGHT be where we went wrong, ‘cause you see, there’s something bothering me about Richard in “Pilot – Part 1.” Over the course of that script, Richard supplies some exposition (and we actually like how that scene plays out) and manages to get kidnapped at the end. But none of that, as far as we know, really sets up his character arc. And now that I think about it, I know it doesn’t. As writers, we’re not going to write this character as the kid who’s traumatized for a season or two by the kidnapping. The show isn’t about the kidnapping. The event will certainly inform the character, but nothing more. So my problem is Richard comes across as a tool. He’s just there to give these two brothers something they both care about because that makes them (especially the bad brother) nice guys the audience could like.
I want more for/from my characters.
I started writing this blog entry as a means of working my way through a dilemma. Writing is making decisions. Do we take all those scenes with Richard in the first part of the pilot and tweak them to set up some grand character arc and hint at the journey to come? Or will that merely be distraction and confuse the audience?
Well, hopefully this blogging thing has helped me again.
The Pilot is setup for the series.
Richard’s journey could only happen AFTER the events of the pilot (bunch of people going on the run). It could only happen after his ordinary world is interrupted and changed forever. Yes, he gets kidnapped, but he’s not the main character. I’ll come back to the kidnapping in a bit.
A character’s introduction is his first beat.
Firefly: Mal at the height of the war with the Alliance. Lost: Jack racing to save people. Sawyer being a jackass. (And being alone, smoking, reading the letter). In “Heroes,” Claire is introduced hurting herself because she can regenerate, but doesn’t know what to make of it. But Hiro is trying to stop a clock, and when he does, he gets excited and tells his buddy, Ando, all about it. He wants that kind of power because he wants to be a hero.
So, in writing this entry, I’m leaning towards NOT making Richard a busy-body to set up stuff the audience won’t care about yet. You see (if you had eyes, but don’t since you don’t exist, dear reader), our notes said “wide-eyed-kid” and that’s exactly what we wrote. Richard is static. The first step is making his introduction a little more interesting.
Getting kidnapped is a big deal; it’s obviously bad news for him. But it FEELS like it’s worse for his brothers, the people who care about him. One reason for that is they’re the main characters in the pilot, they’re the ones we’re invested in. I’m thinking Mark[3] and I just need a subtle change in Richard, one that’s brought about by the events of the pilot BEFORE he gets kidnapped. When this group decides to go on the run, we need to see how that affects him. We need to feel it. And if we can nudge him into a slightly negative headspace right before he gets kidnapped, we’ll feel for him too. Then, I’m hoping, he won’t feel so static.
[1] Mark and I want to write a serial. The first time I pitched our pilot at a pitchfest, the people I met with told me nobody wants serials anymore. They also said there’s no market for Sci-Fi. This was back in summer of 2006. Because of that experience, and because I’m a wimp, I say stupid things like “strong serial elements.”
[2] I’ve since switched to bottles. I drink slow and beer gets flat by the time I’m two thirds through a pint.
[3] I’m also thinking I gotta give Mark another nudge to start contributing to this blog. Otherwise I’ll REALLY come across as a lunatic talking about non existent readers and writers.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Trying to get the groove back.
Been off for the last couple of weeks. Off the day job, and pretty much off from the writing thing. The time off was GREAT. Saw a couple of friends get married, took a ton of pictures at the stag and wedding, and hung out with a couple of friends from out of town. So after such a memorable pair of weeks, I gotta now figure out how to shift back into work mode. And by work, I mean writing. Well, the focus is still screenwriting. The TV pilot and screenplay #1. So the other day I watched Miami Vice (the movie). Next up is season 1 of Heroes, which I haven't seen in over a year. After that, I'll probably re-watch Season 4 of Lost (I'd watch every season but my dvds have been loaned out to friends and family.) The tricky thing, I guess, is finding the right inspiration and then eventually admitting that it's all bullshit. Man-up. Sit down and write.
One thing that helps is the little victories. A week after I received notification from the Nicholl Fellowship stating my screenplay did NOT make it to the quarter finals, I received another letter from them. The same one. I didn't make it. Not once, but twice in the same competition.
That must be a record.
But.... then I looked down at the bottom of the letter. Underneath Mr. Beal's signature was a little handwritten note: "Close - in the top 10%"
Wicked. Wicked cool.
I know that I'm not the only person to get that. I know it wasn't a "personal" note. But the point is that was a victory for me. Especially considering that this particular screenplay has been a curse. I wanted to know if I was on the right track with my revisions. And now I know thanks to Greg Beal.
I'll take that little victory the way I took positive feedback from friends on mere ideas. Anything positive to fuel my "improbability drive." Anything to help me sit, and stare down that blank page.
I won't blink. And eventually, I'll jot down a thing or two.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Doh ver. 1.2
Wednesday night, I had a good talk about the tv pilot with Mark, my writing partner (and hopefully future contributor to this blog). So in a way... some work got done on it (don't forget; Bailey has scars, Miranda doesn't). But it feels like I slacked off since I was planning on going to a coffee shop to do a pass or two on a scene. You see, everything was going according to plan, then "work" got in the way. I left late. Mark called and asked if I wanted to meet up for a beer.
H-E-L-L-O.
Sure, I could use a beer. Initially, I turned him down. Got work to do. But then I saw my plan go out the window. (the plan was complicated, relying on the TTC [uh...] and the ability to leave work on time [yeah, right]) So what ended up happening was the usual shits and giggles, some brainstorming, followed by the requisite "We're geniuses. This is G-O-L-D."
Uh-huh. Then of course, I end up feeling like crap the next morning. And guilty. Guilty hangover.
The interesting thing was our conversation about character. The pilot is an ensemble and we had slightly differing opinions on who you could call the main character. Actually, we agreed on which character is becoming numero uno, but it's not who we originally intended to be the protagonist, our Jack Sheppherd. Our Malcom Reynalds. Our Bugs Bunny.
Now, this is not a bad thing. Characters are coming to life, taking over the story and all that other crap writers say when they're buzzing from a creative burst. The only thing that concerns me is that - at least as far as the way I write - this is a sign that the former main character has been somewhat neglected. I mean, this is an ensemble, but imagine if the crew behind LOST were developing their stories and designing their characters... and Locke suddenly became Bernard. Or Dr. Artz.
So, while I agree that our new protag will fill that role nicely and won't change that, at some point me and Mark are gonna have to put some serious thought into this other, neglected character. 'Cause when characters come to life, it's awesome. Until they knock on your door with a chip on their shoulder and slap you around for neglecting them.
Either that, or they start a band.
A grunge band.
A whiny grunge band.
H-E-L-L-O.
Sure, I could use a beer. Initially, I turned him down. Got work to do. But then I saw my plan go out the window. (the plan was complicated, relying on the TTC [uh...] and the ability to leave work on time [yeah, right]) So what ended up happening was the usual shits and giggles, some brainstorming, followed by the requisite "We're geniuses. This is G-O-L-D."
Uh-huh. Then of course, I end up feeling like crap the next morning. And guilty. Guilty hangover.
The interesting thing was our conversation about character. The pilot is an ensemble and we had slightly differing opinions on who you could call the main character. Actually, we agreed on which character is becoming numero uno, but it's not who we originally intended to be the protagonist, our Jack Sheppherd. Our Malcom Reynalds. Our Bugs Bunny.
Now, this is not a bad thing. Characters are coming to life, taking over the story and all that other crap writers say when they're buzzing from a creative burst. The only thing that concerns me is that - at least as far as the way I write - this is a sign that the former main character has been somewhat neglected. I mean, this is an ensemble, but imagine if the crew behind LOST were developing their stories and designing their characters... and Locke suddenly became Bernard. Or Dr. Artz.
So, while I agree that our new protag will fill that role nicely and won't change that, at some point me and Mark are gonna have to put some serious thought into this other, neglected character. 'Cause when characters come to life, it's awesome. Until they knock on your door with a chip on their shoulder and slap you around for neglecting them.
Either that, or they start a band.
A grunge band.
A whiny grunge band.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Progress ver. 1
From about 12:30am until 2am this morning, I finally got some work done on the tv pilot. One scene. One scene, rewritten about three times. And then I couldn't sleep until about, oh... 4:30am. Tricky thing was there were a lot of characters in the scene, and the show is an ensemble. Everyone's trying to put there two cents in and I realized it came down to the pov of the one character who's the most emotionally invested in the situation. And if his pov or motivation clashes with say... his son, then perfect. Conflict. Drama. Just add water. (ok, there's a little more involved that that.)
In other news, someone is getting married soon and their stag is this weekend. Paintball and Pubs. How much fun is that? Lots. I'll be bringing the camera (my new Canon Rebel XSI) but am a little irked that my trial copy of Lightroom 2 keeps crashing my laptop. What gives?
In other news, someone is getting married soon and their stag is this weekend. Paintball and Pubs. How much fun is that? Lots. I'll be bringing the camera (my new Canon Rebel XSI) but am a little irked that my trial copy of Lightroom 2 keeps crashing my laptop. What gives?
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Doh.
Still no work done on the tv pilot. Aggravating. Todays distractions
shouldn't put me behind but, man... what a frustrating day. I don't
think a "retail environment" is good for creative energy. But it does
help out in the character development area. Especially if your
characters are all asses.
shouldn't put me behind but, man... what a frustrating day. I don't
think a "retail environment" is good for creative energy. But it does
help out in the character development area. Especially if your
characters are all asses.
Not enough Espresso
This is not a drug. It's motivation in a tiny cup and today, it just wasn't enough.Having a very slow start. I'm usually out the door at this point, but not today. I did my usual web-trolling and there's not a lot of interesting stuff going on in film, literature, or music. Though at some point I'm gonna have to look up the Chris Cornell/Timbaland album. Hey, I'm curious.
Haven't gotten any work done, but soon I'll be combing through the TV pilot. If all goes well, the latest draft will be done by the end of the month and uploaded to Inktip. And if I'm really smart, I'll come up with a plan for this here blog. Or rather, a direction.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)