NaNoWriMo - Update!

The month is up!  How did you do?  I’ve gotta brag that I made it although I don’t have a finished novel (in order to succeed you technically only need 50k words which, unless you’re writing a novella or a middle grade book, is probably closer to halfway or two thirds of the way to a completed manuscript).  But hey, 50k words in one month!  And, I don’t think they’re all terrible.  I think I’ll definitely try to keep it up and take advantage of the upcoming holiday off time to finish a first draft of this thing.  I mean, I did just dedicated most of my spare time this last month to it, I really should finish it.

I'm a typing machine!

So yeah, I’m glad I tried this NaNoWriMo thing.  It was fun and it forced me to just write and not think about the consequences.  I don't know about you but I know I can personally get super perfectionistic and discouraged by my writing sometimes.  I’ll want to tweak stuff forever or not even start a project if I don’t think what I’m doing is going to be perfect the moment I put words on paper (which it never is!).  But when my expectations were just about getting words down or fleshing out my outline, I found it easier to plug ahead and be proud of the words I racked up and not look back or over think what I was writing (at least not too too much).

All in all, if I have the time I think I’ll definitely do this again next year.  And hey, it feels pretty good to be halfway to the first draft of a novel I've wanted to write (and after only one month).  Even if I eventually end up hating the whole thing and even if it just winds up in my junk pile, at least NaNoWriMo got me off my butt to write it in the first place.

What will you write for NaNoWriMo?

Happy November!  Today marks the day I have to remember to pay my rent as well as the start of NaNoWriMo (say that 3 times fast).  NaNoWriMo actually stands for National Novel Writing Month and it's a grand yearly event designed to get all writers (though mostly baby writers such as myself) off our butts so we can write the next Harry Potter already (or, at least the first 50,000 words of some other new fabulous book).  I believe I first heard about NaNoWriMo when Sara Gruen mentioned in an interview that her bestseller, Water For Elephants, was written during NaNoWriMo (or, I read that just now on the Water For Elephants Wikipedia page).  However I found out, now you know too, so there you have it, NaNoWriMo has some serious street cred!

NaNoWriMo, NaNoWriMo, NaNoWriMo!

Anyway, for more info you should probably go to the official NaNoWriMo website where you can actually sign up and get tools to help you plan your novel, police your word count, interact with other baby authors, and just encourage one another.  Or, you know, you can be a hermit like me and secretly participate in NaNoWriMo without signing up for anything.  Just remember, we’ve only got until November 30th to TCB on NaNoWriMo.  So, do like me...DVR the X Factor, stop watching TMZ, and get going on NaNoWriMo...ASAP.

"Playboy" Plays No More

Yesterday, The Playboy Club was the first new show of the 2011-2012 season to get the ax (one of the two new network Mad Men-lite shows).

The show's problem?  Not enough BUNNIES!!!

Not to say “I told you so” (and all other show issues aside) just thought I’d say "I told you so" and re-direct back to this post I did not too long ago about the perception of cable shows like Mad Men’s popularity vs. the reality of their low ratings (or at least, ratings that wouldn't fly on broadcast network TV).  Just like last season’s cable-esque Lone Star, Playboy couldn’t get enough viewers to stay afloat.  On the flip side, Pan Am, ABC’s Mad Men-lite show, has had better ratings so far (though that show suffered a big drop from week 1 to week 2…which is typical, but it does put them in the danger zone...I also imagine the show isn't cheap to make).

Overall, I’m not sure I totally have a point.  While it didn't really grab me, I thought Playboy was fairly enjoyable though it did have issues (like the target audience...men or women?) and even though it flopped, I suppose I'd rather see a network take a chance on a show like that than rehash a tired but more network friendly property like Charlie’s Angels (which by the way, hasn't fared much better in the ratings game).

But still, I don't want the demise of shows like Playboy to hurt the chances of other risk taking shows that might have more ratings appeal so all we have left are crime procedurals.  Nothing against crime procedurals, but I'd prefer that every show on TV not be a cop show.  And don't forget, not all crime procedurals succeed.  Prime Suspect, a crime procedural (and another new NBC show) is floundering big time...and that's despite a movie star in the lead role and good buzz from critics.

Is your film industry internship illegal? – UPDATE

You’ve probably read about the two interns on the movie Black Swan who are now suing for $$$ they say is due to them for the work they performed (and if not, here's the NY Times article about it).  As I wrote a while back, most industry internships are probably illegal under current laws, and while the internship system is pretty set in its ways, it has been mostly unchallenged until now.

Overall, this is a tough issue, but in case I didn’t make it clear in my previous post on the subject, I think interns are already paying to go to college and an internship if made available to a student should provide an educational experience in exchange for class credit.  It should NOT be a source of unpaid labor or a way for a production, studio, or company to save money.  Interns are college students, they are already paying tuition.  This notion of paying to work someplace is simply ridiculous.  If a production or company or studio wants (or probably NEEDS) to hire PAs to make coffee and get lunch and things of that nature, they should open their wallet and pay some folks and stop exploiting desperate students.  Otherwise, you know, change the law, hire interns, go nuts.

Now, on the flip side, I get that cracking down on internships, well, it cuts both ways.  What’s worse for students...paying (tuition) to basically work someplace for free in exchange for the hope of connections and future employment…or, having fewer opportunities for networking before graduation?  Let’s face it, there aren’t that many legal internships for a reason…who really wants to play teacher or mentor to someone when they’re busy working a job?  On the other hand, doesn’t the practice of replacing paid entry level employees with interns end up hurting students in the long run?  Think about it this way, you work hard interning and once you graduate you can’t find a job because productions, like Black Swan, are only hiring interns for the work you're most qualified for.  Like I said, it’s a tough issue.

I can only speak from my own experience, but as I mentioned in my previous post, I worked a couple internships and while I did get a job offer through one of those, I couldn’t take that job and in the end, after I graduated, I got my first job from a college friend whose show needed additional PAs. That friend got their job a month earlier because they answered an ad on Craigslist…yeah, Craigslist.  So yes, it’s possible for a person without a ton of great connections to “break in” to the industry without an internship to pave the way.  But hey, I do know unconnected friends that got excellent (even amazing) jobs via their internships, so they’d probably disagree with me big time about this matter.

So anyway, all that debate aside, what a lot of people are wondering now is, what exactly will happen with this lawsuit?  Will these two guys make serious waves?  Will they “never work in this town again?”  Will anyone care much either way?  As far as the outcome of the lawsuit, I’m gonna guess these two fellows get a little class action thing going on and that the end result is that everyone involved gets a small settlement (hush hush and out of court) and as a result maybe a few more interns who worked for other shows/studios come forward with their own illegal internship lawsuits (the economy being the way it is, needing to pay rent might trump fears of “career suicide” in the minds of former interns).  Beyond that, I think the only thing that is absolutely certain about this whole issue is that students will continue to get the short end of the internship stick.

You must watch..."Awkward."

For someone who claims not to follow comedy, here comes another half hour show I’m pushing to the masses.

While MTV is more known lately for shows of the Jersey Shore variety, they do have original scripted programming, and I think they’ve really scored with Awkward.

I love this show!  I watched all of season 1 in 2 days (granted, each episode besides the finale is only a half hour long and there are only 10 of them).  But yeah, clearly I really enjoyed it!  The dialogue has a fast talking Gilmore Girlsy vibe…which I like, mixed with a wacky Diablo Codyish teen slang thing (think Juno…which I’m not quite as into).  Overall, I think too much of either of these things might be irritating, but the writing never feels forced or strained.  Likewise, the actors are really exceptional and always do a great job.

Major props to Ashley Rickards who plays the lead, Jenna.  This young woman is really a star.  She’s one part snarky Ellen Page/Juno and one part wise beyond her years Claire Danes/Angela Chase.   I expect to see her in tons of things beyond this show in the future.

From a writing standpoint, I think the most important thing a writer can take away from this show is to craft three dimensional characters.  This is key on every show, but especially one with familiar character constructs (the awkward teen girl, the bitchy popular cheerleader, the popular hot jock, etc.).  I think this show just goes to show that no matter how high or low concept your show idea may be, excellent writing can shine no matter what and admittedly, Awkward. isn't really covering any new ground and yet, it always feels fresh.

Speaking of the characters, one character that stands out in particular for me is the main antagonist, Sadie Saxton, the bitchy rich popular cheerleader.  On paper she sounds pretty generic, but Sadie isn’t just some cardboard mean girl you've seen a million times before.  Sadie has issues of her own...she struggles with her weight, her mother, she likes a guy who doesn’t reciprocate her advances.  Sadie is also very smart, conniving, and does some pretty bad stuff.  Sadie always keeps me on my toes...I never know whether a scene is going to show her being horrible, or flip the script and put her in a situation that actually makes me feel bad for her...she's really fun to watch.

Anyway, the show is like this with pretty much every character and when you get to see the good and bad in everyone, it's hard to get bored.  Plus, there’s the whole fast/wacky dialogue thing which if you’re into, makes the show even more fun.

Speaking of good and bad (or pros and cons) the show also has a solid love triangle that’s really well done.  I’ve mentioned the importance of love triangles on teen shows before.  This show has one and neither guy is clearly better than the other...both have their pros and cons, which is great, interesting, and really keeps you guessing.

In a word, Awkward. is awesome…and if you missed it over the summer (like me) you can catch up on MTV.com where full episodes for the whole season are currently available.

Emmys Wrap Up - Broadcast Networks Rising

Did you watch the Emmys last night?  Overall, I thought it was a pretty good show.  A little fashion, a few funny sketches, some awkward Charlie Sheen time, and Jane Lynch doing a nice job hosting and performing in some funny pre-recorded bits.  While the show played it pretty safe and by the book  (i.e. it ran on time and Ricky Gervais didn’t host) there were a few upsets/surprises that kept me interested till the end.

I was especially happy with all the top acting wins -- Jim Parsons and Melissa McCarthy who are personal favorites of mine, along with Julianna Margulies for The Good Wife (which I love), and Kyle Chandler for FNL (which I also love).  Also, very pleased with Peter Dinklage's win for Game of Thrones (which I predicted even before he was nominated…okay not a stretch if you'd seen the show).

I was also really thrilled that Jason Katims won the big writing award for FNL.  As an aspiring writer of TV drama, this is an award whose winners and nominees I really take note of (sometimes even more so than the best show nominees and winners) and considering I've loved the writing on FNL, and the fact that the show has been severely under appreciated (awards wise), and the fact that I really like Katims' other show, Parenthood, it’s so nice to see him get the recognition he deserves.  To me, that win was probably the best surprise of the night.

On that note, I think I was surprised all night by how much the cable networks seemed to falter compared to the amount of nominations they got.  I mean sure, HBO can’t win them all, but the broadcast networks really seemed to hold their own.  First, there was the big loss by nominations juggernaut Mildred Pierce.  While Kate Winslet still won for playing the title role (and looked lovely doing it) the show lost out to a PBS show.

On the comedy side, Modern Family clearly dominated, winning acting awards in both categories it was heavily nominated as well as winning for directing, writing, and the show itself.  As I mentioned before, the other acting awards in comedy both went to shows on CBS.  If you’re a comedy writer who really wants to write a cable style dramedy right now…I’d say, that's cool and maybe you're going to have the next big thing, but maybe also make sure you have a good network friendly comedy in your portfolio because that’s clearly what’s hot (both critically and ratings wise) right now.

On the drama side, broadcast network (and former network) shows also made strong showings, with my personal favorite FNL getting two big awards for acting and writing, and Julianna Margulies nabbing the well deserved best actress award.

Now, maybe these couple of wins don’t seem like a lot when you consider the supporting actor nods, directing, and best show all went to non-broadcast network shows, but when you also consider how many nominations a network like HBO or a show like Mad Men gets every year, I’d say the broadcast networks did a pretty darn good job not letting any one cable show run away with it (hey, even Matt Weiner seemed surprised Mad Men won...I was right there with him, I thought for a second that FNL was going to pull off the big upset and take it).

Overall, despite the Mad Men win, I still felt like the Academy's choices really made the point that a show doesn’t have to be on basic or even pay cable to have the best writing and the best leading roles for actors (two things I think a lot of viewers and critics have not felt the past few years).

I guess a win by Mad Men must still feel good for some networks (cough, ABC and NBC, cough) who doubled down on 1960s shows this upcoming season (Pan Am and Playboy Club).  I guess we'll see if the solid Emmy performance of broadcast network shows (and somewhat faltering Emmy performance of cable shows) affects the ongoing TV development season but...I'm just saying...I’d love to see every network go after the next FNL or Good Wife just as hard as they went after the next Mad Men.  Make it happen broadcast networks.  Make it happen.

EDIT: Just saw this article from Deadline which talks about broadcast networks great Emmy performance this year... check it out!

What’s the deal with Kickstarter and IndieGoGo?

I think I mentioned a couple months back (when I took a blogging hiatus) that I was super busy not only because I was fine tuning my new spec for TV contest season, but also because I was helping some buddies out on their webseries.

Like many people out there, my friends financed their webseries (successfully!) through IndieGoGo (a site similar to the relatively more well known Kickstarter).   Now, I thought everyone knew about these sites, but apparently not, because whenever I mention my friends using them, I get all sorts of questions.  Below are some of the most common ones I've gotten and my best answers.

Money, money, money...

What is IndieGoGo? ...or... What is Kickstarter?

You can go to either of their sites to read more (IndieGoGo, Kickstarter), but quickly, I can say that these are both online crowdfunding sites, AKA socially acceptable ways to beg your friends (Facebook and otherwise) for money to fund your creative projects (webseries, indie film, music album, small business, event, etc).  While you could probably just open a Paypal account and make yourself a nice webpage, these sites have a whole interface already set up for you to promote your project and get donations, and hey, they also provide exposure for your project on their site so maybe some random people you’ve never met will donate money (not likely unless Taylor Lautner or Justin Bieber has signed on to star in your project, but you never know).

What’s the difference between Kickstarter and IndieGoGo? ...or… Which is better, Kickstarter or IndieGoGo?

A quick Google search of Kickstarter vs. IndieGoGo yields a ton of pages and articles that I’m sure can detail all of these sites subtle and not so subtle differences, but from my own experience, the biggest difference I have seen has to do with money.  As of now, you only get the money pledged to you on Kickstarter if you raise it ALL (AKA you must meet your goal to get the moolah…this is insurance I guess for anyone pledging to donate that you won’t just take their money and never do your project).  IndieGoGo, however, allows you to take away whatever you can raise even if you don’t meet your goal (with IndieGoGo taking a bigger cut if that happens).

So…does that make IndieGoGo better?  Hard to say.  I think it depends on your specific goals and needs.  You might think IndieGoGo is a great deal, but since both sites require people to register to donate and since I think Kickstarter is more ubiquitous (at least in the US) choosing it might make it easier to get donations when you Facebook spam all your friends to donate.

MONEY!

How do I make a successful Kickstarter or IndieGoGo?

John August already has a post about this, direct from the source, but I think I have a few tips to share (some similar some different) from the experiences of my friends who have used both sites:

1. Have an awesome promo video – Really put time and whatever money you can spare into making a great promo for your project.  This is what you’re selling to your friends.  Something dinky isn’t going to inspire anyone besides your mom to open their wallet.

2. Have decent incentives – While most people are donating because they like you and not because they want a free DVD, I think it’s wise to remember the little people giving you their money…so don't be stingy with those copies of your CD/DVD at the low contribution level and maybe think of offering executive producer/equivalent credit at the high ends.  And hey, if your incentives...er...products are really great (like this guy) you might be surprised how fast you meet or even exceed your goal.

3. Have reasonable expectations – These sites are great ways to raise a lot of money in a relatively short amount of time but remember, it’s mostly coming from your close friends/family and a lot of them probably don’t have $1000 bucks to give up (and if you have a ton of friends like that, what the heck are you crowdfunding for?).  In other words, yes, people can raise lots of money on these sites, but setting something like a 50k goal is extremely ambitious…the most I’ve ever seen a friend raise was about 8k and a large portion of that came from parents/close family who had already agreed to donate...so just know what you're getting yourself into.

4. Don’t lose hope - Keep plugging your project’s site.  I think the going always seems to be slow early on, but the money tends to really start rolling in at the end if you’re promoting hard and the project looks good.  All of my friends who have used Kickstarter/IndieGoGo have met their (reasonable) goals with the majority of the money coming in the last 48 hrs.