Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Blog Post Ever Written

Happy Friday, all!

Okay, Pom Wonderful...where's MY check?

Ah, I kid I kid.  Let's see, what's new...outlining my new spec, but the mood struck and I actually wrote the first draft of the first act, so that’s good…just need to buckle down and focus on actually finishing the outline before I get too far along writing scenes or I know I’ll get stuck later.

In other news, I obviously saw the new Morgan Spurlock film, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, and found it really funny and enjoyable.  That being said, I don’t think it said anything new or amazing that most people don’t already know/assume…yes, product placement happens…a lot...yes, it can be funny... yes, it can be necessary to make money/finance films and TV shows... yes, you should take advantage of that and take the money but try not to "sell out."

One of my favorite parts of the movie that was not entirely related to the overall point of the movie was a scene where Morgan had to identify his “brand.”  I actually mentioned this idea of "brand" last Friday and I’ve alluded to it before when I talked about streamlining the genres/types of pilots, specs, and screenplays you write.

So yeah, think about your “brand” so people will "get" who you are as a writer.  I know it’s hard for a baby writer and I struggle with it ALL THE TIME.   I want to be a special little snowflake and write all sorts of stuff in different genres, or I read a new book/see a new show/watch a cool movie and feel all inspired to try something like what I’ve seen.  I guess growing as a writer is about learning to balance that urge to stretch/try new things, and perfecting a specific style.

On a slightly related note, Idol did another “express yourself” themed show last night and the Idol wannabes got one of their best chances to show their “brand” as it was "Songs of the 21st Century Night."  I think some Idol winners have struggled with “brand” in the past. You win the show by essentially being an awesome karaoke singer and singing songs in a bunch of genres, some of which haven’t been Top 40 popular for 20, 30, even 40 years, and then you’re expected to be a current artist…it’s tough.

Speaking of expressing yourself what was with all the Lady Gaga drama this week?  If I’m all caught up, here’s where things stand: no, she did not rip off Madonna's Express Yourself when she wrote Born This Way, and no, she didn’t tell Weird Al not to parody her (by the way, I happen to enjoy Gaga AND Weird Al, and Perform This Way is fantastic...even if it does sound suspiciously like Madonna's Express Yourself).

Streamline or diversify?

Happy Friday!  Friday is supposed to be the day I talk about how my own writing is going/not going but I’ve noticed it’s turned into something else recently, and that is:

I Watch American Idol and try to relate it to writing in some way.

So, why break from tradition?  Let’s look at this week’s Idol and see what we can learn.  This week was Movie Week, which I thought was funny since I don’t remember 90%** of the songs performed ever being in movies (**not intended to be a factual statement).

Anyway, I’ve noticed that this year on Idol there are fewer of the theme/artist centric weeks (Beatles, Motown, Country, Big Band, Disco, etc.) in exchange for more of the “express your own personal style” weeks (songs by your personal Idol, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, movie songs).  Basically, this means that Scotty kid (the deep voiced country singer who is probably going to win) gets a MASSIVE break.  In the past, he would have been forced to sing the Bee Gees and wear some terrible sequined outfit on Disco night.

However I might feel about Scotty (I actually think he’s cool) I like this change to the show because while the other format was more entertaining and produced way more hilarious flops, this way seems more true to how a creative industry actually works.  People want to see you singing the type of music you want to sing (or sell) since that’s what you’re gonna do (or not do) when you’re no longer a contestant on a popular TV show.  The show wants to find the best new artist in American (or whoever is gonna sell the most records and make them the most money).  So now, we get to choose between contestants who identify with such diverse artists as Sammy Hagar, Nat King Cole, George Strait, and Miley Cyrus (all on the same night).

But, isn't it good to have the theme weeks that force artists to go outside their comfort zone every now and then?  I remember thinking Kelly Clarkson was a great singer on season one, but she really shined in a whole new way when she did an awesome number on Big Band night and proved she had the chops to sing in any era.

Wow, I am a dork for Idol, how do I even remember this?

But, it's not like Kelly Clarkson ever put out a Big Band record, so...is showing a range of style really necessary?

The show presents a lot of differing opinions on that question.  The judges tell one singer “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” then turn around and tell another to stop “playing it safe” and step outside their comfort zone.

I think writers encounter this to some extent when they go to write a new sample (either a pilot or a spec…the latter of which which I’m doing right now).  I sometimes struggle to pick the right show to spec.  I like a lot of different shows but since I’m still starting out I want to spec shows that mesh well with the pilots I have written or want to write while not seeming too similar to my original samples.  But, maybe I should try for more range?  I was reading the new First Person interview on John August’s blog this week, and it came from a writer who made the jump from The Sarah Connor Chronicles to Melrose Place, a jump which got a lot of questions in meetings.  So, it would seem like having too much "diversity" in your work is not an asset, but just a source of confusion.  On the other hand, the writer also mentioned some disappointment over reading the new show, Georgetown, and loving it, but not having a sample that really worked for it.

So…streamline your samples or diversify to show variety?

In the end, I guess I’ll go with the idea that there is something to be said for perfecting one specific style and that while it is important to push your boundaries, maybe you shouldn't do that until you know what those boundaries are.  I think the most well known writers in Hollywood all have specific styles.  Aaron Sorkin doesn’t write gross out comedies, Judd Apatow doesn’t write political thrillers, and Diablo Cody doesn’t write period dramas, but they’re all good at bringing something a little different to each new script they write, while staying firmly in genres where we typically identify them.

Pretty Boring

Happy Friday!  Let's see...what's new...I’ve been playing nurse the past week to my Significant Other who had some minor surgery, but is recovering nicely.  Other than that, just working on that new TV spec after catching up on all the current episodes of the show.  And…that’s all from writing land...pretty boring.

Speaking of pretty and boring, Perfect Pia got voted off Idol.  While I was surprised to see her go, I always did find her a tad robotic.

But, I thought auto tune was "in"

Even a super “perfect” singer like Celine Dion has lots of fist pounding/chest thumping passion in her shows, and Pia was kinda…stiff.  But, she’s young and incredibly talented and she’ll probably get more comfortable in her own skin...with time.

I guess I could say Pia was like a script that hits all the beats at the right pages but fails to get you because it’s just...dull (or to look at it from the inverse, yeah the script for The Social Network might break all the rules, but screw “perfect” and “normal” because it’s an extremely compelling read).

Or…maybe there’s no writing related lesson to learn from Pia’s surprising early exit, but rather, a writing contest related lesson and that is: even if everyone tells you you’re great, taste is subjective…or...win or not win, if you have a product people want, and you market it well, people will buy it…eventually.  Sure, Carrie Underwood won the show and sold a ton of records and won tons of awards, but for every Carrie there is a winner like Ruben or Taylor who flopped while contestants who lost like Chris Daughtry, Jennifer Hudson, and Clay Aiken have gone on to more success.  Heck, some famous singers like Colbie Caillat didn't even make the cattle call cut to sing for the judges.

In other words, well, I don’t know exactly what my point was.  Talent wins out in the end?  Or…keep working hard, and stick with it!  Or…contest?  You don’t need no stinkin’ contest!  Take one of these and remember it if you ever get rejected by a writing related contest…especially if you make that first or even second cut, only to fall short at the end (I know I did).

In other non Idol entertainment news, Alec Baldwin said 30 Rock was ending next year (boo) then back pedaled and confused everyone (huh?).  Oh, and after teasing about it in numerous interviews/excerpts from her new book (that I’m super psyched to read) Tina Fey announced she was 5 months pregnant (yay!  I clearly love babies) and also she will host SNL on May 7th (double yay!).

Baby Idol

Happy Friday!  It’s been a pretty productive week.  I would have liked to get more work done on my newest spec, but I couldn’t resist going back to my pilot for a few tweaks I had on my mind, as well as picking up a few long suffering projects.  It was also a productive week of watching American Idol…I think I’m into the new season for now, the talent level seems higher than it has been in recent years, although the judges are all way too nice…seriously, is Randy going to be the mean judge now?

Anyway, every time I watch Idol I can’t help but flash back to my own experience as a finalist for one of the TV writing programs and think that their selection process (and the selection process of many fellowships/script programs/contests) is a lot like Idol.  Think about it, lots of people who want a shot at turning their passion/hobby into a professional career sing a song/submit a script and hope their work is good enough to get noticed.  Then, if they make it past the first round they get to sing again/submit other scripts until they get to actually do their thing at an interview/on the live shows until finally…well, you get the idea.

I think one good thing about thinking about writing programs/contests that way is that it shows the importance of having multiple scripts (having more than one song).  Like that Scotty kid this year.  He sang that one song GREAT, but it was the only song he sang for a LONG time and people (me) as well as the judges started to wonder if it was the ONLY thing he could sing and that was a concern…one song does not an Idol make.  The same goes for scripts…if you only have one great sample, you’re like Scotty, singing the same song, over and over and over again…and one script does not a writer make.  

Baby lock them doors...

Seacrest, out!

Okay, time to buckle down and finish the first draft of a new 1 hour pilot I set aside last month.  In the spirit of writing pilots (or specs) I thought I’d take a moment to stress the importance of nailing your act outs.  Act outs (or act breaks) are the moments that come at the end of your teaser/cold open/acts that make your viewers want to stay tuned during the commercial breaks.  Having physical act breaks is one of the big differences between writing features and writing TV.  Network TV is made possible by sponsors, so if you’re flipping away at the commercial to another station/don’t care about what happens after the break, you’ve lost your audience (and your ratings, and your show).

Act outs are not to be taken lightly.  Most 1 hour dramas used to only have 4 acts, and maybe a teaser.  Now, networks are adding more commercial breaks which means most new 1 hour dramas have 5 or even 6 acts (and sometimes a teaser, too!).  That means...more act outs!  You can’t just gloss over/ignore these moments.  You MUST have them.  Don’t think you can just write a script where stuff happens whenever you want, cut it into 5 equal parts, and assume you have a show with 5 acts.  

A common act out is a cliffhanger (House’s patient just went into cardiac arrest, will he live or die?  Find out, after the break!).  Some shows have fewer life and death moments, so act outs are trickier/usually more about emotional beats.  But, even family dramas have cliffhangers.  I really enjoyed the show Everwood when it was on, and at the end of the teaser/prologue in the pilot we see Dr. Brown setting off with his family for the town of Everwood after his wife’s death (What’s in store for Dr. Brown and his family in this new town?  Find out, after the break!).

I think the popularity of certain cable shows (and popularity of spec'ing certain cable shows) makes learning to write act outs harder since many of those shows either don’t have commercial breaks, or are written without act breaks (like Mad Men).  That doesn't mean you don't need those moments in your script, but I think the omission of the visual cue (END OF ACT ONE) can mask when you're lacking such twists and turns.  If you’ve only spec’d cable shows, or shows without act breaks, I’d HIGHLY recommend doing a network show next so you can practice this skill (and I think it IS a skill...it's not exactly a piece of cake to come up with 7 unique and dynamic moments to place at the end of a teaser + 6 acts AND still write something great that's only about 50 pages long).  

So, how do you know if you have a good act out?  Well, I think one way to answer that question involves the #1 show on TV.  That's right...American Idol.  If you're ever working on a pilot or spec and find yourself feeling iffy about you act outs, think of that moment when Ryan Seacrest says something like: “The next person voted off the show is…going to find out, after the break!”  Ask yourself, "Could Seacrest take my act out and send us into commercial?"  If the answer is yes, then I think you're probably in good shape and can act out accordingly.