tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post6335411882389904665..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: The pros and cons of gangbangingBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-54273530464019297832013-02-26T13:27:31.267-08:002013-02-26T13:27:31.267-08:00Hi Ken -
Somewhat new to your blog so perhaps you...Hi Ken -<br /><br />Somewhat new to your blog so perhaps you have already addressed these questions:<br /><br />Isn't freelance writing (any writing?) presented to the show by the writer's agent?<br /><br />Does the standing of the agent determine whether a spec script is read?<br /><br />How much good material goes begging because it is never read?<br /><br />I want to believe the best scripts will make it through the process.<br /><br />Thanks.<br />John Murraynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-86692888880207413522013-02-22T14:22:13.437-08:002013-02-22T14:22:13.437-08:00I have found that when writing in a group, things ...I have found that when writing in a group, things are said that trigger new ideas in my head. Things I would not have come up with on my own.chuckcdnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14072576759609374482013-02-21T05:47:55.662-08:002013-02-21T05:47:55.662-08:00Hi Veteran Writer,
...If you can write somewhere: ...Hi Veteran Writer,<br />...If you can write somewhere: how long a small staff (of two or four writers) takes to write an entire script of a multi-cam/single-cam shows. That would be helpful, thanks again for your insightGChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05538381631009033656noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7719418521073778872013-02-21T03:05:41.859-08:002013-02-21T03:05:41.859-08:00Friday question: I think that in the last few year...Friday question: I think that in the last few years, single camera shows (especially on cable where they tend to have bigger budgets for music) have turned into this weird indie radio station kind of thing, with a lot of unknown bands getting a lot of attention due to song placements in popular television shows.<br /><br />Any youtube search for any song you hear in a tv show will almost always have top rated comments like "Thumbs up if you heard this on [show name]" or "Thumbs up if [show name] brought you here".<br /><br />You wrote a lot about radio turning into this huge corporate business where every station plays the same 10 songs over and over again. How do you feel about (cable) TV being the new indie radio?Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57923077044583920092013-02-20T17:51:02.931-08:002013-02-20T17:51:02.931-08:00ally,
Yes, I screwed up (or blogger screwed up) a...ally,<br /><br />Yes, I screwed up (or blogger screwed up) and posted it when it should have saved it. But it will appear its correct timely spot on the 28th. Happy birthday.<br /><br />Ken<br />By Ken Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-25263069857658579512013-02-20T17:40:22.293-08:002013-02-20T17:40:22.293-08:00Holy crap, Ken! My blog reader temporarily posted ...Holy crap, Ken! My blog reader temporarily posted your MASH article, but by the time I got to your page it was already gone. I was all set to scream "NOOOOOOO!" only because I vividly remember the MASH finale because it was (and is) my birthday, and today is not that day. Anyway, I'll look forward to it next week. I was always happy to share my birthday with the finale. Other than the end of MASH, nothing notable really happened on that date. But now that the Pope is resigning on that same date, I am somewhat miffed that he's intruding and stealing the spotlight. <br /><br />I'm sure there's got to be a joke in there somewhere. <br />allynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-17585001345692197382013-02-20T15:21:22.861-08:002013-02-20T15:21:22.861-08:00Ken, thanks for the VERY informative answer. We fo...Ken, thanks for the VERY informative answer. We folks on the outside looking in see what is happening but are often at a loss at the explanation why it is so.Dana Gabbardhttp://socata.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-59918653790290139792013-02-20T10:31:25.293-08:002013-02-20T10:31:25.293-08:00Ken, I don't suppose you could give a rough br...Ken, I don't suppose you could give a rough breakdown of a typical "gangbanged" show?<br /><br />I believe it goes like this, but I'm not completely sure:<br /><br />1. The room "breaks" the story. (They create an outline of the episode down to individual scenes.)<br /><br />2. A writer is assigned that story and goes away to write that script, based on the outline created by the room.<br /><br />3. The assigned writer and the show-runner (or headwriter?) go through their draft, making changes as needed.<br /><br />4. Repeat step three until script is finished, or you've run out of time.<br /><br />5. Run the script past the room one final pass.<br /><br />Is that about right?Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-17333827493602479472013-02-20T10:30:27.115-08:002013-02-20T10:30:27.115-08:00Seriously, how do those writing credits get assign...Seriously, how do those writing credits get assigned? I was listening to a Buffy commentary from Jane Espenson who said, essentially, that most of the stuff people really liked on the show came from either Joss Whedon or Marti Noxon but it was nice to take the writing credit. I'm sure, given the names and the other credits of the staff on that show, that she was being modest, but whenever I see individual writing awards in a medium that's so group-written, I always think "Well, maybe that person pitched the story first."Charles H. Bryannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-11959606938453330792013-02-20T10:24:34.345-08:002013-02-20T10:24:34.345-08:00First, let me commend the users of English for onc...First, let me commend the users of English for once again creating a colorful (and rhyming!)term like "gangbang", whose origins I can't possibly imagine are anything BUT sexual. Secondly, let me also commend the users of English on then taking a phrase that decsribes orgiastic excess and applying it to a sandwich.<br /><br />It's a great time to be alive. It's a great time to be fluent in English.Charles H. Bryannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-34689555483882231392013-02-20T09:48:44.076-08:002013-02-20T09:48:44.076-08:00Not to make sound even weirder, but when gangbangi...Not to make sound even weirder, but when gangbanging, how is the writing credit determined?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57642547725337720272013-02-20T08:53:02.536-08:002013-02-20T08:53:02.536-08:00I don't think "gangbanging" comes fr...I don't think "gangbanging" comes from the sexual act, but from the term "banging" out a scene (on a keyboard) and then doing it as part of a group or "gang."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-64443146806866771002013-02-20T07:48:09.253-08:002013-02-20T07:48:09.253-08:00That's exactly why "Asian Gangbang 3"...That's exactly why "Asian Gangbang 3" appeared on my hotel bill. I thought it was the heartfelt story of Cantonese room writers facing personal heartache and a looming deadline.Macnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3289880788285945242013-02-20T07:43:49.813-08:002013-02-20T07:43:49.813-08:00It seems like gangbanging (I'd shorten it to G...It seems like gangbanging (I'd shorten it to GBing, but then it would sound like a room full of writers is horrifically trying to imitate Glenn Beck) would be OK if you're already in an established situation with a veteran show-runner who's had past success, like a Chuck Lorre with TBBT, but that for a new show and new people in charge, doing it that way requires that you make the right decisions about your staff from the start, because you're not going to get any outside input from anyone besides the network suits.<br /><br />Johnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-30017288442186854752013-02-20T07:29:54.832-08:002013-02-20T07:29:54.832-08:00Huh, an unfiltered google search for "gangban...Huh, an unfiltered google search for "gangbang blogs" resulted in Ken's entry & a whole lot of other things completely unrelated to a communal writing process.iainnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-4000645048402132352013-02-20T06:57:46.901-08:002013-02-20T06:57:46.901-08:00I was under the impression that most shows are a m...I was under the impression that most shows are a mixture of both. After an outline has been finalized the writer goes to do a first draft and then the draft is re-written by the room. Chrisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-74983910161069123672013-02-20T06:53:27.668-08:002013-02-20T06:53:27.668-08:00Ken, I find your insights into the process fascina...Ken, I find your insights into the process fascinating, and frustrating. How can a writer survive in an atmosphere like that, with all the people involved and all the layers of approval to get through? Sorry, but its stifling, and in my humble opinion, is the reason network TV is in the sorry state that it is. If someone wants this kind of creative environment along with job security, health benefits and a pension, he or she should get a job with the government. No wonder you've moved into sportscasting and self-publishing.Mike Botulahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03280479229678291508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-52371484586705623752013-02-20T06:51:41.196-08:002013-02-20T06:51:41.196-08:00You know, I was legitimately hoping that this woul...You know, I was legitimately hoping that this would be an article on the McGangBang, the disgusting and budget-sensitive custom burger that some folks are into.<br /><br />http://www.eatmedaily.com/2009/03/the-mcgangbang-a-mcchicken-sandwich-inside-a-double-cheeseburger/Terrynoreply@blogger.com