tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post660778445009477680..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: Friday QuestionsBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23917882045507170992015-10-09T05:25:36.732-07:002015-10-09T05:25:36.732-07:00For ScottyB et alia (Colin on Scrubs):
https://yo...For ScottyB et alia (Colin on Scrubs):<br /><br />https://youtu.be/jrGmcuj44DQBaylinknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-18433626941931504622015-10-05T21:18:22.729-07:002015-10-05T21:18:22.729-07:00New pieces and yes, I have a one-act that I wrote ...New pieces and yes, I have a one-act that I wrote and am directing. We open Oct. 19.By Ken Levinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-58674396622803038812015-10-05T21:07:17.107-07:002015-10-05T21:07:17.107-07:00Ken,
Saw something over the weekend on facebook a...Ken, <br />Saw something over the weekend on facebook about Whitefire and the short failed sitcom/ plays. I missed your earlier work, will that be repeated? Or will it be newer pieces? Hope to see if you'll have anything to do with this. i could be a bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07053667549467002501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-57799464865409737242015-10-03T13:12:30.694-07:002015-10-03T13:12:30.694-07:00@New Amsterdam Storyteller In many cases when you ...@New Amsterdam Storyteller In many cases when you sell a script, yes, the material you send in and the content of said material becomes the property of the company you sell it and they can do with it as they please; <i>however</i>, often the case is you have to sign a release form that basically says you give them permission to use and/or distribute your submission, otherwise if you don't sign, they won't accept your script at all. When I wrote a spec almost a year ago, I had to sign such a release form, mainly because I was submitting it on the condition that it was unsolicited work (I wasn't selling it).Joseph Scarbroughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06851086150240380366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71008393163375329272015-10-03T12:10:48.605-07:002015-10-03T12:10:48.605-07:00When you sell a script, do you basically hand over...When you sell a script, do you basically hand over the right to every idea within said script to the network, forever? Someone once came up with the 'we're on a break'-line for Friends, just as someone else thought of Married With Children's 'Psycho Dad'. Do you get paid once for a joke like that when you sell your script, and then have to grin and bear it when said joke/idea becomes a running gag for years to come, in scripts made by others?New Amsterdam Storytellerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04195476101811250696noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-3042296065957733772015-10-03T07:17:34.883-07:002015-10-03T07:17:34.883-07:00Friday question, Ken: with the proliferation of pr...Friday question, Ken: with the proliferation of promo bugs (those extremely annoying graphics for other shows on the network), do TV directors try to keep all the action in the upper two-thirds of the screen and let the lower third be wasted?Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04942495315172561734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-83910699997008496622015-10-03T01:55:10.368-07:002015-10-03T01:55:10.368-07:00Directing F.Q. Say you're helming something in...Directing F.Q. Say you're helming something intentionally bad like "Sharknado", and you know the audience's main goal is to enjoy just how intentionally bad it is. Which way would you direct the cast, who is also in on the joke, to maximize the entertainment value: Play it straight like a regular movie (tell Mark Cuban to play the president); or ham it up and go overboard (tell Mark Cuban to play Mark Cuban playing the president)?Liggienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-20931216163052986252015-10-02T22:27:09.124-07:002015-10-02T22:27:09.124-07:00Sometimes the commercials are more entertaining th...Sometimes the commercials are more entertaining than the actual programs.<br /><br />"I'm a fan of Cold and Hotta!*" How can any modern day sitcom beat that?<br /><br />*If you don't get the reference, Google it.Albert Giesbrechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17742338183833125104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82239540458944414422015-10-02T22:25:27.884-07:002015-10-02T22:25:27.884-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.Albert Giesbrechthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17742338183833125104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-42130450437759825512015-10-02T22:13:13.297-07:002015-10-02T22:13:13.297-07:00I'm amazed at all the people here who apparent...I'm amazed at all the people here who apparently watch commercials.<br />I DVR everything and haven't seen an ad in years.<br /><br />also Dave Creek reminded me of something I hate, though it's not really an ad.<br />it's when live sports games start with 7-10 minutes of meaningless hype-riddled BS, with a lot of flashy graphics, flashy effects, flashy music, etc, all designed (I guess) to convince me what a great game this is going to be, except I'M ALREADY WATCHING, you don't have to sell me anymore.<br /><br />that should all be running somewhere else, well before the game, to convince people to tune in.<br />cd1515https://www.blogger.com/profile/13442641020639066876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-24340473721164212052015-10-02T19:28:46.971-07:002015-10-02T19:28:46.971-07:00I loved HILL STREET BLUES (including the splendid ...I loved HILL STREET BLUES (including the splendid title), and although it was drama, it had one of the funniest lines I have ever heard. It starts out like it's going to be the biggest cliche there is, but turns into something absolutely hilarious. Veronica Hamil and Daniel Travanti had split up for a while and were getting back together. In the bedroom scene, Veronica said it had been so long, she wasn't sure she remembered what to do. Daniel said, "It's like riding a bike; just get on and start peddling."Diane D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-318744112982454172015-10-02T18:24:17.097-07:002015-10-02T18:24:17.097-07:00NCIS has their own black and white fade act break...NCIS has their own black and white fade act breaks when going in and out of commercials.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-10476503191585479732015-10-02T17:44:45.188-07:002015-10-02T17:44:45.188-07:00Maybe you've answered this question before. A...Maybe you've answered this question before. A few weeks ago you wrote about the favorite episodes you wrote -- what about the favorite episodes you *directed* without writing? I know pie fight may be number 1, so please start after that -- show, episode, and perhaps why. GS in SFnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-14093099802601457502015-10-02T16:37:15.448-07:002015-10-02T16:37:15.448-07:00Just think. Less than two months until the 'Wa...Just think. Less than two months until the 'War on Christmas'.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06248182899977033579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-8398878050541405942015-10-02T16:10:21.933-07:002015-10-02T16:10:21.933-07:00Comedy has always been a part of TV drama, from th...Comedy has always been a part of TV drama, from the jaunty detective shows of the 1950s to the Kelley and Sorkin "dramedies" of recent years. And we now have a entire new subgenre some have dubbed "crimedies," which are procedurals played largely for humor, such as BONES, CASTLE, RIZZOLI & ISLES and THE MYSTERIES OF LAURA, which takes it a step further by being an outright mash-up of cop drama and family sitcom (though they seem to be backing off that somewhat this season). Since these shows are by design locked into a specific plot formula, the banter and character development is what keeps them lively.cadavranoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-44892409523795253682015-10-02T14:22:45.098-07:002015-10-02T14:22:45.098-07:00Bill Avena -- it's not the producers who "...Bill Avena -- it's not the producers who "chop up" the timeslot. They're given running times for each commercial break and have to live with them.<br /><br />McAlvie -- I know what you mean about commercials repeating within a show. It drives me nuts. I'd like to find out if that's really effective. It just turns me off of the product.<br /><br />Another peeve is promos for a show within a show. NBC Nightly News does this about every night, with a promo for Lester Holt and Nightly News within the broadcast itself. If we're seeing this, we're already watching!Dave Creekhttp://www.davecreek.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-1159220305148249932015-10-02T12:03:56.928-07:002015-10-02T12:03:56.928-07:00It must be getting harder to write around or for t...It must be getting harder to write around or for those breaks. With far more commercials, the breaks are either longer or more frequent. There have been a few shows, mostly network 'specials', which felt more like a string of commercials interrupted by a plot line. I get that they have to finance the show, but there is a point where you lose the audience. <br /><br />Friday question, I guess, and if you know the answer: How much thought goes into the number of commercials and the frequency of repetition for any one sponsor? Or are they just happy to get as many as they can? I have turned off the tv because an ad repeated too many times during a show, which may be extreme, but it makes me wonder if they worry about viewers reaching saturation point.McAlvienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-431705337687064102015-10-02T11:56:09.250-07:002015-10-02T11:56:09.250-07:00This was a really good Friday Questions installmen...This was a really good Friday Questions installment. Good picks there today, @KenLevine.<br /><br />I was thinking about the commercial breaks thing as it relates to a show's writing (or more exactly, the other way around) just the other night. One of the antenna-TV networks (H&I — heroes and icons) has started running 2-hour blocks of 'NYPD Blue' reruns immediately following a similar block of 'Hill Street Blues' reruns every night. I come away thinking writing to commercial interruption actually adds quite a bit to the show's ebb and flow because now those segments are almost like entities unto themselves while still being a part of the sum of the whole episode. And ... it really does work when you're smart about it from the beginning.<br /><br />PLUS — I believe 'NYPD Blue' and 'Hill Street Blues' would certainly qualify as dramas where the type of humor mentioned in today's blog post was an essential and defining lifeblood part of the show. <br /><br />Aside from that, it made me remember that 'NYPD Blue' started losing me me when Kim Delaney joined the show as a detective. Fortunately, the addition of Bill Brochtrup ("Gay John") at roughly the same show-arc point tempered her presence.ScottyBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-47384447965719448722015-10-02T11:46:07.783-07:002015-10-02T11:46:07.783-07:00@Astroboy: "You and I will be copperin' t...@Astroboy: "You and I will be copperin' these benighted Whitechapel streets, Bennett."Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06248182899977033579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-43619659176524919582015-10-02T11:30:05.363-07:002015-10-02T11:30:05.363-07:00I remember the Loudon Wainright III balladeer most...I remember the Loudon Wainright III balladeer mostly because I kept finding his albums in the bargain bin at the Venture department store where I worked at the time and finally had to find out if the songs were as good as their titles. He's an acquired taste.<br /><br />'Scrubs' also did at least one similar balladeer episode with Colin James Hay, the singer for Men At Work and a notable talent in his own right (not to mention a very amusing fellow and a wonderful interview apart from that).<br /><br />For me, those episodes are OK as one-offs (and because they add some color and I imagine attempt to make you think "wow, that's some heavy life-song parallels, man"), but mostly, they just strike me as someone with the show just wanting to work in one of their favorite long-overlooked musicians who could use a career boost simply because they now have the leverage to do whatever they like.<br /><br />ScottyBnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-16092382557711910262015-10-02T11:09:21.151-07:002015-10-02T11:09:21.151-07:00"Oh well. Some things work and some things do...<i>"Oh well. Some things work and some things don’t. But you gotta try."</i><br /><br />The creative process summed up! :)Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13086939028445362188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90679877420646505952015-10-02T10:12:30.987-07:002015-10-02T10:12:30.987-07:00I don't consider Capt. Spalding a mistake. He...I don't consider Capt. Spalding a mistake. He was only in three episodes. Maybe a mistake if they'd carried on. He's essential to "There is Nothing Like a Nurse" being so effective.Matt Tauberhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00336379337777188738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-77864175896609556782015-10-02T09:48:40.587-07:002015-10-02T09:48:40.587-07:00I don't know how people can praise the utility...I don't know how people can praise the utility of commercial breaks when producers have chopped up the timeslot so much there isn't time for ANY sort of story to develop. Even "Louie" ,which I like, is a strung -together bit of vignettes like a series of "Schiller's Reels" from SNL. And Louie follows many other shows regarding long break, then little bit at the end while credits "roll by" at literally lightning speed. This can't be for the benefit of people watching on old fashioned TV sets; maybe it's for Netflix consumers.Bill Avenanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-36694123481574940952015-10-02T09:41:11.727-07:002015-10-02T09:41:11.727-07:00I enjoy an occasional break from a fine show so th...I enjoy an occasional break from a fine show so that Dennis Leary can read Ford F-150 commercial copy to me while the words flash on the screen. Apparently, Ford is targeting the illiterate segment of the audience.<br /><br />Charles H. Bryannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-89509995586118810252015-10-02T09:34:36.216-07:002015-10-02T09:34:36.216-07:00Ike Iszany... isn't he married to the Washingt...Ike Iszany... isn't he married to the Washington Post art critic, Phyllis Steen or is it Dot Snice?PNW Coreynoreply@blogger.com