clarkblog

THE BEST OF CLARKBLOG

This blog is now 7 years old, with over 1,000 posts. For those just joining us, here's a helpful roundup of my best and most popular writing entries. 

ON TV WRITING

• What is the best book on TV writing? Hands down it's this one.
• In which I attend a special Battlestar Galactica screening and listen carefully to the people who made this amazing show.
• In 2006 the Writers Guild Foundation presented Breaking Into the Box, one of the best TV writing seminars I've ever attended. I took copious notes and everything still pretty much applies. Here's Part One, Part Two, Part Three, Part Four and some concluding thoughts.

ON MOVIES

• Christopher Nolan speaks about his no-budget first film, Following.
• The day I spent with Uncle Forry Ackerman, RIP.
• Mickey Rourke has Eyes Without A Face.
• One of my favorite movies is Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. I've written about it many times, including this review of a rare 70mm screening in Hollywood.
• My entry on 2001 in a round-robin blog-a-thon got thousands of reads. Praying to the Aliens is the sort of film writing I wish I had more time for.
• Why The Manitou is one of my favorite bad movies.
• Cletus Anderson was a great costume designer, a terrific teacher and the guy who made green mold grow on Stephen King's ass in Creepshow.
• Children of Men, an instant sci-fi classic, posits a bleak future held in check (if barely) by the human heart.
• One of my favorite monster movies ever comes from South Korea: The Host.
• Need some fun Halloween movies? Try these.

ON MUSIC

• The late Jim Carroll made a splash with his heroin-spiked memoir The Basketball Diaries and a series of punk rock and spoken word records. Here's my interview with him in the 90s.
• Remembering Lux Interior of The Cramps, the best frontman I ever saw (and I saw Elvis, peoples).
• Drummer Stewart Copeland's home movies of The Police.
• How writers can shape a story using music as a template.

JOURNALISM, POLITICS, RELIGION, ETC.

• What were you doing on 9/11? It took a while to realize I was doing exactly what I needed to be doing.
• When a distant friend dies, old pals gather and remember.
• What the 1969 Moon landing, and a certain teacher, mean to me.
• Sometimes I'm a journalist. Here's a recent piece I wrote on NASA using warfare drones for peaceful purposes.
• Everybody has their own personal kryptonite. Here's mine.
• Sci-fi is a ghetto and yet we all live there.
• Every bad thing you've heard about Alabama is true. So is every good thing. 
• The late SF writer Octavia Butler's body of work pits the human heart against some very bleak futures. 
• Here's the proud story of the night I pissed off a crazy TV evangelist so much he stopped the show to yell at me via satellite.

BLAM BLAM THANK YA MA'AM!

Here's a sneak-peek at the game play of Defiance.

DEFIANCE UPDATE

This recent Blastr article tells you everything we know about Defiance so far, including the latest additions to our already awesome cast:

Clockwise from upper left: Julie Benz, Stephanie Leonidas, Jaime Murray and Tony Curran.

Actually, I know a lot more than this article. But I can't say anything. Except this:

It's gonna rock.

Stay tuned!

WALKING FORWARD

I was told recently of a TV writer wanna-be who has dismissed the various writers' programs in Hollywood. He's so convinced of his own singular talent that he doesn't need to bother with such things. In no small amount of time, he believes that his genius will be recognized all on its own.

Look, I'm all for self-confidence. You need it if you're gonna stare down a blank sheet of paper or screen every day for a living. But you also need at least half a brain when it comes to making opportunities for yourself. By my unofficial guestimation, the various studio-sponsored programs for new and emerging writers will staff anywhere from 30 to 50 first-time staff writers each year. Anyone passing up a chance to be included in those ranks is clueless.

While you're waiting for the spotlight to find you, pal, every other writer in LA just got to take a step forward because you left the line. You just made it that much easier for everybody else to have a shot, and that much harder on yourself.

But don't listen to me. I don't know anything. Except that I'm a working TV writer thanks to the Warner Bros. Writers' Workshop, which I cannot recommend highly enough. But be warned: you have to bring your A-game not just to your spec, but to your personal essay and (if you advance) to the personal interview as well.

The submission window is fast approaching for the WB workshop. You have from May 1 until June 1 to apply, and you've got a wide range of approved shows to spec.

The submission process should not be approached lightly. I cannot stress that enough. Here are some sobering statistics to prove the point. When I applied to the WB Workshop in 2009, there were over 1,300 spec script submissions. From that pile, my script was one of 10 that made the final cut. In 2011, the number of submissions rose to 1,800 -- again, only 10 were selected. Expect even more this year.

Yes, those odds are staggering. But guess what? The odds are always staggering. If you're a wanna-be TV writer with half a brain, you already know there are thousands of people just like you in Hollywood right now. They are your coffee baristas and waitresses and bartenders and cubicle monkeys writing and scribbling whenever they can, cranking out specs and making themselves ready and available for any break at all.

Of course, these programs aren't the only way into the industry. Some people land the coveted position of writers' assistant or PA on a show. This is hard and thankless work, and sadly it cuts into that valuable writing time, but it can often serve to open doors for new writers. Other wanna-be's are talented and lucky enough to write an original spec that gets someone's attention and maybe, just maybe, is actually bought by a production company or studio.

My point: you need to be doing all of these things. You never know which door is gonna open, so the last thing you wanna do is block a potential path with arrogance or stupidity.

Below are links to some of the other programs for new writers. All are worthy of your time. These aren't the only ways to break into TV writing. But wanna-be TV writers simply cannot afford to pass them up.

Unless you're just really, really stupid.

Disney/ABC Writing Program

NBC Universal Writers on the Verge

Fox Writers Intensive

Fox Writers Residence

THERE IS NO MUSE

OLD SCHOOL

ANTI-LIFE? I LIKE THE SOUND OF THAT!

AL QAEDA LA

I have some very sick friends. They make stuff like this.

AL QAEDA LA - watch more funny videos

TRUTH

THANKS FOR THE FUTURE

Steve Jobs, Rest in Peace.

I first sat down at a Macintosh in 1986. Prior to that, I'd worked on early PCs and Commodore machines. The Mac blew me away. It still does.

Here's a pic of the first Mac I could actually afford. I've owned several since the venerable Mac Classic, but this one holds a special place in my heart because it's the first one that actually lived with me and became part of my personal space. The way my other Macs do. And the iPod. And iPhone. And iPad. And AppleTV.

DEFIANTLY ONWARD

So. Network staffing season came and went and left me standing at the altar like a jilted groom.

It's very tough out there, especially for newer writers. Network TV writing staffs are shrinking at precisely the same time the networks are making tons of money. I know, it doesn't make sense. I've worked extensively in the corporate world and I never understood it when a company would cut back on the core reason they were making money.

I had meetings on lots of network shows over the past few months, but when it came time for staffing, they all ran out of money before getting to the lower-level positions.

A number of amazing, talented and very affordable writers I know are in the same sad position. Truth be told, it's not uncommon for newer writers to warm the benches for a season or two between gigs. That's when you hunker down and crank out original pilots and new specs and keep the creative gears greased. Which I was prepared to do. But thank goodness for the world of cable TV, which has come to my rescue.

My new gig: I've joined the writing staff of a brand new SyFy TV show called Defiance. I've signed a brick-thick stack of non-disclosure forms so legally impenetrable that I can tell you absolutely nothing about it.

But I can point you to this sneak preview trailer, and to a brief interview with showrunner Rockne O'Bannon, whom I was lucky enough to work with on V.

And there's this from The Hollywood Reporter:

Set on a future Earth, Defiance introduces players and Syfy viewers to a world ravaged by decades of conflict, where humans and aliens live together in a world the likes of which no one has seen. The game combines the frenetic action of a top-tier console shooter with the persistence, scale, and customization of an MMO, while its TV counterpart exudes the scope, story, and drama of a classic sci-fi epic. The game's story will take place in the San Francisco bay area, while the TV series will be set just outside of St. Louis, MO. Because they exist in a single universe, the show and the game will influence and evolve each other over time, with actions in both mediums driving the overall story of Defiance.

I think I am allowed to say this much: it's gonna be a helluva lotta fun.

LOOKING BACK AT BABYLON 5

 
At Noise2Signal, writer Abi Sutherland is taking an episode-by-episode look back at Babylon 5, the 1990s space opera created and mostly written by J. Michael Straczynski.

This was a groundbreaking show in many ways. Its innovative five-year story arc set a standard for later shows like Lost. This storyline wasn't just bold in a narrative sense. As a low-budget syndicated show, it fought each year to survive another season. Fans always worried it would be cancelled before the space war saga was complete. (As it turned out, the lackluster final season suggests it could've ended a year earlier anyway.)

Babylon 5's dark new universe was a nice break from the beige-hued safety zone of shows like Star Trek: The Next Generation (and would influence the darkness and, yes, multi-year story arc of the best Trek spinoff, Deep Space Nine). It was chock full of interesting new aliens, exciting space battles and a giant story arc centered on the Shadows, giant insectile creatures whose violent motives were one of the show's great mysteries.

As Sutherland points out early on, Babylon 5 has not aged well in many ways. You have to tolerate some flimsy sets outfitted with Ikea furniture, more than a bit of wooden acting, and some blue-screen work that, for various technical reasons I don't understand, does not transfer well to DVD.

Straczynski cites the British TV sci-fi series Blake's 7 as an inspiration for Babylon 5. I didn't catch up on that show until recently, and it took great effort to look beyond its laughable shoestring budget and focus on the widescreen story and compelling characters. Like that show, Babylon 5 has a grandiose, inventive pulp space-opera plot straight out of E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman series (seasons 3 and 4 are the peak of the show for me), as well as some astoundingly good CGI and makeup, and a thrilling score by Christopher Franke of Tangerine Dream fame.

In short, it's the little show that could -- and did -- many great things on a miniscule budget. Its cult following remains strong to this day. Sadly, numerous attempts to spin off the franchise fizzled out because none were as creative as the original series.

Back in the 1990s, I welcomed each new installment of this adventure the way I used to eagerly await monthly comic books when I was a kid. While The Twilight Zone and the original Star Trek were huge influences on my early efforts at writing, Babylon 5 is the show that made me want to refocus my life, move to Hollywood and become a TV writer.

Last month at Comic-Con, I finally got to meet Straczynski and tell him just that. "You're doing it right," he replied.

And that meant the world to me.

THAT'S A WRAP

ABC has officially cancelled V. We hate to end the saga on such a game-changing cliffhanger, but them's the breaks.

After being on the viewer-fan end of many an unfair cancellation (hello Firefly, Karen Sisco, Threshold, etc.), it's interesting and enlightening to be on the creative side for a change. No matter what the show's about, or who's involved, it all comes down to money. And while V did respectable numbers and gave the network one of its few shows with a strong male viewership, it was in the end too expensive to continue.

While I can see the reasoning clearly from the other side, it's no less frustrating to experience. There were so many cool tales left to tell. We'd opened up a new world of stories that would've been fun to explore. Now we'll never see Erica shattered and vengeful over her murdered son. We'll never find out what Bliss is doing to the troubled soul of Father Jack. And we'll never see the all-out global war as humans use every weapon they've got to take back their planet.

Many fans have written to ask: Can V continue on another network? If another network's interested, then sure, it's possible. Other shows, like Medium, have jumped networks to survive. But the major networks have already committed their budgetarty war chests to the upcoming fall slate of new and returning shows. None of them have any room or money for V right now. In another year they might ... but the actors' contracts will be long expired by that time.

Is cable an option for V? Sadly, no. Cable shows are produced for a fraction of the budget of a network show, and there's just no way for an effects-heavy show like V to scale down the numbers.

I had a great time on my first TV writing gig. I worked with and learned from some amazingly talented people, and was thrilled whenever something I'd written made it to the final cut. The actors and crew and everybody else flat-out rocked.

If you are one of the millions of people around the world who watched what we made: thank you, deeply and sincerely.

Now it's off to the annual merry-go-round known as staffing season. When I emerge on the other side, either with or without a new gig, I'll report back on that singular experience.

HOW TO KICK YOUR OWN ASS

Comics writer Gail Simone has some honest and tough advice for anyone hoping to make it in the world of comics. Her words are good and sound and wise and can easily apply to anyone wanting to write novels or poems or plays or TV or just about anything else.

Here's a key excerpt on something that I wish I'd realized sooner than I did:

... [P]ut away the excuses that are getting in your way. Don’t share them, don’t give them that power. Move around them. No one can clear that path for you. You have to do it. You have to be smart, talented, and determined like a bastard.   And you have to put the things holding you back aside. Bury them in the yard and plant a tree over them.  Work hard, make art you’re proud of and show it everywhere.  Know what you offer and let others know it. Do it now. Start right now.

If her words scare the hell out of you or piss you off, you will probably be happier doing something else worthwhile with your life. But if you're scared and pissed off and yet still somehow hopeful and inspired, then you know what to do.

Get to work.

PLASTIC MAN

The back floorboard of my car is packed with plastic water bottles. Writers all over Hollywood collect them during staffing season. Every meeting you book could lead to a job writing for a TV show. And at every meeting, someone will hand you a bottle of water, and it will end up in your back floorboard.

I've not had time to empty these sloshing bottles onto my parched plants, let alone recycle the bottles. But if there's an earthquake or alien invasion while I'm driving, I won't die of dehydration for a while.

Nor have I had time to update the blog. I wanted to write something about staffing season and how it's a big crazy game of musical chairs, but Life -- wonderful tho' 'tis -- just isn't giving me any free time right now. Turns out other writers are sounding off on their experiences over at John August's blog, and they're doing a great job of it.

In particular, I commend to your attention this piece by Daniel Thomsen:

I’ve been in LA since 2002 and every single year, the refrain is always the same: “Ugh, this is the worst year ever, no one’s getting work.” I absolutely believe people have been repeating those words since the days we were all fighting over gigs on radio dramas.

Snagging a staff job requires these things: hard work, self awareness, a killer script, a logical connection between your brand and a show that makes it on the schedule, and a fair bit of fortunate timing.

Remember that staffing is a war of attrition. You might deserve a gig this year, but if that gig falls through due to circumstances out of your control — tough shit. Stay focused on the circumstances you can control and prepare for whatever’s next — development season, cable staffing, Subway sandwich artistry, etc.

 

SPEC TIME

It's getting harder for new TV writers to enter the game. This is something I've heard from a lot of writer friends, some of whom have been working since the mid-1980s. In the Jan. 2011 issue of Written By, the member magazine of the Writers Guild of America, veteran TV writer Marc Scott Zicree says it's tough out there for new and old writers alike. I'd link to that article but it's not available online. I'd quote from it but I've misplaced my copy. I'd draw a picture illustrating my frustration here but I really can't draw. So let me try to summarize a couple of troubling key points from the piece as I remember them.

Once upon a time, nabbing a gig as the writers assistant on a TV show put newbies in the pipe to land a script assignment. It's never a sure thing, of course -- a good writers assistant might not be a good writer -- and even so, it may take a year or more for them to prove themselves worthy of the shot. But if the show is going smoothly, sometime in the back half of the season a showrunner might decide to take the writers assistant off the bench and let them pitch an episode. It's a generous and smart move, since the assistant has been living in the writers room and paying close attention to which stories work and which don't. And it's a golden chance for that writer-wannabe to nail a pitch and land a script credit that, in most cases, kicks them up to Staff Writer status.

It looks as if this practice is slowly being phased out at some shows. One pal recently interviewed for the writers assistant position on a top-rated cable TV show. He was warned by the showrunner: "We don't promote from within," and told explicity that, if hired as writers assistant, there was no chance of ever pitching and writing a script. In other words: All those long hours and crappy paychecks better make you happy, because short of increasing your list of contacts, this job will do practically nothing to further your career as a writer.

Given that many of today's top writers and showrunners got their start this way, I'm really dumbfounded by this. Without that path of entry, it's incredibly hard for anyone to land their first gig as a TV writer. It's a bitter Catch-22: some studios won't even look at new writers with no staff experience. Paying your dues as a writers assistant was once a reliable course of action.

Zicree points out the studios get most excited by new writers coming out of the various workshop and fellowship programs like the ABC/Disney Fellowship and the NBC/Universal Writers on the Verge Program, The one that made the difference in my life is accepting applications from May 2 - June 1 of this year: the Warner Bros. TV Writers Workshop.

So crank out the best spec you can. Kick everything up a notch: dialogue, characters, plot, and even just the sheer economy and impact of each sentence. Almost anyone can write a spec that feels like an average episode of a show. What you must do is write the best episode of that show, the one that would air during sweeps week (but not the one that relies on stunt casting a guest role that eclipses the regular characters).

Apply to all of these programs. And if you don't get in, don't give up. Regroup, keep writing, and try again. It took me many tries to crank out the spec that got me into the game. It was a long and frustrating journey that required a lot of sacrifice but if I'd quit, my big chance never would've happened.

These programs aren't the only way into the industry. But if you're a wanna-be writer looking to break in, you cannot afford to ignore the opportunities they present.

MOTHER'S DAY

Be sure to tune into the Season 2 "V" finale airing tonight. Lots of crazy things are being hatched ...

 

LIGHTS AND SHADOWS

The great actor Charles Laughton directed only one film: The Night of the Hunter, a surreal adaptation of Davis Grubb's best-selling novel about two Depression-era children on the run from a murderous preacher.

You can see the bold influences of silent film in Laughton's visuals. Some of the landscapes are nothing but backlit cardboard cut-outs, the kind you'd see in a low-budget stage production. These effects heighten the fairy tale-gone-wrong atmosphere of Grubb's dark vision. It's a movie unlike anything else out there: nightmarish, creepy and dreamlike and, thanks to a great performance by Robert Mitchum, often perversely funny.

The new Criterion Blu-ray release of Hunter is astonishing. Unlike MGM's no-frills DVD issued over a decade ago, this Blu-ray shows the movie's light and shadow scheme in crystal clarity.

The disc also includes a stunning supplement that I saw screened at UCLA several years ago: rare footage of Laughton directing his actors. During the making of the movie and for many years after, there were rumors that Laughton and Mitchum didn't get along, and that the director loathed Billy Chapin and Sally Jane Bruce, the remarkable child actors who carry much of the film. But this supplement reveals a thoughtful and caring director working with wisdom, grace and verve. The inclusion of this fascinating supplement, a must-watch for writers and directors everywhere, makes this one of the must-have discs of the year.

To Laughton's dismay, The Night of the Hunter was a flop when it premiered in 1955, probably because of the vast stylistic liberties it took from the well-known novel. James Agee's script follows Grubb's story fairly closely, but Laughton and cinematographer Stanley Cortez transport this murderous tale to a shadowed expressionistic realm that is anything but realistic. Audiences expected one thing, and were given some quite different entirely.

Although it's since been recognized as a landmark film by scholars and critics, Hunter is so strange and offbeat in its storytelling approach that some modern audiences still don't know what to make of it. I showed this film to a university-level screenwriting class a few years ago, and was stunned that most of the students (all in their 20s) gave it a big thumbs-down. Their major gripe: it felt "old-fashioned," a criticism with which I agree, but don't see as a detraction of any sort. I suppose a lifetime of watching frantically-edited CGI-laden fare (which will certainly feel "old-fashioned" in fewer years than we might guess) might numb one to this movie's slow but brutal charms. I sincerely hope those students revisit this one later in their lives. It holds up. A classic.

CHANNEL V

ABC will run a Season 1 "V" mini-marathon on NY's Day. It's a great way to catch up in time for our Season 2 premiere next Tuesday, Jan. 4th.

And you can watch the first 14 minutes of our S2 premiere right here.

OH YEAH, BABY