Creative Spark
A guest post from screenwriter Tom Benedek (Cocoon), co-founder of Screenwriting Master Class.
I had never done a workshop with kids before. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences sent a request for mentors for the Spark program they run. Wednesdays from 2 to 4PM for 10 Weeks. I said ‘yes.’ Middle School kids are paired with one mentor each to work on film projects. My mentee, David, loves the video game, Crossfire, and wanted to do a show about it. I showed him how Final Draft works and he wrote a script while I sat next to him. We were joined by his friend, Luis, and his Mentor, Jeff, who is a special effects coordinator. Lucky thing. The script David and Luis completed has green screen, a dog, plenty of action. We managed to shoot it around the Academy building in our 3 allotted shooting days of 2 hours each. It was fun. Volunteering is great. Making a film with like-minded individuals — We had a blast. Thanks to Bettina Fisher and the Academy Educational Initiative. And our editor, Kevin!
Here’s our little epic:
Here is a link to Spark.
TV is not TV anymore. It is long-form big screen entertainment — spectacle, indie, domestic drama — whatever you want it to be. You may choose the characters, the setting, the workplace that is in your heart and mind — then transform it into a world of story, a place to explore the depths of human behavior and your own soul. Consider these observations from Russel Friend, Executive Producer/Writer of HOUSE (Fox), Executive Producer/Writer of GLEE (Fox), Executive Producer/Writer of BATTLE CREEK (CBS), talking about how he hires writers for shows he is running:
I looked for scripts that surprised me. Procedurals bored me to tears. Hospital shows, cop shows, obvious shows. Instead, I looked for people who wrote things that nobody else was. For example, Becky Kirsch: I was sent her spec pilot about an 18th Century New England woman locked up in an insane asylum. Nobody was going to make this series. Nobody would probably buy it. But it was wonderful. It was different. It showed me someone who was going to think outside the box. But the writing was also solid, traditionally structured, and so I knew she understood what the inside of the box looked like, too. Again, this isn’t exactly clear advice for how to get a job. What I’ll say is this: every writer has to stand on his/her creative instincts and writing talent, and that means a writing sample should make both of those things abundantly clear. You have to succeed or fail on these things because they are your most valuable possessions as a screenwriter. Write samples that speak to that, not samples that you think will get you hired. The latter ones almost never will.
For the entire interview with Friend, go here.
If you are thinking of writing an original TV pilot, get in touch with your creative instincts and use your writing talent to go from concept to script in my 8 week Screenwriting Master Class workshop that starts Monday, May 18.
Tom is a great teacher and this is a class I highly recommend, one where you can take your initial creative spark and bring it to fruition with a completed TV pilot script. To find out more, go here.