Showrunner Rules from Jeffrey Lieber: Numbers 211–220

Jeff Lieber is a screenwriter and TV writer. His movie credits include Tuck Everlasting and he is currently an executive producer of the CBS series “NCIS: New Orleans”. On Twitter (@JeffLieber), he has run a series of tweets called Showrunner Rules. For background on Jeff and this Twitter series, go here.

Today: Numbers 211–220:

Showrunner Rule #211: Hire actors who play objectives not attitudes. And double hire actors who know how to shift tactics mid scene.

Showrunner Rule #212: Pick audition scenes < 2 pages, ’cause actors have it tough & learning lines just to be judged is a BRUTAL life.

Showrunner Rule #213: If there’s a holiday on Friday, Hollywood shuts down on Thursday… at lunch… if not before. ‪#Happy4thofJuly‬

Showrunner Rule #214: (1of2) Production trumps Perfection. Meaning… get your LP, PD and Other PD the damn outline and script EARLY…

Showrunner Rule #214: (2of2) …so they can work. Holding material for fear of being judged, means every decision gets made in panic mode.

Showrunner Rule ‪#214A‬: Rule 214 is super dooper helped when executives understand/appreciate rule 214. If they don’t… its some badness.

Showrunner Rule #215: Writers are like dogs, hard to teach new tricks once old & well trained/scarred by their owners in the puppy years.

Showrunner Rule #216: No matter how much you TRY to communicate to staff, you’ll forget something vital; like one of the sets burned down.*

(*Please note, no ACTUAL set on my current show burned down during the writing of the last tweet. Or if it did… I don’t yet know it.)

Showrunner Rule #217: Significant upside to location based show is that you’ll invariably get more done from hotel room than from office.

Showrunner Rule #218: Judge room by how fast/well story is broken compared to lone writer. Great rooms 1/2 the time. Bad rooms never finis —

Showrunner Rule #219: In case you ever wonder why you do the job (w/ the hours and disappointment), look around…

Showrunner Rule #220: When on location, before going to sleep, figure out how shower works. Not something you leave for Monday at 5:15AM.

Here is Jeff’s bio:

One day in 1986, after blowing up a glass beaker in a lab in high school, Jeffrey Lieber’s science teacher, Dr. Nagoi, turned to him and said, “Jeffrey… you be an actor… you be a writer… maybe have a family… but please, dear God, don’t be a chemist.” And it was those words that launched a journey that has ended up with Mr. Lieber becoming a screenwriter, showrunner, blogger, father and husband (Credits? Go here). Every day, while pursuing his passions, Mr. Lieber takes a moment to stop and thank Dr. Nagoi for his sage advice.

You can follow Jeff on Twitter (@JeffLieber).

For all of the Showrunner Rules, go here.

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