CHRIS ABBOTT, PART FOURComplications Ensue
Complications Ensue:
The Crafty Screenwriting, TV and Game Writing Blog




Archives

April 2004

May 2004

June 2004

July 2004

August 2004

September 2004

October 2004

November 2004

December 2004

January 2005

February 2005

March 2005

April 2005

May 2005

June 2005

July 2005

August 2005

September 2005

October 2005

November 2005

December 2005

January 2006

February 2006

March 2006

April 2006

May 2006

June 2006

July 2006

August 2006

September 2006

October 2006

November 2006

December 2006

January 2007

February 2007

March 2007

April 2007

May 2007

June 2007

July 2007

August 2007

September 2007

October 2007

November 2007

December 2007

January 2008

February 2008

March 2008

April 2008

May 2008

June 2008

July 2008

August 2008

September 2008

October 2008

November 2008

December 2008

January 2009

February 2009

March 2009

April 2009

May 2009

June 2009

July 2009

August 2009

September 2009

October 2009

November 2009

December 2009

January 2010

February 2010

March 2010

April 2010

May 2010

June 2010

July 2010

August 2010

September 2010

October 2010

November 2010

December 2010

January 2011

February 2011

March 2011

April 2011

May 2011

June 2011

July 2011

August 2011

September 2011

October 2011

November 2011

December 2011

January 2012

February 2012

March 2012

April 2012

May 2012

June 2012

July 2012

August 2012

September 2012

October 2012

November 2012

December 2012

January 2013

February 2013

March 2013

April 2013

May 2013

June 2013

July 2013

August 2013

September 2013

October 2013

November 2013

December 2013

January 2014

February 2014

March 2014

April 2014

May 2014

June 2014

July 2014

August 2014

September 2014

October 2014

November 2014

December 2014

January 2015

February 2015

March 2015

April 2015

May 2015

June 2015

August 2015

September 2015

October 2015

November 2015

December 2015

January 2016

February 2016

March 2016

April 2016

May 2016

June 2016

July 2016

August 2016

September 2016

October 2016

November 2016

December 2016

January 2017

February 2017

March 2017

May 2017

June 2017

July 2017

August 2017

September 2017

October 2017

November 2017

December 2017

January 2018

March 2018

April 2018

June 2018

July 2018

October 2018

November 2018

December 2018

January 2019

February 2019

November 2019

February 2020

March 2020

April 2020

May 2020

August 2020

September 2020

October 2020

December 2020

January 2021

February 2021

March 2021

May 2021

June 2021

November 2021

December 2021

January 2022

February 2022

August 2022

September 2022

November 2022

February 2023

March 2023

April 2023

May 2023

July 2023

September 2023

November 2023

January 2024

February 2024

 

Friday, May 06, 2005

Here's the fourth part of my interview with showrunner and creator Chris Abbott, author of the new book Ten Minutes to the Pitch.


AE: TV writers often get fired. You haven't, but you've seen it happen. What do you think are some good ways to survive it?

CA: I think you have to have a life outside the business. It's so important to have something else that's meaningful to you. You won't write as well if you don't have something. And eventually your career will end and you will still be a young person . I worked 25 years straight, then I hit the magic 50 and it started waning fast ... which is ridiculous ... but that's the way it works. One day you'll be without work. Imperatively you have another side of your life that feeds you and nourishes you.

Keep contacts, make contacts, keep friendly relationships with lots of people. Throw your friends free lance scripts. Throw people you don't know scripts - they really feel obligated to you, the others don't! (Laughs.)

I've often reinvented who I was. Though I never got fired, what I was writing got out of style. I was known for writing family shows, then chick shows, then action adventure shows, then back to family.

If you've been fired, write a script that's completely different from anything you've written. That will get you in doors you haven't gotten into before. Rethink who you are and what you write. Every time I've been out of work I've written a new spec pilot. I've never sold any of those scripts but they've always reinvigorated my career. It gives you something new for your agent — people say, "Oh, I know her work," and your agent can say, "You don't know her work, this is completely different stuff than what you've read" and then they're willing to read you again. Nobody's willing to look at old scripts again.

AE: Because if you stay employed too long, your specs get out of date.

CA: And nobody wants to see what you've been writing for hire.

AE: These were all spec pilots?

CA: I never wrote specs of existing shows. I always write a spec pilot or a spec screenplay. And when I'm hiring writers, that's what I want to read. Can you write characters, can you write plot, can you write twists and turns, interesting dialog ... all of that will be in a spec script more than in a spec existing show. Agents would call me, "Do you wanna see their CSI"? And I'd say "no!"

AE: You realize you're in the minority there.

CA: Oh, I know! (Laughs.) But it's always worked for me.

AE: How important is genre to a television show? Is it risky to have a TV show that crosses genre boundaries? What are the genre boundaries?

CA: What do you mean?

AE: Like Lost. It's a drama but there's also something science fictiony going on on that island. Or Desperate Housewives. Is it a drama, is it a comedy, is it a satire, is it a farce? Half of the show is a painstakingly observed drama about housewives in the suburbs living lives of quiet desperation, and the other is a mystery, I mean the body in the pool — Lisa my wife said that it's like living in the suburbs if all the rumors are true — maybe that plumber isn't really a plumber maybe he's a spy! So it's all these hybrid shows.

CA: There used to be specific genres and you stayed within it. The network always asked "what's the franchise?"

Within the last ten years there's been a concerted effort to try to mix genres so someone will pay attention to you — buy the show or tune in to watch. The networks used to stay faithful to shows that were just well written, well acted, etc., and let them find an audience. They used to hold onto shows because that had faith ... they grew and did fabulously well.

AE: Now you need more of a hook.

CA: And that's where this kind of a hybrid system comes in. What's the zaniest way to do this. This is a nighttime soap but really it's a mystery. TYou have less money to spend and less time to find an audience. Bochco and Kelley very often go for shock value — that's valid — nothing wrong with that. I remember this fabulous show back in the "olden days" — Family — it was brilliant but subtle. Not crazy and zany.

Shows are on longer now, too.

AE. If you're writing a spec pilot, how much do you concentrate on writing a kickass pilot episode, and how much on what will eventually become a show bible? I hear that Glenn Caron doesn't even write a bible -- but doesn't the network need something awfully like one?

CA: Well remember you used to write a two hour pilot, it'd be a movie, and then sometimes you'd get into trouble later, because you couldn't make a series out of the pilot.

In the last ten years they do one hour pilots. I like to worry about the world of the series and who's going to drive the series from week to week. And then write a typical episode. It doesn't have to be the first story chronologically. The pilot doesn't have to set up the universe, it just has to be the universe.

AE: So the pilot doesn't have to be the first episode?

CA: It's going to be the first episode they shoot because it's going to be the pilot, but it doesn't have to be the first episode they run.

Of course, they might just shoot the pilot and throw it away.

AE: They're still doing that, shooting pilots and throwing them away?

CA: Used to be they'd get 100 pitches, and they'd commission 25 scripts, commission 15 pilots, and buy three shows. Those numbers are now reduced. They make 5 pilots, maybe buy three.

AE: Seems to me they ought to be able to judge from the script instead of having to make the pilot.

CA: You'd think. But there are so many ways to screw up a good script in production.

AE: But that doesn't show that the script isn't a good idea, that shows that they cast it wrong or had the wrong director. Doesn't mean the show's no good.

CA: But that's the way it is. They can insist you cast it a certain way and then when the casting doesn't work, it's your fault. When I shot the pilot for Legacy for UPN, I was coming in for a meeting on Wednesday so I sent them a tape on Monday so they could watch it on Tuesday. And they call up, and say, we'd like you to rethink the music. I'm like, what do you mean "rethink" the music? You have to rewrite the music, re-record it ... some of them have no concept of what it takes to put something together.

Labels: ,

4 Comments:

I remember when Ally McBeal came out, that's when -- I think -- the word "dramedy" was born. A lot of attention was given to the fact that it was a genre hybrid, and I guess it worked -- it certainly had a massive amount of publicity.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 4:07 PM  

I always thought of the term as "dromedary," thinking of the remark that a camel is a horse designed by a committee. But that's how my brain works.

Actually I believe the term was invented for The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd starring Blair Brown. Kinda dates me, doesn't it?

By Blogger Alex Epstein, at 4:15 PM  

Nah, that doesn't date you too badly. I'm 31 and I clearly remember the Molly Dodd show. I just forgot that it was being spun that way.

By Anonymous Anonymous, at 5:54 PM  

Actually, I think thirtysomething was in on that action, too. That show came out the same year as Molly Dodd. See, if it's one show, it's just a show, but if it's two, it's a bonafide trend and has to go to the genre-naming commission in Geneva.

I'm still bitter that they went with "dramedy" over my preferred construction: "crama."

By Blogger DMc, at 10:58 AM  

Post a Comment

Back to Complications Ensue main blog page.



This page is powered by Blogger.