Another Fun Schmooze at Hurley's

If you're in Montreal on Monday, I'm throwing another one of my irregular get-togethers for professionals in the biz. It's at Hurley's starting at 7. We usually have a fun crowd. Come on by and say hi!

How to Write a Video Game

My old Yale Comp Sci Dept buddy Jordan Mechner has an interesting article about what went into designing PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME, the hit Ubisoft videogame.

Rule #2: Story is not king.

Interesting, huh?

TV High Schools

We were watching the BUFFY pilot for research (no, really!) and the question came up: where does the social structure of high school in TV come from? Because every show about TV has a Queen Bee character (along with her Court Attendants), and none of us has ever been to a high school with such a person. My high school was full of cliques that ignored each other. Have you been to a stereotypical high school? If not, where did this construct come from?

Move to Montreal From Paris?

Q. I'm a beginning screenwriter here in Paris, France. I'm getting my first scripts sold and have chosen to write mainly for animation - for now at least. The thing is I spent five of the richest years of my life living in Montreal. What are the odds of an immigrant screenwriter finding work in Montreal?

Quebec has a rich cultural life, a thriving, close-knit creative community, and many government programs to support the arts. For a "nation" of 6 million francophones, it is about as strong a cultural situation as you could ask for.

In many ways, I envy the francophone community, because they really have a community going. There are regular premieres of French language films at Place des Arts (think Lincoln Center), and everybody goes. Quebecers go and see their own pictures, unlike, say, Canadians. Quebec has real movie stars. Patrick Huard could walk into any franco bar in Quebec and take his choice of girls home.

The French in Quebec are incredibly warm and open people if you speak their language reasonably well. And I suspect that much as they have a chip on their shoulder about Parisians (who have a habit of insisting on speaking English to Quebec tourists), they will probably feel flattered that you chose Montreal over France. I think people are still tickled I immigrated from the US for the same reason.

The money is not much. French screenwriters get paid maybe half what English ones do, because they're writing for a smaller market. But Montreal is not an expensive place to live as world-class, cosmopolitan cities go.

So that's all good.

However, you will need to actually immigrate. A work permit will not do. All the government support requires that the screenwriter be a citizen or permanent resident. That means no one can hire you until you are a permanent resident.

On the positive side, unlike the US, Canada has an immigration policy that is warm and friendly for well-educated people in good health with professional experience. We have got a lot of empty room here! Needless to say, Quebec is super-anxious to get more francophones in. So you probably will not have much trouble getting accepted. It will just take time. I'm guessing 12-18 months to get your landing permit.

However, the moment you land, you are eligible to work, and I believe you can apply for your health card as soon as you get your Certificat de Séléction du Québec, i.e. before you land.) Once you are a permanent resident you're required to spend 6 months a year here, though I don't know how carefully they track this. So you could spend time in both Paris and Montreal and work both places, doubling your opportunities.

So if you love the place, might be worth a shot. And, bienvenu!

Change the Story

[Politics]

I know some of y'all don't want to see politics on this blog. But this moves me. And it got Lisa to make 40 phone calls today; and she hates to call anybody. I think it's magic.

If you're sick of the election, if you've already voted, if you like the other guy, watch this just to see what makes it tick. (Notice how every shot of ordinary citizens is looking up at them!)

And if for some mysterious reason you weren't planning on voting, then watch it and ask yourself if you really don't want to be part of the magic.



All I can say is, this guy's got his work cut out for him. And so do we.

And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

Another Idiotic Study about TV

According to a study:

Teenagers who watch a lot of television featuring flirting, necking, discussion of sex and sex scenes are much more likely than their peers to get pregnant or get a partner pregnant, according to the first study to directly link steamy programming to teen pregnancy.

It couldn't be because teens who are having sex like to watch sex on TV, could it?

Several experts questioned whether the study had established a causal relationship.

"It may be the kids who have an interest in sex watch shows with sexual content," said Laura Lindberg of the Guttmacher Institute. "I'm concerned this makes it seem like if we just shut off the TV we'd dramatically reduce the teen pregnancy rate."

Thank you. I am fairly sure there was teen pregnancy in Shakespeare's day.

("Study Shews Maids Who Watch Plays with Barbèd Witte More Likely to be Swived.")

I think if you watch kids have sex on TV, you are likely to be more aware of the likelihood of getting knocked up than if you don't. Because there is not a girl on TV who has unprotected sex who doesn't come up with an STD or a pregnancy scare or a baby. Not only because standards and practices demand it, but because why would you leave a setup like that hanging?

Where Do I Start?

I'm a 20-something starry eyed hopeful screenwriter. I'm living in Toronto, taking some post-grad classes, and attempting to break into TV comedy screenwriting.

Quick question: What's the best way to start writing TV comedy here in Toronto, Vancouver, or Quebec? I do not yet have an agent.

I would love to be on a writing staff of a CORNER GAS, LITTLE MOSQUE, or a SOPHIE. I would kill puppies to be hired on 22 MINUTES. I'm working on a couple specs, but I'm worried that I'll never find representation, or ultimately, a job.

Wayyyy too early to be worrying. Start worrying if, after four or five years of diligently writing the best specs you can, you still don't have an agent and haven't written anything for money. And by "diligently," I mean that you take feedback to heart and work on whatever aspect of your writing is weakest.

If you need reassurance that you'll break in, you're probably in the wrong business.

I'm nervous about the "working on a couple of specs." That suggests you're browsing. You should be working fullheartedly on your current spec, with ideas for your next spec. It is often ineffective to work on two things at once. It means you can avoid solving the hard problems.

You should immediately form a writing group with 5-6 writers at your level. See my book Crafty Screenwriting for advice about writing groups.

You should meet other writers and filmmakers. In Montreal you could meet people in the Montreal Film Group. In Toronto you should find Jill Golick and go to her Writers Watching TV events. I kick myself every time I get one of those invitations and can't go because I'm not in Toronto. In any Canadian city you can join Karen Walton's Ink Canada and go to their events. Women should join Women In Film. I'm sure there are all sorts of similar organizations in LA.

Once you have specs, you should apply to the Canadian Film Centre. This is the only film program I recommend. Rather than going to UCLA, USC, NYU or AFI, if you want to start your career in LA, I would send you to Beverly Hills to get a job as an assistant or mail room guy at CAA, ICM, WMA, UTA, Endeavor, APA, Paradigm or Gersh or similar literary agencies.

Wouldn't kill you to do the same in Toronto, if you can get a job working for Vanguarde, Meridien, Jennifer Hollyer, Rena Zimmerman at Great North, Brent Sherman at Characters, Harrison Mgt., Alpern or OAZ. That would be well worth a year of your time.

Also, call comedy writers in town and ask if you can buy them lunch, coffee, or fine tequila at Reposado. Ask them for advice, not a job.

Many comedy writers start in standup (e.g. John Rogers out of Ottawa, that red-haired short guy who makes movies in New York), but it is by no means a requirement. I've never done standup. Standup will improve your pitching immeasurably, and give you a deep sense of comedy timing, but if you write other people better than you write yourself, you can skip Amateur Night. Still, probably worth trying for a year, if only to stretch your comedy muscles.

But really, it's all about the specs. Write two kickass specs. Write a 30 ROCK and a MY NAME IS EARL, or whatever else people are speccing these days. Worry about the writing, and the money will follow.

Never Bet on the Future

Q. How would one go about writing a spec script for a show that's only in the works? E.g. "The Greysons" which the CW is putting together about Robin in the vein of "Smallville". Or would I be better to write a Smallville spec?

The rule of thumb is never to spec a show that hasn't got a full season under its belt. Sometimes adventurous writers will spec a first year phenomenon that is obviously going to get picked up. For example, many people specced DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES before the order came in for Season 2.

So I would not spec THE GREYSONS. The production could fall apart. The show could flop and get pulled after four episodes. Most new shows don't make it. You're better off with SMALLVILLE.

The thing to do before you write a spec is: call three agents' assistants. Ask what shows their clients are speccing. Pick one of those shows. The list of what people are speccing changes all the time. I haven't had to write a spec in some time, so I just don't know. (I have a really fun I LOVE LUCY stunt spec in mind, actually, if I should have the time.)