Mad Men – The Story Department

Throughout the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s, most TV shows came off as campy and overacted. Much has changed in recent years, however, now that television has adopted a more film-like way of storytelling, narrative, character development, and plot direction.

Throughout the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s,
most TV shows came off as campy and overacted.

Five shows in particular – Breaking Bad, Game of Thrones, Mad Men, Downton Abbey, and The Walking Dead – are leading this television revolution. For those of you who haven’t caught a glimpse of these five extraordinary shows, below is a quick synopsis of what you’re missing out on.

1. Breaking Bad

As the high-school-teacher-turned-meth-dealer, Walter White has become one of the most unpredictable television characters we’ve grown to equally love and hate.

In the beginning of Breaking Bad, we saw a family man who was trying desperately to hold it together as he battled chemotherapy, struggled to make ends meet, and worked a job he hated.

Yet when the opportunity to venture over to the dark side grew, Walter simply couldn’t resist all the temptation and luxury that came with being a drug dealer. Slowly but surely, we’ve seen a man grow more immoral and daring as the episodes roll by, and we can’t help but wonder how much further he, his right-hand man Jesse Pinkman, his wife Skyler, and his colleague Mike Ehrmantraut are willing to go.

Slowly but surely, we’ve seen a man
grow more immoral and daring
as the episodes roll by

We have no idea where this show is taking us, but that’s what makes it all so thrilling to stick around and watch. Will Walter be caught by his DEA agent brother-in-law, Hank Schrader? Will Jesse ever find out that Walter purposely poisoned his girlfriend’s son? Will Skyler be able to handle all the anxiety and stress since finding out Walter’s secret?

Who knows, but this show is well worth the anticipation you’re left with from week to week.

2. The Walking Dead

If you’re looking for a show with a happy ending, don’t watch The Walking Dead; it is a show about what the world is left looking like after a zombie apocalypse, and believe me it isn’t pretty.

Full of terrifying zombies, gut-wrenching storylines, and reoccurring feelings of hopelessness, this show is not for the faint of heart. The Walking Dead evokes a common theme that many films, books, and television shows attempt to address: the future of our world. Week to week, we watch as a handful of characters attempt to survive in a world that has lost all civilization, morality, and safety.

this show is not for the faint of heart.

It’s every man and woman for himself or herself, and one can’t help but notice the circumstances aren’t getting better for these characters. It will be interesting to see how this story comes to an end. Let’s just hope that’s not anytime soon!

3. Downton Abbey

Talk about a flashback in time; Downton Abbey has a Victorian-esque storyline, following the everyday lives of the Crawley family and their servants during the reign of King George V.

After the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912, the Crawley family discovers that the only heir to their estate has died in the sinking.

This family tragedy sets in motion what the whole show has been based on for the past two seasons: an attempt to maintain the legacy and influence the Crawley family has built for generations.

it embodies a wholesome,
romantic storyline with
a few scandals thrown in
here and there.

What makes this show so popular amongst a wide range of audiences is the fact that it embodies a wholesome, romantic storyline with a few scandals thrown in here and there.

It’s not too cheesy or risqué; it manages to maintain a delicate balance that very few shows are able to uphold.

4. Mad Men

Perhaps one of the most popular television shows on right now, Mad Men has made the sixties generation all the rage again.

Former Sopranos writer Matthew Weiner has created a show about a fictional advertising agency called Sterling Cooper (now Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce) and the key individuals that work at the company.

The focal character, Don Draper, is the main reason this show is so darn intriguing. Along with Walter White of Breaking Bad, Don Draper has to be one of the most unpredictable, shameless, and mysterious characters we’ve ever encountered in television.

sexism, adultery, racism, the counterculture,
and numerous other relevant topics.

His interactions with the characters around him address common themes you’d expect to see in a show about the sixties, including sexism, adultery, racism, the counterculture, and numerous other relevant topics.

The shock factor that comes along with this show can’t be emphasized enough, and if you haven’t already, I’d suggest trying to catch up and see what you’ve been missing over the show’s past five seasons.

5. Game of Thrones

If I’m going to be completely honest, I’ll say that I saved the best for last.

Although it’s only two seasons in, Game of Thrones has proved to be a wildly enjoyable, well-performed series. The show is based on a medieval book series of the same title and tells the story of seven kingdoms battling to rule the Iron Throne for command of all the kingdoms, which is commonly called “playing The Game of Thrones” on the show.

The show has its moments of being gory, heartfelt, tragic, uplifting, and unbelievable, and audiences can’t wrap their minds around all the craziness. In fact, similar The Lord of The Rings, Game of Thrones has helped recreate an interest in fantasy television once more.

The show has its moments of
being gory, heartfelt, tragic,
uplifting, and unbelievable

No telling where this show will take us next when season 3 premieres in 2013, but we can bet that viewers will be tuning in to see.

Reality television may fill most the content we see on TV nowadays, but every once in a while we’ll see a great television series come along. If you haven’t already caught a glimpse of Mad Men, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Breaking Bad, or Downton Abbey, I’d suggest you do so!

Angelita Williams is a freelance blogger who specializes in education-related content.

She’s familiar with educational practices for every age and lifestyle, from online college courses to homeschooling to traditional learning.

You can contact Angelita at angelita.williams7@gmail.com.

Your screenplay: does it HAVE to be a movie?

Jonathan Empson — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 10:05:53 +0000

What’s film, and what’s TV? Yes, I’m talking about story here – this site’s title is the big clue. It used to be easy to tell the difference. Films had scale – elaborate sets, crowd scenes, big things blowing up – and they had movie stars: actors you wouldn’t see on the small screen.

by Jonathan Empson

Films could have sex and violence and bad language. Yum.

These days, that’s all changed. Everything’s HD, digital effects are cheaper and televisions are bigger, so TV writers are able to ‘upsize’ their average scene from being just two blokes talking in a small room. Hence creature-feature series like Falling Skies and sweeping period dramas like The Borgias look cinematic rather than cheap and cheesy (check out the 1980s Borgias series for comparison). And subscription TV has allowed for more ‘adult’ material to be broadcast.

These days, film is pretty much having to justify its existence.

It’s currently doing so by outspending TV, either on big-budget international franchises (Spider-Man, Batman, Bourne and Bond in 2012) or on multi-star ensembles (What to Expect When You’re Expecting etc). Or ideally, both (Avengers).

But those of us who don’t already have George Clooney attached to our scripts are going to be asked by agents, producers and funding bodies, “Why is this a film?” And specifically, “Why would someone pay to see this at the cinema?”
I’ve been asked that about two of my recent feature scripts, including Leonardo’s War, a (surprisingly factual) historical comedy about Leonardo da Vinci’s rivalry with Michelangelo. It’s full of Renaissance cityscapes, battles and gigantic artworks (with Clooney playing Leonardo, obviously). The stuff of cinema, surely? Well, apparently not. In the words of one agent,

The fact that The Borgias can be made for TV kills the period film.
If you can grab a slice of historical drama without moving from your sofa,
why the fuck would you pay to see the same thing in a cinema?”

Cinema’s stuffed, then…

Of course, some stories will work only as stand-alone features because they’re about one-off events. It’s hard to imagine, say, The King’s Speech or Margin Call as TV series. But from the scripts, it’s easy to imagine them (with less stellar casts) as made-for-TV movies. And those can be a hard sell – in Australia at least – because TV networks don’t like one-off dramas: they like series that can draw a regular audience. That’s probably why it took David Seidler 20 years to get The King’s Speech made.

So, you may have to ask yourself not whether your movie works on TV,
but if it could work as a TV series instead.

I’m using the word ‘series’ loosely, as these days it’s pretty rare to find a show where episodes are entirely stand-alone and viewable in any order, as was once the case with Colombo, Magnum or the average old sitcom. TV networks used to like such ‘pure’ series because it didn’t matter if you missed the first episode(s): you could join in later after your friends told you how good it was. These days we have endless ‘encore viewings’, video on demand and hard-drive recorders, so most series have at least a few serial elements – usually character back stories or developing relationships – that play out over multiple episodes/series and engage viewers long-term.

Such longer arcs are still pretty light-on in shows such as Castle, Covert Affairs and Person of Interest, but Downton Abbey – a classic example of turning a movie (Gosford Park) into a TV show – is a pure serial.

Most shows walk a middle ground, with a story-of-the-week A-plot
mixed with B-plot and other threads that span other episodes.

It’s the typical cop/legal/medical series format, which is why they’re enduringly popular – think The Good Wife, CSI, House. Most cult series, meanwhile, extend the plot alphabet down to V and W over five or more seasons – think The Wire, Mad Men.
At the more trashy end of the spectrum, Revenge was smart in starting as a series, with the heroine picking off a fresh victim every week, then morphing into a serial once the viewers were on board.

In the US, networks are feverishly hunting for shows with a seven-year lifespan; in Australia and the UK, shorter runs are the norm. Hence they often have a clear destination right from the start, such as Life on Mars (Sam working out how to get back to his own time) or Laid (Roo working out why all her sex partners keep dying). But with, of course, a way of developing further series out of it. So your first task is to work out the ‘shape’ of your TV series/serial.

Next time I’ll discuss pilots, series bibles and my TV series, Chrome – and why it got optioned and AWGIE-nominated, but hasn’t (yet) been made.

– © Jonathan Empson

Jonathan Empson’s TV script Chromewas nominated for an AWGIE in 2010.

His recently completed historical drama-comedy feature Leonardo’s War is in circulation, and his black comedy-thriller Get Out of Here has been optioned.

He is represented by Rick Raftos Management.

Best of the Web 17 Jun

Jamie Campbell — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 23:26:34 +0000

Story & Structure

:: 2 or 3 Act Formula?
:: Creating Your Lead Character: The Story World
:: Fiction Writing Prompts – Character Development Ideas
:: An Examination Of Exposition In The Inception Script
:: The Dangers of Informed Ability
:: How to Write “Unwriteable Moments of a Film” in a Screenplay
:: Your Hero’s Moral Decision
:: The 22 Rules of Storytelling, According to Pixar

Script Perfection

:: Tips to Overcome Writer’s Block
:: WOWZER: The Frank Wheeler, Jr Interview
:: George Orwell’s Rules For Effective Writing
:: Deeper Analysis of ‘Prometheus’, Q&A
:: Show Don’t Tell
:: Pen’s 10 Secrets to Writing Success
:: The Importance of Title

Pitching & Selling

:: The Business of Screenwriting: “Three Ways To Not Be F*cking Stupid!”
:: The 50 Coolest Book Covers Ever
:: The Importance of Detachment For Screenwriters
:: Thought-Traps NOT to Fall Into as a Fledgling Screen Writer

Best of the Rest

:: Ten of the Best Literary Insults
:: ‘Avengers’: Joss Whedon Talks Sequel, ‘Buffy’ and ‘X-Men’ Parallels
:: Write or Die: An App To Help You Write
:: Sneak-Peek Incredible Footage From ‘Life Of PI
:: Bryan Cranston is Suave Villain in Total Recall
:: Gene Wilder’s Requests If He Is To Play Willy Wonka
:: New Trailer for Tim Burton’s ‘Frankenweenie’
:: Story Starter Cubes
:: 25 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘Mad Men’
_______________________________

With thanks to Jamie C. and Brooke Trezise.

Enjoy!

Karel

Jamie Campbell

Jamie Campbell is an author, screenwriter, and television addict.

Jamie is proud to be an Editor for The Story Department.

Her latest series Project Integrate is out now.

jamiecampbell.com.au

Best o/t web 19 Feb

Jamie Campbell — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 02:02:36 +0000

Story & Structure

:: Have You Seen This Man?
:: 6 Oscar-Nominated Scribes: Nailing the Perfect Scene
:: Thoughts on (500) Days of Summer
:: GITS Script Reading Up in the Air

Script Perfection

:: Screenwriting Tips: Your Protagonist Does Have to Get the Most Powerful Emotional Scenes
:: How to Write Fast
:: Rewriting is Writing
:: Introducing Highland

Pitching & Selling

:: Creating a Video to Promote Your Script?

Best of the Rest

:: Mad Men Jon Hamm on Sexism
:: Star Wars: Told Entirely as an Infographic
_______________________________

With thanks to Jamie C.

Enjoy!

Karel

Jamie Campbell

Jamie Campbell is an author, screenwriter, and television addict.

Jamie is proud to be an Editor for The Story Department.

Her latest series Project Integrate is out now.

jamiecampbell.com.au

Technology Making Better Television

Margaret M. MacDonald — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 10:05:48 +0000

You may think I’m talking about HD channels and the advent of 3D television, but I don’t mean increased picture quality when I say better television, I mean better writing. Think about your favorite show on television today.

by Margaret M. MacDonald

What happens when you miss an episode? Do you TiVo or DVR it? Are you going to watch it online? Perhaps you plan to buy the last season on DVD anyway, or download it on iTunes. And oh, what I wouldn’t give to get Hulu in Australia.

We have come a long way from they days wheeling the television into the dining room, so we could watch the latest episode of I Love Lucy. Now we watch television on our own personalized schedules, and we never have to miss an episode.

The plethora of ways to catch up on our viewing also means we can follow more complex stories, elaborate plot twists, and cast numbers worthy of a greek tragedy. Shows no longer need the predictable characters and reliable formula to last in a viewers memory during the week long breaks between episodes.

Shows no longer need
the predictable characters and reliable formula

The luxury of time has opened the dramatic door and television writers have run through it. Character arcs now follow an ever changing flux across season after season. Plots are so thick that you might miss an essential detail during a bathroom break. And the further shows push away from the formulaic past, the better the writing gets.

Plots are so thick that you might miss
an essential detail during a bathroom break.

There was a time when writers feared that the tidal wave of reality television was going to wash away quality scripted shows forever. But when facing shows like Lost, Mad Men, The Wire, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother and 30 Rock, that wave just laps at the shore. Sure, some formulas still get relied upon from time to time.

Someone was always trying to shut down the wire just as the team was on the edge of a breakthrough, and Barney Stinson will always be suited up, but for the most part, quality prevails over predictability.

Of course, there are also disadvantages to complex plots and ever increasing casts.

When I moved to Australia, I missed the last few episodes the third season of Lost, a show so needlessly complex that networks used to air catch-up episodes with extra “facts” that popped up at the bottom of the screen. When the fourth season finally aired, I didn’t actually watch it because I knew it was likely to confuse me into an aneurysm.

Lost, a show so needlessly complex that networks used to
air catch-up episodes with extra “facts”
that popped up at the bottom of the screen.

Nonetheless, there will come a day when I break down and watch it all. Why? Because one can only go so long without knowing the secrets of the Island.

That need to catch-up also points to another change that technology has brought about in boob-tube culture: watching great television is no longer a collective experience.

We used to all watch episodes on the same night, and then discuss them at the proverbial water cooler the next day. Now those discussions sound more like “What season are you up to now?” and “oh just wait, the next episode is even better.”

The collective experience is now spread out over time, usually spanning far beyond the life of the show itself. Of course, that also means that people who loved it the first time around, will likely see it again on DVD, reliving the episodes through others as they catch-up.

Discussions about those complex plot twists and ever changing characters will last longer than the one week break between episodes. Therefore, a richly layered writing style is almost a requirement to assure that shows retain their audience throughout their technologically extended lives.

A richly layered writing style is almost a requirement

Are you writing a television show right now? Have you mastered the ability to create cliffhangers between commercial breaks, and endings that leave your audience burning with desire for next week’s episode?

Have you also written a show that people will want to see over and over again, or watch entire seasons of in one sitting? Will discussions about its moments of comic genius or intricate plot twists, last for years after the show has gone of the air?

The next time you complete an episode, ask yourself “would I TiVo that?”

Margaret M. MacDonald is a production designer and award winning screenwriter. She has lived and worked in Los Angeles, New York and currently Sydney. She aims to use both her writing and designing to create cinematic worlds. She also loves to discuss the past, present and future and filmmaking and isn’t afraid to disagree with you.

You can find more of Margaret on Immmagination.com and on her blog Marglish.com

photo credits: mr.skeleton, RubyGoes, John Morton, redjar, celine | www.cheljacinto.tumblr.com

Best o/t Web 19 Sep

Karel FG Segers — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 05:42:07 +0000

:: Finally: The great Bill Martell on video. (& Hitch, too)
:: Carson Reeves: How To Write For An A-List Actor
:: A Declaration Of Love To The Expendables
:: I’m Still Here Reviewed – And Exposed
:: The Social Network: Early Review
:: Bill Martell On Luck In Screenwriting
:: A Story Should Have Multiple Themes
:: SubPlots Add Emotional Depth
:: Best Of SciFi On io9 This Week
:: Script Worth The Read: Now You See Me
:: From Porn Set Dresser To Don Draper: John Hamm
:: Roger Ebert’s Seance With Errol Morris

_______________________________

With thanks to Sol. Enjoy!

Karel

Karel FG Segers

Karel Segers wrote his first produced screenplay at age 17. Today he is a story analyst with experience in acquisition, development and production. He has trained students worldwide, and worked with half a dozen Academy Award nominees. Karel speaks more European languages than he has fingers on his left hand, which he is still trying to find a use for in his hometown of Sydney, Australia. The languages, not the fingers.

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Mad Men – The Story Department

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Five Shows that are Revolutionizing Television

Not too long ago, television seemed like a less-than-desirable alternative to films. If you couldn’t find any good movies in theaters, you’d resort to flipping through vapid networks to see which shows were playing.

1. Breaking Bad

2. The Walking Dead

3. Downton Abbey

4. Mad Men

5. Game of Thrones

Angelita Williams is a freelance blogger who specializes in education-related content. She’s familiar with educational practices for every age and lifestyle, from online college courses to homeschooling to traditional learning. You can contact Angelita at angelita.williams7@gmail.com.

Your screenplay: does it HAVE to be a movie?

Jonathan Empson’s TV script Chromewas nominated for an AWGIE in 2010. His recently completed historical drama-comedy feature Leonardo’s War is in circulation, and his black comedy-thriller Get Out of Here has been optioned. He is represented by Rick Raftos Management.

Best of the Web 17 Jun

Story & Structure

Script Perfection

Pitching & Selling

Best of the Rest

Best o/t web 19 Feb

Story & Structure

Script Perfection

Pitching & Selling

Best of the Rest

Technology Making Better Television

You may think I’m talking about HD channels and the advent of 3D television, but I don’t mean increased picture quality when I say better television, I mean better writing. Think about your favorite show on television today.

Best o/t Web 19 Sep

Not too long ago, television seemed like a less-than-desirable alternative to films.
If you couldn’t find any good movies in theaters, you’d resort to flipping through vapid networks to see which shows were playing.

Angelita Williams is a freelance blogger who specializes in education-related content.

She’s familiar with educational practices for every age and lifestyle, from online college courses to homeschooling to traditional learning.

You can contact Angelita at angelita.williams7@gmail.com.

Jonathan Empson’s TV script Chromewas nominated for an AWGIE in 2010.

His recently completed historical drama-comedy feature Leonardo’s War is in circulation, and his black comedy-thriller Get Out of Here has been optioned.

He is represented by Rick Raftos Management.