Home Contact Biography Works Media News

Jane Recommends
Who Hates Whom / Bob Harris

Who Hates Whom: Well-Armed Fanatics, Intractable Conflicts, and Various Things Blowing Up A Woefully Incomplete Guide by Bob Harris

"The geopolitical equivalent of scorecards that get hawked at ball games. Only Bob could make a user’s guide to our increasingly hostile world this absorbing, this breezy, and—ultimately—this hopeful."
~ Ken Jennings, author of Brainiac

 

Jane in Print
Serenity Found: More Unauthorized Essays on Joss Whedon's Firefly Universe, edited by Jane Espenson

Flirting with Pride and Prejudice: Fresh Perspectives on the Original Chick-Lit Masterpiece, edited by Jennifer Crusie and including Jane Espenson's short story, "Georgiana"

Finding Serenity: Anti-Heroes, Lost Shepherds and Space Hookers in Joss Whedon's Firefly, edited by Jane Espenson and Glenn Yeffeth

 
Jane in DVD

Jane in DVD

Now Available:
+Battlestar Galactica Season 3
+Dinosaurs Seasons 3 & 4
+Gilmore Girls Season 4
+Buffy: The Chosen Collection
+Tru Calling
+Firefly
+Angel: Limited Edition Collectors Set

Jane in Progress

 

Home » Archives » June 2008 » Playing By the Old Rules
[Previous entry: "Link Letters"] [Next entry: "A Dirty Joke"]

06/02/2008: Playing By the Old Rules


I've got a good question here from Thomas in St. Louis who must be a very young writer indeed as he talks about watching Buffy since he was in second grade. Oh lord, is that possible? Dear me. Well, good for you, Thomas! I'm pleased to meet'cha! He's writing a spec for the ABC Fellowship, and he's wondering about a specific approach:

As a result of the WGA strike, a lot of shows didn't get proper season finales. Would writing a spec intended to serve as "the finale that could've been," be original and stand out, do you think, or would it not be enough of a typical episode?

You know, there used to be a lot of rules about specing episodes of shows that already existed. Such scripts were the currency of the town and you had to follow all sorts of rules about which few shows were "specable" and about making your episode typical and yet different at the same time. But now, with ABC/Disney pretty much the only place that still takes this kind of script, I'm starting to wonder if those rules mean anything anymore.

Sure, you still shouldn't base your script around a guest character, and you still need to demonstrate a thorough mastery of the show's voices. But do you still have to worry about hitting that exact "typical" vs. "special" bull's-eye? I'm not so sure. It used to be that your Seinfeld was going to be compared, head-to-head, with hundreds of other Seinfelds and almost nothing else. But now, your "Sunny in Philadelphia" might be up against a "Weeds" and a "Breaking Bad" and a "Tudors"! So you've got a little more latitude within the confines of the rules of your show.

So, sure, if you've got a great alternate season finale, why not? If the dialogue sparkles and the story-telling is crisp and controlled and the stage directions have both style and confidence, the script is going to stand out. Good luck, young Thomas!

By the way, you know how people always spec brand new shows too soon? Before they've had time to secure a second season or even settle into their own patterns. Well, you're going to want to write a Dollhouse spec as soon as this thing hits the air or even before. No, you are. Resist it. Hang back a little. I think this show is going to take us on a journey, and we have to get a feel for its trajectory before we jump on.

Lunch: cheddar-and-ham Lunchables. I had not tried the Lunchable product before. The ham was appalling. We give this to children? The cheese and crackers, however, were delightful.


 

Get Blog Updates Via Email

Enter your Email


Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

 

Links
Walt Disney Writing Fellowship Program
UC Berkeley
Jane recommends you also visit BobHarris.com

 

Home
Archives

June 2008
SMTWTFS

Valid XHTML 1.0!

Powered By Greymatter
Greymatter Forums


Home | News | Works | Biography | Frequently Asked Questions

Site design Copyright © PM Carlson
This is a fan site owned and operated entirely by PM Carlson with the cooperation and assistance of Jane Espenson. This site is not affiliated in any way with Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox or ABC.