Jeffrey Lieber

CHRYON: "Two weeks later..."

The 'business' changes faster and more often than the host on an awards show. You can't time it and you won't beat it. Write what you love and what you'll finish. That's all there is.

...and since screenwriting is the most lean medium since the Haiku, you're going to need that bag count for something else, so write one of those scenes better and ditch the other.

A double beat is two separate moments that do the same thing. Like you want your character to feel guilty, but you have two scenes whose only purpose is to elicit that guilt. That's a double beat. You don't need both and the existence of both suggests you don't believe -- fully -- in either...

...you can figure out how to get it to the right people afterwards. Just make it great and by great I mean...fun and smart and worthy and full of your specific voice...and then let the chips fall as they may.

Write what you love and what makes you excited to sit down at the keyboard...and you'll figure the rest out later. Nothing is easy. NOTHING. And the biggest barrier to selling something is never finishing. So, if you have a passion, then write what you love in the worm it's usually aired and then...

And hour of network TV is generally 43.30 out of 60, but a lot of episodes end up a minute or two light.

Concept A: Pick the network you think is most right for the subject matter, find a recent pilot made for that network and structure your pilot to match. Concept B: Choose a structure that most melds with your idea. Lots of twists...use act outs to make bigger. Subtler? Slower? Maybe no act outs.

Got an hour to spare.

If you've got questions about writing for TV/FILM...I -- might -- have answers.

Fire away and if this seems helpful...please pass it on.

Not a quarter billion, but a quarter billion to invest...

I'll open this up to all since there have now been a billiony TV shows, but I'll say I started doing a rewatch of the West Wing and there was a palpable moment when Sorkin left and something just...broke...never to get fixed again.

The ink is not even dry on the conrac before someone from the AMPEEPEEP starts to strategize how to use incentives as weapons. "Hey, we'll give you a rate cut so you can start.a new thing..." which they never revisit even after the new thing is now the highest grossing part of the industry.

I mean...this is not my area of experience...and it probably depends on the comedy. The Full Monty was a pretty stellar piece of writing soup-to-nuts.

I'm honestly curious who that person might be. An actual creative with billions. Because the moment he billions come from a non-creative...they'll want some power...and that defeats the purpose.

Not many who also have a couple billion to lose.

Need more info. Like...played out? Or too complicated?

Oh, there's a ton of stuff that gets greenlit unfinished/half-finished/based on three words that get written down on a napkin. This happens when THE STAR OF THE DAY has a passion/obsession. But it doesn't start SHOOTING until there's a full script, good, bad or indifferent.

Here's the problem: you'd still need a couple billion dollars to do something sustainable and the people who have a couple billion dollars are not creatives. So, something small...for a project here or there...totally, but to take the things back from the assholes means we'd need our own asshole.

What are the chances of reviving the UA idea of creative-owned-and-led production and distribution for writers, actors, and musicians?

That's a SUPER hard question to answer, because once a movie is made the version that originally sold sort of disappears into the ether. But know there's the version that you sell and the version that you make and they are often very, very different.

Got an hour to spare. If you've got questions about writing for TV/FILM...I -- might -- have answers.

Fire away and if this seems helpful to you, please pass it on.

Flying across America. Have a moment. Let's play.

You got questions about writing for TV/FILM...I -- might -- have answers.

Fire away and if this is useful to you, please pass it on.

...check your work along the way. Got a great log line. Test it. Make sure people get it. Same after the pilot. Don't throw more work on other work assuming MORE is better than CLEAR. Clear and surprising is all that really matters.

No. A great log line and a great pilot and a SHORT, smart bible that explains season one and where the show is going/ends (and 5 pages is a good place to START with this)...should be enough to learn if people are interested. If they are...you'll do the rest of the work, but also...

Yes. We all do. Every step forward I've had was based on a connection I made, none of which I had when I got to LA. High tide raises all boats and we all benefit from people we know succeeding.

One has to balance the two side by side, such that you can be friends with people and know you MUST ask for help from the people who are your friends and understand that if they can't help it's not because they're not friends and hope they have the ability to be honest with you.

It's not easy.

...who else you know who I might meet.

This business is 70% relationships and 18% concept and 10 art and 1% incalculable luck.

Well they hopefully go -- This is who I am and who are you and this is what I've done and what I want to do and what do you do, please tell me stories. And if that goes well it ends with...thank you for your time, I'll grab the check and I'd love to keep in contact and let me know...

Yes, but both those shows were seen as successes so some part of the culture was saved. There are also the cases where shows are actively changing artistic directions, though in this day and age...they kinda just cancel the thing.

No real onus, but there are two very different kinds of transfers. 1: Old Showrunner moves on from long running show. Often person who takes over is picked to maintain most of the culture. 2: New Showrunner brought on 'cause Network/Studio fire old one. Part of the mandate is to change the culture.