In Response to People Who Don't Believe Me

When I was college, I had the extreme pleasure (*Note of Sarcasm*) of taking a Statistics class for Humanities majors. I never understood why Humanities majors needed to take statistics, but I was told it was for research purposes. I didn't believe it until I started looking at what research opportunities were available out here. If you want to research in Hollywood, here is one of the very few opportunities you will have to research. In my 6 months of job searching and becoming fairly acute to the job scene, this is further proof to myself why I want to go into development more than research. And now I understand why Dramaturgs/Humanities majors should take stats classes...


Job Title: Research Analyst

This is an independent contractor position with opportunity for growth.

Overview:

Satisfy audience and other research-based information needs for OnDIRECTV, DIRECTV HD and DIRECTV Sports (DIRECTV Channels). The Research Analyst will be responsible for the day-to-day monitoring of DIRECTV Channels performance and will provide insight in the development of business strategies, tactics, scheduling best practices and program development.

Job Description:

Reporting to the General Managers of OnDIRECTV and DIRECTV Sports (CA) and the Market Intelligence Unit (NY), this individual will be part of the research team supporting DIRECTV Panamericana programming, marketing and advertising sales functions.

Daily Responsibilities include:

o Analyzing DIRECTV and content provider daily ratings performance.
o Producing a variety of on-going reports and analyses which monitor DIRECTV Panamericana and key content provider performance to guide programming and marketing strategy.
o Work closely with the executive team on special request projects for Programming, Advertising Sales and Marketing.
o Assist Marketing Intelligence in the development of Channel, Program and Demographics-based reports and tools, both qualitative and quantitative.

Experience/Skills Required:

o College degree required.
o Strong analytical skills.
o Experience in a television research environment.
o Experience or aptitude in Industry-standard research software. Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Word and PowerPoint.
o Well-versed in mathematics; basic statistics knowledge is a plus.
o Strong Writing skills.
o Ability to summarize and extract relevant conclusions from raw data.
o Detail-oriented.

Spanish language ability a plus but not essential.

What Did You Think About "District 9"?

I've heard lots of mixed reviews, so I'd like to know what you thought about "District 9" before I say a whole lot more.

But also, I found this article by the BBC titled:
Nigeria offended by 'District 9'; asks Sony for apology
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8264180.stm

DRAMATURGY FAIL

The difference between a good idea and a good script is the execution of the writing.

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Matthew Modine Saves the Alpacas

(Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles; 522 seats; $75 top)

By BOB VERINI

'Matthew Modine Saves the Alpacas'

A Geffen Playhouse presentation of a play in two acts by Blair Singer. Directed by John Rando.

Matthew Modine - Matthew Modine
Whimberly North - Peri Gilpin
Jeffrey, Pierre
du Perrier Jouet - French Stewart
Abraham - Edward Padilla
Santos Panchos,
Puppeteer - Mark Damon Espinosa
Angel - Reggie De Leon

One really wants to like "Matthew Modine Saves the Alpacas," a world premiere play by Blair Singer ("Weeds"). Modine seems a good sport to play a washed-up version of himself aching to rejoin the A-list, and the notion of his vaulting back to stardom via a self-aggrandizing do-gooder cause is promising. But a premise is all they've got as the evening declines into snoozeworthiness. Most TV series take three seasons to jump the shark, but in the theater it can happen in 20 minutes, and so it goes at the Geffen.

Universal Said to put the Brakes on Development for 2009

At Universal, if your project isn't being fast-tracked or greenlit, you won't be able to spend money to move it forward until 2010. Variety reports that Universal Pictures put the word out this week that it will not spend money for the rest of the year to advance development projects.

The word began filtering down to lot producers and the dealmaking community this week that development has essentially been frozen at the studio.

This is not an unprecedented move. Studios often run through their fiscal-year budgets and sometimes make deals with writers and their agents that keep projects percolating but delay payments until the beginning of the next fiscal year, when budgets are replenished, Variety notes.

However, says the trade, it is unusual for a major studio like Universal to implement such a move in mid-September.

A studio insider denied that development has been frozen completely saying instead that Universal has solidified its 2010 slate and has made commitments to the projects it feels will fill its 2011 slate.

Universal is not the only studio putting the brakes on development. Despite making a recent multimillion-dollar deal to capture Beatles song rights for a "Yellow Submarine" remake involving Robert Zemeckis, Disney has reportedly slowed its development pace as well.

Further, says Variety, word is that Warner Bros. is paying scale to writers who don't have established quotes, and most studios are employing one-step writer deals.

"Civility has gone out the window," said one rep.

TV Premiere Season

Here is a complete premiere/finale calendar through the first week of October:
http://television.aol.com/tv_calendar

Here is a complete calendar of every television "episodic" on the air this season. May I suggest sorting by day of the week and time? That way you can cannel surf down the list chronologically. I mean, that's what I do.
http://television.aol.com/feature/fall_tv/schedule/all-shows

I didn't watch TV for about four years (the time of my life affectionately known as "college") and now I'm four years behind! Apparently TV is important!

Dear Dramaturgs...

Even though you have been trained to be lean, mean researching machines, frankly...research is the last thing anyone will hire you to do. Everyone assumes that the writers and designers have done their own homework, so why would they hire someone ELSE to do research? That's just another person on payroll. And, whatever research jobs you will get will probably be part-time and underpaid. Why? Because there is no union for researchers. You will live your lives pseudo-employed, without health care and definately without benefits.

So, here are some other options you should look into:

1. Story Editing
2. Story Analysis
3. Development
4. Literary Agency
5. Literary Management (not anything like what Lit Managers do in the theater)
6. Assistant Directing
7. Writing!
8. Producing
9. Script Reader/Writing Coverage

The best skill you will acquire in your pedogogical training is your sense of story and how to make it stronger! Without that, you will fail. Your boss will lose faith in you if every script you pass on to them SUCKS and you certainly won't get considered for a Creative Exec. job. Heck no!

BUT if you can look at a script that your boss gives you to read and give him/her a succinct synopsis and log line as well intelligent and articulate criticism, you will go far. The more detailed development notes you can give, the more marketable you become. You can save the company money by being multi-functional and by catching potential deal-breaking plotfalls before they become deal-breakers.

We are marketable. Our skills can be used here. But we have to travel incognito.

'Night of the Living Dead' being remade as a 3D CGI origin story

What does Hollywood do when everyone is broke, scared and only willing to invest in something "for sure"? They go straight to the public domain, rip something out that has been redone 20 times (because, of course, that must mean it is marketable the 21st or the 40th time) and spin it into a CGI/Technological "Masterpiece" to spare a few dimes on hiring talent and labor.

Economic? Hell yes. Brilliant? Maybe. Will I see it? Probably...But will I LIKE it? No.

http://www.heatvisionblog.com/2009/09/night-of-the-living-dead-remake-3d-cgi-origin-story.html

(Sex)abled: Disability Uncensored

(Sex)abled: Disability Uncensored celebrates people with disabilities as sexual beings.
This new 15-minute student film features participants of the discussion panel sponsored by University of California Berkeley's Disabled Students Union called "Are Cripples Screwed?" The film also features other Bay area community members and comedian Josh Blue (winner of Last Comic Standing) as they share their personal experiences with sex, dating and intimacy. (Sex)abled reveals that while not everyone will choose to be sexually active, everyBODY is capable of being sexual.

Discussion Questions in the film, Melissa says "sex is anything that gives me sexual pleasure, that I can get off on." What are some things that you consider sexy that fall outside of the assumption of "traditional" intercourse?:

http://www.sexsmartfilms.com/free-videos/sex-abled-disability-uncensored/

I'm a Hollywood ASST

http://vimeo.com/3265420

Harlan Ellison's Dramatic Reading of the Seussified "I Will Not Read Your Fucking Script"

I read about 40 queries a day on top of anything my boss passes off to me on top of anything new that the clients write on top of things I should have read WAY before now on top of...

So, yes, I understand your frustration Mr. Ellison, but we all feel it. And with a resume like yours (see Wikipedia), you should be glad someone took a chance on you and read your fucking script. Though your poem has a friendly tone, I can't help but feel there is some anger seething beneath the surface.

Here's my suggestion: If you don't want to read fucking scripts, get an assistant. I'm sure there are plenty of starving, young writers who would read those scripts and would be happy about it.

BUT THE POEM ITSELF IS VERY INTELLIGENT AND WORTH A READ:

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/archives/2009/09/harlan_ellisons.php

Adobe Script Development Software

Okay, so Adobe is pretty sweet to begin with. They make amazing graphics and professional suites, but now they're branching into the creative sector by creating a program that allows artists to work collaboratively. This new program is called "Story"

Here are two of its capabilities:

1. Multiple users can create scripts from scratch in Story, or import them from other apps like Microsoft Word or Final Draft; many export formats, including PDF (of course), are available.

2. Story also automatically transforms key elements in screenplays (such as script locations and character biographies) into metadata that other apps in the Creative Suite will be able to use to improve efficiency when filming and editing footage, and distributing the final product online"

More than that, however, this software will help protect the content created on it. The worst fear in Hollywood is having your brilliant idea stolen. That's why many people have strived to find a solution to this problem. "Story" can track and log all the dates of creation, drafts and edits. More than that, drafts can be saved and archives can be made and opened if, God forbid, you have to prove that an idea is yours.

A Beta version can be downloaded and tested online at:

http://www.appscout.com/2009/09/adobe_announces_story_script-d.php