have the GL writing teams stuff started to air? because the show got good out of nowhere last week.

If we're going by credits, no it hasn't.

Here's a question: How do soap writers (and television writers in general) manage to write a script that is just long enough to take up an hour of television? Is it something that they just get through experience? I'm sure that for those of you who are writers it seems like no big deal, but I think it's pretty neat.

Here's a question: How do soap writers (and television writers in general) manage to write a script that is just long enough to take up an hour of television? Is it something that they just get through experience? I'm sure that for those of you who are writers it seems like no big deal, but I think it's pretty neat.

Sara Bibel tried to answer that here.

I'm posting an excerpted quote here below. But note the text I bolded!!! It turns out Sara weighed in on this writer scandal back on 7/21!! She scooped Nelson!

At their worst, flashbacks are filler. When a character has a lengthy recollection of something that has happened within the past couple weeks, it’s a signal for a lot of people to switch the channel or hit the fast forward button. My first thought is usually, “I wonder if there were timing issues with this episode.“ When I was the Story Coordinator at The Young & The Restless, making sure each script was the proper length was a big part of my job. It was an involved process.

First, a production associate would pre-time the script. It’s an underappreciated art that requires taking into consideration how quickly individual actors speak, and estimating how long a crying jag, love scene, action sequence or other non-dialogue heavy scenes will last. Big events such as weddings or parties are particularly difficult since there are so many variables. On Y&R, we’d go through phases where every show was really long. Then, suddenly, there would be a bunch of short shows. We attempted to figure out the optimal page and word count, but we never found the magic formula.

If an individual episode timed long, I’d look for bits of dialogue that could be cut without taking out any essential content. If it was too short, I’d often ask the writers for additional content. If it was just a little bit off, I’d look for places where a brief flashback could possibly be added in post-production. (I got approval from the writers and producers on everything.) The problems arose when a show’s actual timing didn’t match the initial estimate. That was when I’d get a panicked call from the booth that the show that was currently taping was now seven minutes long. Were there any scenes yet to tape that could be cut? It was a mad scramble to find something, get the head writers to drop everything that they were doing and approve it. Half the time, the best scene to lose would be something that already taped. The worst were shows that were long midway through the day then short by the end of taping. If an episode was really short, additional scenes were written after the fact. Sometimes they enhanced the episode. The sexy scenes where Phyllis (Michelle Stafford) dressed up like a naughty nurse for Jack (Peter Bergman) were added to fill out a short show. Other times, they were less inspired.

However, adding additional scenes after the fact is expensive. It involves additional shooting time in an era where the goal is to avoid overtime fees. Shows are now often forced to sacrifice quality, throwing in ridiculously long flashbacks to get a short show to time. I have no inside knowledge on this one, but I suspect timing issues are at least partially responsible for the never-ending flashbacks on DOOL lately. The July 8th episode seemed like it was 50% dueling elevator sex scenes and 50% flashbacks. The multiple sex scenes are exactly the sort of thing that can throw off the timing of an episode. There are rumors that there have been some last minute rewrites on DOOL lately. That can also throw off timing.

Toups,

Can you tell us if there are writers leaving on AMC? It seems an inordinate amount of scripts are being attributed to Beall and Walsh lately, the BDWs. WE've had some Hall and Cohen thrown in here and there with a Taylor or two. But I just think this is odd and don't recall this during the last transition from McT to B&E. You don't have to say who, when, or where. Just give me a

Walsh and Beall definitely did write an incredible amount during the last transition.

Thanks, MarkH! Wow, it does seem like a very precise, difficult process. I'd still love to be a part of it, though! ;b

- ATWT: Leslie Nipkow no longer listed in credits.

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- ATWT: Leslie Nipkow no longer listed in credits.

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Thanks, Ron. Davis should be gone in a couple of weeks and Rayfield should be in soon.

Toups, I believe Ahern/Laughlin/Meals/Goldberg are also done. They haven't written in awhile.

Toups, I believe Ahern/Laughlin/Meals/Goldberg are also done. They haven't written in awhile.

I'll give it another week so it can be a full month since they last wrote before I do a "last listed" for them.

Pratt said this about the AMC writing team in a SOD online interview:

They've got it distilled down to a really fantastic group of writers — Addie's been here forever, some of the new young kids coming in and the ones that I'm going to bring in....

So he's keeping Addie Walsh. (But I disagree with his assessment that she's been there "forever"; she's been there for quite a while but anyone who joined AMC after 2000 like her is still a newbie in my books, and never experienced any of AMC's glory years).

Strange that he would single out Walsh as having been there forever and not Beldner. Might he be leaving?

Frankly, Beldner is a crappy script editor and should be writing breakdowns (oh wait, Julie won't allow that).

Frankly, Beldner is a crappy script editor and should be writing breakdowns (oh wait, Julie won't allow that).

Ok Alvin..tell me what the difference is between script editor and breakdown writer? I know what a breakdown writer does but not a script editor...well..nevermind I think I know now...lol....he edits the scripts written by the script writer...correct?...lol

Ok Alvin..tell me what the difference is between script editor and breakdown writer? I know what a breakdown writer does but not a script editor...well..nevermind I think I know now...lol....he edits the scripts written by the script writer...correct?...lol

Yes, and can also check for certain continuity errors (though there's other people in production that also check for continuity and do legal and medical research).

I think that's part of it, Soapsuds. (Mind if I step in, Alvin, lol?) The script editor must, among other things, pay attention to continuity, history references, and whether what a character is saying is actually what he/she would say in that situation. Also, IIRC, the SE's on-hand, should they need to cut part or all of a scene, or whether they need a new scene entirely.