Members Sylph Posted April 20, 2008 Members Share Posted April 20, 2008 You are not mistaken. The WGA created the breakdown writer position in the 1980's to create more jobs for writers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Toups Posted April 20, 2008 Author Administrator Share Posted April 20, 2008 Breakdowns were also created to help network execs who didn't have enough time to read full scripts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members R Sinclair Posted April 20, 2008 Members Share Posted April 20, 2008 This is getting extraordinarily complicated. From all of my writing classes, books on television/screenwriting and personal research, outlines a.k.a. treatments a.k.a. breakdowns have ALWAYS been part of the writing process. It's what production companies, studios, producers, etc. use to determine if there is something there to produce at all before they even commission a script. For instance, in a book entitled The Complete Book of Scriptwriting by Babylon 5 creator, executive producer and head writer J. Michael Straczynski, he writes on page 39 of the 1996 edition of his book: I've asked this before and have yet gotten a concrete answer from ANYONE "in the know" but does eliminating the position of "breakdown writer" mean episode breakdowns/outlines have been eliminated altogether? Or is the person assigned the episode breakdown the same person to write the script... the way it's done in primetime? Because, according to Straczynski's book, in primetime, if the episode is credited as "Written by Toups" then that means the outline and script were both written by him. But if the episode is credited as "Teleplay by Sylph, Story by Toups" that generally means either the outline was written by Toups and the script itself was written by Sylph, or the script Toups handed in was a page-one rewrite by Sylph. But I digress. I'm confused, because most soaps use the breakdowns to specifically know how many scenes each episode will require, along with characters, available actors, sets, costumes, props, special effects, extras... since all of those things need to be put into place in advance (especially since some shows store their sets in warehouses 20 miles away from the studio and some special effects require a substantial pre-production period i.e. explosions). And breakdowns are also used in story meetings with the producers and networks BEFORE the script is written to solve story problems a producer or an executive might have with what's been plotted out for that week in question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Faulkner Posted April 20, 2008 Members Share Posted April 20, 2008 Tom Casiello seems to indicate that breakdowns have now been taken on by the head writers. Link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sylph Posted April 20, 2008 Members Share Posted April 20, 2008 Who told you that?! That's true in film writing, but I'm not sure if it's true for daytime world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sylph Posted April 20, 2008 Members Share Posted April 20, 2008 That's not according to Straczynski , it's according to Screen Credits Manual. And in order for me to be credited as Toups's co-writer, I would have to have written 50% of the story/characterization or more. Many script doctors don't change that much in a script and that is why you don't see e.g. Aaron Sorkin as a writer on Schindler's List or Joss Whedon on X-Men. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members R Sinclair Posted April 20, 2008 Members Share Posted April 20, 2008 You also have to understand, it's not as if primetime writers had any choice. All of their shows haulted production. It's not as if there was some higher standard of loyalty they exhibited than daytime writers by not going FiCore. They just didn't have a choice. Daytime shows continued production. You never know... they could've been scabs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members R Sinclair Posted April 20, 2008 Members Share Posted April 20, 2008 Well, I didn't read it from the Screen Credits Manual, I read it from his book so I was just lettin' y'all know where I was getting my information from. Oh, and on page 97 under "Credit Sharing and Arbitration" he writes: I can believe it's extremely sensitive. My cousin's daughter was a writer on several sitcoms (In the House, Moesha, Meth & Red), and got screwed over for a movie script she wrote but the director took credit for. She wound up getting an "associate producer" credit in the movie. He claims the story was his idea and he changed so much of the script, she claims he didn't... It also doesn't help that he was the manager of most of the "talent" starring in the movie as well, so he was trying to get as MUCH of the pie as he could. I'm deliberately not mentioning the name of the movie, the manager/director or the talent because he's already in hot water and I don't want to be associated with it. But I just know that stuff like this happens and it's all people in the family have been talking about. I'm still like, "the movie is over, done and the talent are pretty much has-beens. Move on." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sylph Posted April 20, 2008 Members Share Posted April 20, 2008 I know. I was just letting you know where he got it from. There was no WGA arbitration??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members R Sinclair Posted April 20, 2008 Members Share Posted April 20, 2008 YIKES! And he totally hit upon the first thing that popped into my head when I read that -- they're going to burn out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members R Sinclair Posted April 20, 2008 Members Share Posted April 20, 2008 That's what I'm trying to figure out. She talked about it in Black Enterprise magazine, but her mother was passing the magazine around in a dark bar during another cousin's 50th birthday party and I was too shitfaced to read it. I'll PM you her name when I get a chance (I'm getting in my SON addiction before I go to church, LOL! I gotta hop in the shower now). Maybe you've heard of this situation... and I KNOW you've definitely heard of the "director" and "talent" in question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sylph Posted April 20, 2008 Members Share Posted April 20, 2008 Your life seems like a soap opera! You should definitely write for one! BTW; I looove your avatar! OK, I'm waiting for it. When you find the time, send it to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sylph Posted April 21, 2008 Members Share Posted April 21, 2008 Tooouuuups, any teasers on writers coming/going? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NYC123 Posted April 21, 2008 Members Share Posted April 21, 2008 When is Michelle Patrick's last script gonna be....... I am gonna miss her! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator Toups Posted April 21, 2008 Author Administrator Share Posted April 21, 2008 Next tease will come in May. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.