Y&R Fires Entire Breakdown Writing Staff

[Broderick]

I was thinking, "That's REALLY overkill for a breakdown!" 

Usually, the breakdown script just gives the setting ("INT. DEVON'S APT") the characters ("DEVON, ABBY, AMANDA"), and a brief description of the scene to be scripted ("DEVON and ABBY have made love.  Resting on sofa. AMANDA walks in.  FOCUS on her shocked reaction".)

 If the headwriter has produced the breakdown, he/she might include a specific passage of dialogue to be used.  Otherwise, the dialogue is entirely up to the scriptwriter. 

That's been my experience with them -- just a brief roadmap for the scriptwriter.   

[mikelyons]

That's pretty accurate. There's an example of Agnes' breakdowns for AMC in ALL HER CHILDREN. They're VERY short and succinct. From what I remember of Bill Bell's Y&R breakdowns, they're a little more involved with notes to the writer. I remember one where he wrote to Kay Lenard, "Now, Kay, honey..." with a note about how to write the scene and where he wanted to go with subtext, etc. Irna's breakdowns were involved, but a great roadmap. Any writer could take her breakdowns and write a script. If I can find a breakdown this weekend, I'll share it.

[BetterForgotten]

Didn’t Agnes notoriously try to edit actual scripts/dialogue as well? Patrick Mulcahey said she was like a school marm at Loving giving him copious (and annoying to him) notes in red ink on his scripts. 

[Broderick]

That's probably right.  Lauralee Bell says that one of her strongest memories of her dad was his "ever-present red pen", for making correction notes on scripts.  

Kay Alden said that when she and Jack Smith were still at Y&R (during Lynn Marie Latham's reign of terror), she and/or Jack read every completed script and marked it.  

Miss Alden said she learned to ALWAYS keep the next script to be edited in her purse, because one time she got into an elevator without a script, and the elevator got stuck between floors.  She was trapped in the elevator without a script to edit and panicked over the amount of editing time being lost.  

Please do!  

[Contessa Donatella]

At LOVING did Patrick Mulcahey happen to say what happened between Douglas Marland & Agnes Nixon that resulted in his leaving the show & after a year their taking his Co-Creator credit off?

[mikelyons]

Here's a breakdown from the Irish soap opera, Fair City from 2009 (Series/Season 20, Episode 138).

As always, this is for educational purposes. Let's not send it around the internet!

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https://www.mediafire.com/file/o0o9ibx36ztrnlm/Fair_City_Series_20%2C_Episode_138_Episode_Breakdown.pdf/file 

I've posted one... I think I may have one from a US soap, but I'll check.

Edited February 25, 2023 by mikelyons
New link for the Fair City breakdown

[Broderick]

I couldn't view the Fair City outline.  Unfortunately it says, "File not available."  

I'm sure the breakdowns vary from show to show (or from era to era).  The breakdowns written by headwriters are probably brief, concise, and are more like an email message to the dialogue writer:  "Kay, honey, here's how I want you to do it." 

The outlines written by individuals who function strictly as Breakdown Writers are likely far wordier and far more detailed.    

[Forever8]

I believe she would note for example not to use the same word in the dialogue from page 12 and 32. 

[ma746]

I think this is an excerpt of a DOOL breakdown that Carlivati has posted on Twitter:

And for interest, here's a snippet of an excerpt from an Australian 'scene breakdown' - what is done of the two soaps over here (note: ever scene also has a 'POS'):

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Edited February 25, 2023 by ma746

[mikelyons]

Fair City has been re-uploaded.

[BoldRestless]

Thanks! That document is interesting. I had the impression US breakdowns where a little more detailed than this, with even bits of dialogue thrown in.

[Taoboi]

Yes, all of this.

 

There have been (and still are actually) shows that live, die, and maybe thrive on their breakdown writers  when the HW is not good. A good HW might be able to do it, but JG is too burned out to pull that off. 

 

It makes me think of a recent episode of a reality tv show where the leader was picking on their second in command since she felt his department did not like her due to his attitude toward her and comparing the situation to a rotting head of a snake and taking that head out. But how she used it...SHE is that head...and also the reason the department did not like her, not her second in command who still followed her lead. 

 

 

 

[Contessa Donatella]

A sense of humor has finally emerged. We'll only keep you a brief moment & then you can get back to the serious business that a soap faces in 2023. Just someone thinking of other jobs Josh could take on ... 

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[Broderick]

I think Josh Griffith is pretty terrible.  And while I'm sorry the breakdown writers lost their jobs, they didn't seem to be doing anything at all to liven-up a drab show.  

The stories themselves (which supposedly come from Josh) are awfully dull.  I'm hesitant to even call them "stories".  The scene breakdowns and dialogue, unfortunately, are about as mechanical and cut-&-paste as the "stories" are.  

[Paul Raven]

The Days excerpt seems like a final shooting script rather than a  breakdown as actual  dialogue is included.

The Oz one reads like a breakdown that dialogue writers would flesh out.