THIS AND THAT...

I love this new cover for The New Yorker magazine.  The writer's life.  Says it all.  

Keep writing & creating out there, even with all the madness in the world.  Find your quiet corner and get the work done. 

I received some good news this summer.

My drama spec feature ABSOLUTION made it into the Second Round at the Austin Film Festival 2018 Screenwriting Competition.  Congratulations to all those who advanced to the Second Round, as well as the Semifinalists!  AFF is one of the great festivals (and competitions) dedicated to screenwriters out there. The festival begins October 25th in Austin, Texas.    https://austinfilmfestival.com/

Actor Henry Winkler

Congratulations to actor Henry Winkler on winning the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance as the acting coach on HBO's "Barry".   Well-deserved.  One of the nice guys in Hollywood finishes first.


Summer officially ends tomorrow on the calendar.  I would be remiss if I didn't mention the passing of the prolific playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon last month.  Mr. Simon is the reason I wanted to become a writer -- I devoured his plays while in high school and watched all his movies on TV.  Seeing "Barefoot in the Park" and "The Odd Couple" changed my life. Neil Simon showed me New York (my hometown) on the big screen. I loved his urban wit (his characters sounded a lot like my family members) and there is nothing like New York timing when telling a one-liner.  I also liked the way Neil Simon described the writing life, it sounded pretty nice -- (I'm paraphrasing here) you get to work alone, on your own terms and play tennis in the middle of the day.  Wow. Sounded good to me.

The first play I ever wrote, NetFits, was an homage to Mr. Simon's "Barefoot in the Park".  I love every line in that play (his, that is).  Thank you, Mr. Simon, for all the wonderful works you wrote and shared with us. Thanks for the laughs, sir.

Playwright Neil Simon

Until next time.

FROM POP SONGS TO A BROADWAY MUSICAL
Los Angeles, CA
Janet J. Lawler
July 24, 2018

Jason Michael Webb, Stephen Bray, Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Michael A. Kerker

As a member of the Dramatists Guild, I received an invite to attend "In It Together: An Evening with the Music Team Behind The Color Purple” at the Garry Marshall Theatre in Burbank, CA. 

Having no desire to write a musical, or even a song, I almost didn't go.  Wow, I'm so glad I did attend.  What a wonderful evening about music and the creative process.  And, I found it of great professional interest -- since writing a song is a lot like writing a screenplay.  It requires character(s), tone, pacing, an arc, and hooking your audience.

It turned out to be a lively panel with The Color Purple songwriters/composers.  They covered team collaboration, creating in new mediums, embracing technology, and how writing of any kind (novels, scripts, plays, songs, musicals) is all about... REWRITING.  

Sorry, folks, there's no escaping it.  Rewrite, rewrite, rewrite!
 
The Color Purple team consisted of Grammy-winning Stephen Bray, Allee Willis and Brenda Russell.  Each songwriter had success writing pop songs prior to writing The Color Purple: 

Allee Willis, a Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, wrote hit songs like September, Neutron Dance, Stir It Up and the TV theme song "I'll Be There for You" for Friends.  (Cool songs and lady!) 

Producer/drummer/songwriter Stephen Bray wrote songs for Madonna including "Into the Groove" and "Express Yourself".  Stephen knew Madonna from Michigan before her mega success.


Singer-songwriter and keyboardist Brenda Russell also has hits, including "Piano in the Dark" and "So Good, So Right". 

The three composers (none had written a musical before, never mind a Broadway musical!) joined forces on The Color Purple, checked their egos at the door and labored on the show for over five years.  

They said often after having created a song they agreed was perfect, the director or producers would ask them to rewrite it, or even worse, completely "throw it out".  Their tenacity paid off as each co-wrote the Tony and Grammy-winning Broadway musical, The Color Purple.  

As a screenwriter/playwright, I found this question to the panel "How is writing a theatrical song different than a pop song?" of particular interest.

Each songwriter agreed that writing a song for the stage requires a story -- an arc -- just like in a screenplay -- the character should change or evolve -- where as in a pop song, it's more about the melody, chorus and hook.

Special shout out to music director Jason Michael Webb for also taking part in the evening and to the Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL) SongArts LA for sponsoring the event, in association with The Dramatists Guild. The evening was moderated by Michael A. Kerker, director of musical theatre for ASCAP.  
  
Hmm... I might just have to go off now and write a song.

Until next time.






 

AT&T SHAPE REACHES OUT TO ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES IN INNOVATIVE WAYS: with guest speakers Sean Combs, Issa Rae and Ava DuVernay.  
by Janet J. Lawler
Los Angeles 

Actress/Director/Writer Issa Rae

The 2018 AT&T SHAPE tech and entertainment event recently took place in LA.  Tickets sold out fast.  I highly recommend this event, having attended it now two consecutive years.  It's a fun time focusing on tech trends (blockchain, immersive entertainment, 5G) and entertainment breakouts (trends in storytelling, data marketing); it's a well-sponsored and organized two-day event held at the historic Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank.

Warner Bros. Studios in Los Angeles

There were exhibits and vendors featuring everything from smart phones to virtual reality to the latest gaming trends.  Participants were able to stroll the Warner's lot  (free guided VIP Warner Bros. Studio Tours also available).  We toured sound stages for hit shows like ELLEN and THE BIG BANG THEORY, which was cool.

This event is also a great place to network if that's your thing.  One filmmaker I met with had driven from Utah to LA just to network here.  His goal was to connect with as many creatives as he could and also catch some of the top-notch speaker/panel events. 

Some highlights were co-host/filmmaker Ava DuVernay discussing her early work as a filmmaker, to screening the AT&T Film Finals (short films) in front of a live audience.

Director/Writer Ava DuVernay and David Christopher

Other highlights included a one-on-one interview with Sean Combs, Chairman and CEO of Combs Enterprises.  Sean Combs discussed his early venture into hip hop music, a clothing line, to Revolt TV Network, his music-oriented digital cable television network.

Sean Combs, CEO Sean Combs Enterprises

I was thoroughly impressed with Sean Combs.  He spoke from the heart about his mother being his role model. She held four jobs when he was a boy. Sean also credits his mother for his strong work ethic that today has turned him into a multi-millionaire and successful entrepreneur.

The main takeaways from Combs' talk:
 *  Get busy.
*  Know your purpose and it should have a greater good than just serving yourself.  Help others.
*  Always follow through on what you do.  Go the extra mile to stand out and complete your projects.
*  Learn your craft, whatever it is, be the best at it.
*  Know and utilize social media to brand your voice or unique talent.
*  Do what you can to get the information out to the world about what you're selling or creating.
*  Take advantage of the doors opening during this "black renaissance" that's going on with the mega success of films like Black Panther and creatives like Issa Rae,  Ryan Coogler, Michael B. Jordan, and others.
*  Be fearless.
*  Keep God in your life.
*  Join others with your goals and have power in unity.
*  And his BIGGEST advice, OWN something you create!  Or OWN your own business.  There is power in ownership and Sean credited his strength in that belief.

Creatives Khadi Don and Issa Rae

Another inspiring (laugh-filled) panel featured actress/writer/web series creator Issa Rae.  Issa joined interviewer/comedian/filmmaker Khadi Don for a chat.  Issa Rae talked about her unusual path from  web series creator (starting in college) up to her current success with her  hit TV show INSECURE on HBO (Season 3 kicks off on August 12th). 

Issa's advice to struggling artists is to "stay in your lane" and "don't compare yourself to your peers. " Her trajectory took time and had many setbacks before finding success. Issa suggested knowing your strong suits and to focus on those (your voice, your audience, your themes).  Issa worked for other TV shows where it turned out not to be such a great fit.  She feels optimistic about new opportunities for diverse creatives as many new doors are opening with a demand for original content.

Thanks to AT&T SHAPE for bringing these successful speakers and panelists to share their passions and information with a passionate community of writers, producers, filmmakers, gamers, coders, and artists looking to make their mark.

Want to see the video sessions?  Here is a link to all the available AT&T SHAPE sessions mentioned above.  Enjoy and keep creating! 
https://shape.att.com/schedule/all-sessions

Be sure to follow The NY Screenwriting Life on Facebook!

Also, feel free to share this page link with your friends!  https://thescreenwritinglife.blogspot.com/2018/06/at-shape-reaches-out-to-artists-and.html

Until next time.

TV PRODUCER/WRITER STEVEN BOCHCO DIES AT 74
 

Creator Steven Bochco

Steven Bochco was my generation's Shonda Rhimes.  

The multi-talented writer/producer had numerous hit network TV shows on the air in the 70s and 80s and was changing viewer's expectations about how we watched traditional television dramas.  His shows often presented profanity, some nudity and oddball characters who had deep flaws.

You couldn't watch the Emmys back then without knowing Bochco would walk away with a slew of them -- which he often did for his shows like Hill Street Blues and NYPD Blue.  

Bochco changed the face of TV and impacted today's dramas (giving glory to realism and the anti-hero).

Days before hearing Bochco passed away, I caught an old Columbo episode on one of those nostalgic TV channels.  The episode by chance was "Murder By the Book" and starred the actor Jack Cassidy (that's right, David's father).  It was only the second episode of the detective series (1971).  Great episode of cat and mouse between Cassidy and Peter Falk as Lt. Columbo... it wasn't until the credits rolled that I realized Steven Spielberg had directed it and Steven Bochco wrote it.  It was Spielberg and Bochco's early days at Universal.  Talk about nostalgia!  

 RIP, Mr. Bochco.  You inspired me to be a better writer and to take risks on the page.  And more importantly, I hear you were a very kind man to work with and to know.  We salute you.

Until next time.