Tuesday, December 27, 2011

How Steven Sondheim can help you

Many theatre critics consider composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim the greateest living Broadway composer. There's no denying the groundbreaking musicals he wrote changed the way we create musical theatre today. A short list of his shows include West Side Story, Gypsy, Company, Follies, and Sweeney Todd, among others. He recently released the second volume of his lyrics, called "Look, I Made a Hat." Sondheim discusses the lyrics he wrote for all of his songs, gives opinions about other composers he admires, and tells stories about his experiences writing the shows. He distills his advice about writing lyrics to three simple rules:

Form dictates Content
God is in the Details
Less is More

All of these rules serve to increase the clarity of the piece.

I'll address each of these in a subsequent post. There's one other lesson that practically shouts from the pages of these books, which include not just all of his finished lyrics but also different versions and pictures of his original hand-written note: Stephen Sondheim worked hard! He would write as many different versions as he needed until he got it right. The effortless brilliance of his lyrics was the result of Sondheim's continual effort to improve his work.

Perhaps we can't all be Sondheim, but we can all learn from his effort. How much time are you putting into your content projects? Try for continual improvement.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Why are they still building movie theaters?

Today's headline in my local news was that Deltona, Florida, is celebrating the opening of a new movie theater this weekend. Deltona is a bedroom community approximately halfway between Orlando and Daytona. It was built without a town center, shopping mall, or industrial park. I was happy to hear that its residents are celebrating the opening of a business that could provide entertainment for their own city.

But the larger question for me is why is anyone bulding a movie theater today? After all, can't we access just about any movie we want on line, or via cable, only a few weeks after it opens? Isn't it more convenient to see the film in the comfort of our own home, where we can eat our own reasonably priced food and pause the film when we want? For years experts have been predicting the death of movies. First, television was going to kill them, then cable TV, then home video stores, and then the internet. And yet, they are building new movie theatres in Deltona! And not just in Deltona, but probably in your town, too.

The fact that people are still building movie theatres demonstrates a fundamental truth about human nature: People enjoy some kinds of entertainment in groups more than they do as inviduals. Concerts are more fun (and cost more) than listening to CDs. It's more exciting to be at a live ballgame than to watch it on TV. And people still prefer to watch a good movie with strangers on a big screen than to watch it at home later. Current technology creates many more opportunities to consume content that even just a few years ago. It has not changed human nature.

Our ancestors revered story tellers who could enthrall them while they sat around their lonely campfires in the wilderness. We are still looking for great stories today, however they're told. The rewards for telling a great story remain great for the individuals that do. My blog has identified examples for you of authors who didn't give up on their stories, and achieved great success when their stories finally reached an audience. Don't you give up either. Keep developing your story and your content, no matter what form it's in. We can never have enough good stories. Someone's got to make the movies that they're showing in Deltona.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Create Compelling Characters that Last

I went to a Barnes and Noble on Colonial Drive last Saturday for a book signing featuring Janet Evanovich, author of the latest Stephanie Plum novel, Explosive Eighteen. I’ve read all 18 books in this mystery series, and wanted to meet the lady herself.

For those who don’t know, Stephanie Plum is a former lingerie saleswoman who became a bounty hunter in Trenton, New Jersey, out of desperation. Her cousin Vinnie ran the bail bonds service, and she didn’t have prospects for other jobs. Stephanie’s fictional adventures have become so popular Ms. Evanovich has written 18 best sellers in the main series, some other novels that feature characters out of the chronological order of the series, and everything from graphic novels to how-to-write books. The movie version of the first novel will be released January 2012, starring Katherine Heigel.

I knew Ms. Evanovich was popular, but I thought if I got to the store at 11:00 AM for a 1:00 book signing I would be safe. I was wrong. So many people had already gotten received a wristband for the signing that I was too late. Wouldn’t you like to sell out your book signing?

Janet Evanovich’s success creating compelling characters and great stories transcends her medium – printed books – and reaches across all content platforms. That’s why when you are creating your content think always about character and story first and method of communication second, or even third and forth. People remember great stories and respond to compelling characters. That’s true whether they’re completely fictional like Stephanie Plum, produced reality characters like Snookie, or real people with compelling narratives. As you’re creating your content, always be thinking “what’s the story? How can I make it more interesting? Why should I care about this character?” Who knows? Someday you may create a character as enduring as Stephanie Plum.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Art of Fielding sold to HBO

To add to the good news for Chad Harbach, HBO optioned the film rights to his book. It will be produced by Scott Rudin, who has a long string of hit projects to his name.

As you remember from the last post, Chad Harbach, who labored on his novel in obscurity for ten years, appears to have hit the lottery with this book -- big advance, great reviews, HBO sale, and that's just the beginning. What will he command for an advance on his next project?

Of course, you shouldn't create content because you hope someday you'll hit the lottery like Harbach. Create the content that you love; tell stories you believe in. But if you aren't creating content now, it's a guarantee that you won't hit the lottery. So what are you waiting for?

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Inspiration from The Art of Fielding

"The Art of Fielding" is a new novel from author Chad Harbach. Harbach's novel has received several rave reviews and made some best seller lists. The novel tells the story of a young college shortstop who suddenly has trouble making a throw to first, and how his life impacts the lives of other people at the college. But just telling the plot doesn't do the book justice. This story is riveting even if you don't know anything about baseball.

The true story of how the novel came to be published is even more fascinating, and can be an inspiration for all of us developing our own content. Harbach worked on the novel for over ten years, while performing various other jobs in the New York literary world -- freelance writer, magazine editor, etc. He never made much money. But while he was doing these other jobs he kept writing his novel, constantly cutting and rewriting to make it better.

Finally, Harbach thought the novel was ready. He sent it to several publishing houses, who rejected it. He sent it to several book agents, all of whom rejected it -- except one. With some final revisions and a push from the agent, the novel was sent to other publishing houses, and became the subject of a bidding war. One company paid $750,000 for the rights, and after ten years of hard writing Harbach became an overnight success.

I want to stress that this is a modern story. The Art of Fielding was released this year. Aside from the happiness we feel for Harbach, we can all learn some lessons from this inspiring story:

1. Persist. If you think you have a good story, whether you're writing a novel, a poem, or a web video, keep working on it. You can only be defeated if you give up.

2. Content is king. A good story in any medium, whether it's print, film, television, or any media still not invented, is going to find an audience.

3. Get good feedback, but stay true to your vision. Harbach received a lot of advice from friends, writing workshops, and editors over the years. Good, constructive feedback can help you improve your content. But you must know where the heart of your story lies, and always stay true to what excited you about it in the first place.

Keep developing your content. If it's good, you may end up in the same situation as Chad Harbach sometime soon.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

50 Documentaries to See Before You Die

One of my favorite series this summer is Current TV's "50 Documentaries to See Before You Die." Hosted by Morgan Spurlock (Director/writer/star of "Supersize Me"), the series counts down the top documentaries of the last 25 years. Documentarians like Michael Moore and Penelope Spheeris, as well as an expert panel of film industry pros and critics, discuss the impact of the films and tell the stories of how they were made. At this writing they haven't revealed the top ten yet. I suggest you all watch the series and the final ten next week. There's a lot we can learn to apply to our own content.

First of all: Passion. All of the documentarians exuded passion for their subjects. No matter whether the subject was Heavy Metal, the rise of extreme skateboarding, or the truth about the Vietnam War, every filmaker believed passionately that their story was one that had to be told.

Second: Go where the story takes you. Errol Morris never thought he'd get a 20 hour interview with Robert MacNamara, which became the center of "The Fog of War." Andrew Jarecki started to make a film about children's entertainers in New York and ended up making "Capturing the Friedmans." Go where the story takes you, and don't be afraid to tell the truth.

Third: Make it happen. Every project had its own troubles, ranging from a lack of funds, lack of historical footage, inexperience of the filmakers. They didn't let the roadblocks stop them. The documentarians figured out a way to incorporate the roadblocks in the story or they worked around them. The passion they had for their subjects wouldn't allow them to give up.

So find a story that fires your passion. Go where that story takes you. Make it happen. In the words of M.B. Ray:

"Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand -- and melting like a snow flake."


Tuesday, August 2, 2011

I Have a Great Idea ...

I recently spoke to two different people who said the same thing. "I have a great idea for a television show. How can I make sure the networks won't steal it?"

Here's the answer: You can't. That's right -- you can't protect your generic idea. Here's a generic idea example: Let's do a show about two single guys with women problems who move in together. Make them divorced and middle aged and you have The Odd Couple. Make one Charlie Sheen, add a child, and you have Two and Half Men. You can't protect an idea -- you can only copyright your expression of those ideas.

The only way to protect your idea is to develop it in as much detail as possible. You can't protect the idea of creating a movie about a dysfunctional suburban family, but when you license the movie rights to a novel and create a screenplay, you can copyright your version of the story. It might be "Revolutionary Road" or it might be "Ordinary People," but both films are fully copywritten expressions of ideas.

Look at television today -- how many different shows about cake making companies are on the air on different networks? Why aren't they suing each other? Because you can't copyright an idea. You can copyright a show about a specific cake company, like Staten Island Cakes or Cake Boss, but the idea of making a show set in a cake shop cannot be owned.

You may be thinking, "but I watch a lot of reality television and it sure looks like they need better ideas." I know. I work in that world every day. Believe me, it takes a great deal of effort and creativity to grow a simple idea into a concept, characters and setting that viewers will want to watch and can sustain itself over time. That's why the people who can do that with several different series over time make a great deal of money.

So don't just come up with generic ideas. Develop them into properties, and then you'll have something to sell.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Even Laurence Olivier couldn't do it alone

If you asked critics and fans who the greatest actor of the 20th century was, it would be very likely that Laurence Olivier would be first on the list. Remeber I said the greatest actor, not necessarily the biggest movie star. When he was young Olivier made women's hearts flutter in Wuthering Heights. He won an Oscar for Hamlet in 1948, but also redefined film with his groundbreaking Henry V, not to mention Richard III. Later he in life, he made an indelible impression as the evil Nazi dentist Szell in Marathon Man, and as the romantic old man in "A Little Romance." These are all great films.

Yesterday Turner Classic movies devoted their afternoon to a series of films Olivier made in the 30s and 40s which were less than stellar. They did show his Richard III, but also included potboilers like "Westward Passage" and the Divorce of Lady X. I wouldn't recommend seeing them if you haven't already, but take my word for it that even Olivier can't look good as a Russian inventor falling for an Englishwoman. I'm sure Olivier brought the same talent to those films as he did to Wuthering Heights; why are these films so bad?

Because even the great Olivier couldn't succeed alone. He needed talented writers, directors, co-stars, and designers to show case his genius. Without a talented team, even the greatest actors look mediocre.

So when you're creating your content always find the best available people for your team. They will spur you to greater heights, and together you might create something extraordinary.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Queen is still popular

Last night I watched a two hour biography of the band Queen on the Bio Channel. I was a teenager when Queen released "A Night At the Opera" and "Bohemian Rhapsody" I became a big fan, and their songs remain on my favorites list on my ipod.

The documentary included recent interviews with the three surviving members of the band and lots of archival footage. For some years even after they began releasing albums Queen made very little money. Their management told the drummer to stop breaking sticks in concert because they couldn't afford to buy new ones. But they kept working,creating new music and eventually became fabulously wealthy stars.

Once they became famous, they lived a rock star life. But despite the temptations of stardom, they kept working: writing new music, recording, touring, and pushing themselves to get better.

The takeaway for you is this: Stars work hard. Creating hit songs and movies, bestsellers, and viral videos may be fun work, but it's still work. It requires an enormous investment of time and creative energy. Are you happy with the response to your content? If not, how hard are you working? Try putting more time into your content creation, and see how much the end product improves.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

It's not about You

A few years ago I heard a lecture from poet laureate and teacher Ted Kooser. He told the story of a student who came up to him after class and showed him some poems, saying, "I wrote this for myself. Would you mind taking a look?"

If you're creating content for yourself that's great. We all have hobbbies. You never know, someday your novels or videos may be found by historians or critics and you will become famous for your art after death, just like Emily Dickinson, who never sent her poems to be published while she was alive.

But if you want success while you're alive, keep in mind Ted Kooser's advice about writing poetry. It is great advice for creating stories in all media. He said to "write with the reader in mind." Remember, at some point you're going to share your video, your story, or your film with someone. Is it going to make sense to them? Will your work engage your audience, transport them to a place they'd always wanted to go, and give them a satisfying surprise when they're there? If not, you might want to revise your work.

It's great if you want to express yourself. But creating successful content -- content that reaches the audience and moves them -- is not about you and your feelings. It's about the effect you have on your audience. Can you make them laugh? Or cry? Can you change the way they think or feel about their lives? Can you make them forget their problems, even for a few minutes?

Create your content with your audience in mind. Think about the effect you want to achieve. How do you know if you've achieved it? You'll know when your audience starts recommending it to their friends either buy e-mailing links, buying books as presents, or just posting positive reviews on Facebook.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Copycat shows

How many talent/singing competitions have launched on television since 'American Idol?' I can list at least a dozen without searching the internet. How many can you name?

I am looking forward to Simon Cowell's latest: the American version of his British hit, "the X Factor." The pre-show publicity has been great. Without giving away details of the show, they've let us know there might be a judge even meaner than Simon! I can't wait.

Why do networks keep creating similar programs? Wouldn't they get more viewers if they only aired unique, original programs?

I'll answer the second question first: no. In general, viewers prefer familiar forms of story telling. TV history is filled with innovative formats that didn't catch on with viewers (look up "Cop Rock" on the internet for an example). It makes sense for networks to put their own spin on formulas that work for viewers.

Remember, too, that most television networks are headquartered in New York or Los Angeles. Because of that, most production companies are headquartered in one of those cities. The production heads and programming executives attend the same parties; rumors run rampant about shows in development. Also, shows are usually pitched to several networks, so most executives know what shows are available.

Therefore, if a development executive at one network hears there's a singing competition show in the works at Fox, they may start development one at their network, just in case. Then, if it becomes a hit, the other network has a concept ready to go.

Say you don't live in Los Angeles or New York, and you believe you have a completely original idea that will transform television as we know it. Good luck with that; those are the most difficult ideas to sell. Think about trying your concept on the internet first.

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Tom Hanks at Yale

Last Sunday Tom Hanks gave the Commencement speech to Yale graduates. Like many Commencement speakers, he urged the class to choose faith over fear and move forward with their lives. But the real star of Hanks' talk was not his message, but Sam Tsui, one of Yale's graduating seniors.

Some of you may not know Sam Tsui, Yale class of 2011, although I've written about him before. Search for "Michael Jackson medley" on the web, and you'll see a video of several versions of Sam signing all the parts to an accapella medley of Michael Jackson songs. The video was produced by Kurt Johnson, Yale 2010, and has received millions of views since it was posted. Sam and Kurt created other videos that made Sam an internet star, whose video views run in the hundreds of millions. Tom Hanks referenced Sam Tsui's success at this several times during his speech, and using him as an example of someone who followed his passion, and still got his Yale education.

Can Sam's success teach content creators anything? I wouldn't be writing about this if I didn't think so. One thing we can learn is the value of actually creating the content you're dreaming about -- no one can watch your videos unless you make them. Go and do it. Second, it's important to be original. This concept was fresh when it appeared, and became viral when people started sending it to their friends to view. So make your video fresh. Don't imitate others: create your own compelling content. Remember you have no control over how the public will respond to your work; your job is to make it as compelling as you can.

If you dedicate yourself to creating your content and making it as good as possible then perhaps one day you'll be as famous and accomplished as Tom Hanks -- or Sam Tsui.

Monday, May 9, 2011

What Programs do networks want?

Fans of this blog and friends in the busines frequently ask me "What are the networks looking for?" I also ask cable networks a similar question -- "What shows do you want to air?"

It's tough for most networks to answer that question except in the most general terms. Even if you have aimed your network at a particular audience segment -- for example, Women 25-49, or men 35+ with average incomes of $75,000 per year -- your audience is always changing and evolving. Women ages 25-49 do share similar interests in products, for example, but they don't all buy the exact same products. Each member of that group is a person making their own individual choices. Every year, fashions change, tastes change, and a network needs to evolve with their audience or lost them.

While network executives can usually articulate what sorts of shows they will consider, they are also willing to push the envelope if that means they can add a hit show. For example, MTV started as Music Television. When was the last time you saw music videos on MTV in prime time? The network changed, because their audience's taste changed

So the answer to the question, "what do networks want?" is simple. They want hits. But no one really knows for sure where the next hit show is coming from. So in my opinion you shouldn't spend a lot of time tailoring your idea for a specific network in the beginning. Create as strong an ida as possible. Prove to the network that you have a potential hit for them. Then what will the networks want? They will want you.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Why not call it a Variety Show?

When I was young The Ed Sullivan Show was the #1 show on television. Ed was endlessly imitated and kidded for his stiff manner -- he would never be a show host today -- but he was a savvy promoter and showman. Ed had a great talent for booking acts that America loved -- not just the Beatles, but also the Rolling Stones, along with vaudevillians, comedians, dancers, and novelty acts. There was something that appealed to everyone in the family, and families watched Ed togther.

The #1 show in America today is American Idol. American Idol brought competition to the variety format, and has been followed by a host of imitators: America's Got Talent, Dancing With the Stars, and very soon, the new Simon Cowell show, the X Factor.

I recently watched the American Idol results show. It did feature some competition elements: they told us who was safe, who was in the bottom three, and who was going home at the end. In between those moments, it looked like a variety show. Popular singers performed, Ryan made some jokes, and the ensemble sang a number. Would a variety show without a competition element succeed in primetime? The networks wouldnn't produce one -- variety shows are dead. Yet competitive variety shows have never been more popular.

What does that mean for you? As a content producer, look for ideas that worked in the past, and aren't on television today. Think about them: Can you give a classic idea a modern twist? If you can, you might have a hit on your hands. Just don't call it a variety show.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

High Stakes = High Ratings

Have you been watching American Idol as I suggested in my last post? We've had the usual run of terrible performances mixed with people rising to the occasion and outperforming expectations. Once again it's the number one show on television, even if ratings are down from last year. How do they do it? The answer is two words -- High Stakes.

Each performance on American Idol can literally break, if not make, the performer's career chances. It doesn't matter how much you've performed before, or even how you performed during the dress rehearsal. It comes down to your three minutes of singing, with millions of people watching. If you survive, you go on. Those are high stakes -- and people watch.

It's the same reason why there are so many police and doctor dramas on television. In these occupations the stakes are life or death -- at least during their hour on television.

When you're creating your program, make the stakes as high as possible. Even if the stakes aren't literally life and death, it must feel that way to the character. Look at this year's Oscar winning film, The King's Speech, for a great example of how to make something that isn't life or death (stuttering) feel like it is.

As always, feel free to send me any comments you have.

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

What Are You Watching?

In his book On Writing, Stephen King said the two most important things an aspiring writer can do are: 1)Read a Lot, and 2)Write a Lot. If you're an aspiring television or content producer, the same advice applies: 1)watch a lot of content; 2)Create a lot.

What shows are you watching? If you want to create a content for a specific medium, whether it's movies, television, or a web site, you need to be familiar with the other content that's already successful. You don't need to imitate that contentbut you do need to understand what elements make a piece of content successful. If you can incorporate the successful elements into your own story, you will go a long way toward making your story succeed.

That's also important if you want to sell your content. When I was in network programming, nothing made me more upset than a producer who proposed a program idea we already had on air. Clearly, they weren't watching.

So watch your favortie shows. And watch the shows you don't like, but are popular. Don't watch just to enjoy them -- watch critically. Analyze why a show is successful. Learn from its successes and its mistakes. Remember almost nothing that you create will be perfect the first time. Apply the lessons you learned from other content in the revisions. Your work is important to you; it's worth putting in the time necessary to make it as good as possible.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

The New American Idol

Let me state right at the top that I'm a fan of American Idol. I enjoy watching the auditions -- they remind me of some of the auditions I had to sit through while I was a theatre director. I love Hollywood Week -- the pressure to perform is so intense it raises the stakes to amazing heights. The competition shows are almost a relief by comparison, but it's always fascinating to watch the personalities emerge and watch the performers grow. And who cares if the Idol winner has a great career afterwards or not? It still makes great television.

Why didn't Fox just let it go after last year's lackluster performance (by Idol standards)? Simple. The show remains a formidable force on broadcast. Even if it's only the number two show on broadcast, it's tremendously profitable for Fox. It's a great platform to promote their other shows. Trust me, when you're head of programming for a major network, you will do whatever you can to save your #1 show. What surprised me is how well the show's producers managed it.

This year on American Idol is mainly an exercise in making the show seem different while actually changing as little as possible. Yes, we have two new celebrity judges, but that just restores the total number to the original three. Jennifer Lopez has many of the same qualities as Paula Abdul, without the craziness. Randy has moved to Simon's old seat, but it appears that both he and Steven Tyler are trying to bring a little of Simon to the show. They've moved the first show to Wednesday from Tuesday.

And it's working. Last week both American Idol shows were the #1 and #2 highest rated regular programs (the Grammy Awards was the highest rated). Steven, Randy and JLo are making me forget Simon Cowell -- at least the Simon of last season who was clearly bored by the proceedings. They have managed to re-invigorate the show without re-inventing the format. If you think that's easy, then you have never produced television.

If you want to produce television, you should study why American Idol is such a success. The lessons we can learn from it can help us no matter what type of show we're producing. Watch the show for a couple of weeks and I'll write about those lessons in a later post.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Unique Ideas

I can't count the number of times that people not in the television business have said to me, "I have a great idea. It's like nothing else on television."

In my experience, that's very rarely the case. There are very few unique ideas. If you have an idea, it's very likely that someone else had a similar idea. The difference is in the way you execute the idea. There are many steps between the conception of an idea and a finished television program are movie. There's writing, casting, filming, production, and post-production. All of them have to work well together for the final product to work. If one of them goes wrong, your project could fail.

A successful producer or director can shepherd a project through all of these steps, keeping its essential integrity and telling the story clearly and compellingly. The people at the top of the profession -- a James Cameron, for example -- make millions of dollars because they've demonstrated that ability in projects that earned hundreds of millions of dollars. And in some cases they can spend years on a project and it can still fail to find an audience.

So if you have an idea, that's great. Remember that the idea is only as good as its execution, and spend time developing it the best way possible.