John Rogers on Writing, Breaking in and Starting a Production Company after Leverage

John Rogers, of Leverage fame, as well as, oh, Transformers and a bunch of other awesome things,  like comics and ongoing writing chapters for D&D books and generally surprising everyone with what happens next.

You've been a remarkably agile writing for film, comics, TV and even a D&D book in there - in an industry where writers are repeatedly told to market themselves as only one thing, have you had any difficulties in writing for the different medias or gotten any push back on it?

Hell yes, I've had pushback. To tell the truth, after 20 years my agents have kind of given up. They assume I'll call them and tell them what weird thing I'm doing next. The biggest adjustment is learning the pacing for each medium -- movies break differently than TV break very differently than comics. I'm still learning even now.

For newer writers trying to plunge on through the warfare that is now apparently the writing trade, what advice would you give them?

Write everything you can. Write five pages a day even if its shit. Write for any job you find interesting. I wound up rewriting RUSH HOUR II because I created THE JACKIE CHAN ADVENTURES cartoon. Put your head down, type, and 20 years later there's a career. 

You've said you're starting a new production company - what have been the biggest challenges in that for you, and what advice would you give other writers turning producers?

Biggest challenge -- New learning curve, learning to sell and how financing works.

Advice: Know your show, and know the EMOTION behind the show. Good ideas rain out of the sky. Tell me why you need to tell this story.

What, in your opinion, is the best non-writing skill a writer should get?

Talk to people. Get comfortable working in a collaborative way, because nobody makes TV or film alone.

Because it's fun to be contentious - what show(s) would you suggest to spec, or are you a pilot-spec-suggester?

Spec a pilot now. The audience is so fragmented, very few shows are so watched they're lingua franca. Possible exception is for procedurals -- spec a procedural if you want a procedural job. ELEMENTARY, I would do. Banter-y.

The WGA's Top "101" TV Shows: Or, Why Lists Are Great At Generating Everything Except Good Lists

The WGA most recently released the top best written "101" shows of all time.

"101" only because it's 70+all those other shows we'd be shot if we politically left them out.

But, beyond focusing on what is on there it's done what, ideally, the WGA was intending - it sparked debate as to how good each of those shows are.

It's not shocking what's on there - in fact it's pretty much the expected list. The criteria for what could be on there wasn't even all that taxing:

Writers Guild members had a broad and dynamic TV programming field to choose from, as eligibility criteria included any series that aired from the early years of television through the present, on broadcast TV and basic or pay cable. All genres of scripted series were eligible for consideration, including animation, children’s, comedy, daytime/serial, drama, scripted anthologies, miniseries with six hours or more of programming, and variety/talk series. Series must have been written in English, have aired in the U.S., and featured onscreen writing credits. (Individual episodes, specials, non-serialized or individual programs including telefilms/movies-of-the-week, and miniseries with less than six hours of programming, were not eligible.) 

 As well, most of them were from the last decade.

A good chunk of them are even British (HIDE, the British are coming!). Even more shockingly, includes two children's shows which often get bullied out of (and mocked by) lists like this.

Personally, my favourite tie is this though:

71. 24 *TIE – FOX – Created by Joel Surnow & Robert Cochran
71. Roseanne *TIE – ABC – Created by Matt Williams, Based on a Character Created by Roseanne Barr

Because I want to see Kiefer Sutherland take on Roseanne. Her nuts would win.

That said, I'm appalled Sherlock isn't on there. Appalled. I think I'll go have to find myself a fan to wave and some sweet tea. Or I'm going to have to think less of all you people voting now (OR, more likely, I'm showing my Victorian Lit-erary again. I keep trying not to show it).

That said, what shows were left out that y'all think should be one there?

On When to Banff, and When Not To Banff: Your Guide to the Banff Media Festival for the Entertainment Person IN YOU

It's that special time of year again - when everyone is asking everyone else the same question. Are you going to Banff? Are you, well are you I can't freaking wait tellmeomgeeeeeerdddssssssss.




I've gone the last three years, but, and every year I get the same barrage of questions for first time festers. That's what they call the Fest* (*it's not), so I thought
the questions I get from a lot of new writers/producers/people who are psychic and know the entire entertainment industry is crazy and therefore offer huge amounts of new

Should I go to Banff?

When to Banff.

Answer: Always.
If you're just going because, yes, Banff is awesome*

But for reals, here's a handy guide on when to go to the Banff Media Festival, or when you should, y'know, chill for a while.

Did you win a fellowship/similar program that allows you to go for free?
You should go. Then milk that win in front of everyone else's face for the next year. People love that.

Did you figure out some way to get there that won't otherwise cause you to live in poverty for the next eight years
Theoretically yes.Also share with the class.

Do you have something to pitch and have the time to prep and set up meetings?
Yes. Prep will take longer than you think it will. Double the time you think it will take and double it again. Then add a unicorn to your time punch card.

Do you just want to go and hang out with other people from Toronto?
Nay, good sir, stay in that good place and never stray.

You want to see the speakers.
Hah, you think people actually go to the conference. That's sweet.

You want to sell your pilot
.... Oh wait you're serious. Then... yessssss. (True answer: Banff is a good place to make initial contact with folk)

You want to See What this Crazy Shiz is about
Drinking. Also mountains, and drinking beside the mountains. Also, coincidentally the ability to get hammered with execs. It's encouraged because they set up meetings with these people for drinks and food.

But, if and when you want go and can't score one of the many programs they have, it's good use the early bird rate (or find a "first time rate"/rate through an association), find someone else you can drive there/hitchhike there and squat in a hotel room. It is not suggested to live in a tent for the duration of Banff, but it's happened before.

There are bears in them mountains.

Have something memorable on you at all times.
That's not a question. See, we're good at grammar here. But if you do go, and end up having a million meetings, if you have a bag/jacket/hat/monkey people will have a vague idea of what to look for. I've spent more time with people asking me if I'm X executive than I'd care to admit (why yes, I'd love to buy your pilot. Call my people in LA, they'll know what to do).

How Should I Prepare?
Drinking. No, really, get your liver ready. Put it on the table and have a long conversation about how important your career is to making you a better person. And it's not really your liver that you have a problem with, it's nothing personal, you're just doing the things you have to do.

Otherwise, make sure you know everyone's phone number - become a stalker if you want to. People like that (right, restraining order? That's RIGHT!), but mostly it makes rescheduling things that much easier. Use the .connect function to your advantage, do your research and have your "I'm more Superman-y-than-Superman" elevator pitch ready, because you, you special little writer/producer/angel dust, are the person they're looking for.

"Weird Outdoorsy Types"

Anything Else?
Go to the BBQ. Seriously, slabs of meat, carried about by pitch forks. More fun you will never have. In true Albertan tradition, you will be a happy Cow-Person even if y'all don't like them meat things.

Plan something non-work related. I try to go and horseback ride/rent a bike/hike or all three each time I'm there. But I'm one of them weird outdoorsy types.

The big answer is you should go when you feel you've got the stuff you need to go, feel prepped and ready, and also, at some point and time have slept in the weeks before the event (mid-production = difficult time to go). So enjoy, drink (drink more), be merry!

Cats win. Always

I'll be honest.

I love Simon's Cat.




Honestly, anyone who tells me they don't like Simon's Cat, automatically gets placed in the Obviously a Serial Killer category. Mostly because, obviously.

And hey, Simon's been doing this for a while. Like a five-year long while.

Including doing brilliant things like this so we can all pretend we know how to animate.



Which is kind of why it's brilliant to see today's news - Simon's Cat, asshole-cat that has been amusing millions for over five years, has now been picked up by E-One.

I expect to see this replace Garfield. We'll all be happier in the long run.

Papo & Yo, and on Writing Emotional Journeys in Gaming

Interesting that so many of the game of the year nods this year were indie games.

Even more interesting that these were the games that went above and beyond. These games - some of the most innovative the industry has seen (in my opinion) have tackled some amazingly deep subject matter.

Even beyond that, that some of these do this in ways that film still hasn't yet to hit. From a writing perspective, that structure may seem difficult in gaming. After all it's just point, shoot, kill, right?

Ah, right, there's also some pretty pissed off birds in there too.

But, hanging just outside of the common games are these, dare I say it, emotionally intense games. And they're intense for entirely different reasons than you think.

Journey

With no dialogue or text, this game manages to create an immensely evocative world. The soundtrack was also the first ever nominated for a Grammy from a video game company. I mention this because it's relevant to the discussion of emotionally engaging game titles, even with absolutely no text or dialogue whatsofreakingever.

The soundtrack and the imagery are incredibly evocative, which creates a weirdly cinematic feel to the game.

Which takes us to the full sense of another game. Journey was a film-esque story in a lot of ways. You can easily beat it in the length of time it would take to watch a really (short to current audiences) film, but it leaves a lot in its wake.



Papo & Yo




This is the second time I have seen Vander discuss Papo & Yo and it's no less evocative or inspiring the second time around.

One thing that I've always found with hearing him speak, especially about this game, is how personal this story is - and beyond just what the game meant to make and create, but also how it's affected others.

Papo &Yo is, to a certain extent, a traditional platformer. Puzzles make up the gameplay, and the story progresses the further you go in. The story, however, is the not-so-traditional part of the gambit.

Minority Media, and Vander Caballero, have made a game that tells the story that is autobiographical in context. A story about a young boy and his abusive father, which metamorphoses into a young boy and a giant monster that gets mad when he eats 'frogs'.

Vander's story takes a story that is so often personal, and puts it into a place that games seldom go. Into a world of emotion that is so seldom touched by gameplay.

The emotions most commonly felt by game players.

Papo & Yo is a game that is marked by catharsis - something most often treaded into by filmmakers.

The player experiences catharsis in Papo & Yo for many reasons that would destroy the amazing arc of the game if I went into it, but it's something that takes something that we have seen in writing in film and TV and transcends it in some ways.

That said, Vander  discusses something that goes beyond making games - or even making emotionally engaging narratives - which is that one of the biggest issues in gaming that faces creators is that cinematics and game play aren't tied together at all - it's a totally different experience.

Part of what makes gaming engaging is that it creates an engagement from the player - and from the viewer - hat goes beyond "simply" watching. But, and the ongoing issue is apparent - there's a disconnect.

The emotional spikes in reaction come from gameplay - not from story.

Beyond that, gaming can expand - and if these games are any indication... has expanded. Developing these stories takes a deft hand - in any media - and it's the disconnect that can live when developing and making new games.

That's what companies like Minority Media are breaking down. There's a world now where the disconnect between cinematic and ongoing play can create dialogues. Reading reviews of the game speak to how personally people react to it - because you control what happens and how. One of the things that Vander speaks of is the idea to "Embrace empathy through interaction" which, as a way of creating new dialogues and new creates an almost Boal-esque way to develop and change the world around.

Papo &Yo is available on Steam and PSN.


The Toronto Screenwriting Conference series of posts.

Aaron Korsh On Progress, Suits, and Making It Hollywood

Aaron Korsh is not a traditional Hollywood success story.

Well, he is, because, obviously Suits. But beyond that he's a guy that quit Wallstreet because, apparently, Wallstreet is filled with a bunch of guys who kind of act like dicks (one might assume that's...obvious...) and it didn't work for him.

So like everyone in America he went out for the American dream - giving coffee to other people who are running massive shows in Hollywood. Working from the bottom to getting staffed over a period of eight years.

Just think on eight years for a while, while you watch this little clip from the show that guy made.





What Korsh did breaks the basic "rules" of Hollywood - he spent eight years making it from PA to writer's assistant to...writer's assistant to...and then, well more of a writer's assistant to eventually getting staffed. Eight years he spent as an assistant (which is a reminder to people counting their days now, that's 2920 days which is approximately also when Terminators will come and find your offspring in the future). All of this after an age when people say you "can't" break in. And even moreso - if you're not showrunning by 35, say some, well, good luck.

"Even if it seems like you're making no progress, you are really are making progress even though it doesn't feel like you are."

Better things can't be said. Comparison is a death game in Hollywood, and each writer (producer, DOP, shiny person that could) is on their own path.

Beyond the story of getting Suits off the ground, which is similar to every other show in how dissimilar every getting show of the ground story is, Korsh spent time discussing some pointers he picked up along the way for newbies and other alike.

On Getting An Agent

Even with a few writing assistant jobs under his belt, Korsh (then in comedy) was getting denied from almost everywhere.

Instead he went and worked on his specs more, worked harder than every before (because there are 80 people standing in as PAs who would kill for you job) and eventually a writer on staff passed on a sample and that's how he got his agent.

On Being In The Room

"People will listen more if you say good things 90% of the time than if you talk a lot"

Korsh talked a little about his experience watching in the room, seeing people starting out talk too much talk and knowing they (the writer, obvs) shouldn't. We've all done it at one time or another - in a room pushing one thing a little bit too hard, in front of an interviewer when you accidentally mention that incident with the Margaritas that no one should know about - and while sometimes it feels unfair to haul ass to finally get in the room to be told to put up and shut up, the thing is, there's a reason Louie CK is saying older people are smarter:

"Even if they're wrong, their wrongness is rooted in more information than you have. If you're older you're smarter."

Because they've been around the block longer. Watching and learning is an important skill. So is patience.

On Making Scripts Better

Korsh's advice is probably some of the best pieces of advice that many writers don't get because, well, because.

 Read things out loud. Don't be scared of your voice 

Reading out loud is terrifying. But it's one of the easiest ways to tell if a scene is working.


A beat for breaking are what the additional information, action, emotional turn - what changed in the story in the scene.

On Making Suits

Korsh also spoke of the ups and downs of making suits. Suits was, loosely, based on his own experience in Wallstreet (as urged by his agent). It wasn't until USA got on board and said, "oh hai make it lawyers and we'll make it" that it got shifted.

The thematic for him was less about making a show about lawyers, but more about, in some ways, imposter syndrome. Even with a background from the Wharton Business School, Korsh always felt like he didn't entirely fit - and thus we have a show about a literal imposter now making his way up as a lawyer. It went through revisions, more than a few production companies before Korsh found a production company willing to take it on with the vision he wanted - and ended at USA network after more than a few giant NOs along the way.

The key here through is that he knew exactly who would let him build out the story that they wanted - and when to say yes to the changes.

- Posts from the Toronto Screenwriting Conference

Thomas Was Alone: How To Indie Game

Thomas Was Alone is one of the most brilliant indie games I've played in the last couple of years. The game itself is a simple platformer, with even more simple graphics. But the brilliant execution really makes the game pop.

That and the narration. The narration is brilliant. Don't believe me? Check it out.

Describe Thomas Was Alone.

Thomas Was Alone is an indie game about friendship and jumping. It is a low fi hobby game that, if I'm honest, got a little out of hand. In it you control a number of characters as they try to escape a computer system. Each character has different capabilities, and you'll need to learn how to use them together to progress.

What was the time from start to finish on developing the game?

The game was made over a year and a half's worth of evenings and weekends, around my previous full time job as a social game designer. It took over my free time, but it seems to have been worth it.

What was the hardest part of developing it?

Well, I couldn't code when I started. That was a challenge. But Unity is lovely, and I worked it out as I went. I ended up rewriting the core code roughly 3 times as I went, each time fixing the sloppyness of the job I'd done. If I ever make a sequel, I think I'll probably have to make it all over again.

What was the inspiration for the game?

I was just massively jealous of indie guys doing awesome work and getting to make exactly what they want. I thought I'd give it a go myself. I grew up on platformers, like everyone else, so I relished a chance to make my own take on the genre.

What advice would you give to programmers looking to make games of their own?

Do it. That's the hardest  choice to make. The second hardest is finishing it. Even if your first few games are crap, finish them. It's really important to learn those skills as quickly as possible.