Chris Levinson is one of our faves here at theOFFICE. She's always a hoot and always busy working on something exciting. She has written/produced for numerous TV shows including Party of Five, Law & Order and Tyrant. Her pilots have been produced at NBC and FOX. Chris recently connected with Brooks Elms, a fellow screenwriter and … Continue reading Chris Levinson – “There are writers who write and there are writers who talk.”
Tag: Screenplay
A message for our local readers
If 2018 has been a tough year for your personal productivity, you are certainly not alone. The world is noisier than ever and making space for oneself in these uncertain times can feel near impossible. For self-generative careers like writing, these are especially challenging times. That’s why theOFFICE (our physical location here in Santa Monica, … Continue reading A message for our local readers
Reading Is Writing
Okay class, today's lesson is a simple one. If you're having trouble writing scripts, it may simply be that you haven't read many or any at all. Reading books, and watching movies and TV shows can definitely help with story structure, but until you've read your fair share of scripts you won't likely have an … Continue reading Reading Is Writing
Video – Silence in Writing and Film
https://vimeo.com/178087108 We all may love witty dialogue and banter, but sometimes it's better to just shut up and remember that film is a visual medium. If applied correctly, a few moments of silence can enact emotion that pages of dialogue would just clutter up. In this video from Fandor, they explore powerful movie scenes and … Continue reading Video – Silence in Writing and Film
The Strange Rise of the Writers’ Space
This New Yorker piece has an interesting take on what writers' spaces are all about: "As with the gym, at the writers’ space you feel less ridiculous spending your time on an activity with uncertain and elusive benefits: everyone else is doing it, too. It’s a cocoon that protects its inhabitants from a world where most … Continue reading The Strange Rise of the Writers’ Space
The Dialogue: Learning from the Masters
A few years ago, the owner of theOffice, Aleks Horvat, produced a series of in depth interviews with some of today's most successful screenwriters and released them on DVD. Now, for the first time ever, they are available on Youtube in full. The interviews are over an hour long and provide incredible insight into what … Continue reading The Dialogue: Learning from the Masters
Sonder.
Let It Go
First Draft I recently finished the first draft of the comedy pilot I’ve been working on with a writing partner. It’s great except that it’s about twenty pages too long and not funny. We cringed every time we read it. The thing needed rewrites. Not the kind where we could just go through the script … Continue reading Let It Go
My Favorite QOTD
"Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, … Continue reading My Favorite QOTD
QOTD
Loretta, I love you. Not like they told you love is, and I didn't know this either, but love don't make things nice - it ruins everything. It breaks your heart. It makes things a mess. We aren't here to make things perfect. The snowflakes are perfect. The stars are perfect. Not us. Not us! … Continue reading QOTD
theOFFICE 