Creating Your Own TV Series
CREATING YOUR OWN TV SERIES For professional TV writers the Holy Grail is creating your own series – coming up with the concept and characters, pitching and selling it to a network, writing and producing the pilot, then making it to the fall schedule – and hopefully 10 years on the air. Here at Chapman,
Chapman Alum Realizing His Field of Dreams
Jeff Levering (TBJ, 2005) is one of alums working in sports. Jeff chose the hyper-competitive field of play-by-play, passing on easier paths with Fox Sports and the NFL Network. And in a few short years Jeff has made it to second base, landing the play-by-play gig with the Springfield Cardinals, the AA-affil of the St
TV and Getting Lucky
My friend Neil Landau (author of the hot new book 101 Things I Learned in Film School – check it out) says that to make it in the entertainment industry, you need luck. BUT: Neil has a very specific definition of luck. It’s LUCK = PREPAREDNESS + OPPORTUNITY. You never know when opportunity might knock,
Cecil Awards 2010
Dean Bassett gave a heartfelt introduction to this year's Cecil Awards, mentioning – among other things – the exciting developments coming to Dodge College, including the advent of 3D and the inclusion of a 3D production class in next year's course catalog. Finally, he asked everyone in the theater to turn, stand, and congratulate the
Top 10 Things to Know about Writing a TV Spec
Writing a spec script for an existing TV show is the first step for writers wanting to break into TV. It's how I got an agent and my first staff job (on The Cosby Show) when I began my career – I wrote a spec Cheers. Entire books have been written on the subject of
Cecils Nominations
The 2010 Cecil Awards are rapidly approaching! Every year, Dodge College celebrates its most outstanding students across the many film and digital arts diciplines with a high-class ceremony affectionately named "The Cecil Awards" after the school's pre-Knott Studios namesake, Cecil B. DeMille. The ceremony highlights exceptional graduate and undergraduate students – and student works –
The Internet and the Future of TV
The Internet and the Future of TV Google has just announced technology that will allow TV viewers to flip seamlessly between traditional TV shows, YouTube videos and other Internet content. Called Smart TV, the software will be built into Internet-connected TVs, Blu-ray players, and set-top boxes. How are we at Chapman keeping pace
At Dodge This Weekend
Final Screenings and Upcoming Events: With the end of the school year looming ahead, things are winding down here at Dodge – but as every year ends, new opportunities pop up! We had a really interesting meeting this morning with a member of the SCVNGR crew, as we explore bringing location-based social networking (ala the
What's a Show Runner?
WHAT’S A SHOWRUNNER? Most people know that in feature films, the director is the final word creatively on the project. But on a TV series, the head honcho on all creative matters is called the showrunner. A showrunner is a writer/executive producer – both the head writer of the show and the highest ranking
Got JObs? We Do!
GOT JOBS? WE DO! Last night, the Prime Time TV Club held its 4th annual Foot in the Door night, where recent alums share the inside story on how to land a job in TV or film when you graduate. Here’s just a few of the highlights: · Andrew Lewis now works as an
Rule #1 on Breaking into the TV Biz
Students always ask me, "What's the best way for me to break into TV as a (fill in the blank – writer, producer, director)?" The answer is really simple: the best first job for anyone to get in TV is whatever job you can land. Forget the whole idea of "dream job." Get you foot
A Whole Slate of Job Listings
Paid Positions: TV Promo-Marketing Production Coordinator: We need an experienced, energetic, motivated PC to become part of the dynamic team at Studio City® working on the marketing of some of America’s highest rated TV shows: The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Live! with Regis and Kelly, Criminal Minds, Bones, Burn Notice, American Idol Rewind, South Park, as