User:Mwinog2777/wr
A writers' room is a space writers of scripted television show gather to work, where programs are written and refined.[1]
The television industry has long had a collaborative model for writing tv shows.[2][3] With the explosion of scripted shows and the competition among the networks and streaming channels a "fluidity has developed to the way shows are created." The writers room follows no single formula; it is an open-ended process with a range of set-ups. Room sizes vary from 2 to 20, depending on the budget and number of episodes.[1] "Mini-rooms" exist for limited series and smaller shows, mostly those haven't gotten the thumbs-up.[4]
Room hierarchy[edit]
The showrunner runs the entire writers' room. They have overall responsibility for the entire tv series; they are in charge of budget, scripts, crew, keeping actors happy and interacting with the studio or network They are usually writers and are generally listed as executive producers.[5]
Executive producer is a writer and second in charge and may act on behalf of the showrunner.[6]
Producers are writers who have moved up the room hierarchy. This group includes co-executive producers,[7] supervisory producers,[8] co-producers[9] and line producer[10]. They are involved in script approvals, casting, production and creative direction.[11][12] A line producer is a managerial position, and often not a writer. [10][13]
Executive story editor is a mid-level tv writer running groups of staff writers. [14]
Staff writer is an entry level writing position, reserved for someone working on their first or second scripts.[12]
A writers assistant is one of the most coveted jobs in the industry.[15] The assistant takes notes in the room and interacts with the writers and creators. They learn the business from the inside and make contacts, hoping to be able to later move up the hierarchy. It is their job to make sure that no good ideas are lost, do research, produce web material and occasionally make creative pitches.[12]
Production assistant is an entry level job, also hard to get. They run errands, make copies, get coffee and are described as the "legs" of the industry.[16]
Writers as producers[edit]
The room does more than write; they cast, hire key crew, work on set design, and anything else a producer would do. A main writer of an episode will get credit as the writer. A producer credit for a tv series will generally be given to each member of the writing staff who made a demonstrable contribution to the final script. The pecking order determines the level of the credit.[17] The actual producer of the show (in the traditional sense) is listed under the credit "produced by". Bill Lawrence, a television screenwriter, stated that:
... the end credits of a tv show, it will say staff writer, story editor, executive story Editor, co-producer, producer, supervising producer, co-executive producer, executive producer. (While) (s)omeone else will (also) be executive producer because they help to run the room, every other title is just ... writer who's been here one year, writer who's been here two years, writer who's been here three years, ... and it's just a pay scale.[18]
Notable writers rooms[edit]
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- I Love Lucy with Madelyn Pugh Bob Carroll, Jr., Bob Schiller and Bob Weiskopf[19]
- Your Show of Shows with Mel Brooks,Carl Reiner, Woody Allen, Tony Webster, Lucille Kallen, Selma Diamond, Danny Simon, Mel Tolkin, Max Liebman and Neil Simon. Five years after the Holocaust and in the midst of the Blacklist (which frequently targeted Jewish writers)[20] it has been noted that they were all were Jewish except for Webster.[21]
- The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour with Steve Martin, Rob Reiner, Pat Paulsen,[22] and Bob Einstein[23]
- The Dana Carvey Show with Steve Carell, Louis C.K., Stephen Colbert, Robert Smigel, Robert Carlock, Jon Glaser, Dino Stamatopoulos and Dana Carvey[24]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "What's a Writers' Room and How Do They Work?". No Film School. 2019-10-22. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- ^ Kurp, Josh (2018-06-22). "The Greatest TV Writers Rooms Ever". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
- ^ "Madelyn Pugh Davis dies at 90; 'I Love Lucy' writer". Los Angeles Times. 2011-04-22. Retrieved 2020-04-02.
- ^ Press, Joy. "Is This the End of the TV Writers' Room as We Know It?". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2020-04-01.
- ^ Team, N. F. I. (2022-03-18). "Showrunner - Everything You Need To Know". NFI. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
- ^ "How to Become a Television Writer". The Balance Careers. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
- ^ "Co-Executive Producer Salary and Career Advice". Chegg Careermatch. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ "Supervising Producer Job Description: Salary, Duties, & More". ClimbtheLadder. 2022-04-08. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ Matt (2021-11-10). "What Does A Co Producer Do: Roles, Responsibilities & How To Become One • Filmmaking Lifestyle". Filmmaking Lifestyle. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ a b "What do line producers do?".
- ^ "Writers room explained".
- ^ a b c Buchman, Eric (2014-02-07). "Anatomy of a TV Writers' Room". buchnotes. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
- ^ "The Importance of a Line Producer". web.archive.org. 2013-03-29. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ "How to Become a Television Writer". The Balance Careers. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
- ^ Sam (2016-11-03). "How to Become a Writers' Assistant • Any Possibility". Any Possibility. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
- ^ "Become a production assistant".
- ^ "TV witer/producer credits indicate what level the writer is. | Screenwriting.io". 2011-10-28. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ Jones, Sam (host) (2015-12-07). "TV Producer Bill Lawrence Reveals How a Writer's Room Really Works". Off Camera. Season 4. Episode 48. Audience.
- ^ "I Love Lucy Fast Facts". Lucille Ball Desi Arnaz Museum. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
- ^ "They were really after Jews". www.thejc.com. Retrieved 2022-07-18.
- ^ "The Geniuses of Your Show of Shows – Next Act Theatre". nextact.org. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
- ^ "Comedian Pat Paulsen's Sincerely Insincere Presidential Campaigns". Mental Floss. 2016-03-01. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
- ^ Freeman, Marc; Freeman, Marc (2017-11-25). "'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour' at 50: The Rise and Fall of a Groundbreaking Variety Show". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
- ^ Yamato, Jen (2016-07-09). "The Greatest TV Writers' Room Ever: Dana Carvey, Louis C.K., Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, and More". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2022-07-17.
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