3

David Mamet on Drama (a Memo to 'The Unit' Writers)

10.26.10 @ 5:21PM Tags : davidmamet, drama, screenwriting, theunit, tv, writing

This is an oldie but goodie. David Mamet wrote an impassioned memo to his writers on the now-cancelled show The Unit, laying out some principles of good dramatic writing. He wants three questions answered for every scene: “1) WHO WANTS WHAT? 2) WHAT HAPPENS IF [THEY] DON’T GET IT? 3) WHY NOW?” The memo also includes a few putdowns aimed at studio executives, and is a good read — and yes, he wrote it in ALL CAPS to stress the importance of what he was saying: More »

0

Seen: Compulsions, Green Porno

04.22.10 @ 12:22PM Tags : compulsions, drama, greenporno, streamys, webseries

The 2nd Annual Streamy Awards took place last week, and while I was already familiar with many of the award-winners, some I’d never heard of. Every year when new-media awards like the Streamys or the Webbys are announced, I watch the nominees and winners in hopes that I’ll discover something that truly embodies the creative freedoms offered by the web, something unique and unlike anything in Hollywood. But every year I’m disappointed. This year’s Best Drama winner, The Bannen Way, won specifically because it was the best of the bunch at emulating Hollywood. And while I feel there are a lot of brilliant comedies on the web — You Suck at Photoshop, Wainy Days, The Onion News Network — it’s much harder to find compelling drama.

The most interesting drama series I saw via the Streamys was Compulsions (Streamy winner for Best Writing for a Drama Web Series): More »