WS_0320_WORLD VIEW.qxp_WSN_407_WORLD VIEW 3/2/20 4:01 PM Page 2
WORLD VIEW
BY ANNA CARUGATI
The Captivating Creative Process I have always been fascinated by the process of creating art. My father was a painter. I recall sitting for hours as a child watching him mix his colors and carefully, skillfully turning a white canvas into a vivid, lifelike image. I was mesmerized by the painstaking process: choosing the subject, outlining the composition, applying the brushstrokes. The craft was as intriguing as the finished product. Into each painting, he poured something of himself, and, as all artists do, regardless of the medium, he told a story. Humans have been drawn to stories since the beginning of time. Stories are the perfect vehicles to transmit information and emotion, from entertaining tales to thought-provoking books and poetry, from feature films and documentaries to fiction and nonfiction TV series, from plays and performances to paintings and sculptures. Advertisements and marketing campaigns, even political slogans—“It’s the economy, stupid”—tell a story. We love stories because they stick with us. We love to retell anecdotes of parents, grandparents, relatives and friends. We hold dear memories of our favorite childhood books, first movie or beloved TV series. Good stories reveal, reflect and comment upon the human condition. Sound easy? No, not from what I’ve seen and heard. I love talking to writers to hear about how they approach their work. I equally enjoy hearing tales from writers’ rooms. Writers have told me that the best writers’ rooms are those in which they feel safe to reveal and share not only ideas but, more importantly, experiences, fears, embarrassing moments and even traumas, all in the service of telling a compelling story and crafting believable characters. Writers’ rooms are interesting studies in counterintuitiveness. I’ve heard that the funniest scripts can emerge from the crankiest group of writers. The darkest dramas and most morally compromised characters from the sunniest personalities. Just goes to show you, we are all complex and multilayered. While writers have always been the heart of scripted TV fare, they haven’t always received the recognition and attention that they have in the past couple of decades. In the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, TV writers were considered less valuable than feature film screenwriters. The writer as auteur, most often a showrunner who could create and oversee a series that could last several seasons and brand a network or pay service in the process, emerged in the ’90s. Since then, not only have some showrunners become as popular as some of the stars of their shows, but TV shows have increasingly defined popular culture, shaped opinion and changed viewpoints, not to mention, made millions for channels, services and distributors.
The creative process itself is the focus of more attention today than it was years ago, and talent—in front of and behind the camera: writers, showrunners and directors—is more critical to the sale and success of a series than ever before. It used to be that studios and distributors mainly sold finished series. And buyers, predominantly from linear channels, bought shows as they were—take it or leave it. With the cost of quality scripted shows escalating so vertiginously, making co-financed and co-produced projects almost a necessity, the creative and development processes have become all the more important, and a significant subject of negotiation. Now studios and distributors get involved in the very early stages of development of a project, bringing needed resources to get a series from the writer’s computer screen into production. This emphasis on development has given rise to events such as Series Mania. Even MIPTV, built on the old model of companies selling finished shows, has created sessions and networking opportunities for producers and writers, such as In Development. These types of gatherings facilitate the cross-pollination of cultures and styles of storytelling and uphold the tenet that great ideas can come from anywhere. Many unique shows that wouldn’t necessarily conform to the scheduling requirements of linear channels have found a home on streaming services. The OTTs have opened up opportunities for creators, shorter-run series, episodes of various lengths and subject matter that targets passionate but niche audiences. Besides securing financing, distributors today are also ever-more concerned about making sure the projects they champion stand out in the enormous volume of series available. Our feature examines strategies for securing, financing and selling standout concepts. We also speak to creatives and executives William Shatner, Darren Star, Tubi’s Farhad Massoudi and Dynamic Television’s Dan March. They outline their roles in the creative process, from coming up with ideas to financing and production to getting finished shows in front of viewers. It reminds me of my dad—idea, execution, finished product— endlessly fascinating.
The creative and development processes have become all the more important.
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