ATTENTION ALL NEWBIES – Why Movies & Mini-Series Can Be Good For YOU...
It’s been exactly five years since I first found MZP-TV and, as you may or may not know, five years on the InterWebNets is a long loooong time. This website has evolved from a tiny writers hub and chill out zone for largely JossVerse enthusiasts to the hulking, several-hundred strong writers behemoth it is now with scripts, podcasts, YouTube accounts, audio commentaries, Facebook pages... you name it. The place has evolved. I evolved. And us admins and moderators like to see you, the newbie, evolve along with us and be part of the ride.
So, to whit, the question: how can writing a Movie or a Mini-Series be good for you?
Well I may be growing older and slowly Monster Zero-like in my senility but I do remember what it’s like to be a n00b. When I joined, the place wasn’t a 10th of the size it is now, the new age was just beginning, but even then showcasing my work to people I barely knew was daunting, especially when I wasn’t entirely sure it was very good. So now, I can only imagine what it must be like finding MZP-TV, seeing the hundreds and hundreds of produced scripts, the pitches, the pilots, and thinking HOW THE HELL am I supposed to break into THIS?
Fact is, it’s really not as difficult as you might believe.
Number 1 rule to remember: we WANT you here. We want you to write for us. We want you to pitch. We want you to get to know the community, become a name, whether you finding writing a hobby or you’re using us as a stepping-stone, a springboard, for bigger and brighter things professionally. Sure, if you repeatedly pitch nonsense or don’t try and integrate or show a real lack of effort, we’ll point you toward the door quick as you can spit, but we know many of you aren’t like that. You want to write. You want to learn. You want your show to become the next
Shackles or the next
Walker or the next
Bard Investigations. And, as I say, so do we. But there’s a process. There’s a system. It takes time. Though there is a way you can show us what you have before you embark on that amazing showrunning process.
THAT is where my section, MZP @ the Movies/MZP-TV Mini-Series, comes in.
So you come to MZP-TV and you have this idea. This really cool idea. It’s, maybe, about a brave hero at the heart of a fierce rebellion against a terrifying galactic empire (yes, I know this is the plot to
Star Wars, sue me
). Whatever, you think it’s ace and you think people will love to read it. You pitch it – ‘look, how cool is this?!’. People may agree. You want to do a 20 episode season, it’s got the scope. Then they’ll ask you the inevitable question: ‘have you written on MZP before?’. You look around: ‘uh... no’. They say: ‘well... you’re gonna have to before you can become a showrunner’. At which point, you deflate like a Spacehopper just popped with a pin by an evil child. But, because you’re a good newbie, you think: ‘sure, I can write for a show, cool’. You apply. You get a gig on the VS sequel to
Knots Landing (this will NEVER exist, don’t worry
). You write an episode. People like it. WOOO!! You think: ‘I can be a showrunner now, yay!’. Then you remember how tough it was to write your first solo episode. You remember how much time, patience and work it took the showrunner you wrote for. You begin to worry. Panic. ‘Man, I’m not sure I can do that, not yet anyway’. The evil child reappears with his pin...
...and then you see the Movies/Mini-Series section. And the child disappears.
Because you realise your idea could be a movie (or at least part one of a trilogy). You realise it could be a kick-ass mini-series of 6 to 8 episodes maybe, much more manageable especially when you probably would be able to rope one or two people in, who you met on your first writing gig, to help you out. And the best part? If you have a writing gig (or an impending gig) under your belt, I am most likely going to give your idea a green light (if it’s met all the requirements, of course, but that’s a different kettle of Sturgeon). Writing a movie or a mini-series may seem even more daunting but, believe me, it’s one of the best ways to get your idea out there and raise your profile all at once. How? I hear you ask. Well, let’s break it down:
1)
It’s much less a gargantuan task. A movie is ONE script. A mini in most cases between THREE and SIX. Compare that to between THIRTEEN and TWENTY-TWO, and that’s just for one season. See the difference? For someone new starting out, it’s a lot less to deal with.
2)
You get my help. I’m not going to interfere in your story, plotting, characters or writing (unless you ask). But when the script(s) is/are finished, I will extensively beta-read every single one with notes and, if you so wish, edit the final product. You get solid critical feedback to make it as good as possible before you even go to air.
3)
Large readership. Fact is, Average MZP-TV Joe is more likely to read your movie or mini quicker and provide feedback, as a newbie, than if you plonk 20 episodes in their lap. It’s less effort for them. Many of the movie/mini projects have ended up with plenty of reviews right off the bat.
4)
A raised profile. You’ve produced something for MZP-TV. Your work is out there. People now know [INSERT NAME HERE] as someone who doesn’t just talk or pitch aimlessly with nothing to show, but who delivers the goods. Your stock will rise. If they like your work, people will invite you to write for them. You’ll make more contacts. And the Pilot Season Judges – should you ever want your own major series – will look very favourably on anyone who’s gone down the Movie/Mini route with success.
See all the positives?
As someone new to this long-standing website, with all the friendships and partnerships and teams and characters and injokes, following this route may well be one of the swiftest and most rewarding ways of making a name for yourself on MZP-TV and becoming a liked and respected member of our community.
At the end of the day, that’s what we want from every newcomer who comes through our doors.
To your every success,
Tony Black
MZP-TV Administrator & Chairman of MZP Movies/Mini-Series
on behalf of the Admin Team
