Wrap up

Well, I guess an apology is in order to those dear readers who had been looking for more updates on the L.A. adventure (sorry, Mom). It was a big tough to make sure that I got an update in every day, especially because as I settled into the flow of the work week one day ended up blending into the next, especially if you're shadowing the writer's room of a television show.

If I remember correctly, the last time I tossed a post out the writing staff was in the middle of breaking the two-part season finale. Well, as it turns out my last day on the job was the same day that the writer's pitched the story of the finale to Shawn, which he liked, so presumably the broken story will become the season (potentially series, but more on that later) finale. I think that I've mentioned this before, but it bares repeating, the episodes that I was around to either read or see the stories being broken, I think that the last five or so episodes of the season will be fantastic. It won't be giving away too much to reveal that the conspiracy, which has been a runner for most of the season, will finally be wrapped up, and it is a bit ambiguous as far as whether or not the unit will remain together at the end of the season. I'm excited to see how it all comes out.

I never did get the chance to meet David Mamet while I was there, which was a bit disappointing. I mean, it is his show so it would've been interesting to meet the guy behind it all. But, no such luck. Oh well.

Being at work for the last day was also an interesting experience. There were half a dozen people all offering advice as far as what to do once I graduate in May. The suggestions ranged from "go off on a cruise and get paid to see the world" to "move to LA if you want to write," to "marry a rich older woman," but I think the best and most practical advice came from co-EPs Frank Military and Todd Ellis Kessler, whose separate but similar advice was, "graduate."

The last few weekends in Los Angeles were relatively uneventful. I had to head downtown to find a music club called The Smell so I could write an article on it for the school's newspaper. While downtown I wandered into a place called Grand Central Market , what a spectacular place. I highly encourage you to look around at some of the photos on their website to get a sense of what it is like. My experience of it was simple. I wandered in and walked around marveling at all of the food. For someone who loves to cook, like I do, it was quite a thing to see. Fresh fruits and vegetable vendors, fresh meat and fish vendors, more dried chille peppers, beans and rice than you could shake a stick at, all of which was accompanied by vendors peddling any kind of Latin food you could possibly imagine. I think I liked this place so much for a few different reasons. First, it showcased just how multi-cultural the city of Los Angeles is, as I'm pretty sure that I was one of the only non-Spanish speakers in the market. Going along with that, it felt oddly out of place in Los Angeles. The market itself is a twenty minute bus ride from the corner of Hollywood and Highland, whose chain clothing stores and neon lights stand in stark contrast to this simple market which would seem to be more at home in a small, Central American capital. Finally, it was just nice to be able to buy food outside of the vacuum seal of Whole Foods.

I also finally made it out to see a few movies while I was there. Che, Rachel Getting Married, The Wrestler, and Gran Torino, which was laughably bad. The others were okay though.

Before I had mentioned that there is a fear that this might be the show's last season. I'm sure this is a concern of all shows at the end of a season, and they do pull in halfway decent ratings in a tough time slot. But, an edict came down from the brass at CBS; no cliffhangers to end the season. Of course this could just be that CBS isn't particularly interested in having loose threads when they wrap up programming in May. But some saw that edict as CBS saying that they didn't want a massive fan protest if the show is canceled (a la Jericho, where fans sent CBS some giant amount of peanuts to keep their beloved, and not half bad if I do say so myself, show). I think that the decision would be made easier if CBS decides to go to series with the Shawn Ryan's recently green lit pilot. Variety has this article for more details, if you want.

While I was still on the show the aforementioned Frank Military saw his law script get greenlit for a pilot by CBS. Technical consultant Tim Clemente also saw his FBI hour-long get greenlit as well (press release included in the article about Frank's show). It was interesting to be around when they found out that the shows were going to pilot. Obviously this is an extremely rare occurrence given the number of scripts that are written and given to CBS, or any network for that matter, every year. When you factor into the mix how reticent networks are to try new things, just look at how many CSI or Law & Order spin offs there are, it really is spectacular that these two journeymen writers were able to get their pilots greenlit, to say nothing of how great it would be if they went to series. In any case, if Shawn's pilot goes to series I question whether or not the show would come back for a season five, especially if there isn't a head showrunner working on the show. But at this point it really is all speculation.

All told, though, I really do feel like the experience was worthwhile, more worthwhile than you would expect sitting around and watching a group of people work would be. I think that I best articulated why I felt like the experience was worthwhile in the thank you e-mail I sent to the members of the writer's room a few days after I left L.A. This is what I said:

Hello The Unit writer's room,

I wanted to take time before I am thrust back into the hectic hustle and bustle of my last Middlebury semester to thank everyone for letting me sit in on the writer's room for the past month. I really do feel like the time I spent observing the process was time well spent. As I mentioned to Patrick and Shannon before I left, coming into this internship I felt that my strengths as a writer lie primarily in my ability to write dialog and develop character, but the ability to plot compelling stories has always seemed to elude me. I think that, like all things, this skill will come with time and practice, but being able to sit and watch (and occasionaly contribute) the room has given me a greater understanding of how best to develop those skills. The experience has also led me to revisit past work to re-evaluate strengths and weaknesses, and although there is no question that I still have work to do, its also given me confidence in my ability to fox those weaknesses.

So, again, thank you all very much for having me. I hope that I was helpful, or at the very least, not a nuisance. My suspicion is that following my graduation in May I'll be coming back out to L.A., so if you have advice for that move (or anything else, for that matter), or find yourselves without something to do and feel like reading and giving notes to an aspiring writer I would be extremely appreciative.

Thanks again,

Jason Gutierrez
The Unit's Season Four Middlebury Intern


So that was that. One additional thing that L.A. taught me was that going to grad school was not a clear way to getting a job writing or making films, in fact it almost seems like a hindrance. Talking to the assistants it really struck me that it was a ladder-type system, and you work your way up, and even then its wholly dependent upon whether or not you can tell a compelling story and tell it well. So, my post-graduation plans have been thrown into disarray ever so slightly. But that's another conversation for another time.

If you have questions about the trip that I didn't get answer or anything else that you'd like to talk about, leave a comment and I'll write a post in response. I'll also keep this blog up and going, so that way I have a forum to discuss potential future plans that involve moves to Los Angeles, or, in the event of that move actually occurring, I have a place to let people know about life on the Left Coast. Until then, adieu.

UPDATE

Don't forget to watch the end of the season! It should be good. CBS~ Sunday nights at 10 PM EST.

Post the fourth

So, as the days go by I'm beginning to feel more and more useful around the writers room. My duties, ill defined though they may be, are expanding little by little. Today, for instance, I was asked to do research to help writing the season finale. Again, it doesn't sound super exciting, but its still better than nothing. Plus, I'm around to help, and so I feel like its important to do the tasks that I'm assigned to do with enthusiasm.

In other news, rumor has it David Mamet will finally show up in the writer's room sometime next week. So, I decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to go back and re-watch a few of his films. So, I've been doing that for about a week. Not really for that fan boy, "oh my God, I love your work" moment, but just because it would be a good idea. I watched "The Verdict", "House of Games", and "Glengarry Glen Ross," so far. Hopefully I'll find the time to squeeze in "Ronin," (which he essentially wrote, but did so under a pseudonym because of a dispute with the WGA), "State and Main," and "The Spanish Prisoner." One thing I've noticed while watching these films is how incredibly stylized the dialog is. It isn't realistic, it's stilted and awkward at times, with performances to match. It took me a while to get used to it, and sometimes I'm still not used to it, but once I did I really began to pay attention to the way he tells his story, and how the plot unfolds and when and where he gives the audience information. He really is a fantastic craftsman, even if I do find the dialog a bit...well, awkward. By all accounts Mamet is really nice in person, but demanding of writers and, from what little information I am able to gleam from others, a bit condescending to other writers he sees as less than himself. To be honest I'm a bit intimidated at the prospect of meeting him, but I'm sure that'll pass and he'll turn out to be a pretty nice guy. I mean, he does like blue collar guys, and he did go to college in Vermont, so at least there is some common ground there. We'll see....

Post #3

Not a ton to report today. We continued to go over scripts and story ideas, which included beginning to come up with ideas for the season finale. The finale looks like it might be a two-part episode, so it's interesting to see how they are going about laying out plot details for a two-part episode. Also, in going over one of the scripts we had an out-loud table read, Middlebury Screenwriting class style. That was a ton of fun, actually.

In other news, I'm hating the Los Angeles transit system more and more every day. It took me two and a half hours to get home after work. Left Fox a 6:30, didn't walk through the door until close to 9.

Also, in an effort to make all the cold climate readers of this blog jealous I would direct you to davidlynch.com, where everyday David Lynch provides a brief report of the Los Angeles weather. There is something spectacular about seeing David Lynch read his own weather report. I was told about this by Daniel Voll, a co-Executive Producer of The Unit, who said that after work he was, "going to see David Lynch." What the hell? People just go and see David Lynch? It was a quite incredible bit of news. I kind of want to go see David Lynch, too. Maybe I should ask about this....

After recieving much pressure....a second update

Although I would normally apologize for such a lengthy absence between posts, I think that it is becoming clearer and clearer to me that I just can't do a daily blog post. I just can't do it. Me and routines, we just don't get along. Also, the days tend to look the same so I don't feel a great push to do many many blog posts. That being said, I'll fill you in on what's been going on out here.

I think the last time I checked in I had just finished my first day. Well, by now I've gone through an entire work week and the weekend, and things have been moving along quite well. One of the things I was waiting for after my first post was for the staff to become accustomed to my presence in the office, and I really think that is going along well. I'm starting to finally be given things to do beyond sitting and observing. They are menial tasks that one would expect an intern to do at a normal office (get coffee, put together lunch orders, grab scripts, copy things, etc.), but menial tasks are better than no tasks. Besides, I didn't come out here with any expectations to do things beyond the aforementioned list of responsibilities, so really the goal is to do the things that I am asked to do quickly, expeditiously, and with as much enthusiasm as possible. So that's what I'm doing. Also aiding the sense that I have that the writer's are becoming more accustomed to seeing me on a daily basis was a fairly lengthy informal chat that I had with Shawn Ryan (one of the showrunners and Executive Producers) and a large chunk of the writing staff. It was mostly Shawn asking about Middlebury life, but eventually evolved into talking about the film and television industry, school, and other topics (one of which was this little nugget of information: Shawn Ryan's wife apparently had a crush on Midd film professor Chris Keathley. It's a small world).

So, I guess, in summary not a ton to report. The writers are still hammering out the story details for the C plots of episodes 417 and 418, one of which (417) is only four days away from going into pre-production. I'm almost positive that I'm legally obligated to keep my mouth shut re: story details. But I will say their problem is that their C-story just doesn't seem to be congealing in an interesting way that has an intriguing dramatic arc. For my part, I'll say that it feels like they're getting closer every day, but with pre-production coming up so fast it seems like it's really coming down to the wire. Not that that is anything new in television.

The other interesting things that have been happening (for me, anyway) are what happens when the writers aren't discussing story details, because inevitably the talk moves to the business aspect of TV. Several of the writers are in the process of submitting pilots to studios and networks, and there are very real questions about whether or not The Unit will be picked up for a fifth season. There seems to be some consensus that it will (solid ratings in a fairly difficult Sunday at 10 PM time slot help that along), but it is still interesting to see the more human side of the possibility of cancellation. There was also a visit from a representative from the WGA to talk about the ramifications and after-effects of the writer's strike, which postponed my trip out here by a year. The conversation was a bit tough to follow because I wasn't (and still am not) savvy about the agreement reached by the WGA with producers, but to think that a year later there are still conversations happening about the strike is interesting.

In other L.A. related news, I spent most of the day Saturday walking around Hollywood and West Hollywood on foot. I tried to make my way over to Echo Park (the Williamsburgh of Los Angeles), but I got on the wrong bus. The bus system here is mammoth, and of course they don't have small maps that you can take so there is no way to get the large scale picture of the L.A. bus system. Figures. Anyway, what I've found, especially in Hollywood, is that for every two blocks of nice neighborhoods there is one that is not so nice, which is nestled right up against a neighborhood that is nice. So if you're on foot you've got no choice but to wander through these moderately sketchy neighborhoods. I just kept my head down. Saturday night Brett, Jared and I (my fellow Midd travelers, Alane) had our super expensive meal-out for the month. Sushi on Sunset. It was expensive (sixty five bucks for this kid), but it was the best sushi I have ever had. Plus it will be the last expensive meal we'll have here. I have a feeling I'll hate pasta and chili by the end of the month.

Sunday we tried to see what was going on over at the Golden Globes, so we wandered over to the Beverly Hilton, only to discover you couldn't actually get on the red carpet. Lame. But we did see the limos arriving at the Hilton, where naturally there was a crowd of people screaming, "roll down your window," at every arriving limo. It must have been awkward for the not-particularly-famous people. I mean, it really is a quandary, to roll down the window or not roll down the window? Either way you're going to do nothing but disappoint people. Apparently Beyoncee and Jay-Z drove past while we were there, as did James Cameron, which prompted a whole lot of fuss, which was kind of puzzling. I mean, who gets excited about James Cameron? Not this guy.

So I think that pretty much covers the past five-ish days. I'll do my level best to update more often (and by more often I mean, daily-ish), I promise.

So it begins...

So, today was the first day working on The Unit, and dear Christ, it was a long day. First I feel like I should say a few things about this blog. I'll do my best to ensure that it is updated daily, but no guarantees on that score. I'm kind of bad about updating blogs. Second, this will be super informal. Even though I'm technically doing this to ensure that I get credit for my adventure in Los Angeles, I still think it would be easier for me if I can use words like "stoked," "hyped," and the occasional profanity. It's how I talk, so why try and hide it? Third, because people like my mom will be reading this blog (whatsup Alane?), and she has no idea how you make a TV show I'll explain for those of you who, like Alane, aren't in the know about television production. Finally, I don't have a digital camera, so no photos. Unless I go and buy one. It's not entirely out of the realm of possibility. Oh, and I know that the name of the blog is a cliche. I'm okay with that.

So, how did the first day go? Well, it went pretty well. Because I'm car-less (which I'm beginning to find it not the best thing to be in the City of Angels) I found myself dependent upon the Los Angeles transit system. A daunting transit system to say the least, and one which rivals New York subways in terms of sheer size and complexity. No joke. Well, I managed to navigate the murky waters of said transit system without too much difficulty in the morning, but I did get on a rapid when I was supposed to get on a local and ended up way the hell out in Santa Monica. But that's why you budget time.

The first day was pretty exciting. I got settled in and met many of the people who work on the show (most of whom were either writers or EPs). They shoot the show on a lot in Santa Clarita, which is 40 minutes or so to the north. Or so I've been told. So really there wasn't a whole lot to show except for offices. But, it does help to curb whatever temptation I might've had to wander down to the set when I wasn't supposed to. My day, essentially, as me observing the writer's room. There were a half dozen or so writers working in the room, breaking down stories and trying to fix plot points.

A television show has, most of the time, three stories running over the course of a single episode. There is the A plot, which is really the driving action of the individual episode. Then there is the B plot, which is a subplot, and usually has implications for future episodes. Then there is the C plot, and I suppose you can guess what that is.

They were working on the C plot for an upcoming episode. Right now the writer's are breaking down the episodes up until the end of the season. I'd say its best for all parties involved if I kept the upcoming story threads and plotlines under wraps. You'll just have to watch the show (Sunday nights at 10 on CBS). Sitting in a room for five hours watching people talk can actually be more fun than you might imagine. It felt like working in a screenwriting workshop at Midd. It actually took a lot for me to remember my place and restrain myself from jumping into the conversation. I have to be honest here, I'm not up to speed on season four of the show, so in addition to not wanting to sound like a jackass, I also don't want to step on people's toes. This is, after all, how these people make a living. This does make my position somewhat awkward in that I don't really participate and there isn't a ton of work for me to do otherwise, so I feel like a bit of an interloper as I sit around watching. I'm not entirely sure what they've had past Midd interns do, but for now I'm happy to just take a back seat, at least until I feel like the office has gotten used to my presence.

For now I think that'll be it for me. I'll post some more later with thoughts about the city itself, as I have had a little bit of an opportunity to explore Los Angeles. But like I said, later.