Getting Notes On Your Script and What They Actually Mean: The Note Behind the Note
Hosted by Anna Henry, TV Executive (Educator)
$49
On Demand Webinar - Available for immediate viewing and unlimited access.
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Hosted by Anna Henry, TV Executive (Educator)
$49
On Demand Webinar - Available for immediate viewing and unlimited access.
Webinar hosted by: Anna Henry, TV Executive (Educator)
(Worked with CBS, ABC, Amazon, Starz, Sony, 20th Television)
Anna Henry is a Producer and Development Executive. Anna has set up projects at Sony, 20th Television, EOne, Starz, Amazon, Netflix, Corus, ITV America and more. Anna began her career as a development executive at Nickelodeon, then crossed over to prime-time television working at CBS and ABC in drama development and programming before working in management and establishing herself as an Independent Producer. She was Head of Development at Andrea Simon Entertainment, a boutique literary management and production company representing writers and directors. She has more than 15 years experience working with writers on developing their passion projects and building their careers with client credits including Netflix's "Seven Seconds"; Starz'"Vida"; BET’s “In Contemt”; HBO's "The Deuce", "Big Love", and "Vinyl"; Showtime's "The Chi"; NBC's "This Is Us"; The CW's "Jane the Virgin"; Direct TV's "Kingdom"; AMC’s “Fear the Walking Dead”; PBS' "Mercy Street"; and more. Anna has projects currently in development around the world. She is currently developing procedurals, crime thrillers, dark comedies, YA and Millennial-focused projects, character-driven sci-fi, and recent period. She is a member of HRTS Associates and Greenlight Women. Anna specializes in network, cable or streaming drama and grounded comedy series. She is particularly interested in female empowerment, diversity writers or themes, as well as writers developing projects based on their own experiences or expertise. Full Bio »
Webinar Summary
As a writer, receiving notes on your material may be a difficult part of the process but, ultimately, it's part of your job. And understanding how to deal with and apply those notes to your writing may be your most important job of all. Make no mistake, all writers are precious about their work, and taking notes is never easy, but the sooner you open yourself to receiving and understanding your notes, and the note behind the note, the more likely your work will become tighter and you'll signal that you're a writer that people want to hire and/or pay for your work.
Film and television are the ultimate collaborative medium. You write alone (or in a team), but to make the final product, the work of dozens to hundreds of people is required, and they all have a contribution to make. The work is a product to be sold to buyers and an audience, and they get a say in what they want to purchase and consume. Screenwriting is also the ultimate iterative process. No script is ever perfect on the first draft, and scripts evolve and grow even during production itself. So you will be receiving notes – lots and lots and lots of them. Some you will ask for: notes from other writers, professional consultants, managers and agents. Some you will hope for: producers, executives, directors and stars. Some you will agree to: showrunners, studio and network executives. And some will remind you that necessity is the mother of invention: from line producers, casting directors, set dressers, and costume designers. The bottom line is you need to understand what these notes mean and how to execute them when you agree and what to do when you don't.
Anna Henry is a Producer and Development Executive. Anna has set up projects at Sony, 20th Television, EOne, Starz, Amazon, Netflix, Corus, ITV America and more. Anna began her career as a development executive at Nickelodeon, then crossed over to prime-time television working at CBS and ABC in drama development and programming before working in management and establishing herself as a Producer. Anna has been on the giving and receiving end of script notes of literally hundreds of scripts throughout her career. She has developed a strong understanding on the "lingo" of script notes and what the note behind the note means when it comes to your script. Now, you will learn how to dissect the feedback you get on your script from an executive's perspective.
Anna will take you through the entire process of receiving notes. She will take away the anxiety of the entire process and teach you how to accept notes with professionalism and grace. She will explain to you who you should be getting notes from and how listening to the wrong voices can set you back. She will teach you what notes you should think about and when you should take a note as gospel. She will explain what notes are worth challenging and which you should absolutely adapt. She will help guide you through what it means when you get notes that go over structure, plot, stakes, character and exposition. She will take you through logic and clarity, cuts, action lines, dialogue and scene notes. And, she'll even go over what you should do if you get vague notes, nit picky notes and when you get suggestions and alternatives.
Anna will remove all the fear and apprehension one feels when asking for and receiving notes, giving you a comprehensive guide to reference every time you get notes on your work. You will learn how apply them to tighten your work and put yourself in a position to sell your material and/or get hired!
PRAISE FOR ANNA'S TEACHINGS:
Great webinar and Ms. Henry really shines as a very knowledgeable and caring professional.
-Angela U
Great presenter. She provided a wealth of information.
-Karen B
What You'll Learn
- How to Accept Notes with Professionalism and Grace (without running to your therapist)
- Who Should You Ask for Notes?
- What Do Professional Notes Look and Sound Like?
- What Kinds of Notes to Expect from People with Different Jobs in the Industry and Why You Get Them
- Comprehensive Breakdown of the Types of Notes, What they Mean, How to Think About Them and How to Look for Patterns (and the terminology used to communicate them):
- Structure
- Plot, build, stakes, dynamics
- Character
- Exposition
- Logic and clarity
- Cuts and keeps
- Too much or too little
- Action lines
- Dialogue
- Scene notes
- Production
- Suggestions and alternatives
- Vague notes
- Nitpicky notes
- How and When to Push Back on Notes (aka. how not to sell your soul nor lose your job)
- Q&A with Anna
About Your Instructor
Anna Henry, TV Executive (Educator)
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