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Jason Mirch is Stage 32's Director of Script Services and host of the Writers' Room. Outside of this role, he is a feature film, television, branded entertainment, and digital content producer and executive with over 15 years experience. Most recently, he produced a 3D animated feature film starring Jacob Tremblay, Christopher Lloyd, Mel Brooks, and Carol Kane. Full Bio »
Dark comedies intend to make light of events that would otherwise be considered too painful to discuss. The hope is that viewers will gain a cathartic experience, or simply laugh at some absurd situation. During this webcast, Jason Mirch discusses the 6 principles of how to make Dark Comedies work, while showing clips of some of the best dark comedies as examples.
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We're back in the Writers Room this afternoon for The Breakdown with Eric Zimmerman. Eric Zimmerman was a Writer/Producer on Freeform's BABY DADDY for its entire 100 episode run. Eric got his start on IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA by doing the one thing you're never supposed to do - handing the creators a spec of their own series. Since then, he's spent the last fifteen years staffed on a wide variety of comedies - from adult animated shows like MONGO WRESTLING ALLIANCE (Adult Swim) and the critically-acclaimed DAN VS (The Hub). Last year, he finished his third and final season as a Co-EP on the multi-cam SYDNEY TO THE MAX (Disney). In addition to staffing, he's recently sold several kids and family projects to Disney and Netflix. He currently has a multi-cam project in development at Disney. When Eric's not busy writing, he enjoys spending time with his young daughter, playing basketball, and rewriting his bio.
Love is in the air in the Writers' Room! We are kicking off a brand new month this week with the Breakdown Webcast: Writing Romantic Comedies! Jason was speaking with a Senior Vice President of Development at an A-List production company who said, "Every studio executive is asking me for Rom Coms!" If you look at recent trends, it is clear they are on a come back. We will break down the beats of a Romantic Comedy so that you as a writer approach writing without falling into the trap of tired cliches. We will also explore how to take the storytelling conventions and turn them on their head. We will examine films and series including When Harry Met Sally, 500 Days of Summer, The Apartment, Knocked Up, What Women Want and more to find out what makes these projects work and how we can apply those same principles to our writing!
We're back in the Writers Room this afternoon for The Breakdown Webcast with Matt Ember! Matt Ember is a writer/producer who has worked on over 20 feature films and television shows including THE CONNERS on ABC, THE WAR WITH GRANDPA with Robert Deniro, GET SMART with Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway and FAILURE TO LAUNCH with Matthew McConaghey and Sarah Jessica Parker and many more.
If you hang a gun on the wall in the first act, it better go off. In this webast, we took a look at the "Chekhov's guns" in the Winchester of Shaun of the Dead, the rock hammer in Shawshank, the coins in In Bruge, and more!
We're back in the Writers Room for The Breakdown Webcast: Special Summer Series: Developing a Healthy Mindset for Screenwriters with Special Guest Jasmin Bristow, Mindfulness and Emotional Wellness Coaching. Join us as we finish our summer series with Dr. Debra Holland, Psychotherapist, and New York Times and USA Today bestselling authorA writer’s life has its own special stresses, especially dealing with rejection, the criticism of our heartfelt work, and juggling a fluctuating (and often low) income. Dr. Debra will present strategies for boosting mental health and enhancing motivation. All are welcome!
We take a look at how writers use cutaways to drive home punchlines in Family Guy and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, explain big ideas in The Big Short, give historical context in Narcos, and frame stories in The Princess Bride.