Let a showrunner guide you on what a writer needs to do on set.
One of the tenements of the current writer’s strike is how TV budgets have basically removed writers’ ability to go to set. It’s one of the core foundations of writing, and it’s what makes television shows better.
Don’t believe me? Succession has three writers on set for every episode.
But what does a writer actually do on set? And how should they do what they do?
Well, now there’s an entire document directing writers with the ins and outs of what happens on set and what they should do. We have a hero showrunner to thank for it.
Eliza Clark was the Showrunner/EP of Y: The Last Man on FX. She recently took to Twitter to send out an amazing document that’s eight pages of advice for what a writer’s job is on set. It’s so important and a must-read for any aspiring writer and really anyone who wants to work in TV.
Here is a link to a google drive of How To Be A Writer On Set. This was written specifically for the writers of Y THE LAST MAN but it applies to other shows. I hope it makes clear how important writers are on set. https://t.co/yGueI6rpQj
— Eliza Clark (@TheElizaClark) May 5, 2023
The document covers script changes, table reads, meetings, hair and makeup, locations, and concepts, it’s a plethora of things that writers will be involved with or will lead as a TV episode goes into production.
I can’t thank Eliza Clark enough for making this available to everyone.
Read it. Study it. It’s an amazing resource that I am going to print out and take with me.
