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 Question on writing.

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Nixon
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PostSubject: Question on writing.   Question on writing. I_icon_minitimeSun Oct 25, 2009 6:39 pm

If this is in the wrong section. i apoligize. But how do i write for an abridged series. should i watch it.then write from ther?or watch and write at the same time? how do yall write?
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TutuOn
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PostSubject: Re: Question on writing.   Question on writing. I_icon_minitimeMon Oct 26, 2009 4:52 am

Well, I usually have a planning discussion with my partner first, to get a basic idea of what we're planning for this episode to involve. ("Oh, yeah, Ceiling cat's in this one." "Don't forget the Evil Finny line." etc.) Then we watch the episode scene by scene, picking and choosing our scenes and then watching them, pausing and writing. This allows us to kick off a script in like an hour or so.

But if you're ever stuck on a scene, you should go ahead and watch the full episode and come back to it. Giving the scene context often helps me.
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PostSubject: Re: Question on writing.   Question on writing. I_icon_minitimeMon Oct 26, 2009 11:16 am

Blade's method is more or less what I do as well, so I won't get too much into that. Instead I'll insert a bit of a caveat:

Continuity. You have to be aware of recurring themes, characters, etc. I've seen this trip a lot of writers up, and it always helps to plan far ahead when it comes to these things. A lot of times this is easy enough to do, i.e., TeamDat's take on Light Yagami is that he only kills popular anime characters so that he can be the most popular. Sometimes, though, there are a lot more subtleties in continuity.

For instance, to take an example from my experience, to most viewers Zoids Zero is about 6 episodes of plot and 20 episodes of filler. When you try to make an extensive parody of it, however, you discover that there are many more subtle details that make the context of an entire episode. I almost tripped myself up a few times by almost skipping episodes I thought were boring, but proved to be plot-essential or essential for a character.

The point is, just plan ahead so as to not upset continuity.

Also, characters: Make them interesting and unique. It's alright if you have an emo character or a gay character, but do try to make them more than just Sasuke Uchiha expy's.
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TutuOn
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PostSubject: Re: Question on writing.   Question on writing. I_icon_minitimeMon Oct 26, 2009 11:37 am

I totally agree with Truth here. Continuity is really important. I often depend on continuity for my jokes which knit unrelated incidents and subplots together into an oddball narrative. For instance, a throw away joke in the fourth episode of my series involves a Plot Case(TM) being used by a character, indicating that use of Plot Case(TM) may cause plotholes. In the eighteenth episode of the actual series, a story found in a leather case comes true. The story doesn't make sense. Guess why.

See how that worked out?

I'm good at continuity. I have a good head for details and tend to keep track of it all naturally, but not everybody does. Make sure that you live and breathe not just your own series, but your source material as well. Because the more intimately you know your source material, the more and more complex connections you can make with it to make a hilariously compelling abridged plot.
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Nixon
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PostSubject: Re: Question on writing.   Question on writing. I_icon_minitimeMon Oct 26, 2009 3:53 pm

Thanks guys. Ill keep all that advice into consideration

What if the show has like a different theme every episode and doesnt have like dbz,one overall conflict?
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TutuOn
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PostSubject: Re: Question on writing.   Question on writing. I_icon_minitimeMon Oct 26, 2009 5:15 pm

Almost every TV show has some sort of overarching situation, and often a plot whether or not it comes up very much. On the story heavy end of the spectrem you have Last Exile and Death Note where every episode advances the plot and characterization of the cast. Or Digimon which follows first a group of children trying to get home, then save the world, etc, with arcs and the episodes pretty much go in order, but may or may not be important. On the other hand, Case Closed, while having an overarching plot, spends most of it's time on one-shot mysteries. All of these shows have been abridged with a certain degree of success.

The key is knowing what kind of show you're dealing with. Episodic adventures don't lend themselves to combined episodes very much (Unless you simply skip one episode) but arc based series often do. On the other hand, you usually can't skip an episode of an arc based show because STUFF HAPPENS.

I tend to prefer the more plot oriented shows to abridge, because I couldn't stand not having character development to play off of. But some people have proven excellent at it. (If you feel like you need a good example to look at, I'd suggest either Case Closed Abridged or Sailor Moon Abridged. Although neither of them are completely arcless series it gives the impression you want.
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Nixon
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PostSubject: Re: Question on writing.   Question on writing. I_icon_minitimeMon Oct 26, 2009 5:53 pm

You guys are extremly helpful.

Did i mention that this site is awesome.
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TutuOn
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PostSubject: Re: Question on writing.   Question on writing. I_icon_minitimeMon Oct 26, 2009 7:47 pm

Nixon wrote:
You guys are extremly helpful.

Did i mention that this site is awesome.

Not at all, and thank you for saying so.
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PostSubject: Re: Question on writing.   Question on writing. I_icon_minitime

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