The art of making art…
Is putting it together
As you might know, I live in Los Angeles.
I moved to LA in 2020–yes, mid-pandemic, with the idea that I’d test the waters of becoming a TV writer. I have always loved writing, and I dabbled in some poorly formatted screenplays while I was in high school and college. Such hits included:
Mr. Right Now (2010): a Friends-inspired sitcom that followed the lives of 4 friends as they navigated work and love in the big city of Denver. Of all projects from this period, this remains the one I think I can salvage the most.
Operation Yente(2005): Rom Com in which two teenagers conspire to set up their teachers who may or may not be already dating. Loosely, and I do stress, LOOSELY based on true events.
The Finer Arts(2006-07): An hour-long dramedy about the fine arts department of a high school, totally inspired by Grey’s Anatomy. Our heroine was Holly Finer (as I said, totally inspired) who gave us an insight into the teaching (and love) lives of the educators of the department through her voice-over, with a secondary cast of teenagers to provide more unnecessary drama. This includes what I think is one of the best dialogue exchanges I have written, which is as follows:
Scene INT BAR. Teachers gather for a department happy hour on a Thursday.
British Eccentric Art Teacher (a Madame Trelawney type): sorry I’m late, Dame Judy Dench was having a crisis.
Overbearing Mother of the New Choir Teacher: Dame Judy Dench! You know her?
Jaded and Sarcastic Boss Bitch Orchestra Teacher who detests Art Teacher (into her martini, snidely: It’s her cat.
I still wish I wanted a cat just to name it Dame Judy Dench.
Yes, these scripts all featured Denver and/or choir. They do say to write what you know…
So flash forward to 2020, I hadn’t written in a while, having read the tea leaves wrong thinking that the aforementioned scripts were pointing me to a career in choral music as opposed to a career writing about that character. But, the onset of the pandemic ruined both my improv classes and travel plans, so I started taking writing classes. One virtual pilot class and several sketch classes later, my car was packed and I was on my way to LA.
Upon arriving in LA, I took several writing classes throughout my first year and ended up with two pilots and a less-than-stellar Ted Lasso spec. I was unemployed at the time, though looking for gainful employment (made harder by the pandemic), so I had time to devote to the craft of writing. And along the way, I got to learn about the business as well. I didn’t move to LA with any assumption that being a writer was an easy career, but the longer I spent sending emails into the internet abyss, the more I realized putting pressure on my hobby to make me money was going to make me hate it. I started to resent writing, much as I did with singing in a choir. I was no longer focusing on the art of making art and lost the joy of putting it together.
Along the way, however, I met a ton of friends who are writers. Successful writers who have sold scripts, been on shows, and found a way to make a living out of their art. But right now, writing as a viable career is being threatened, and it is becoming harder for talented writers to continue producing the art they love—art that has made a lot of money for studios.
Which, of course, is what led us to where we are now. It’s been an interesting week to be in arts circles in LA as the writer’s strike has dominated many conversations and impacted so many of my friends. There’s a high degree of uncertainty as no one knows when the strike will end or if the studios will decide to pay people fairly for their work. Give them A share in the record-making profits they helped create. Cause, after all, that’s what the writers, and other artists and technicians who make the entertainment that we consume, asking for.
As someone outside the industry, I can see the frustration of my peers who have worked for decades to succeed at art only to be met with no guarantee corporations won’t decide to save a buck and use AI (which is asinine).
I titled this newsletter “The Art of Making Art”, which is a line from “Putting it Together” from Sunday in the Park with George by Sondheim—a musical all about the process, the struggle, and the commitment to making great art. Art isn’t easy. But it is vital.
AI cannot produce art the way humans with lived, unique emotional experiences can. There is a nuance to making art to say something. Something no one else can say in your voice. Part of that process is struggle, but to me, that’s where the art lies. It lies in the creation, the hours, the honing of a craft, and the carefully chosen words used to deliver a message. A struggle that can never be captured by AI.
So, while I am not pursuing writing in a room as a career, I am in ardent support of those who are. They have created some of our generation's most vital and loved pieces of art and entertainment. And they deserve to get paid for it.
Ten Things This Week
Sunday in The Park With George is a masterpiece.
Here’s Mandy Patinkin singing “Putting It Together” from the aforementioned masterpiece.
My first introduction to the song was on Barbra Streisand’s Broadway Album, in which she changed the lyrics to make the song about recording an album. It took me 10 years to realize those weren’t the real lyrics.
Speaking of Sunday…Jonathan Larson wrote an incredible homage to Sondheim and the musical in his show Tick, Tick Boom. The version of “Sunday” captured for the film is sheer perfection.
In fact, all of Tick, Tick Boom is perfection. No notes. And, it feels like a really important story to be sharing right now—An artist with an innate gift believes in his art so much, he has to share it with the world, no matter how hard that becomes. Not to mention, the devastating impacts of a public health crisis, the dominating and dehumanizing actions of corporations, and an underlying message of love.
If you don’t know much about Jonathan Larson, Lin Manuel-Miranda and Andrew Garfield have a great video explaining his legacy and importance in theatre.
And, while we’re talking about Jonathan Larson, I would be remiss to not give a shout-out to RENT. One of my prime high school obsessions, that shares many themes with Tick, Tick Boom. Take Me or Leave Me is a favorite karaoke song of mine.
For more information on the writer’s strike, this is a good overview of how we got here and what’s at stake for those who work in entertainment. I, by no means, know a ton about the situation, but this seems to echo many sentiments from those who do.
Support the WGA and other guilds of Hollywood!
And, shameless promotion, the new episode of Best Line/Worst Line is out now and it just so happens it is all about screenwriting (this was not planned). We discuss the movie Adaptation, which follows a screenwriter (Nic Cage) struggling through his writing process—and takes several wild, meta turns from there. I had never seen it, but it’s one of Jessica’s favorite movies.
Till next time!
Melanie
Enjoyed this piece. The lyrics from Sunday in The Park With George are among my favorites.... Also feeling the angst of LA writers and all the businesses that are impacted by the current strike.