INTERNSHIP REFLECTION

Going in, I was very confident. I definitely have the skills, and I knew writing could be time consuming, but I was so overwhelmed by the volume of work thrown at me.  But I sort of reveled in it. I tend to do a better job when i'm under the wire and stressed. Or maybe i'm just always doing a good job, and always stressed? I haven't had time to figure it out yet. But Interning at Bancroft has given me the opportunity to learn a lot about myself.

I went from being just a "good writer" (as determined by others... I don't get a say in that judgement) to being a self-sufficient writer. The first time I ever wrote a script was at Stevenson University. But all of the scripts I write on my own are for short films, since those are what we produce in class. I was able to use my scriptwriting skills to produce a FEATURE length documentary script/package, and a TELEVISION PILOT.

All of my FMI writing courses helped me attain this. Screenwriting taught me how to write a script, Advanced Screenwriting taught me how to plan out a documentary, Script Analysis taught me how to examine and provide coverage for a script. Grant Writing taught me how to research funding opportunities for film, and Feature Film Writing instilled a good old sense of dread in me... 15 pages due a week. If I hadn't taken these classes, I would have never been successful at Bancroft.

The best part about Bancroft is that I was able to choose what I write. For the documentary, Bruce gave me a selection of 3 books to choose from. Glory For Sale was my choice, I wanted to write about something local. And for The Gene Police, I asked him to give me some good genre fiction, and he found a perfect fit.

Bruce was the only person around to really network with, but I hope I can continue a professional relationship with him in the future, whatever form that takes.

I think the laid back and generally creative nature of working there made it a lot of fun. Most of the time Bruce and I would just talk about what movies we had seen lately, and about current affairs. It was nice and relaxing. I am just writing scripts after all.

There doesn't seem to be much room to grow there. Not because it's bad, but because it's small. Bancroft is such a small operation that they don't really hire or promote anyone... all the positions are taken, and there's only like 6 employees technically (including Bruce).

I felt well supported by Bruce, but I like to work without supervision anyways. He's been pretty hands off, and let's me do my thing. He never really gave me deadlines, as he knows i'm extremely busy, and working for free. I think if my situation were different, I would like deadlines and weekly check ins, but the relaxed nature of the work is just what I needed this semester.

It doesn't seem like Bancroft is hiring, but publishing wouldn't be a bad industry to work in. I love storytelling in general, not just film, and I also like to edit other peoples work. If I could work somewhere I could continue to write scripts, that would be fantastic.

I would recommend this internship to any other writing track student in the FMI program. It's a good place to BOOST your resume with work examples, and get a taste of what writing a feature is like.

ESPECIALLY because I know they're getting rid of the "Feature Film Writing" class. I understand budget cuts and all... But having a chance to get resume credit for writing something as massive as a feature is an undeniable opportunity.

Overall, this internship has just made me want to write EVEN MORE. I'm not sure where that will take me in the end, but I love doing it. I want to work in the industry, and I want to write... preferably in the industry. (that's the film industry if you're wondering).

THE EXIT INTERVIEW

Had my last meeting with Bruce:

Overall, I did well! He likes the work I did. I know we kept it pretty relaxed, but I asked for feedback anyways.

My biggest issue was time management. He never gave me an exact date for when to finish a script, so I think I let things take longer than I should have. I've been very busy, and since schoolwork always has a deadline, it was easy for me to prioritize writing a paper or working on my thesis film.

I also should have come in more. I wish I did at least. I made an effort to during the last half, but since I started around the Holiday's it was just easier for me to get most done at home. But every meeting I had with Bruce was always enlightening, and a good boost to my enthusiasm.

In the future, I just need to manage my time better, that's my biggest problem. Whether it's school or work, I just always feel like I have no time. I think getting my life on a schedule would help in general.

I'm going to start keeping a planner, and stick to it. Right now, all of the things I need to get done just float around in my head like buzzing gnats. It's stressful, and I feel like I have no time for anything.

This may be true, in a sense. But keeping my thoughts and plans collected in a manageable format will really help me knock things off my list in an orderly fashion.

I also need to push myself to go the extra mile. This last semester I have felt my work ethic just PLUMMET. I'm overwhelmed and overworked, so making the trip all the way up to the office, when I could just lay in bed and do ALL of my homework, seemed illogical.

I think during a time in my life where i'm focusing only on ONE piece of work, i'll be able to give it my 100%. So my goal going forward is to not stretch myself too thin anymore. I took a full load of classes this semester (even thought I didn't need to). I wrote an ambitious script for my senior project, and decided to direct and produce the whole thing.

I need to be smarter about where I put my energy, or else i'll burn out.

INFORMATIONAL MEETING WITH BRUCE

This is the informational meeting requirement... Since Bancroft Press is pretty much just Bruce Bortz, this post will be about him, and the company as a whole (as it's just him, pretty much)

Bruce has been running Bancroft Press for about 26 years now.  His official title is "Publisher" and he's the guy who runs the show. He also deals with all the t.v. and film rights, so he's pretty much my only interaction with the company.

What is the objective of adapting scripts here?

The idea is to sell the scripts to a production company. Selling a script is easier when it's based off of an already existing property. Bruce hires a freelance scriptwriter, and interns, who adapt some of the books they've published, in hopes one might sell.

Selling scripts in the "industry" is a long-shot. Especially for an intern(me). but it's good practice, and it's honest professional work.

What interests you in Publishing/Film?

Bruce got his Master's degree in broadcast journalism. He's always had an interest in politics, law, and entertainment. He spent many years in Law and politics, even helping the successful campaign of William Donald Schaeffer. Afterwards he turned towards entertainment law, and book publishing.

He's proud of being able to publish books he thinks are good. He likes to keep it small and curated, with a focus on quality.

What are some key skills to do the job well?

Besides an eye for a good story, you need to be able to write well, and give good feedback to writers (as an editor).

Being well rounded seems to help as well. Bruce publishes all sorts of books, so having the knowledge to understand what you're publishing, no matter what the subject is.

Also, being a people person... or at least a business person. Just like in any business, it all comes down to who you talk to, and the deals you make. Communication is key.

What does a typical work day look like?

Bruce usually starts with emails. Then updating any writers with notes or edits. If something will be published soon, he places an order/figures out the books dimensions and materials. (Paper is important!)

He takes any meetings when he can. He has tea some time around noon. He's kind of a jack-of-all trades.

Where did you learn to do all this?

In school, and in life.  Bruce has his Bachelor's, Master's and a Doctorate. There is no doubt that he needed to have an immense amount of self discipline to be able to complete all of this.

Plus his interests varied. He has a Political Science, Broadcast Journalism, and a Law Degree. He definitely has an interest in public service and government.

He has also worked many different jobs. In politics, as a teacher, as a lawyer, as a book publisher.

It just takes time and effort to explore your interests and learn a lot of new skills. Most of all though, just start doing it, and you'll learn as you go.

WORK EXAMPLES

1. Glory For Sale (The script!)

What was the most challenging aspect of this piece? : 

Adapting such a massive book, into a cohesive and straightforward documentary was a huge challenge. I needed to make it interesting, and cut out all of the fluff. The author had a tendency to go off on tangents, that made sense within the context of the book, but did not make sense for a visual medium. So distilling all of this information into a linear format, so you could watch it as a documentary, was very challenging.

What new skills did you acquire? :

Besides the massive amount of knowledge I have gained regarding football and football stadiums, I also learned how to keep track of a story that was over 500 pages long. I've never had to adapt from a book before. So I had a note/timeline system so I could keep track of when events were happening, in relation to other events. (since the story isn't told in chronological order.)


Is the work a success? : 

I believe so. It was a massive undertaking, but I feel like (and was told) that I did a good treatment, and was able to distill the essence of the story into a documentary script.


2. Glory For Sale (The Production Package!)

Preface to package.

What was the most challenging aspect of this piece? : 

Creating a sort of production package for a documentary is different than for a narrative. I decided to focus more on funding opportunities, and the markets the documentary would thrive in, rather than who the "star" would be.

All of this research was new and challenging to me.

What new skills did you acquire? :

I learned a lot more about the grant acquiring process, and the production "package" process. There is no real standard format, you're just aiming to create something that can convince someone else to give you money so you can film something.

confusing right?

Is the work a success? : 

I guess the only way to truly judge it as successful would be for it to sell... But that's a long shot. But I do think I successfully put together all the information needed to begin pre-production were the script ever to be bought.

3. The Gene Police (The Script!)

 

What was the most challenging aspect of this piece? : 

Adapting characters who already existed in two prior books was a challenge. I needed to be able to distill some of the information from prior novels, that I felt were important as introduction to the characters, while still starting at this point in the time line.

Also, writing in a way that meant you could take "commercial breaks" was tough. I needed to have a few good act breaks (even though the script isn't necessarily targeted towards network television.

What new skills did you acquire? :

Structurally, a television script is different than a feature script. You need to keep run-time, commercials, viewer interest, and cliff-hangers in mind. It's a much more targeted and "scientific" approach to writing. So practicing with a "formula" like that was new.

Is the work a success? : 

I think so! I like it. I think it's fun to read. I can't how too much here... the book isn't even technically out. But it was nice to work on fiction after working on non-fiction so long, I had fun and wrote a script, sounds like success to me.

TOPIC: VIRTUAL WORK LIFE

I’ve primarily worked from home this internship (at least the first half) communicating with Bruce via email when I need to.

This has worked out well for me, considering how crazy busy my last semester is.

I email Bruce whenever I need advice, or want feedback. He keeps me updated on things occasionally.

I do have keys to the office, and I can pop by whenever I need to. But working virtually has been much better for my schedule.

Bruce is able to give feedback using a .pdf editor. The original plan was to use Adobe Story, since it’s cloud based. But if you look at my earlier post, it ended up being too buggy for the project I was pursuing.

I would like to try a cloud based script program again in the future, but “Glory For Sale” was just too big for it to handle. I was afraid to use Adobe Story because I was worried it was too buggy, and I might lose my work all of the sudden one day.

So instead of keeping my work in the cloud, I’ve just switched back to Celtx, and we send script work via email. It’s probably a tiny bit slower, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.

TOPIC: ADAPTATIONS

In my time at Stevenson University, I’ve only written original scripts. Adapting a story into a script is a much different process.

I need to stay true to the source material, while also making sure I’m not missing any subtext or themes of the story. I don’t have access to the author of “The Gene Police.” So I need to pick up on every little line of dialogue, or inner monologue, and find a way to transmit that into the script.

Finding ways to show how a character feels is tough. In the book, Shep Harrington (The main character) is a private gumshoe, with a good sense of snark. A lot of this comes through in his inner thoughts.

I wanted to forego voiceover in the script… it just seems cheesy, especially for something with a slightly dark tone. So creating new dialogue, and filling in character backgrounds with props is important.

I feel like I’ve done a good job with translation from novel to script.  I’ve gone back and read summaries of the first two novels, but I do like starting in the middle of Shep’s story. I feel like there is room to grow and either direction, and the idea of writing just a story, without having to explain everything all the time is nice.

TOPIC: LEARNING NEW SOFTWARE

Working at Bancroft, I learned to use “Adobe Story.”  Which is Adobe’s take on scriptwriting software a la “Final Cut” or “Celtx.”  It’s writing functionality is generally the same as those tools. But “Story” can be cloud based. That way I could work on the script from home or work, and never miss a beat.

The downside of Adobe Story is how buggy it is. On Celtx, when you write an A/V script the input is the same as a normal narrative script. But it spits out the PDF in a two-column format.

Adobe Story has you type audio and visuals in the two separate columns individually. It’s not a huge deal, but it causes bugs when you’re working on the cloud. The pages don’t automatically add themselves, so you can’t write past one page while being able to see what you’re typing.

I tried to troubleshoot for this issue with no luck. Adobe Story is a relatively new program, and I couldn’t find much in their FAQ or through Google.

While working with this new program was fun, I decided to switch back to Celtx so I could work faster. It means I need to email Bruce my work in progress, and he just edits it with a .pdf editor.