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The Story Comes Together
Unlike writing for novels or the stage, composing scripts for television is a group affair. Our team this year is a tight-knit, determined family, just like our cast, and it takes everyone in “the writer’s room” (and a few people outside it) to make Brenda Leigh Johnson as smart as she is.
The story telling starts in a medium-sized rectangular conference room adjoining my office, bordered on three sides by different-sized white, dry erase boards. When blank, these boards reflect the glare from the fluorescent lights (whenever someone accidentally switches them on) that burns-out every creative instinct known to humanity. Trying not to be overly daunted by the bright blankness is our first challenge. Our next is filling the empty space with a story worth your time.
First, we pick a crime that tests our protagonist and her team of detectives. Then we figure out how and why that crime was committed. Det. Mike Berchem, our co-producer, technical adviser – and still an active member of the LAPD’s elite Robbery/Homicide section - shines at this aspect of our work in a way that defies superlatives.
After we have our murder, we construct our killer and their individual crime scenes (something else we discuss in endless detail).
Then we talk about what the crime represents; what theme does it call to mind; how do its motives register in our own hearts? Can we identify, in some way, with the criminal and his or her actions? And what sort of challenge will this new murderer present Deputy Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson? How will this challenge reverberate through her life? How far will she go to overcome it? How will the other characters react? How will their reactions impact the solution to our mystery? And how is Brenda adjusting to Los Angeles? To Fritz? To Pope? And, this season, most importantly, to Sgt. David Gabriel?
And what will be the “tone” of the episode? Is it an Adam Belanoff special, with echoes of McHale's Navy? Is it that kind of twisty, emotional roller coaster that Hunt Baldwin and John Coveny build? Is it grim, dangerous and bloody: maybe Mike Berchem and I had a hand in that. Though Steven Kane finds the demons, too, and has an easy way with horror I admire. Duppy Demetrius brings his own special form of dark humor to the table, along with a relentless insistence on logic. And if there is any single person in our room who can spot and illuminate the paradox of the “ordinary murderer,” that would be the gifted Michael Alaimo. Ken Martin generally holds each of our stories together, taking notes on everything that's said until peeling off to write his own script. Generally speaking, if it doesn't make sense to Ken, we have to rephrase everything until it does. Maddening, and good for us all.
Gil Garceti, our the former district attorney for the County of Los Angeles helps keep us honest as we take the story of the board, turn it into a twenty-five to thirty page prose treatment, then translate that document into a script.
Through the process, our studio, Warners, and our network, TNT, keep asking us good questions about what we're trying to do. And their thoughts and issues help us deliver stories that are unique to our show.
After we have a draft of the script we propose to shoot, the directors and actors weigh in, giving us their own feedback on the scenes. You can't imagine how important it is to listen to the people who have to say the words. We have great actors; they have great instincts; working with them on the scripts makes the story better. And great moments come from collaborating with the interpretive artists on our show. Directors discover depths to scenes we never dreamed were there. Our job is to take all those different thoughts, all the different colors and focus them into one bright, white light…
...like that light reflecting off the blank eraser boards in the writer's room, where we gather to start another story of The Closer.
Truthfully, we're a team. Write across the board (if you don't mind the pun). And the best of our shows have a little of everyone in them. And that's the way we like it.
Speaking of the best of our shows, the most excellent episode of The Closer we have made so far will be airing this Monday and, in its first appearance, will run over the hour. Ever after, it will be shown in the necessary network format, fully nine minutes shorter than the original. If you want to see this episode at its best, I suggest you tune in Monday night at 9 pm, 8 pm Mountain and Central when it first premieres. And, if you’re taping the program, make sure your Tivo or DVR or VCR/DVD recorder is set to go well over the regular hour.
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Jul 7, 2007 10:32 PM
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Very interesting. Writing by committee can be daunting, I know. But it sounds like you have great experts advising you and making sure you get the details right!
This season's episoes have been terrific - and I'm really looking forward to Monday night! Can't wait to see what happens next?
One question: Will we actually see Brenda and Fritz move into a larger house this season?
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Jul 8, 2007 4:59 PM
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... the most excellent episode of The Closer we have made so far will be airing this Monday..."
James, that's just as I teased in my The Closer recap blog. This week's episode is so powerful that as I thought about it again on the walk to work today, I started to become overcome with the same emotions. I hope everyone gets to see the full-length version, I can't imagine what scenes a truncated edit would spare.
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Jul 9, 2007 9:17 AM
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Thank you for giving us some insight into how an episode is crafted in the writer's room. It was really interesting to learn the thinking process behind it, and how you and your writing staff go the extra mile to ensure it stays true to both the characters and the profession they represent.
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Jul 9, 2007 11:42 AM
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James,
Thanks for the heads-up that the original broadcast will be the only one to show the complete episode. My Comcast digital on-screen TV Guide shows the time as 9:00 - 10:10, but I still set my DVR to record a couple of minutes overtime. I don't want to take any chances and I won't be deleting it when it's over.
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Jul 9, 2007 4:52 PM
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James, thanks for making such amazing television last night! I've been a die hard fan of The Closer since the first episode and blog about it all the time.
It makes me giddy like a school girl, er boy, er... to know that this show not only avoided the Sophmore slump but that its grown into something deeper and more character driven in its Junior season.
It's great to see so much care is put into each case, what the case means to not only to the family of the victim but to the "family" of PHD. You've created a tight ship over there on the Closer set and I hope we can only expect such greatness for the rest of the season.
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Jul 10, 2007 10:03 AM
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It is now almost 14 hours since I viewed the original version of last night's "The Closer." I can honestly say I am still shaken by the crime and the cold, cruel, and twisted reasoning behind the crime.
Mr. Duff -- thank you and your entire team that creates this amazing hour of television every week. It is a shame that it is only on during the summer, but I have to say that it the best thing on tv right now.
I look forward to every Monday night to see what Brenda Leigh and family do next. Thank yew!
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Jul 10, 2007 11:36 AM
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Mr. Duff--I have been a fan of "The Closer" since day one--however, last night everyone involved with the show (especially the writers!) totally outdid themselves.
Kudos to an excellent episode!! Not only was it outstanding but it was so well done that it made one forget that it was fiction. Thank you!!
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Jul 10, 2007 3:39 PM
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Thanks, as always, James for the insights into the process of producing The Closer. These blogs continue to be an interesting and enjoyable read!
Now, to add my thoughts on Ruby to your newest entry.
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Jul 10, 2007 8:40 PM
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