Writing Retreat 3: Rise of the Machines

AND WE DID BECOME MACHINES



Between January 8th and 15th, the core group, Katie Watson (Sirens), and Conner Kalista (Too Much Light) traveled to a secluded house in Michigan, out of cellphone reception range to write 12 episodes of the radio show to round out Season Two to the contractually obligated 60 Episodes.



Two Weeks Prior to that we all sat down and threw out some ideas. Each of us brought five overall themes for episodes and pitched them. These Hundred-or-so ideas were posted on a whiteboard and we voted for the illustrious twelve, twenty are chosen and revoted on, and then those are revoted on.



AND THE WINNERS ARE...



Prior to Christmas the following Themes for Episodes 45-60 were chosen.



Delay

Entire episodes takes place during a 30 minute delay at an airport.



Hey, Can I Crash Here?

Based on the theme of party, crashers, life crashers, adn unwelcome guests.



Speed Dating

Show based on couples and relationships in which every sketch is two minutes long.



Day In The Life of America's Heart & Soul

Based on Angelina jolie's upcoming project, which shows what everyone's doing at exactly the same time on the same day all over the world.



:30

A show that takes place in realtime, on cubs opening day, a half hour from the first pitch.



We Didn't Start The Fire

The Chicago Fires, the famous one and the Lasalle Bank Building one too, plus the Billy Joel Song.



Fanaticism

Fanaticism.



Who Killed Scruffy McMuffin?

A very old idea.



The Apartment

Several stories that take place in the apartment that surrounds a frustrated writer on deadline to finish his novel.



Ed Bus

A documentary on Ed Bus and his re-election campaign leading up to election day.



61

Schadenfreude splits up after 60 and goes in many diverse directions and career choices, when it's revealed that we still owe WBEZ one more episode, the show tracks us down and brings us back for one more show, that show, of cours is this one.



There's one show I haven't listed and I'll just call it Episode X, I will not tell you what it's them is or what's it's about, it would ruin you discovering it for yourself. In theory it's my favorite thing we've done, it hasn't been recorded or aired, but I really love it. I can't wait for you to hear it.



TWO WEEKS LATER WE WENT TO MICHIGAN



For an entire day we pitched ideas under each theme. For another day we went through every sketch in every episode and figured out the best way for them to interlock and recur to create the flow we try and achieve in our show. Then we riffed on the ideas and took detailed notes. Then we were ready to break off and write in groups, but before we could do that we had to take another day and expand the sketch ideas as a group so the that the groups would go smoothly. We wrote the beats for each scene "and then he does this, and then the other guys says something like this, and then they both have pie." Then three groups, one on each floor went away and spent between 6 and 12 hours on each episode. Then we reconvened and repeated the process of expand and breaking off for every episode.



Best Writing Retreat Moments:



Justin and Sandy putting in overtime in the basement to write not one, but two ed bus shows. The shows create a whole new world for Ed bus to exist in with a great antagonist, supercorporation Dinnerbansky & Ross and their global domination plans, superbitch lawyers, and exercise machine entrepreneurs, and Arnold Schwarzeneggar.



The first read of We Didn't Start The Fire - flawless structure from the first read. Love it.



The first read of Episode X, and Katie Watson's Uncanny word-for-word typing ability from the original discussion session.



My Arnold Scwarzeneggar Bit, an observation I've always had on Arnold and how he plugs his stupid movies on Jay Leno, it made everyone laugh.



Writing with Conner. First time I ever wrote with him, very clever. Best Lines: "Hey do you guys have a dumpsink so I can wash my comforter" "For the next two minutes we have a sale on knives and ice in the back next to the upturned palattes" and "I fell off my elliptical machine onto my priceless collection of Crossbows" (you'll get ti when you hear them, no time to explain)



The First reading of the first six episodes.



Traditionally we hold the reading of the scripts until the last night of the retreat. But this time we rewarded ourselves for our work so far by doing a reading. What a good idea. We all needed the release so bad. It gave us so much energy, I've never laughed harder at what probably wasn't that funny just because I needed the release.



The most fun thing at every retreat is coming up with clever line while writing and anticipating springing the line on the rest of the group to get that first reaction. Each writing staff member will hear that joke 20 more times during the editing and rehearsal process, so a new hilarious line will never be funnier to the group than that first time you spring it on them. It's the closest the writing staff gets to being audience members, "I cried from my fun place." "I never jacked off a sleeping homeless guy." and "Reyna did me a favor...a HAND favor." are amongst my favorites.



So for two weeks we edited and rehearsed the episodes and tomorrw morning we record the first four of the lot. So I'm rehearsing right now. I'll give you the blow by blow of recording CRASH, DELAY, SPEED DATING, and A DAY IN THE LIFE tomorrow.