Ever wonder why funny guys like Chris Pratt and John Krasinski suddenly morph into serious action heroes? Or grapple with the thorny question of who actually deserves to tell a specific story? In this episode of Pitch!, hosts Leah and Angel peel back the curtain on how screenwriters watch TV, vacillating between total immersion and hyper-critical analysis, and dive deep into the ethics of representation in modern storytelling.
Episode Summary
This episode is a candid "shop talk" session. We explore the television that shapes our writing. We discuss the concept of "osmosis": how the shows you binge inevitably filter into your own scripts, whether you intend them to or not.
A major portion of the conversation focuses on the Amazon Prime series The English. While Leah praises the writing, she expresses conflict over a white British writer telling a story centered on an Indigenous American character. This sparks a nuanced debate about research, "staying in your lane," and the industry reality that white men often still hold the keys to greenlighting diverse stories.
We also touch on our personal research methods (like watching The Sopranos to prep for a mafia script) and share our "Hall of Fame" TV inspirations, including The Twilight Zone, Parks and Rec, and Attack on Titan.
Interesting Quotes about Writing and Pitching
- On the "Writer Brain" vs. "Audience Brain": "When I watch a show and I'm so completely engrossed in it I forget that it was written... that's when [it's special]." — Angel
- On the ethics of storytelling and representation: "You can tell any story really well... but part of me was like, 'Oh man, you know it would have been cool if like an Indigenous person wrote this story.'" — Leah
- On the reality of who controls the industry: "We're still in a time where... it's still white men who are opening the doors for us, and until we can open our own doors we're still going to have those stories." — Angel
- On how consumption influences creation: "I think anything that you're watching when you're writing something is automatically going to go through a process of osmosis and filter in... either you're rejecting a bad idea... or you're accepting of somebody else's idea." — Leah
- On the subjectivity of Hollywood: "Everyone's got an opinion in this business and they're all convinced their opinion is right." — Angel
Listen on YouTube!
About the Hosts
Leah St. Marie & Angel Daahoud Murphy Leah and Angel are filmmakers, screenwriters, and the voices behind Pitch!. Their podcast is designed to "connect storytellers with the world," aiming to demystify the industry for emerging writers. They often blend personal anecdotes from the trenches of filmmaking with interviews and table reads, focusing on the practical and emotional ups and downs of trying to sell a story in Hollywood.
