‘TV drama is a new cinematography’: workshop by Neil Landau – screenwriter of Melrose Place and professor at UCLA

Why so many great filmmakers go to TV drama production? What is the difference between writing for films and series? Why is the budget not the most important thing? How does changing of content consumption patterns affect its production? All this and much more – on September 18 at KMW.

Neil Landau's filmography is very extensive and diverse. His credits include the cult hit comedy Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991), two feature animated projects Tad: The Lost Explorer (aka Las Adventuras de Tadeo Jones, 2012) and Tad2 (Tadeo Jones and the Secret of King Midas, 2017), awarded with Goya. Also, Neil Landau worked for several years as an executive script consultant in the international divisions of Sony Pictures Television and Columbia Pictures, filmed one-hour drama pilots for CBS, ABC, ABC Family, Warner Bros., Disney, Lifetime and Fremantle, and is now developing a pilot for Netflix. And the series plays a special role in his creative biography: Mr. Landau was the scriptwriter of iconic youth projects of the 1990s – MTV's Undressed, The Secret World of Alex Mack, The Young & the Restless and, of course, Melrose Place.

In addition to working as a screenwriter, script consultant and producer, Neil Landau is also engaged in teaching. He is an Assistant Dean of Dean's Special Programs at UCLA School of Theater, Film & Television. He’s the author of the bestselling books: 101 Things I Learned in Film School (2010), The Screenwriter’s Roadmap (2012), The TV Showrunner’s Roadmap (2014) and TV Writing on Demand: Creating Great Content in the Digital Era (2018). His ‘roadmaps’ have been translated into 10 languages, and Neil himself holds lectures and master classes around the world.

On his first visit to Ukraine, Neil Landau will hold a workshop ‘TV drama is a new cinematography’ at KMW 2018, dedicated to the most burning issues of the industry. In particular, he will cover the issue of mass ‘migration’ of great filmmakers to series and will explain what they, thanks to this, get from the professional side. Also, he will tell what is the difference in writing scripts for films and series, and also how artistic can be those who make series for free broadcasters with the wide audience, what are their risks and how to make TV dramas with low or middle budget. Also he will tell about renewal of series to the next seasons. And finally, he will focus on digital consumption, which is revolution in the industry.

‘Today in the television industry – with a variety of viewing interests, with the influence of VoDs – the demand for fresh new content exceeds the offer. If you are a broadcaster or a platform, it is very important to be the first with a new series, otherwise you lose. In other words, everything is moving too fast for success or failure to be predicted’, – says Neil Landau. But even in such conditions, risks can be minimized, and he will tell how to do it in his speech at KMW.

Workshop by Neil Landau ‘TV drama is a new cinematography’ will be held on the second day of KYIV MEDIA WEEK (September 18) from 15:10 to 16:00.

KYIV MEDIA WEEK will be held on September 17-21, 2018 in Hyatt Regency Kyiv (Kyiv, Ukraine). Register for the media forum here.

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