ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

4 years, 11 months ago - Lynwood Shiva Sawyer

Dear Folks,
At heart I’m a movie person who primarily writes for actors. (Actually, I primarily write in a very tiny niche called “paid work,” but I would prefer to write actor-driven material). I finally figured out an algorithm that enables me to watch non-genre television shows:
A. Download the show, then fast forward through it and only retain those scenes where there is more than one character in frame. Delete any scenes where the main character is:
A. Talking on a cellphone;
B. Typing into a computer;
C. Walking alone
1. Down a city street,
2. Into and/or through a house, or
3. In an office (green screened characters walking to and fro in the background with briefcases, folders, coffee trays do not count as being two or more people in frame).
3. Near water, either walking along the beach or riverbank or swimming,
D. Lost in thought as music plays.
E. Contemplating inanimate objects
1. Interior decoration;
2. Photos;
3. Memorabilia.
E. Any scene with cars:
1. Driving along a highway, or
2. Pulling up to a building / apartment / store
F. Any scenes of airplanes taking off or landing or boats pulling up to or departing from a dock.
It’s a amazing how much great TV is out there once you nuke the filler. Unfortunately, many half hour shows end up with only 10 minutes or so of footage that actually require the actors to act.
As with all algorithms, this one is subject to revision, and I’m more than open to suggestion.
Also, I would be more than willing to pay for a subscription service that would only stream shows in their pure concentrated form. Let me know if any such creature exists.