No Business, Extra Business
Charlie Sheen might be looking rough these days, but he’s not so bad in person. Seriously. I’m not kidding. I know this for a fact because I got to watch Mr. Sheen during a taping of the second episode of “Two and a Half Men” on Stage 26 at the Warner Bros.
Charlie Sheen might be looking rough these days, but he’s not so bad in person.
Seriously. I’m not kidding.
I know this for a fact because I got to watch Mr. Sheen during a taping of the second episode of “Two and a Half Men” on Stage 26 at the Warner Bros. studio in Burbank, Calif.
The taping, which lasted an entire evening, was one of the many perks of a two-week internship awarded by the School of Mass Communications.
I had a wonderful time, certainly, but I think the word “internship” is a loose term. See, an “internship” suggests that there is an amount of work involved on the job. Unless you count trying to represent the VCU community in a positive light, which I hope I did, it was more work to locate the buildings on my itinerary. This was followed by my highly unsuccessful attempt to track down George Clooney.
A studio tour of the Warner Bros. lot was the fi \rst item on the itinerary. My self-control lasted a grand total of 10 minutes, because our tour guide only had to use “ER” and “George Clooney” in a sentence to make me feel 14 again. (By the way, die-hard “Gilmore Girls” fans should definitely take the studio tour. I almost wish I liked that show.)
Warner Bros. has an extremely vast corporate structure with very specialized divisions. In fact, it’s so big that saying you know someone who works at Warner Bros. is a lot like saying you know someone who goes to VCU.
For the next few days, we met with executives in areas such as corporate communication, consumer products, research, sales, legal, development and programming. Some of these executives even took us to lunch to discuss the business, something I greatly enjoyed.
There was a lot to learn from these people. Although showbiz as they knew it in earlier decades is much different from its current state, some things remain the same. For instance, writing syndication contracts really is as boring as it sounds. One producer advised me to learn imaging and audio visual editing programs to become a “preditor,” or someone with strong producing and editing skills. Many of the female execu-
tives spoke of balancing their families and their careers.
A favorite topic of mine concerned the future of the half-hour sitcom. Out of the fi ve new shows premiering on NBC this fall, only one, “Chuck,” is a full-hour action-comedy.
Another subtopic is the potential demise of the studio audience laugh track. The success of more recent shows like “Scrubs” and “Arrested Development” prove that today’s sitcoms don’t need the audience laugh track. I was told that the comedy genre is harder to defi ne. Also, it’s more diffi cult to fi nd comedy that is fresh and unique. As a result, sometimes the traditional laugh track simply doesn’t play into a certain vision.
We visited the sets of “Extra” and “TMZ,” which premieres Sept. 10. We were lucky enough to see a sizzle reel of “The Dark Knight,” as well as sales tapes for new daytime and prime time shows. Looking back, it’s a wonder I didn’t have to sign a single nondisclosure agreement!
You might be curious about my celebrity sightings. We ate lunch a few tables away from fi lm producer Richard Zanuck. Rashida Jones, who plays Karen on NBC’s “The Office,” was behind us in the Starbucks line. Teresa Strasser, the original host of TLC’s “While You Were Out,” was on the “TMZ” set.
I’m sure you’re familiar with the old adage, “The camera adds 10 pounds.” Well, it’s absolutely true in Hollywood. If you don’t believe me, go to the Warner Bros. Museum. Look at the costumes and see for yourself. Actresses are tiny. Is that a guild requirement?
The past two weeks were filled with many great opportunities to speak with people in different facets of the company and to hear their points of view on their work and advice for the next generation. It’s an exciting time to work in television. If I get the chance to work in the business in the next few years, I will gladly take it, unless of course, it happens to be contracting.
By that time, Clooney will be trying to track me down for a chance to collaborate on a project. At least that’s what I’m hoping.