Love this. Pitching 3 more. 1) Widows - details from a previous draft that need to be removed after you've done an extensive rewrite 2) Clay Pigeoning - 1st showrunner taught me this one. When you want something very risky or dangerous in your script, you put something twice as bad in there so the execs intentionally shoot that one down and your real target flies through unscathed 3) The Jim and Pam of It: the serialized story in a more episodic show.
On White Collar, "stickman" was used in lieu of "the bad version". Such as, "So Neal (stickman) picks the guy's pocket and lifts the key" meaning, that's not good enough, we'll need a better con to be decided later.
Love this. Pitching 3 more. 1) Widows - details from a previous draft that need to be removed after you've done an extensive rewrite 2) Clay Pigeoning - 1st showrunner taught me this one. When you want something very risky or dangerous in your script, you put something twice as bad in there so the execs intentionally shoot that one down and your real target flies through unscathed 3) The Jim and Pam of It: the serialized story in a more episodic show.
On White Collar, "stickman" was used in lieu of "the bad version". Such as, "So Neal (stickman) picks the guy's pocket and lifts the key" meaning, that's not good enough, we'll need a better con to be decided later.
Ohh! Yes! Realizing I have heard this same thing as “strawman.”
So helpful. Wish I had had this! One more to add (maybe more specific to comedy rooms): Clam