Reading the Trades

Image by Karolina Grabowska from Pixabay

One of the things anyone who wants to write for film or television needs to do is read the trade magazines for the entertainment industry.

The major trade publications, which can all be found online include:

• The Hollywood Reporter;

• Variety; and

• Deadline.

There are others, but these three have a long history.

Reading the trades keeps you abreast of trends in what’s being bought and adapted. However, knowing the trends is the point here, not writing to trend. When you write to a trend, it’s usually for the wrong reasons. And by the time the trend has started, all you’re doing is looking like a copy-cat, instead of writing your own story in your own unique way.

What I would suggest is to use an alert service like Google Alerts to clue you in on shows of potential interest.

For example, I found these stories through Google Alerts:

Kate Winslet set for limited series return with new HBO project.

Exclusive: Gremlins Live-Action Series In Development.

I’ve set my Google Alerts to let me know when new projects are in the works or being greenlit.

More Links

A Filmmaker’s Guide to Screen Tourism: Part 1. (Via Stage 32)

How TikTok Became a Best Seller Machine. (Via The New York Times)