Joelle Garfinkel is a rare native (for the industry) of sunny southern California, where she earned her B.A. in screenwriting from Cal State University, Northridge. Before becoming the writers’ assistant on In Plain Sight, she worked on several television shows as a post-production assistant. When not clamoring on a keyboard or working on her own specs, she’s trying to master the perfect cupcake recipe.
How did you progress from post-production assistant to writers’ assistant?
Post-production was not my passion, but I was still committed to being the best assistant I could be. My efforts caught the eyes of the executive producers of In Plain Sight. As a post PA, you have a lot of interaction with the EP’s and a can-do attitude will make them remember you. I began asking [executive producer] David Maples how he got his start as a writer, along with other questions that subtly let him know I was interested in pursuing writing. After months of getting to know each other, I asked him if he would be willing to read my spec. Fortunately, he agreed and when IPS returned for its second season, he approached me regarding the writers’ assistant position.
The moral of the story is, don’t be afraid to let people know what you really want, and be willing to work extra hard at the job you have, even if it’s not your desired position. If I hadn’t been upfront with David, he would never have known I wanted to be a writer.
The job of a writers’ assistant is essentially to write down everything the writer’s say as they “break” or create an episode. How do you format your notes, and how did you learn to do so?
I really wish there were a writers’ assistant handbook but the truth is, each show has different wants and/or needs. My first couple of days at IPS, I had no idea what I should be writing, so I literally wrote down EVERYTHING - like a court stenographer. Seriously, notes from those first couple of days were 30 pages long. There are some rooms that prefer that method, but fortunately for my fingers, IPS was not one of those.
I’ve learned that the story will dictate the type of notes. For example, more complex storylines require more detailed notes. Also, the start of a story break tends to have more notes than the last couple of days of breaking because it’s much more streamlined. Those notes tend to look more like a beat sheet*, with just a page of general notes thrown in. Your style also depends on the specific writer of the episode, and it doesn’t hurt to ask them directly what type of notes they would prefer.
*Beat sheet: A list of the main plot points in each act of the episode; the most condensed version of an outline.
Below is an example of Joelle's notes from a story break session:
ACT 1
Top of Act 1, Witsec scene: Stan: I don’t mean to bring you down, but depending on what was on those tapes your ass may be on the line. Just keeping Brandi in the house could jeopardize her career.
Jinx / Brandi scene: Jinx could be blaming James for Lauren showing up.
When O’Connor articulates his agenda to Nick, he “seduces” him and feeding him the idea that in order to save himself, he needs to give up Brandi.
What is your advice to aspiring writers’ assistants?
No matter what job you have, make sure you do it well. When I was an intern at The Mark Gordon Company, our intern coordinator told me that every job was important, even something as menial as binding scripts. I really took that to heart, and anytime I would bind a script I would make sure it was the best bound script it could be. Sure enough, Mark Gordon himself came up to me and told me how he always loved getting the scripts I bound because they were so straight. Bottom line, people will remember you and be much more willing to help you get the job you want when you go the extra mile.
In addition, don’t be afraid to get creative. In the IPS writers’ room, I used to take pictures of the white boards so my writers could have .jpg images of that day’s work by the time they got home. They appreciated the extra effort, and I appreciated the break for my fingers.
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