Crying Outside the Studio Gates

Martini Shot

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Crying Outside the Studio Gates

No one wants to hear it. But Rob Long says every script, joke and rough cut should be shorter

Rob Long

Aug 23, 2023

TV sitcoms used to clock-in at around 21 minutes an episode, but now any show can be any length on streamers. And everything, Rob Long argues, is just way too long. Even if creatives hate to hear it. Meanwhile, next time you drive past a studio, notice all the nice cars parked along side streets with a single sobbing person inside. It’s typically a director who just saw a bloated, messy rough cut. And someone just bumped the baby on the head. Rob explains.

Transcript here.

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Martini Shot

When you’re filming a movie or a television show, when it’s the last shot of the day, the first assistant director will call out, “This is the Martini Shot!” I call these stories “Martini Shots” because they’re exactly the kinds of stories we tell — and lessons we learn — after we’ve wrapped for the day. - Rob Long

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