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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Interview Director: Jeffrey Berman Available at: www.thewriteenvironment.com |
For anyone who has wanted to break into screenwriting and has wanted to know where to start and what to do, “The Write Environment”
is an awesome concept. Host, Writer, Producer and Creator of the series, Jeffrey Berman, sits down and interviews some of the most
well known writers in Hollywood to talk about their craft. In “The Write Environment Featuring an Interview with Joss Whedon,” Berman
has a chat with Joss Whedon, the creator behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly.
Though this is a series that focuses on writing scripts, it would be nice to see some scenes from the works that they talk about it the
interview. Like other shows that interview popular Hollywood actors, writers and producers, B-roll footage is run on the screen that is
relevant to the interview. At one point in the interview Whedon explains that Firefly was the best experience in his professional life. Many
people probably know about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and possibly Angel, but Firefly isn’t as well known. It would have been nice to
see some scenes from this show. This is seen throughout the DVD, the camera is set on Whedon and Berman for the full 60 minute
production, but when they talk about a specific show or character, ones that the viewer may not know about, there is no footage to let
them know what the two are talking about. This ultimately excludes a large number of viewers from being able to enjoy and understand
the series.
For anyone who is a fan of Joss Whedon and is work, this is some must see material. Though this may not offer any new or
revolutionary information about his career, it is the way that he is able to fill every minute with a story or experience from his years in
Hollywood. Whether his work has been a success or a failure, it is clear that Whedon enjoys each and every one of his creations.
Through the interview Berman asks Whedon about his work on Waterworld, X-Men, Ripper, Alien Resurrection and the dropped Wonder
Woman script. However, most of the time is spent discussing his work on his most successful work, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Even though a majority of the time spent during the interview is focused on his most famous work, neither Berman nor Whedon delve
into the intricate details of the Buffy universe. Instead, viewers are given broad topics: Whedon’s favorite character, the original movie,
his inspiration for the series and the perks of a television series. Along the way, those who are looking into breaking into the writing
process, would expect to get information on the entire process of writing, from coming up with original ideas, working through drafts,
taking critiques and ultimately talking with studios about the work. None of this is shown in much detail, which is a little frustrating, but
it is still interesting to hear about the different subjects they do discuss.
The “The Write Environment” is a great series; viewers will probably be disappointed with the fact that many potential questions are
never asked. For can be forgiven because of the fact that Joss Whedon has such an amazing career and résumé that it is impossible
to ask every question in a 60 minute window. Aspiring screenwriters will want to know more than Whedon’s best and worst
experiences. It would have been nice hear his experience from the beginning of a series and follow it all the way through to completion.
Hear all of the issues that arise along the way, all of the twists and turns that occur because of real world events and what elements the
writer most compromise in order to film the story.
Joss Whedon is probably one of the best subjects to include in this series because of the fact that he is amazing career in supernatural
and science fiction, spanning from television, feature films and comic books. His creations are well known, for the most part, and the
audience doesn’t need to have seen every minute of every series in order to understand the interview. It is quickly obvious that both
men are very articulate and knowledgeable about the subject of writing.
Another issue that some may have with the series, not to the fault of Berman and crew, is the limited running time. When interviewing
someone like Whedon, with such a large and impressive résumé, it would be nice to hear more about his career. It would still be
possible to release several more interviews between these two and still be unable to exhaust all of the information that is available.
Every project that Whedon worked on is intriguing to stand on their own. People say that less is more, but in this case less is only the
beginning. This interview will leave the viewer wanting to do more research on Whedon and learning more about his amazing career.
The interview is presented in full screen, and looks like a low budget production. It looks much like a documentary film, colors are dull
and the pictures can be a little fuzzy at times. Though the interview presentation looks unprofessional, it gives the DVD as certain
aspect of realism, making it a great release. Also, the audio is nothing spectacular, but for something that is specifically dialogue, this
works just fine in this presentation. There are times viewers won’t be able to understand what Whedon is saying because his shirt hits
the microphone, and there aren’t any subtitles to help out. However, with the low price that the DVD costs, viewers can’t expect too
much in production value here. With a little refinement, “The Write Environment” can be great, but it is still a program worth watching for
any want-to-be writer.
is an awesome concept. Host, Writer, Producer and Creator of the series, Jeffrey Berman, sits down and interviews some of the most
well known writers in Hollywood to talk about their craft. In “The Write Environment Featuring an Interview with Joss Whedon,” Berman
has a chat with Joss Whedon, the creator behind Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly.
Though this is a series that focuses on writing scripts, it would be nice to see some scenes from the works that they talk about it the
interview. Like other shows that interview popular Hollywood actors, writers and producers, B-roll footage is run on the screen that is
relevant to the interview. At one point in the interview Whedon explains that Firefly was the best experience in his professional life. Many
people probably know about Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and possibly Angel, but Firefly isn’t as well known. It would have been nice to
see some scenes from this show. This is seen throughout the DVD, the camera is set on Whedon and Berman for the full 60 minute
production, but when they talk about a specific show or character, ones that the viewer may not know about, there is no footage to let
them know what the two are talking about. This ultimately excludes a large number of viewers from being able to enjoy and understand
the series.
For anyone who is a fan of Joss Whedon and is work, this is some must see material. Though this may not offer any new or
revolutionary information about his career, it is the way that he is able to fill every minute with a story or experience from his years in
Hollywood. Whether his work has been a success or a failure, it is clear that Whedon enjoys each and every one of his creations.
Through the interview Berman asks Whedon about his work on Waterworld, X-Men, Ripper, Alien Resurrection and the dropped Wonder
Woman script. However, most of the time is spent discussing his work on his most successful work, Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Even though a majority of the time spent during the interview is focused on his most famous work, neither Berman nor Whedon delve
into the intricate details of the Buffy universe. Instead, viewers are given broad topics: Whedon’s favorite character, the original movie,
his inspiration for the series and the perks of a television series. Along the way, those who are looking into breaking into the writing
process, would expect to get information on the entire process of writing, from coming up with original ideas, working through drafts,
taking critiques and ultimately talking with studios about the work. None of this is shown in much detail, which is a little frustrating, but
it is still interesting to hear about the different subjects they do discuss.
The “The Write Environment” is a great series; viewers will probably be disappointed with the fact that many potential questions are
never asked. For can be forgiven because of the fact that Joss Whedon has such an amazing career and résumé that it is impossible
to ask every question in a 60 minute window. Aspiring screenwriters will want to know more than Whedon’s best and worst
experiences. It would have been nice hear his experience from the beginning of a series and follow it all the way through to completion.
Hear all of the issues that arise along the way, all of the twists and turns that occur because of real world events and what elements the
writer most compromise in order to film the story.
Joss Whedon is probably one of the best subjects to include in this series because of the fact that he is amazing career in supernatural
and science fiction, spanning from television, feature films and comic books. His creations are well known, for the most part, and the
audience doesn’t need to have seen every minute of every series in order to understand the interview. It is quickly obvious that both
men are very articulate and knowledgeable about the subject of writing.
Another issue that some may have with the series, not to the fault of Berman and crew, is the limited running time. When interviewing
someone like Whedon, with such a large and impressive résumé, it would be nice to hear more about his career. It would still be
possible to release several more interviews between these two and still be unable to exhaust all of the information that is available.
Every project that Whedon worked on is intriguing to stand on their own. People say that less is more, but in this case less is only the
beginning. This interview will leave the viewer wanting to do more research on Whedon and learning more about his amazing career.
The interview is presented in full screen, and looks like a low budget production. It looks much like a documentary film, colors are dull
and the pictures can be a little fuzzy at times. Though the interview presentation looks unprofessional, it gives the DVD as certain
aspect of realism, making it a great release. Also, the audio is nothing spectacular, but for something that is specifically dialogue, this
works just fine in this presentation. There are times viewers won’t be able to understand what Whedon is saying because his shirt hits
the microphone, and there aren’t any subtitles to help out. However, with the low price that the DVD costs, viewers can’t expect too
much in production value here. With a little refinement, “The Write Environment” can be great, but it is still a program worth watching for
any want-to-be writer.
