Jane Espenson has been one of the most popular and prolific writers on TV, writing some classic Buffy episodes from ‘Band Candy” and “Superstar” to “Conversations With Dead People”. She’s also written for Battlestar Galactica, and will soon be part of the writing staff of Torchwood: The New World.
Andrew Chambliss wrote several episodes for Dollhouse, including the final one, “Epitaph Two”. He’s currently writing for The Vampire Diaries.
Drew Greenberg wrote several Buffy episodes including ‘Smashed” (Buffy and Spike’s consummation) and “The Killer In Me,” and is now writing for Dexter.
Those are impressive resumes, but they all agree they learned a lot from Joss Weldon. Greenberg says he learned the importance of structure, which means writing a story and deciding where to write the acts around the commercials. Espenson said she learned you have to show why any story should be told. Chambliss said emotion and clarity are important in telling a story.
They also talked about their favorite shows. Espenson said she loved the pilot for The Walking Dead, especially the scene where Rick Grimes comes home, fails to finds his family, and realizes what he may have lost. She also likes Glee because it is just different, and is able to sell its stories and emotional moments.. Greenberg says he admires Shamrock and Being Human.
Espenson also talked a bit about the new Torchwood series. Even though the last story, Children of Earth, ended with Jack Harkness leaving Earth, she says the new season will have a bridge that connects with its past. New viewers will be able to get into the story, even if they haven’t seen the previous seasons.
They also revealed that when they had to write fight scenes on Buffy, they had to be very specific on what moves Buffy would use. That way, there would be discussion on whether it could be done on film.
They also said that when writers get to work on TV, many usually stick to a specific genre, whether it’s a police procedure, fantasy drama or comedy, and gave some tips for aspiring writers.
And the most complicated character to write for? All three agreed it’s Buffy.
