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FROM THE 2012 PRESIDENT
Greetings TSA Members!
I'm Bill Middleton, the new president of the Tennessee Screenwriters Association. I've been attending TSA for about four or five years now, but only in the last couple of years have I become more involved.
Just to tell you a little bit about me-I'm a Nashville native and grew up in the Hermitage/Donelson area. I've been a regular moviegoer since childhood. Having grown up on movies like Star Wars and directors such as Steven Spielberg, I was quickly spoiled on good movies. So spoiled that I hated going to bad movies. It was such an unpleasant experience to sit through a bad movie. One year, Enemy Mine was playing and I decided to see it based on the flashy Sci-Fi trailer. I cringed nearly every minute in my seat and could not wait until the credits rolled-I hated that movie! (click for full article)
YOUR NEW 2012 TSA BOARD
At our January 11th meeting we selected the 2012 TSA Board and elected the executive committe.
Your board for 2012 is Bob Giordano, Richard Black, Doug Steier, Rebecca Ford, Bill Middleton, Jenny Barnes, Jeff Chase, Shannon Howell, Pete Kremer, Allen Carver. From that we group we selected the executive committee.
President - Bill Middleton
Vice President - Allen Carver
Secretary - Rebecca Ford
Treasurer - Jenny Barnes
Please offer a big thanks to the volunteers that make the TSA a success
ENDINGS AND BEGINNINGS
The 2011 TSA year has come to a close. It's been a good year for us at TSA. We accomplished a lot. We started with a seminar and capped it with a very nice holiday get together, hosted once again by our long time member and friend Chris Farran and his lovely wife Dale. Many sincere thanks to Chris and Dale!!
In between we established a Facebook page; Cafe Night; revitalized the web page; held a second mini-seminar with the Pitch Fest folks; shared a party with Film-com and we established The TSA Forum allowing peer review around the clock and from all corners of the globe.
Our most important accomplishment is Membership. The rolls are growing and seems to be going international. I know that is because you, the writer is what makes the TSA valuable! Peer review! So attend meetings and get into the forum!!
The TSA now has members that are working Hollywood writers attending weekly meetings. You know who you are! From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. You're generosity of time and story experience has taken members' material and understanding of the craft to new levels. Know that you are appreciated!
THE BOARD AND OTHER NEXT YEAR STUFF
It's time to elect a new board and executives to guide the TSA through 2012. Elections will be January 11, 2012. Please be there to cast your vote or consider serving! We have a lot of cool stuff coming up. And we need to keep promoting the craft and support those things that make the TSA a unique and beneficial organization. That would be YOU!!!!
Please be at the January 11th meeting !!!
We have new members that have pages up on the forum and they want your input. You are what makes the TSA valuable! Offer your unique viewpoint to fellow writers. And post your stuff. Get in the conversation. Go to www.tennscreen.com/tsa_forum
We'll be introducing a new pitching/spit-balling format during regular meetings so you can get some help developing those ideas that need a nudge. We're going to call it "RIFFING"! Stay tuned!!
AND MOST IMPORTANTLY!!! We're going to be come the champion of structure in Middle Tennessee! Classic American Narrative Structure (or CANS)has been the backbone of American film and in use by the American studio system since the advent of talkies in the 1930's. There is a wide variety structures being touted, taught and sold. But in our estimation, CANS is the skeleton that supports them all.
Robert Franke introduced us to the approach and it changed the way we look at structure. We'll be having seminars in the very near future. 2012 is the year of Structure for the TSA!! Learn IT! Live IT!! LOVE IT!!!
TSA HOLIDAY PARTY SUCCESS!
 FUN HAD BY ALL
We started the year with coolness and capped it with heart warming holiday get together. Once again, long time member and friend Chris Farran and his lovely wife Dale welcomed all TSA comers into their home. They fed us delicious shrimp, cakes, chips, dips and sweets and sated our thirst with spirits and a killer punch!!
Please offer your sincere appreciation to Chris and Dale!! Year after year they welcome us into their home!
Chris served as treasurer and kept our books in order for almost ten years. He never complained and always kept us in line. I offer thanks to Chris for his service and Dale for sharing him with us.
FRENCH CAFE
 Cafe Night movie is the 1997 comedy Liar, Liar with Jim Carrey written by Paul Guay and Stephen Mazur. A fast track lawyer can't lie for 24 hours due to his son's birthday wish after the lawyer turns his son down for the last time.
Watch the movie and be ready to talk structure when we meet at Logans Roadhouse after the regular December 7th TSA meeting! After you've watched the movie check out the breakdown on the TSA forum. There is Classic American Narrative Structure Movie Breakdowns thread
Classic American Narrative Structure (or CANS)has been the backbone of American film and in use by the American studio system since the advent of talkies in the 1930's. There is a wide variety structures being touted, taught and sold. But in our estimation, CANS is the skeleton that supports them all.
It changed the way we look at structure and we'll be having seminars in the very near future.
A SIMPLE TRUTH
Who knew Albert Einstein was a screenwriting guru?
2012 SPRING SEMINAR DATES
The 2012 Spring Seminar will be Saturday April 14, 2012 at Watkins College of Art & Design. Once again we will be one of the events kicking off the Film-com event.
Speakers and panel members will be announced in the months ahead.
We want to attract and build a relationship with students from all colleges. So students with ID will attend free of charge. Spread that word!
We're planning on a series of Wednesday night "mini-seminars" during the regular meetings to build some momentum toward the big event in April.
Spread the word and mark your calendar!
NEW SNAIL MAIL ADDRESSS
Even though email has pretty much eliminated snail-mail, as Non-profit we have to maintain a mailbox. Well our mailing address was old and showing signs of wear. We had it since 1988. So we decided to get a newer model so we can crank up that cool and hep vibe we've been exuding all this time. Here is the new address.
Tennessee Screenwriting Association
PO Box 281816
Nashville, TN 37228
Please make a note!
TENNESSEE TO THE SCREEN:
Robert Franke
This Nashville native, graduated from Vanderbilt University then attended the University of Southern California Film School for a M.F.A. in Screenwriting. He scraped by in Los Angeles for several years then broke in with a vengeance. Upon returning home, he visited the TSA, introduced Classic American Narrative Structure and changed how our organization writes! Meet Robert Franke.
Tennessee To Screen is a TSA showcase that introduces you to successful writers and film/tv professionals in and around Tennessee.
The purpose is provide an insight into possible career paths and destinations as a film/tv professional.
TN COMPANY SEEKING SCRIPTS!
Kids in Character, Inc is now accepting screenplay submissions for their next film project. The script must cover an important and relevant issue to youth today.
The script must teach a lesson, and must provide a real outcome. There are no rules to script length.
Please email submissions to robert@kidsincharacter.org.
A TECH TERM: COLLABORATION
Working with a producer and director involves many tasks. But there is technical terminology for the art of collaboration. In this week's minipod, "The Roberts" talk about the nuances of... what is that term? .
Keep an eye out on the website for more mini-podcasts and excerpts from the seminar you shouldn't have missed. Go to the links page for past MiniPods.
Victoria Wisdom, Robert Franke and Robert Orr spent a day sharing their experience, perspective and advice. Read more about the day here
WGAw: THE HOTLIST: JUNE 2011
 The Hotlist keeps Guild members abreast of the latest New Media trends by featuring some of the most cutting edge content on the Web. It is a guide to the Web’s Most Cutting Edge New Media Content. So why should Guild members be the only ones in the know? Check out June's postings.
WRITING OTHER PEOPLES STUFF
So how does a screenwriter make a living? Do they sell spec script after spec script because their ideas are so novel and exciting that execs in Hollywood subordinate their own ideas?
 Well it's true that spec scripts are bought and optioned every day. But, chances are just about every exec, director or producer has their own brilliant, new idea. They are busy trying to get it funded and produced. So if you want to write movies for a living, what will that career look like? (Read more and check out a past TSA writing challenge and the cool results)
RICHARD BLACK GETS OPTIONED
Richard Black, a regular TSA member and last year's president, has landed an option for his script, The Bible Codes-The Four Horsemen. He attributes this success to his strategy utilizing his InkTip Preferred Newsletter subscription. (InkTip is a TSA sponsor.)
Go to the new TSA Forum for more details on Richards story.
1st Place: The Shoe Box by David Deverell
2nd Place: A Simple Bridge by C. M. Robinson:
3rd Place: For Tomorrow We Die by Lonas Taylor
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We have several members that have posted material and would like some feedback on their writing. Our forum called, Fifteen Pages for Review is intended to offer members the same opportunity for peer review as our weekly meetings. Head on over to the TSA Forum and share your insights and experiences.
Richard Black brought a premise to the meeting that we can work on as a group. We riffed out a story idea and filled out most of the premise sheet. The next step is to develop a one-page, three-paragraph synopsis of the story. 
