Sunday, June 29, 2008

LAZY SUNDAY # 29: PAPIROFLEXIA

Paper.

I know writers who are obsessed with it. The showrunner on one series I did would only deliver scripts to the network on ultra bright 20 lb. bond paper with an embedded watermark.

He was seriously old school, forbidding the re-use of even one brass brad and even importing stainless steel Chicago screws to fasten the final versions that were neatly stacked in his office -- unread, untouched, but perfect.

I'll never forget the look on his face the morning we were to deliver a spin-off pilot...

He'd proofed the final copy a dozen times and made sure there was a fresh ink cartridge in the Laser printer. Each newly minted page was delicately handled and personally collated. Once fastened, the script was slipped into a thin vellum envelope to protect it inside the Fedex box.

Then his assistant walked in. LA couldn't wait til tomorrow. They needed to read it right off the fax...

The Latin word for his obsession is not "Papiroflexia", instead that describes the Japanese art of "Origami" or paper folding. Some Japanese Masters spend their entire lives perfecting the recreation of nature from a single piece of paper.

And then there are those, who do the reverse...

Enjoy your Sunday.


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