Scriptwriter looking for help

[MikeEllis]

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

Wouldn't it be easier if he walked over to some of the fraternity houses at UT and asked them? I know, stupid question about the obvious.

Actually, a very sensible, obvious question. The simple fact is that I don't know any fraternity members at UT, so I don't have any personal contacts to pursue there. I have left some phone messages and posted to some websites, but no responses so far. Hopefully, that will change.

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by MikeEllis

Actually, a very sensible, obvious question. The simple fact is that I don't know any fraternity members at UT, so I don't have any personal contacts to pursue there. I have left some phone messages and posted to some websites, but no responses so far. Hopefully, that will change.

Just a suggestion, and I don't know if this is valid at UT. Some councils at larger schools require PHA and IFC chapter representatives to hold "office hours". Typically, most required hold an office in the council. Call the IFC office and ask if there are such hours or find out who the IFC recruitment chair is and contact him. He can give you general information about rush over all, but not specifics on each chapter. At least you will get accurate info based one of the largest greek communities in the country.

[agzg]

Originally Posted by Benzgirl

Just a suggestion, and I don't know if this is valid at UT. Some councils at larger schools require PHA and IFC chapter representatives to hold "office hours". Typically, most required hold an office in the council. Call the IFC office and ask if there are such hours or find out who the IFC recruitment chair is and contact him. He can give you general information about rush over all, but not specifics on each chapter. At least you will get accurate info based one of the largest greek communities in the country.

I feel like office hours aren't uncommon at smaller schools, too. I used to use mine for naps.

[LadyLonghorn]

Originally Posted by MikeEllis

Actually, a very sensible, obvious question. The simple fact is that I don't know any fraternity members at UT, so I don't have any personal contacts to pursue there. I have left some phone messages and posted to some websites, but no responses so far. Hopefully, that will change.

The only guys at UT who might respond to that kind of thing would not be in chapters that would give you an accurate depiction of what fraternity rush is like for an "in demand" freshman at a school with a strong Greek life.

Recruitment styles, methods and time frames vary wildly depending on the campus and its culture.

[ellebud]

After the script is written you have to WGA it. I will tell you the odds of representation is little. No production company will open an unsolicited script. I can also tell you that unless you have a VERY unusual spin (all other things being conquered) you will be smack in the way of legal challenges because the script has been done...and done.

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by ellebud

After the script is written you have to WGA it. I will tell you the odds of representation is little. No production company will open an unsolicited script. I can also tell you that unless you have a VERY unusual spin (all other things being conquered) you will be smack in the way of legal challenges because the script has been done...and done.

He's writing the script for someone, he's already hired not writing solo and trying to sell it to a studio or production company.

I don't know the ins and outs of Writers Guild but it would seem that this is a non-issue for the OP?

[ellebud]

Originally Posted by Drolefille

He's writing the script for someone, he's already hired not writing solo and trying to sell it to a studio or production company.

I don't know the ins and outs of Writers Guild but it would seem that this is a non-issue for the OP?

Yes and no. If a script turns up, written by X, and is produced and released here....and it has similarities to some other project....and makes some money (this is crucial) lawyers await.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by ellebud

Yes and no. If a script turns up, written by X, and is produced and released here....and it has similarities to some other project....and makes some money (this is crucial) lawyers await.

I'm confused as to why you think it's going to be similar to any other project? He's trying to portray an accurate rush. As MysticCat pointed out, if he successfully does that it will be unlike any other project in the history of man. He also stated that the rush experience was only a small part of the script. Where is this statement coming from?

[AZTheta]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

I'm confused as to why you think it's going to be similar to any other project? He's trying to portray an accurate rush. As MysticCat pointed out, if he successfully does that it will be unlike any other project in the history of man. He also stated that the rush experience was only a small part of the script. Where is this statement coming from?

AlphaFrog, I didn't get that inference from what ellebud wrote. The way I interpreted it, she was giving a general explanation and answer to previous posters' questions/remarks/comments about WGA and unsolicited scripts in general.

and agzg - that is one great Hallelujah graphic. Plus I learned a new word in this thread: fora is the plural form of forum. (say that five times, fast).

[aephi alum]

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

*giggle*

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Hey, I bet it means he understands the difference between alumnus, alumna, alumni and alumnae.

Wow. Somebody besides me paid attention during high school Latin.

In a nutshell:

NPC formal sorority recruitment (previously called rush): Potential new members (PNMs, previously termed rushees) visit all chapters, then rank their favorites. Sororities invite back whomever they like (for instance, they might invite back everyone who meets their minimum GPA... the specifics of membership selection are confidential). PNMs then re-visit those chapters that invited them back, up to a set maximum, and then rank their favorites amongst those chapters. Lather, rinse, repeat until a PNM goes to preference parties for 2 or 3 chapters and ranks those chapters according to her preference. The next day, she (hopefully) receives a bid to one of those chapters. A PNM may be cut by all chapters before pref, or may only be invited to one pref party. There is also informal recruitment, where a sorority wants to add a few new members and will invite a few friends of members to meet everyone else in the chapter - and some of those women may receive bids.

IFC rush: You have 2-3 days to visit chapters you're interested in. At my school, you would be "flushed" if you visited a chapter that didn't want you as a member - a brother (usually rush chair or president) would "suggest" that you visit other chapters as you would not be getting a bid from the chapter you were currently visiting. This is so that you wouldn't waste time hanging out at a fraternity where you didn't have a shot. (And my car is starting to drift over the dashed white line on the road, so that's all I'll say.)

NPHC, LGLO, MCGLO rush: For me to say anything about their rush would involve my car drifting over the double yellow line, never mind the dashed white line, so I will definitely be holding my tongue here.

[MikeEllis]

After preciousjeni's comment about other "researchers" (her quotation marks, not mine), I get the feeling that this place has had some trolls coming in asking questions like mine. Thenafter there were mostly comments and questions about the script, so maybe I should explain a bit, to establish some credibility.

A local company is trying to produce and sell a syndicated television series about a family of five. I'm one of three guys hired to turn their outlines into actual scripts, and I get to deal mostly with the oldest son character, who's a freshman at some fictional university. This is really just a writing job, which means I get a paycheck whether the show gets aired or not, but it could lead to bigger things so I want to get this right.

Like I said earlier, I went through rush at a very small college more than 20 years ago. Drinking was a lot more tolerated; STDs were not something people talked about, and there were no cell phones, text messages, or Facebook. After rush, I realized that I couldn't pledge, so I never got to see what went on from the inside.

What I'm most concerned right now with boils down to two things:
- The time schedule of rush. What kinds of events go, in what order, and how much time does the whole process take. (From what I've read so far, the guy seem to be expected to make a rather big decision in a few days. I don't remember being that rushed about it, but maybe we were.)
- How have things been changed by the fact that everybody can communicate instantly now? For example, I can imagine actives circulating a room of prospective pledges, saying polite things to them while texting their real opinions to their brothers around the room. Does crap like that actually happen?

Again, thanks for any help. Especially, so far, to MysticCat and aephi alum for giving me some specific leads to research.

And, aephi alum, please don't try to read/type while driving. You're a danger to yourself and others.

[MysticCat]

Originally Posted by MikeEllis

And, aephi alum, please don't try to read/type while driving. You're a danger to yourself and others.

LOL. She was referring to a common GC expression: staying in your lane or lane swerving. It means, in the context of things like rush/recruitment, commenting only on the things that you have experience with or that are truly common knowledge. So, for example, a guy trying to give detailed information about how NPC sororities conduct recruitment might be told to "stay in his lane." aephi was simply noting that if she said too much about how orgs other than NPC orgs do rush/recruitment/whatever they call it, she'd be swerving into other people's "lanes."

[MikeEllis]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

It means, in the context of things like rush/recruitment, commenting only on the things that you have experience with or that are truly common knowledge.

HA! And here I was, totally impressed at how well she could type while holding a steering wheel.

[aephi alum]

Originally Posted by MysticCat

LOL. She was referring to a common GC expression: staying in your lane or lane swerving. It means, in the context of things like rush/recruitment, commenting only on the things that you have experience with or that are truly common knowledge. So, for example, a guy trying to give detailed information about how NPC sororities conduct recruitment might be told to "stay in his lane." aephi was simply noting that if she said too much about how orgs other than NPC orgs do rush/recruitment/whatever they call it, she'd be swerving into other people's "lanes."

MC, thank you for posting this explanation.

When I drive, my main focus is on exactly one thing: the road. If it's a nice sunny day I'll have the radio on, I'll chat with my passengers, and I'll make and accept cell phone calls (my car has Bluetooth so it's hands-free). If I'm driving in a snowstorm at night, the radio stays off, and I've been known to tell passengers to shut up as I really need to concentrate on keeping us all safe.

My "lane drifting" reference, as MC explained, has nothing to do with actually driving a car. I am an NPC sorority alumna. As such, I can speak in general terms about NPC recruitment, but I am not qualified to speak about intake processes for non-NPC groups.

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by MikeEllis

After preciousjeni's comment about other "researchers" (her quotation marks, not mine), I get the feeling that this place has had some trolls coming in asking questions like mine. Thenafter there were mostly comments and questions about the script, so maybe I should explain a bit, to establish some credibility.

A local company is trying to produce and sell a syndicated television series about a family of five. I'm one of three guys hired to turn their outlines into actual scripts, and I get to deal mostly with the oldest son character, who's a freshman at some fictional university. This is really just a writing job, which means I get a paycheck whether the show gets aired or not, but it could lead to bigger things so I want to get this right.

Like I said earlier, I went through rush at a very small college more than 20 years ago. Drinking was a lot more tolerated; STDs were not something people talked about, and there were no cell phones, text messages, or Facebook. After rush, I realized that I couldn't pledge, so I never got to see what went on from the inside.

What I'm most concerned right now with boils down to two things:
- The time schedule of rush. What kinds of events go, in what order, and how much time does the whole process take. (From what I've read so far, the guy seem to be expected to make a rather big decision in a few days. I don't remember being that rushed about it, but maybe we were.)
- How have things been changed by the fact that everybody can communicate instantly now? For example, I can imagine actives circulating a room of prospective pledges, saying polite things to them while texting their real opinions to their brothers around the room. Does crap like that actually happen?

Again, thanks for any help. Especially, so far, to MysticCat and aephi alum for giving me some specific leads to research.

And, aephi alum, please don't try to read/type while driving. You're a danger to yourself and others.

Thanks for clarifying...we do get (more than) our fair share of trolls, as well as students doing "research" for term papers (do your own dang homework). I appreciate your concern for being accurate when it would be easier to just throw in a typical stereotype.

Re: texting actual opinions during a rush party...I don't think it's a common occurrence, but I'm sure it happens and could make for some hilarious copy. I kinda dig the idea.