The toughest brief in the world
Imagine having one week to write, voice and produce a culturally relevant 22-minute animation. Now imagine having done that 328 times and counting.
I've always been amazed by the output of daily talk shows. They deliver a show every night, with scripts, graphics and even field pieces, based on the news from the day before. How can such miracle be delivered?
For the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, it goes something like this:
- early in the morning, producers brief the writers room with the latest news stories and clips with the most potential;
- The writers break out in pairs and come up with their takes on the stories;
- They come back to the writers room and present their pitches to Jon Stewart, who makes the call of the stories worth pursuing;
- Then it is up to the producers to put everything together for the live and filmed segments, while the writers finish the job and polish the bits;
- They come back together for dress rehearsal, just before the live show is aired;
- Showtime.
Complete madness, yet somehow, it works. The pressure is a force for good, as long as there is a single person making the final calls.
Now imagine having one week to write, voice and produce a culturally relevant 22-minute animation, 328 times and counting.
Most people would crumble under the pressure. Not Trey Parker and Matt Stone, though.
The creators of South Park write and produce episodes within a week of their air date, to make sure the stories are packed with energy and timeliness.
The method to their madness? Choosing their conjunctions wisely.
“And then”? Absolutely not. “And then” is where stories go to die.
But “therefore” or “but”? That’s what makes everything move.
Every beat of their stories hinges on these two words, creating a chain of cause and effect: one thing happens and therefore something else follows. Or one thing happens but something unexpected derails it.
Therefore, by doing so, they manage to squeeze intricate arcs into just 22 minutes of screen time - without ever losing momentum.
These days, attention spans are like Cartman when he’s not getting his way - impatient, volatile, and seconds away from storming off.
But Parker and Stone’s method keeps people hooked. And therefore, whether you’re a fan of South Park or not, you’ve got to admit: they knocked the brief out of the park.
No “buts.”
