TV writer encourages students to pursue dreams

by Courtney Bullard, co-associate editor

A prominent Hollywood writer and producer recently shared the ins and outs of the television and film industry with South Plains College students and inspired them to follow their dreams.

Phillip Levens came to the Levelland Campus on Feb. 23 to discuss his career in film and television. He wrote more than 10 episodes for the popular TV series “Smallville,” which is based on everyone’s favorite superhero, Superman.

 He has also written for other shows such as CBS’s “Wolf Lake”, UPN’s “All Souls” and Fox’s “Night Visions.”  Levens was also the executive producer, along with Jennifer Lopez, for UPN’s drama “South Beach,” which starred Vanessa Williams.

Much like SPC’s slogan, “Dreams Precede Realities,” writing is taking ideas and dreams and turning them into realities, explained Levens. He said that writing for television is a lot different from writing for film. In TV, the writer has much more control over the show’s content, unlike film, which is controlled by the director. The writers for television, also known as the “show runners,” not only worry about the script, but must also deal with the wardrobe, set design, and all the many other things that go into making a show. 

“If you are a writer, TV is the place to be, because the writer controls the process,” said Levens.

Levens also explained that although it takes the same skills to write for TV as it does for film, writers make more money with TV.

Levens said he uses his personal life to inspire him for his writing. He says writing can be a great release for your frustrations, admitting that he has killed a lot of his high school teachers in his shows. One teacher in particular called Levens’ mother after watching herself being decapitated on one of his episodes. There are no hard feelings of course, as she attended his presentation at SPC and was very happy to see him. 

“Everything I do sparks my imagination,” said Levens.

He encouraged all the students in attendance to pursue writing if that’s what they want to do. Levens was raised in Lubbock and attended Lubbock Christian High School.   He received his bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas at Austin. He wrote his first screenplay in college for Mathew McConaughey when he really didn’t know how to write one.

  “I learned from the school of doing it,” said Levens.

When he was first starting out, Levens submitted one of his screenplays in a contest and placed as the runner-up. An agent called him after finding this information on the Internet and was eager to sign him right away before anyone else got him, even though Levens did not have any other offers at the time.

Many of the students who attended the discussion were interested in getting into the film and television industry but are hesitant to pursue such a competitive career.

“Follow your passion and your heart,” said Levens.

Levens said that in order to write for television, you must be able to write fast and efficiently. He said it takes him around five days to write an episode. He once wrote a screenplay in three hours.

“You give someone 10 years and anyone can write a script,” said Levens

He also explained the need to write from different perspectives. He has written screenplays from the points of view of many different types of people, including women.

Levens said that he originally wanted to be a novelist but they don’t make much money. He didn’t give himself any fallback plans, deciding that he would become a writer and that’s all he was going to be.  For students who want to be writers, Levens encourages them not to be afraid to go after that dream.

“One hundred and twenty pages can change your life,” said Levens. “That is the amount of pages in a screenplay.”

After his discussion, he spoke to some of the students who plan to go into the film and television field.  He even gave one student his personal e-mail so the student could send him his projects.

“If it interests you, hopefully it will interest others,” said Levens. “When you start something, finish it. Everything in life that’s worth while is difficult.”

He also told students that they don’t have to move out to LA to get in this business. He is always trying to get filming back to Texas.

“The only resources you need are a pen and paper,” said Levens.

He suggests that students use the Internet to their advantage and put films and screenplays on it.

“People are always scowering for the next big thing,” said Levens.

Levens has worked with many celebrities in recent years, but he has never been completely star struck by anyone.

“Most people who impress me are dead,” said Levens, “like scientists and philosophers.”

Levens once wrote a movie that was supposed to star Michael Jackson. The movie was never made, but he got to hang out at Neverland Ranch with Jackson.  He has also written for John Malkovich.

Levens also mentioned that people generally have the wrong perspective of LA. Most people think it’s all glamour and celebrities, but Levens said that people are just doing their jobs.

Although creativity is the main goal of a script, sometimes it may take a backseat to the budget. Levens said writing and producing for television is like running a company. He said a single episode costs around $2.5 million to produce. Levens once wrote a script that would have involved a car chase, but he had to write it out because of money concerns.

“You have to deal with budget concerns,” said Levens. “You don’t want to break the bank.”

Many students enjoyed the presentation and gained confidence to pursue a career in this industry.

“It was pretty awesome,” said Tim Honeycutt, who is a freshman radio, television, and film major from Lubbock. “I enjoyed listening to someone in a field I’m interested in. It really sparked some of my old ambitions and gave me new and even better ones.”

Levens left students with the message that nothing can stop them from making it in this field.

“Being grounded, disciplined, focused will get you ahead,” said Levens.