Aaron Sorkin: TV’s Walker and Talker
Aaron Sorkin is an American writer best known for his screenwriting on political and news TV dramas that have won both Academy and Emmy awards.
Sorkin is closely associated with the “walk and talk” method of showing characters entering and exiting a scene as they speak incredibly quickly in monologues or short conversations that answer basic questions about the TV episode itself. Sorkin uses a single tracking shot that moves through the set and does not have any cuts.
TV Debut, Acclaim
Aaron Sorkin made his debut with “Sports Night,” a TV show that focused on the crew that mans a sports news show. It offers a behind-the-scenes look at story development, pitching, broadcast, and the inner workings of a TV show. Sorkin said he got the idea from watching ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”
The show was grabbed by Disney and run on its ABC network for two seasons, starting in the fall of 1998. The show debuted with a live audience and then used a laugh track, which was a major point of contention between Sorkin and the studio. By the end of the first season, the audience was gone and so was the laugh track.
After a second season with terrible ratings, ABC cancelled the show. It was well received by critics and Sorkin was offered to have it run on other networks, but he declined since he had already moved on to his next project: “The West Wing.”
The Bartlet Administration
Sorkin’s “The West Wing” debuted on NBC in 1999. The show focused on the administration of fictional U.S. President Josiah Bartlet, played by Martin Sheen.
The show won 9 Emmy Awards in its first season. It would run for a total of seven season, but Sorkin worked only on the first four. After the second season ended, Sorkin was arrested on drug charges and ordered to undergo drug rehab.
Sorkin wrote 87 screenplays and was the producer on 88 episodes, none of which finished on time or under budget, he claimed in 2003.
Next Big Thing
After “The West Wing,” Sorkin suffered a series of personal issues and setbacks, including a divorce from his wife of nine years.
He then returned to movies for work. After successes like “Charlie Wilson’s War,” “The Social Network,” and “Moneyball,” he made a return to TV with the 2011 pitch of “The Newsroom” to HBO. HBO ordered 10 episodes and ran them starting in June, 2012.
The series focuses on the behind-the-scenes events of the Atlantis Cable News channel and centers on anchor Will McAvoy, played by Jeff Daniels.
The show features the same filming techniques and “walk and talk” approach as Sorkin’s earlier work. It is often considered a combination of “Sports Night” and “The West Wing.”
The show finished its second season in September 2013 and has been renewed for a third season, though HBO has not provided a specific date.
All of his work highlights one major trend: Sorkin’s dialog is strong enough to break the trend of TV relying on visuals. Speeches are often a bane of TV episodes, but Sorkin has built his dynasty on lofty rhetoric espoused by his main characters.
Db
Gawd, how I miss The Newsroom and West Wing. With so much brainless television on the airwaves today that is so embarrassingly “American,” why can we not have more intelligent dialog about relevant issues from Aaron Sorkin? Please, please come back to us.
Jon Chapman
I implore you to write another series of The Newsroom. The writing, acting and direction are all exquisite but I know from 50 years of watching TV drama that nothing is worth watching unless the writing is good – and this is the best written TV drama since John Logie Baird gave us the medium.
It is simply a work of art and we aesthetes need more. Please.
I’m sure there is plenty more mileage in the concept of idealistic journalism versus the capitalists; and in the battle of professional news gathering against social news; and in the compelling idiosyncrasies and engaging relationships of the ensemble cast.
Is it just that you want to quit while you’re ahead? Do you think you don’t have another series in you? Are you afraid to fail?
Make movies if you must. But TV is the true mass medium. It reaches more people than any movie could. The Newsroom really matters to millions of people. And it enhances them. It improves their diet. It popularises real quality. It is the closest many viewers will ever get to true art.
Please don’t let us down. Do the difficult thing. Improve our lives. Again.
Marcia Marszalek
We direly need Sorkin now, more than ever. We hope he will continue to create such brilliant productions as he has in the past. He is an educator and his visionary ways help us all!
Christopher Farrington
I am re-watching The West Wing and recently finished rewatching The Newsroom. I am hopeful that you are working on something new. I miss your great wit.
Cheers!
Tatyana Li
Dear Mr. Sorkin:
You are a genius and Master of Words. I am a Korean American, who was born and raised in Uzbekistan. Your talent is second to none. I just wanted to say I love your mind and admire your talent!
Tatyana
Johnna Crawford
Hi, I am looking to pitch my screenplay to Sorkin and/or agent. It is a biographical piece directly taken from Timothy Leary’s autobiography, Flashbacks. As a Creative Writer with an MFA I invested a year into adapting the book into a creative piece and would like to pitch it to appropriate contacts. Please let me know the best avenue for submission or contacts. It has been edited and fact-checked, just needs an outlet. Thanks so much for your time.
Johnna Crawford
316-617-1154