Writing the TV Drama Series 3rd edition. Pamela Douglas
Act One
What You Should Do Next
Summary Points
GUEST SPEAKER: STEVEN BOCHCO (Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, NYPD Blue)
SPOTLIGHT ON WRITING PROCEDURALS
GUEST SPEAKER: ANN DONAHUE (CSI: NY, CSI: Miami)
GUEST SPEAKERS: MICHELLE & ROBERT KING (The Good Wife)
Finding your stories
Breaking your stories
Credibility
Rooting interest
The Grid
Chart: Basic Four-Act Grid
The Outline
How to write your outline
Outline Sample
Alternate outline forms
Fragment of ER outline
Sonny’s List
Your First Draft
Sample script format
Troubleshooting
If you’re running long
If you’re running short
At the end of it all…
Your Second Draft
Your Polish
What’s next?
Summary Points
GUEST SPEAKER: DAVID SIMON (Homicide, The Wire, Treme)
SPOTLIGHT ON WRITING YOUR PILOT SCRIPT
Create the “World”
Find the Story Springboards
Populate the “World”
Make a Plan
GUEST SPEAKER: GEORGIA JEFFRIES (Cagney & Lacey, China Beach)
IT’S WHO YOU KNOW: WORKING ON STAFF
The Staff from Hell
Mistake 1: Don’t separate from the staff.
Mistake 2: Don’t mix personal and work issues.
Mistake 3: Don’t have other plans.
Mistake 4: Don’t work at home instead.
Mistake 5: Don’t be precious about your script.
Mistake 6: Don’t “dis” the culture of the staff.
Mistake 7: Don’t work on a series that’s wrong for you.
The Good Staff
A Slice of Life
The Staff Ladder
1. Freelance Writer
2. Staff Writer
3. Story Editor / Executive Story Editor
4. Producer
5. Supervising Producer
6. Creative Consultant
7. Executive Producer / Showrunner
Summary Points
SPOTLIGHT ON “UNSCRIPTED/REALITY” SHOWS
GUEST SPEAKER: SCOTT A. STONE (The Mole, The Joe Schmo Show, Top Design)
The rules:
Write what you love.
Don’t spec the series you plan to pitch.
Ask the right questions about a series.
Have the right tools.
Have representation.
Be in Los Angeles.
The secret of success
Summary Points
What’s New?
LIFE AFTER FILM SCHOOL: CAUTIONARY TALES AND SUCCESS STORIES
The Class of ’97
Three Years Later
Seven Years after Graduating
Fourteen Years after Graduating
GUEST SPEAKER: DAVID GOETSCH (The Big Bang Theory, 3rd Rock from the Sun)
A TOUR OF THE FUTURE
Internet Drama Series
Webisodes
The Web is Dead
HOME IS THE WHOLE WORLD
Right Now