Elephant Bucks. Sheldon Bull
because the series was now way behind schedule. The new producers hunkered down in their offices and wrote most of the episodes themselves. After a few weeks I was gone. I was out of work for the second time, and I hadn't even been in the business for six months!
To get me my third job, my agent once again sent out those same spec scripts, the ones I had written while I was at UCLA.
I got my THIRD job from my original portfolio of solid spec scripts! Then guess what? (See about comedy writing? The joke is often in the repetition.)
The third series that I worked on also got cancelled right away!
So what did my agent do to keep me working? Right! He sent out that same portfolio of spec scripts. And guess what? I got my FOURTH job off of those spec scripts, just as I'd gotten the other three!
A PORTFOLIO OF SOLID SPEC SCRIPTS
Whether you're a new writer trying to break in, or an experienced writer making the transition to situation comedy, a portfolio of solid spec scripts is the best way to hasten your Lucky Break and avoid a rocky start. One of your solid spec scripts will get you your first job as a sitcom writer. The experience that you gain from assembling your portfolio of solid spec scripts will prepare you for success with your first professional assignment and with your first job on a writing staff. Your portfolio of solid spec scripts may also help you to get additional jobs after your first assignment.
CHAPTER RECAP — THE ELEPHANT REMEMBERS
It's hard enough to write one spec script, and here I am telling you to write four or ten! I know. It sounds like a ton of work. Well, it is. It helps if you're a little obsessed, so I hope you are. Writing a whole stack of spec scripts is going to pay off for you in the long run, though. Honest.
A good spec script is going to get you your first job as a sitcom writer.
A stack of spec scripts gives producers more ways to love you.
You may need those spec scripts to land your second job and your third one, so the more you've got in the drawer the better.
Making it in show biz is all about being able to deliver the goods when Opportunity knocks. If you spend time writing spec scripts now, you will gain the skill and confidence you'll badly need on your first day of real show business.
I had big fun writing most of my spec scripts. I was able to write my favorite characters. I was able to create my fantasy episode of my favorite show. Think of writing spec scripts as TV Sitcom Fantasy Camp! And you don't have to pay to get in!
YOUR “TO DO” LIST
Get and read as many professional sitcom scripts as you can find:
1) If you've got some extra cash, I'd send away to Planet MegaMall for some sample scripts of your favorite shows.
2) If you're at a college, you may be able to get your hands on some sitcom scripts for free.
3) Don't worry yet about making any notes. Just read scripts for pleasure. Get a feel for how a sitcom script sounds in your head. It's different to read a script than to watch an episode. Reading puts you one step closer to writing.
4) Look beyond the jokes on the page. See how professional writers handle stage directions. Think about the stories that are being told.
5) Pay special attention to the Act Break — the cliffhanger moment at the end of Act One. Notice how everything in Act One builds toward this moment. Notice how everything in Act Two is a reaction to this moment.
CHAPTER 2
PICKING THE RIGHTSERIES TO SPEC
My agent called and said, “They want to meet with you at M*A*S*H.” At the time, M*A*S*H was one of the most respected series on TV It was at the top of the ratings. It had won a million awards. And I was the greenest, most obscure, and worst dressed sitcom writer in Hollywood. They wanted to meet with me?! How did my agent do it? How did he get them interested? “I sent them that spec M*A*S*H script that you wrote.” “You took a gamble like that with my career?!” Even I knew that you NEVER send the producers of a sitcom a spec episode of their own show! They're going to hate it, no matter how good it is! “They liked it. They want you to come in and pitch some story ideas.” I only wrote that spec script because I loved the show. And I knew it really well. And I had an idea for a story that I thought was kind of cool. I never dreamed that anyone who worked on M*A*S*H would actually read it. And they liked it?? “They loved it! So get over there and blow their socks off,” my agent told me. “Now my career is on the line!”
THE SHOW THAT YOU KNOW AND LOVE!
Aspiring writers have asked me over the years, “Which show should I spec?” I always ask, “Which show do you like? Which one do you watch every week?” If they come back with, “Well, I guess the one I like the most is Two and a Half Men, but I heard from a friend that it's smarter to write something cool and hip like Entourage.” I take a deep breath and ask, “But do you love Entourage? Have you seen every episode or almost every episode?” And if they say, “Actually, I don't have HBO, so I've only seen it once or twice, but I want to write the smart show! I want to write the one that's trendy and hot!” I draw in a deeper cleansing breath and calmly reply, “But the one you watch and the one you love is Two and a Half Men! “Yeah, but my friend said.”
As you're trying to pick the right series to spec, please don't listen to your friends. Don't listen to the people in your writing class. Don't be swayed by something you read on the Web.
Write the show that you know and love!
Why?
What's the purpose of writing a spec script in the first place? To show off your talent, right? To prove to some producer somewhere who is in a position to give you a job that you have the chops to write his show. What gives you the best shot at impressing this producer? Doing a passable job on a hip, trendy show that unfortunately you don't really know very well, or doing a great job on a show that you love because you already know that show inside and out?
It does you no good to try to write a show that you don't like or don't know extremely well. You'll do a lousy job. You will! And you won't have any fun while you do it. No one is paying you to write a spec script, so if you're going to put in a lot of time and energy for no money, you might as well enjoy yourself. You'll do much better work if you're happy.
If you've read something on a “break into show business” website that says that the hot spec in Hollywood right now is Entourage or Everybody Hates Chris, but you don't love either of those shows, or you don't watch either of them all the time, why are you twisting yourself into a pretzel to write them?
If, later on, after your Lucky Break, someone is suddenly paying you to write a show that you don't know very well, then you can twist yourself into a pretzel. But why do it now when you're trying to show off your talents in the best possible light?
Write a show that you love, even if it isn't “hot,” or even if you're going against the advice of your friends.
If you love a show, you already understand that show better than any other show. If you love a show then you watch it every week (or every day if it's already in syndication). You know the characters, you know the tone, and you know what kinds of stories they like to do. You know what stories they have already done. Knowing what stories they have already done is another great reason to spec a series that you love. If you've seen every episode, you reduce your chances of telling a story that they've already told. We'll get into what specific story you should tell in the next chapter, but for now, let's agree that in your spec episode you