Write to TV : Out of Your Head and onto the Screen

by Cook; Martie

• ISBN13: 9780240808765
• ISBN10: 0240808762
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2006-12-15
• Publisher: Focal Press

Summary

Learn to craft smart, original scripts and teleplays for a variety of television formats while gaining savvy business skills to help you break in and succeed in the industry. Hone your writing skills and discover how to write for any format, including comedy, animation, drama, movies of the week, reality TV, TV news magazines, and children's programming. Write to TV provides tools such as checklists, sample outlines and treatments for various formats, as well as sample script pages. War stories from writers and executives help you to avoid pitfalls that writers commonly face and enable you to face any writing challenge successfully.

Author Biography

Martie Cook has over twenty-five years of experience as a television writer and producer and is a professor at Emerson College

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xix
Introduction	p. xxi
How Hollywood Works	p. 1
An Overview of the Tv Industry	p. 3
It's Called Show Business for a Reason	p. 4
Technology is Changing the Face of Television	p. 6
Product Integration	p. 6
The Role of Production Companies, Studios, and Networks	p. 7
The Difference Between Network and Syndication	p. 7
What are Television Sweeps?	p. 9
Staff Writing vs. Freelance Writing	p. 9
Do You Have To Live In L.A.?	p. 10
Writing For Existing Shows is Your First Step	p. 10
What is a Spec Script?	p. 11
Choosing a Spec Script That Will Work For You	p. 11
Studying the Show Before You Write	p. 13
Purchasing a Sample Script of the Show You Want to Write	p. 14
Why Two (Sigh!) Specs Are Better Than One	p. 15
Writing is Rewriting	p. 16
The Reason Your Spec Probably Won't Sell	p. 16
Declaring Your Major (and Minor)	p. 17
Getting Your Scripts Read	p. 18
Plastering the Town With Your Work	p. 18
The Initial Meeting	p. 19
The Invitation to Pitch	p. 20
What Happens If They Buy Your Story?	p. 21
Will You Write the Teleplay?	p. 22
Odds Are They Won't Steal Your Ideas	p. 23
How Much Will You Make and When Will You Get Paid?	p. 24
Where Does it All Lead?	p. 24
Comedy	p. 25
Situational Comedies	p. 27
What it Takes to Write Comedy	p. 27
Check List For Funny	p. 29
How Sitcom Writing Staffs Work	p. 29
The Make-up of a Sitcom Staff	p. 29
Multi-Camera vs. Single-Camera Shows	p. 31
A Week in the Life of a Staff Sitcom Writer	p. 32
How a Freelancer Fits In	p. 36
Developing Your Sitcom Story	p. 37
Getting Started	p. 37
The Importance of a Good Story	p. 37
How to Create an Original Story	p. 38
Making Original Stories Work For Existing Shows	p. 38
Finding An Original Spin	p. 40
Study Up	p. 42
Beating Writer's Block	p. 42
Stories to Stay Away From	p. 43
Getting the Poop	p. 44
Physical Comedy	p. 45
Sight Gags	p. 45
"A" Stories, "B" Stories, and the Occasional "C" Story and "D" Story	p. 45
Getting Feedback	p. 46
Checklist For Story	p. 46
Sitcom Structure	p. 48
The Importance of Story Structure	p. 48
Traditional Two-Act Structure vs. Modern Three-Act Structure	p. 48
Creating Twists	p. 49
No-Fail Sitcom Structure	p. 50
Example of Structure	p. 52
Teasers	p. 53
Tags	p. 53
Checklist For Story Structure	p. 54
Outlining Your Sitcom Story	p. 55
Why You Must Break Your Story Down Act-By-Act, Scene-By-Scene	p. 55
What a Good Outline Should Accomplish	p. 56
Good Writing is Key	p. 56
Format Matters	p. 57
How Long Should an Outline Be?	p. 57
Sample Outline for Sitcom	p. 58
A Few More Rules	p. 60
How Multi-cam shows Differ in Format	p. 61
Reading Your Work, Out Loud	p. 62
Getting Feedback on Your Outline	p. 62
A Word About Covers	p. 63
Checklist For Story Outline	p. 65
Scripting Your Sitcom	p. 66
Formatting Your Sitcom Script	p. 66
The Difference Between a First Draft and a Shooting Script	p. 66
Formatting the Single-Cam Script	p. 68
Sample Format For Multi-Cam Scripts	p. 72
Scene Writing From Beginning to End	p. 75
How Many Jokes Should You Have on Each Page?	p. 76
Setting Up Jokes and Paying Them Off	p. 76
Why Smart Jokes Will Get a Bigger Laugh	p. 76
Where Do Good Jokes Come From?	p. 77
Incorporating Universal Humor	p. 78
Should You Avoid Jokes That Could Be Considered "Offensive"?	p. 78
Beware of Jokes That Center Around Current Topics	p. 79
In Comedy, Three's a Charm	p. 79
Runners	p. 79
Alliteration	p. 80
Comedy That Goes Against Character	p. 80
Putting the Audience in a Superior Position	p. 80
Don't Forget to Button	p. 80
The Dreaded Punch-up	p. 81
Watch Where You Step	p. 81
Other Kinds of Tv Comedy	p. 82
Writing For Animation	p. 82
Writing For Late Night	p. 84
Sketch Writing	p. 86
Prime Time Drama	p. 91
Plot-Driven Dramas	p. 93
Why Law & Order Thrives and Survives	p. 94
Ripped From the Headlines	p. 94
The Importance of Creating Authentic Worlds	p. 95
Getting the Facts: How to Research Cops, Lawyers, Doctors, and Others	p. 96
Colleges and Universities	p. 97
The WGA	p. 97
Creating Powerful Protagonists and Antagonists	p. 98
Building Conflict and Jeopardy	p. 98
One-Hour Dramatic Structure	p. 99
Scripts For Cable Vary Slightly	p. 100
How To Structure Your Plot-Driven Drama	p. 100
How Index Cards Can Help (And Why Studios Order So Many)	p. 100
Checklist For Plot-Driven Drama	p. 101
Character-Driven Drama	p. 102
All About People	p. 102
Everything In Your Life Isn't Fit For the Screen	p. 102
How to Dramatize Personal Experience	p. 103
How Structure For Character-Driven Dramas Differs From Plot-Driven Dramas	p. 106
Why Colored Index Cards Are Key	p. 107
Continuing Storylines From Week to Week	p. 107
Checklist For Character-Driven Drama	p. 108
The Dirt on Soaps	p. 109
Formatting for Prime Time Drama	p. 110
Sample Outline For Prime Time Drama	p. 110
Scripting Your Prime-Time Drama	p. 112
Creating Original Series	p. 117
The Television Pilot	p. 119
Reasons Why You Shouldn't Write a Pilot	p. 119
One Reason Why You Should Write a Pilot	p. 120
How Pilot Season Works	p. 121
Network Schedule: Friend or Foe	p. 122
Why Some Cable Networks Operate Under a Different Time Clock	p. 123
Finding an Original Premise	p. 125
Networks Long For Longevity	p. 125
Knowing the Market	p. 125
Tapping Into Future Trends	p. 126
Adding Your Own Point of View	p. 128
A Tall Order: Introducing Characters and Premise All in One Episode	p. 129
Premise Pilots vs. Non-Premise Pilots	p. 129
Big Love	p. 130
Know What's Out There	p. 131
Sample Treatment for a Pilot	p. 131
Kyle's Turn	p. 132
Creating a 13-Week Episode Guide	p. 133
First Pages	p. 134
Riding Coattails	p. 140
Checklist for Pilots	p. 141
Made-For-TV Movies	p. 143
Made-for-TV Movies	p. 145
Hallmark Is the Benchmark	p. 145
Target Audience for MOWs (Think Pink)	p. 146
Most Common Types of MOW Stories and Why They Work	p. 147
Stories to Stay Far Away From	p. 149
Breaking into the MOW Business	p. 149
Adapting True Stories	p. 149
Protagonist vs. Antagonist	p. 150
Bringing Novels to the Screen: How to Get the Rights	p. 151
Should You Write a Mini-Series?	p. 154
Don't Make Your Two-Hour a Four-Hour	p. 154
Structuring Your MOW	p. 155
Stories that Can Double as Feature Films and MOWs	p. 156
Classic Three-Act Structure	p. 157
Characters	p. 161
Creating Compelling Characters	p. 163
Character Broken into Threes	p. 163
What is Backstory?	p. 164
Character Bios	p. 164
Why It's Important For The Audience to Like At Least Some of Your Characters	p. 165
Some of the Finest Characters Are Not Human	p. 166
Creating Characters With Opposing Viewpoints	p. 167
Minor Characters Matter	p. 168
How To Write Quirky Characters (And Why Audiences Love Them)	p. 169
Twenty Questions To Ask Yourself About Each Character	p. 170
Dialogue	p. 171
Writing Dialogue That Dances on the Page	p. 173
First and Foremost: Dialogue Comes From Character	p. 173
Keeping Dialogue Where it Belongs	p. 173
The Rhythm of Dialogue: How To Avoid Long, Rambling Speeches	p. 174
The Use of Slang in Dialogue	p. 174
Right-On Dialogue: Wrong!!	p. 174
Watch Out for Names	p. 175
Why Using Dialogue To Reveal BackStory Can Be Deadly	p. 175
Stay Off the Phone!!	p. 175
What To Do When All of Your Characters Sound Alike	p. 176
How to Pitch your Comedy, Drama, or Movie of the Week	p. 177
How to Get a Pitch Meeting	p. 179
Who Will Be in the Room?	p. 179
Why it's Essential to be Early	p. 180
Dress for Success	p. 180
How Many Ideas Should You Pitch?	p. 181
The Order of Your Stories	p. 182
How Much Detail Should You Give?	p. 182
Practicing Your Pitch	p. 183
Controlling the Room	p. 183
A Couple of No-nos	p. 184
The Use of Index Cards and Note Pads	p. 184
Reading the Room: Why No Usually Means No	p. 185
Going With the Flow When the Story Starts to Change	p. 185
Be Prepared for Questions	p. 186
Example of a Pitch	p. 187
What To Do if They Don't Buy Anything	p. 187
The Pros and Cons of Putting Your Pitch on Paper	p. 188
Respecting the Big Foot	p. 188
Practice Makes Perfect	p. 189
TV News Magazine Shows	p. 191
Writing for TV Magazine Shows	p. 193
"There's Always Going to be News"	p. 193
It Takes a Special Breed	p. 194
Is it News or Entertainment?	p. 195
Why So Many TV Magazine Shows?	p. 195
The Power Structure of a TV Magazine Show	p. 195
Writing vs. Producing	p. 196
The Power of Enterprising Your Own Stories	p. 197
A Mock Assignment	p. 198
Getting the Right Angle	p. 198
Producer Means Boss	p. 198
You Can Up the Emotion by Using Real People	p. 198
Why You Need at Least One Expert	p. 199
How to Find Experts	p. 199
A Story on J.K.Rowling, Please: Where Do You Begin?	p. 200
The Shoot	p. 202
Before You Go	p. 202
Working With Talent vs. Working Solo	p. 202
Taking Care of Your Crew	p. 203
Once You Arrive at the Location	p. 204
What to Do While the Crew Sets Up	p. 204
When You Do the Interview	p. 205
When Talent Does the Interview	p. 206
One Camera or Two?	p. 207
Getting B-Roll is Key	p. 208
The Importance of Natural Sound	p. 208
B-Roll for the J.K. Rowling Story	p. 209
Do You Need A Stand-Up?	p. 210
Writing the Script	p. 211
Sorting Through Your Tapes	p. 211
What Is Timecode, and Why It Will Save You	p. 211
What Is a Sound Bite?	p. 212
Picking The Right Sound Bites To Tell Your Story	p. 212
What Is Track?	p. 213
Making Sure Video and Sound Lock Up	p. 213
When You Don't have the Video	p. 214
How to Write Your Script	p. 214
If You Care to Give it a Try	p. 217
Checklist For TV News Script	p. 220
In the Edit Bay and Beyond	p. 221
Preparing For Your Edit	p. 221
Working With an Editor	p. 221
Bringing Your Story in on Time	p. 222
Getting Story Approval	p. 223
Writing Powerful Leads and Tags	p. 223
Ethics in Television News	p. 224
Other Things You May be Asked to Do	p. 226
Reality Television	p. 229
Writing for Reality Television	p. 231
Reality Television is Not New	p. 231
Why Reality Television is Here To Stay	p. 232
Why Americans Have Become Reality-Obsessed	p. 233
Documentary vs. Game Show	p. 233
Reality is a Producer's Game	p. 234
Real Compelling Characters	p. 235
How to Write a Treatment for a Reality TV Show	p. 236
The Ethics of Reality Television	p. 236
Children's Television	p. 237
Writing for Munchkins and Rugrats	p. 239
What Good Children's Programming Should Accomplish	p. 240
Brand Loyalty	p. 240
Dual Audiences	p. 242
Content is Key	p. 242
Selling Your Children's Show	p. 243
The One-Minute-Thirty-Second Grind	p. 244
The Business Side of Television	p. 249
How to Get an Agent	p. 251
Why You Need an Agent	p. 251
What Agents Actually Do	p. 252
How Much Does an Agent Cost?	p. 252
Don't Pay People to Read Your Work	p. 253
Referrals Are the Way to Go	p. 253
Why Writers Can Be Protective About Their Agents	p. 253
Choosing an Agent Who's Right for You	p. 254
Los Angeles or Bar Harbor? Does It Matter Where Your Agent is?	p. 254
Agents Who Take Unsolicited Scripts	p. 255
Do You Need a Manager?	p. 256
Entertainment Attorneys	p. 256
Querying Agents	p. 256
Sample Query Letters: Good and Bad	p. 257
Making Sure You Are Ready	p. 259
Patience is a Virtue	p. 259
Should You Put Your Script on Web sites?	p. 260
Checklist For Getting An Agent	p. 260
The Writers Guild of America	p. 261
What Is the Writers Guild Of America?	p. 261
How Do You Become a Member?	p. 261
Key Things The WGA Can Do For You	p. 262
How Residuals Work	p. 262
What is Arbitration?	p. 263
In the Event of a Writers' Strike	p. 263
How to Protect Your Work	p. 264
Miscellaneous Guild Benefits	p. 264
Writing Teams	p. 265
Should You Get a Writing Partner?	p. 265
The Pros of Partnerships	p. 265
Being Responsible For Someone Else's Career	p. 266
The Cons of Partnerships	p. 266
How To Choose A Writing Partner	p. 267
How to Get Your Foot in the Door	p. 269
How to Get Work as a Television Writer	p. 271
Why You Need a Plan (And a Back-up Plan)	p. 271
The Importance of Internships	p. 272
Contact Everyone You Know and Tell Them What You Want	p. 272
Entry Level Jobs That Can Lead to Your Writing Break	p. 273
Ways To Uncover Entry-Level Jobs	p. 274
Resumes and Cover Letters	p. 275
How to Write Your Resume	p. 276
Sample Resume	p. 277
How to Write a Killer Cover Letter	p. 278
Five Paragraphs to a Good Cover Letter	p. 280
Sample Cover Letter	p. 281
Generating Informational Interviews	p. 282
When a Company Says They're Not Hiring (Baloney!)	p. 282
The Power of Overnighting Your Resume (Even If You Live One Block Away)	p. 283
Brushing Up On Phone Etiquette	p. 283
Why It's Important to Get the Assistant's Name	p. 283
How and When to Use Voice Mail	p. 284
How and When to Use E-Mail	p. 285
Getting the Interview	p. 287
Preparing For the Interview	p. 287
Controlling the Interview	p. 288
Confidence is Key	p. 288
The Power of Snail Mail Thank-You Notes	p. 289
Placing the Dreaded Follow-up Call	p. 289
Turning a "No" Into a "Yes"	p. 290
Congratulations, You've Got the Job...Now What?	p. 291
Some Tasks May Not Make You Smile	p. 291
Even the Most Mundane and Menial Tasks Can Lead to a Break	p. 292
Finding a Mentor	p. 293
Taking Responsibility For Your Goof-ups	p. 294
Remember Your Goal: Get a Writing Schedule and Stick To It	p. 295
How Long Should You Stay in an Entry-Level Job?	p. 295
Planning the Next Step	p. 296
The Power of Networking	p. 298
Keeping in Touch is Job Number Three	p. 298
Order Your Own Personal Note Cards (You'll Need Them)	p. 298
Stock Up On Business Cards	p. 299
Creating Your Own Little Black Book	p. 299
The Importance of Sending Holiday Greetings	p. 299
How to Do Lunch	p. 300
Who Do You Invite?	p. 300
Taking the Lead	p. 301
When and How To Ask For What You Really Want	p. 301
Who Pays?	p. 301
Should You Bring Your Spec Scripts?	p. 302
Other Things That Can Help You Succeed	p. 303
Get Yourself Out There as Quickly as Possible	p. 303
Writing Buddies	p. 303
How to Turn Up Contacts When You Think You Don't Have Any	p. 304
Attend Seminars and Conferences	p. 305
Enter Your Work In Contests	p. 305
Using Technology to Get Work Seen	p. 305
Use Your Talent to Help Others	p. 306
Learn to be a Good Critic	p. 306
Off to See the Wizard (Or Five Months to My Dream Job)	p. 306
Not Giving up on What You Want	p. 308
A Word To Women	p. 308
Take Care of Your Mind and Your Body	p. 309
Oh, the Places You'll Go! The Warmth and Wisdom of Dr. Seuss	p. 309
Some Final Thoughts	p. 310
Some Leftover Pearls	p. 311
Index	p. 313
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