FTI Screenwriting Diplomatelevision scriptwriting

WEEK 1INTRODUCTION

Hi there.

That’s the intro done.

course website

http://www.tvscript.uni.cc

use it!

This week• Course Intro. • Drama reviewed: structure, story, plot andcharacters.

• Series television: what makes it work?• Development process: concept to script.• Characters: back stories & profiles.• Format & Genre of TV programs• Concept & synopsis writing.

Course intro• 9 lectures.• 2 assignments: one in class in groups (the mini

soap series) and another both in class and in your own time (your bible) with deadlines and delivery dates. You’ll be busy, schedule yourself.

• We will cover all aspects of preparing a bible for television and review a few things on the way.

• The mini soap series project is a shared responsibility; the mini-bible assignment is yours to mould how you will.

underLine• You’re here to pitch your personal vision.

• The bible is your selling document and your ideas are a key part of it; your vision and how you describe it in writing is what matters to me most.

• your passions, observations and imagination will be working simultaneously; get your act together so you don’t get lost or confused by that.

screen drama reviewed• Screen drama is a sequence of images and sounds

on film or videotape that relate a dramatic story.

• It is a time art and forensic science. We compress it and cut the boring bits to jigsaw for excitement.

• The images show the story rather than tell it.

• Film or video tape is a go anywhere medium, our imaginations are generally unrestricted; nowhere is that more so than in animation.

drama revised• Drama is character in action: somebody does

something (usually to someone)!

• It has people at its centre in some “situation”.

• It usually involves a central character who either gets what they want (or doesn’t) or gets what they need instead.

• Drama is conflict! And conflict is tension, argument, fisticuffs… WAR and kissing!

• It is the interplay between what someone wants and the obstacles they face to get it.

• Hope and fear are its primary emotions.

story, theme, plot & structure• Story is what unfolds and structure is its shape.• Theme is what it is about, and plot is how it

happens.• Dramatic stories have structure: beginning,

middle and end. What does that mean?• Films generally involve one central character,

investigate one central problem and have a three act structure:– the world that ‘is’ changes, twists and turns

keep our interest and crises leads to climax and a resolution.

three act structure

ACT ONE: The Set-up, the world that ‘is’. An ‘inciting incident’ disturbs our world.

ACT TWO: complications, or obstacles, delay our hero’s journey to rectify what has gone awry.

ACT THREE: a major crisis leads to the climax which tips us into the resolution

there are other structures• Flashback narrative. (Ordinary People)

• Tandem narrative. (Usual Suspects)

• Sequential narrative. (the Sweet Hereafter)

• Multiple protagonists. (Breakfast Club) (Big Chill)

• Cut and paste jigsaw. (Pulp Fiction)

• Combinations of all of the above. (Run Lola Run)

• But…essentially within these structures each story has its own three act structure.

characters 1• As writers we MUST know our characters in detail to

help bring them to life on-screen and to ensure no-one gets the wrong idea…

• Characters can be ‘flat’ or ‘rounded.’– ‘Flat’ characters tend to be stereotypes - the

yuppie, the businessman, the bum, etc. You may want this for a particular style of drama. In which case you might emphasize the flatness. Certainly in animation this will be easier to work.

– ‘Rounded’ characters are more common to stories which have some degree of naturalism. They are capable of surprising us.

protagonists & antagonists• your protagonist is the central character of your

drama: the story revolves around them and the story will be best served if they are an integral part of the action. They are active holy-pure doers!

• Your antagonist, being the principle player pitched against your protagonist, needs similar strength: they are the key obstacle geared to thwart/destroy your protagonists plans to restore the world that ‘was’. Antagonists are simply nasty bastards.

• Your protagonist will be at their best when they are a first-person character in your story. They need to be intentional or energised characters. Intentionalcharacters have a strong goal as well as strong motives from moment to moment.

profiles & back stories

• Profiling utilises – Physiology (looks)– Psychology (thinks)– Sociology (believes)

• Back stories utilise– Name (why this name – parents type)– Number (age – when born)– Parents (who – generational secrets)

series television• Series television generally runs three act

structure. The complicating factor is it usually has an overarching story for the series as well as two or three plots per episode.

• It eats story wholesale!!!!

• It thrives where the circumstances of the situation generate story on an on-going basis: cop shops, hospitals, schools, households, newspaper offices etc…clients come and go.

the development process

• In this business things simply grow. We are going to proceed through the standard television documents to we construct our bibles.– concept and character charts lead to– synopsis and story springboards which bring us to the– bible, then on to an– episode storyline, which is expanded to a – scene breakdown, via the beat sheet, and on to a– first draft script etc…

tv: what is it & why’s it work?

• It’s ads with a show in between.• It’s drama and it hooks you in.• It’s personal, it could be you.• it’s representational, it could be everyone.• It’s entertainment and• It’s there and we’re saturated with it!• When it’s good it’s great but when it’s bad

it is unbelievably so…

tv format & genre• In designing a television program it is important

to consider several factors: – The audience you hope will watch your program– The most appropriate time slot– The channel that would be most likely to be interested

in it.• ‘The’ tool to use to research this is the TV

schedule.• A good online version is ebroadcast.com.au• This will show all the programs on both free- to-

air and Pay TV.• You can also use the guides published in the

weekend newspaper magazines.

the tv schedule

• Read the schedule to find out what kind of programs play at different times of the day.– Early morning: young children’s programs, ‘P’

classification, animation, music videos, etc.– Afternoons from 3.00 PM: Children’s

programs ‘C’ classification (8-12yrs)– Early evenings (6.30-7.30pm) serials like

Home and Away, Neighbors, Something in the Air, etc. Sitcoms – The Nanny, Seinfeld.

the tv schedule– Prime time (shows between 8.00 and 9.00pm):

The major series slot some nights of the week. McLeod’s Daughters, Blue Heelers, All Saints.

– Late evening: shows that start after 9.00pm. These are often edgier or ‘Mature’. ‘This Life’for example. Sometimes you’ll find programs that appeal to a narrow but faithful audience demographic. And sometimes you will find ‘cult’shows like ‘Buffy’ here.

– You should also look at the weekends to find out what drama programs play on what channels at what time.

warfare & identity!

• Keep in mind that programming on the commercial networks is WARFARE. They are essential competing for an audience share or a specific demographic because their revenue depends on advertising. The more people who watch, the more valuable the advertising time.

• Each channel has a specific ‘identity.’ You need to determine what kinds of programs/audiences the channel specializes in to determine where your program is most likely to be suitable.

loyalty• You also need to notice how some channels

attempt to win audience loyalty on a specific evening over a sequence of programs. This was spectacularly successful a few years ago when TEN played the Simpsons, Seinfeld, Mad about You, 90210 and Melrose Place one after the other.

• So you are looking for the audience, the time slot and the channel that would be most suitable for your program.

Let’s check outhttp://www.ebroadcast.com.au/tv/

to see the magnitude and varietyof what’s on offer.

concept & synopsis writing

• A concept pitch should sell the core elements of the programme.

• It shouldn’t be long winded, it should be fast paced, punchy and pushy.

• It should contain a suggestion of all the elements to come in the series.

• It should suggest the style and tone.• Read this one…

Pitchers(a 26X1/2 hour comedy drama by John Rapsey © Aug 2003)

They’re talented, determined and desperate. They’re scriptwriters who have taken a vow to get a show on network television whatever it takes.

By day they invent cutting edge concepts, create fascinating characters, design seductive bibles and hone their pitches. By night they stalk producers, network executives and distributors at industry events, restaurants and…some pretty weird places. They’re passionate about their work and sometimes about each other. Their personal lives are often the source of their ideas. They’ve got imagination, chutzpah and neuroses.

They’ve got integrity but sometimes stoop to a little moral compromise to attract the eye and ear of the powerbrokers. They’ve paid their dues in development hell but not they’re going to make it.

Coming soon to a network near you.

Let’s watch some tele!