Scribd
Upload
82 views3 pages

The Practice, Etc.: Types

The document discusses different types of television shows and provides guidelines for writing television scripts. It lists common show genres such as procedurals, lawyer/political dramas, police dramas, and fantasy/sci-fi shows. It also discusses writing spec episodes for existing shows and spec pilots for new shows. Guidelines are provided for television script formatting, including targeting 50-60 pages divided into a teaser and 4 acts with act breaks. Websites are listed that provide information on breaking into television writing through fellowships, agents, and contests.

Uploaded by

The Fandom
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
82 views3 pages

The Practice, Etc.: Types

The document discusses different types of television shows and provides guidelines for writing television scripts. It lists common show genres such as procedurals, lawyer/political dramas, police dramas, and fantasy/sci-fi shows. It also discusses writing spec episodes for existing shows and spec pilots for new shows. Guidelines are provided for television script formatting, including targeting 50-60 pages divided into a teaser and 4 acts with act breaks. Websites are listed that provide information on breaking into television writing through fellowships, agents, and contests.

Uploaded by

The Fandom
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Types:

● the procedural, which consists of shows such as the Law and Order franchise and the CSI
franchise,
● Next are the shows that deal with lawyers and politics. These are shows like The West Wing,
The Practice, etc.
● Police dramas, such as, The District and NYPD Blue.
● Hero-types which consist of shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Smallville.
● Fantasy/Sci-Fi - examples here are Enterprise, Twilight Zone, Dead Zone, etc.
● Cable - Shows such as Queer as Folk, The Sopranos, and Six Feet Under are written without the
act breaks seen in commercial television.

Spec episodes- writing an episode for an existing show (mimicking style, following the rules)

Spec pilot- a possible pilot (unique storyline)

I page= 1 minute of screentime, total is roughly 50-60 pages for average TV


5 sections- teaser and 4 acts, act break occurs after strong dramatic moment
Teaser: 2-4 pages
Act One: 11-15 pages (goal)
Act Two: 11-15 Pages (obstacle/failure)
Act Three: 11-15 Pages (complicate mission/add obstacles, the lowest point)
Act Four: 11-15 Pages (prevailing)
Act Five: (closure) NOT ALWAYS AN ACT 5
Tag: 1-2 Pages
Total: 59 to 66 pages
-all margins except left margins are 1 inch, the left margin is 1.5 inches, single spaced
-first page is not numbered

Exercises:
-summarize action onscreen w/one-two sentences, split the episode in the classic act outline
-transcribe scripts

Steps to take:
- writing fellowships (Disney, Nickelodeon, Universal, Sundance, Warner Bros, CBS
- get a television agent
- live in an area where movies/tv are made
- contact people and ask for advice

Formatting:
https://www.finaldraft.com/learn/how-to-format-a-screenplay/
websites:
http://www.movieoutline.com/articles/television-script-format.html
https://www.writersstore.com/breaking-into-television-writing/
http://splitsider.com/2016/02/how-does-one-get-a-job-as-a-writers-assistant/
https://www.writersstore.com/how-to-write-a-screenplay-a-guide-to-scriptwriting/ - script format
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/screencraft/the-screenwriters-simple_b_8923734.html - examples
http://www.scriptreaderpro.com/how-to-write-for-tv/ -spec episodes/pilots
SimplySripts/Script City- tv scripts to download
http://www.scriptreaderpro.com/how-to-write-for-tv/ - overviews the steps to take (very good
website)
http://www.scriptreaderpro.com/screenwriting-contests/ ---- Contests
https://screencraft.org/2015/12/01/pixar-screenwriting-themes/ -Pixar Movie Layout

You might also like