381272: Half-Hour TV III SCRIPT-X 422.1 Summer 2021 Section 1 3 Credits 06/26/2021 to 09/04/2021 Modified 05/27/2021 Description
Television executives and showrunners want to read original pilots that demonstrate your unique voice and comedic sensibilities. This workshop shows you how to take your original comedy idea and develop a strong story, rife with memorable characters and even funnier jokes. Breaking story in the style of a real writer's room, you develop a compelling story, brainstorm, and support another's vision. By the end of course, you have strong act breaks, a full beat outline, and a critique of the beginning pages of your original half- hour pilot script. Objectives
During this course, you will:
Learn how to clarify your show by answering the essential outlining questions: What is your show’s concept? What reality does the world of the series inhabit— Past, present or future, city, suburb or rural? They all demand specific guidelines. What is the tone— Multi-camera joke driven sitcom, single camera character driven comedy/dramedy or a hybrid of both? Who are the characters? What are their backgrounds, personality traits, as well as their flaws and shortcomings, wants and desires? Create a pilot story that uses and fuses concept, setting, tone and format and characters – into a compelling narrative that best communicates your vision for the series. Listen to and read each other’s writing to have an understanding of what it feels like to work in a real writer’s room. Treat this class as your writer’s lab.
As your teacher, (the class’s show runner) I will make sure that everyone’s ideas, feelings and feedback are respected and heard. This class is a safe space to learn and grow, so it’s okay to fail. Never be afraid to try anything or throw out whatever isn’t working and start fresh. There is no perfect script outline, only a process that leads the writer to a better and deeper understanding of the material that will serve as the foundation of the series. Outcomes
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
Acquire a “critical eye” for what makes a pilot work or fall short by learning how to break down and dissect TV pilots.
Was the writer successful at achieving their pilot goals of establishing the show’s concept, world, characters with a compelling storyline? We will watch TV pilots in class followed by discussion.
Write two papers on two TV pilots of your choosing that you will watch at home - sharpening your critical eye when you watch pilots in order to learn how to refine your own pilot writing.
Rewrite and revise your concept, world, characters and story lines to produce a viable outline. Writing is always and will forever be REWRITING!
1 of 8 Leave fully prepared to write the first draft of your pilot.
By the time you finish this class, you will be versed enough in your show to pitch it verbally, (to agents, producers and execs in the real world) as well as start the first draft of your script. Remember—Never be satisfied with your first draft. Keep going. Keep digging. Keep finding new aspects about your show, its world and characters. Materials
Inside the Room: Writing Television with the Pros at UCLA Extension Writers’ Program Author: Linda Venis Publisher: Gotham Books Edition: 2013 ISBN: 978-1-592-40811-5
Required Additional Material Students will be asked to read or re-read one book that inspires them. Something that speaks to you personally and or helps you research and create your show outline. The book can be anything – non-fiction essays, memoir or history – Fictional short stories, poetry or a novel. Although, it will not be graded, I strongly believe that reading informs and inspires a writer no matter what genre of writing they are tackling. For Week One, you are to bring in and speak briefly about the particular book and why it inspires you. Evaluation
Final grades will be determined according to attendance, class participation and the completion of assignments. Our aim is training students to get writing done on a deadline, contribute when in a writers' room and, as basic as it sounds, to show up consistently. Criteria GRADING
Your grade will come from the effort you put into your work, class participation, and preparation. If you do the work and come to class prepared you will not need to worry about getting anything less than an A.
Think of this class more like PASS/FAIL and the only way you can fail is by not committing yourself to the work in class and at home.
It is expected that your outlines will grow and deepen the further you go into the course, which means rewriting and revising your outlines each week. If I can see that you are trying and putting in the time to rewrite that’s more important than - “getting it right on the page.” I can only help you to clarify your vision and inspire you to keep digging to make your outline as good as it can be. If you make that effort, a strong outline will be its own reward when you begin your scripts.
The grades on your two short “critical eye” papers will A, B and C based on:
TURING IT ON TIME - 70% CONTENT - 30%. Course Policies
All work will be handed in on time.
No excuses for not being prepared for verbal in-class pitches.
Grading will be on a student's effort, class attendance, participation and preparation.
2 of 8 The Writers’ Workshop Instruction in the Writers’ Program follows the guidelines established by the Association of Writers and Writing Programs (AWP) guidelines for the teaching of creative writing, which include a “challenging writers’ workshop” as a hallmark. They define this as
…a seminar in which students critique one another’s work under the mentorship of an accomplished writer-teacher. The workshop is writing intensive, offering each student multiple opportunities for submission and revision of creative work. (AWP)
This method of instruction is considered the gold standard for developing writers at all levels of expertise, and workshopping is a key learning tool in nearly every course offered by the Writers’ Program. Workshopping teaches you to read and respond to written work from a variety of perspectives, and hearing critique of your own writing will help you understand how successfully your work achieves your goals. Every student is expected to participate fully in workshopping activities as defined by and guided by Writers’ Program instructors. Scope of Work for Instructors Each Writers’ Program instructor has signed an agreement to teach the curriculum in their course, following a syllabus of their own design with approval by the Writers’ Program director. Instructors are never obligated to read, review, critique, respond to, or otherwise address student work that has not been developed for their course or in response to specific assignments in their course. Individualized instruction like this falls into the category of a consultation, which is a separate service your instructor can provide through special arrangement with the Writers’ Program. Underage Students As UCLA's principal provider of continuing education, the majority of UCLA Extension courses are designed for the post- baccalaureate professional-level student. Enrollment is therefore normally reserved for adult students 18 years of age and older. The Writers’ Program may consent to enroll younger students based on special academic competence and approval of the instructor. Minors who enroll in a Writers’ Program course without first receiving permission from both the department and the instructor are subject to withdrawal. To request approval, please contact the Writers’ Program at 310-825-9415. Institutional Policies
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When Module Title Notes
5 of 8 When Module Title Notes
Week INTRODUCTIONS Lessons: 1 TBA After introductions and a short talk about your inspirational book, there will be an in-class discussion about TV show concepts. For instance, all the networks are asking the writer to bring something that he or she or “they” are uniquely qualified to write about. How does your personal experience, background and history, family, friends and romantic relationships inform your pilot concept?
We will also tackle your show’s tone. What are the differences/similarities between sitcoms, half hour single cam comedy/dramedy and shows that are a hybrid of both? For example: The Big Bang Theory, (sitcom) Barry (dramedy) and Arrested Development, (hybrid).
We'll watch a TV pilot and break down what it did well and what could have been stronger. What were the show’s concept and themes? Did the writer accomplish setting up the world and the characters with a compelling storyline?
Assignments:
Come up with a short pitch of at least two concepts for your own show. It should be no longer than a page. Part of the outlining process is learning how to articulate and communicate your TV vision verbally so you will be asked to pitch them for Week 2.
Also, watch a TV pilot at home and dissect it with your critical eye as we did in class. You will turn you analysis into a two-to-three-page paper that will be due after Week 5.
Week THE ART OF THE Lessons: 2 PITCH You and your classmates will read your two pitch concepts to the class. We will discuss each and settle on which one works best and why. A quick Q and A with any questions you may have so far. Watch another half hour pilot to break down and discuss with our critical eyes.
Assignments:
Revisit your show concept you pitched and rewrite it. Also, clarify what tone your show will be—Sitcom, Single Cam- comedy/dramedy/hybrid? Additionally, choose where you see your show running – Commercial networks, pay cable, or streamers? Lastly, begin to profile the lead character and give him or her a couple of supporting characters shorter bios. Be sure to identify how they all play off each other.
Week HONING YOUR Lessons: 3 CRAFT Re-pitch your show’s concept. This time add the show’s tone, where you see it running, as well as your lead character/characters and two supporting characters. Followed by discussion.
Assignments:
Take what we’ve discussed in class and re-write your outline up to this point. Also, explore some of your thematic elements such as—Family dynamics—What are your views about marriage, divorce, sibling rivalry, etc? If your show is about coming of age in our complicated post-Trump world, explore how you will use or not use contemporary events and realties? You will turn in your rewritten outline and thematic explorations in WEEK 4 Start jotting down a few short ideas for your pilot’s storylines to share with the class for discussion.
Week STORY TIME Lessons: 4 You will pitch your short pilot storylines ideas, followed by an in-class discussion after each one. Turn in your outlines and thematic elements papers for my comments.
Assignments:
Start writing a more in-depth pilot storyline and finish your two-three page Critical Eye paper on the TV pilot you watched at home.
6 of 8 When Module Title Notes
Week BREAKING Lessons: 5 SCENE TO SCENE Time to expand your pilot story into scenes. We will go into what it means to break down the story into scenes as well as go over the “therefore” rule—How one scenes leads to the next as they build toward a climax. One lucky student will have their pilot story broken into scenes in class by all of us. (They can choose to keep what we worked on or rewrite it.) Turn in your Critical Eye Pilot Paper.
Assignment:
Break your storyline into scenes.
Week THE ROOM Lessons: 6 TBA Dig deeper. Writing on a TV show is a unique rhythm of individual and group activities. This time, we'll break into smaller and more focused “rooms,” with students reviewing each other's storyline scenes and breaking them even further. I'll be on hand to supervise. (If we broke your outline in class in WEEK 5 you'll be surprised how a story can still evolve over successive meetings.
Assignments:
Rewrite your storyline to be turned in to me WEEK 7. Also, be prepared to pitch your show in class. 15 max for each pitch. Work off your outlines—Concept, tone, world, characters, and then the story. MAKE SURE you summarize the story and not pitch a scene to scene. Less is more! You do NOT have to memorize this. You can read off your pages.
Week PITCH-A- Lessons: 7 PALOOZA Using your outline, you will pitch your show and we will all discuss what’s working and what needs more attention.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Rewrite your outlines based on your feedback. Watch another pilot TV episode and begin your second Critical Eye short paper.
Week MEETING THE Lessons: 8 BIG GUNS Aline Brosh McKenna will give a short talk about pilot writing followed by a Q and A. After that, a few lucky students will pitch their pilot outlines to Aline for her expert feedback.
Assignments:
Keep working on your outlines. Finish your second Critical Eye assignment to hand in for WEEK nine
Week COMEDY - When Lessons: 9 2B Or Not 2B Funny? This class will be devoted to comedy. An in-class discussion on what’s funny and why? Jim Vallely, executive produce/head writer of Arrested Development will speak on this subject. Perhaps we’ll hear from Dana Gould and Rob Cohn as well.
Turn in your second Critical Eye paper.
Assignments:
Finish your last outline rewrites.
7 of 8 When Module Title Notes
Week PITCHFEST Lessons: 10 Using your outline pitch your show . No more than 12-15 minutes max time. Class discussion about what you learned and if you feel ready to start a script.
Q and A about any other questions you might have about the business side of writing, I.E. Agents vs. Managers, submitting material to producers, self producing short content, organizing table reads and writing groups, etc…
Outlines will be turned in for final grades.
Assignment:
Writers start your computers it’s time to write your pilot scripts.
8 of 8