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 Student Conduct Students are subject to disciplinary action for several types of misconduct or attempted misconduct, including but not limited to dishonesty, such as cheating, multiple submission, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the University; or theft or misuse of the intellectual property of others or violation of others' copyrights. Students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with policy provisions which proscribe these and other forms of misconduct at: https://www.uclaextension.edu/pages/str/studentConduct.jsp (https://www.uclaextension.edu/pages/str/studentConduct.jsp) Services for Students with Disabilities In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, UCLA Extension provides appropriate accommodations and support services to qualified applicants and students with disabilities. These include, but are not limited to, auxiliary aids/services such as sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices for hearing-impaired individuals, extended time for and proctoring of exams, and registration assistance. Accommodations and types of support services vary and are specifically designed to meet the disability-related needs of each student based on current, verifiable medical documentation. Arrangements for auxiliary aids/services are available only through UCLA Extension’s Service for Students with Disabilities Office at (310) 825-7851 or by email at [email protected]. For complete information see: https://www.uclaextension.edu/pages/str/studentswithDisabilities.jsp (https://www.uclaextension.edu/pages/str/studentswithDisabilities.jsp) Incompletes Your instructor may post the interim grade Incomplete/I if at the end of the class your overall work is of passing quality but a portion could not be submitted for understandable reasons (e.g. illness). It is your responsibility to petition your instructor for permission to submit work late and to provide an explanation, and it is his or her sole decision whether to accept the explanation. If permitted, the Incomplete/I grade will be posted and a time frame defined for you to submit the missing work, ranging from one 3 of 8 to twelve weeks.