Inside the Room
Page 27
Shakespeare, William, 106
Shannon, Mary, 86
The Shield, 16
showrunners, 5, 21, 115, 199, 207, 213–14
The Simpsons, 104–5, 133, 184
sincerity in writing, 52–53
single-camera shows, 101, 132–33, 143–44, 148–50
Sinise, Gary, 12
situation comedy, 136–38, 151, 175
Slamdance, 205
slug lines, 23, 25–27
software for screenwriters, 143
South Park, 169
Southland, 9, 28
spec scripts
and act length, 91
and character development, 89
for comedies, 97–122, 152
criteria for writers, 98–102
defined, 97
and familiarity with shows, 102–5
first drafts, 39–46
and launching a writing career, 3–4
objectives of, 99
one-hour dramas, 30–49
and ongoing writing, 49
outlines for scripts, 117–22
and portfolios, 202–3
preparation for writing, 32–39
rewrites, 46–48
selecting, 6–7
and story creation, 105–7
and structure of stories, 110–17
“special episodes,” 34
spelling, 92, 105, 142
spitballs, 106, 110–11, 122
springboards, 110–11
stage directions, 41, 89–90, 128
stakes of episodes, 34–35
stand-alone episode design, 15, 63
standing sets, 33
Stapleton, Jean, 186
“Starry Night” (Modern Family episode), 134
Stephen J. Cannell Productions, 40
Stonestreet, Eric, 176–77
Stoppard, Tom, 137
story
brevity of, 4
and character development, 9–10, 177–81, 223
and comedies, 105–7, 107–10, 177–81
and dramas, 4–5, 14–20, 62–64, 84–85
and first ten episodes, 158–59
and longevity of series, 64–66, 151, 155
and nighttime soaps, 16–17
and pilots, 62–64
and rewrites, 84–85
and spec scripts, 4–6
story area document, 223
story starters, 65–66
story stress test, 5
and style of shows, 103–4
unique ideas, 156
strikes, 196
strong premise, 154–59
studio pitches, 220–21
style of shows, 12–13, 91–92, 102–4
Suburgatory, 101
Supernatural, 90
support for writers, 141–42
“survivors” franchise, 61
sustaining careers, 210–16
Syfy, 198, 209
syndication, 151
teasers
and act structure of shows, 38
and beat sheets, 23
first drafts of spec scripts, 39
and outlines, 25
sample, 145–48
and show styles, 28
and story structure, 85
Terra Nova, 14
testing ideas, 158–59
theme
and character development, 184–86
described, 116–17
and goals of spec scripts, 36
and memorable episodes, 19
and strong premise, 154–59
thinking “inside the box,” 33–34
30 Rock, 167–68, 176, 182–83
Thompson, Enoch “Nucky” (character), 13
Thompson, Joel Anderson, 25
three-act structure, 10, 111–12, 134–35
time slots, 14
time-frame of episodes, 37
titles of shows, 73, 220, 225
Tomlin, Lily, 138
tone of TV shows
and competition between networks, 228
and deconstructing TV shows, 12–13
and half-hour comedy specs, 153
and memorable episodes, 19
and show styles, 28
trade magazines, 199
transitions between acts, 22
trends in TV, 52, 59–60, 224–25
trimming scripts, 47
tropes, 56–57
True Blood, 19
24, 14, 15, 37
twists in stories, 158
Two and a Half Men, 183
typical-episode pilots, 168–69
UCLA Extension Writers’ Program
and character development, 181, 186–87
and comedy spec writing, 98, 117
and competitions, 205
and drama spec writing, 8, 32, 38
goals of, 31
and networking, 204
and pilot writing, 52
and resources for writers, 49
and rewriting, 74
and sitcom writing, 152, 159
and support resources, 141–42
and writing schedules, 125–26
unique story ideas, 156
United States of Tara, 158
Up all Night, 155
upfronts, 238
The Vampire Diaries, 14, 17
Vancouver, British Columbia, 235
velocity of scenes, 48
violent content, 16
The Walking Dead, 61
Warner Bros. Television Writers’ Workshop, 206
webisodes, 209
Weeds, 16, 158
Weiner, Matt, 87
The West Wing, 12
westerns, 59
“what if?” scenarios, 169–70
The Wire, 19
Without a Trace, 15
Women’s Murder Club, 87
The Wonder Years, 106
workplace settings, 175–76
workshops for writers, 205–6. See also UCLA Extension Writers’ Program
“wraparound” stories, 85
writers’ assistants, 206–8
writer’s block, 191
writers’ groups, 141–42, 204
Writers Guild of America
and base salaries, 221–22
and formatting of scripts, 143
and networking, 205
and representation for writers, 210–11
and resources for writers, 49
and salaries of writers, 215
strikes, 196
Writers on the Verge, 206
YouTube, 209
Zito, Stephen, 90