Writing the TV Drama Pilot (V425) 4 Credit Hours Winter 2015 COURSE DESCRIPTION: Students will learn how to write an original pilot for a dramatic, one hour series through the writing of an original, full-length pilot episode script. In the development of the pilot, the student will create a proposal document that outlines the overall series and its progression over the first several seasons. This document will also contact a story break and outline for the pilot script, to be crafted and “green-lit” before commencing to writing the pilot script.

COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES: At the end of this class, you will be able to: 1. Use TV episodic script structure to write a pilot script for an original series, along with a series proposal that encapsulates your overall series, complete with character breakdowns and future episode storylines. 2. Create characters with dynamic relationships that are worthy of a television series and whose relationships will help to generate five seasons worth of possible episodes. 3. Verbally present (“pitch”) your series to others – in particular, to show runners and network executives. 4. Use visuals and visually description to tell that story, to “show” and not “tell.” 5. Work as a professional within the “Writers Room” by helping to “break” stories and solve story problems, offering constructively critical thoughts to other writers in a professional manner. COURSE PRE-REQUISITES: Screenwriting 1 and 2; Writing the 1 Hour TV Drama. Due to the heavy writing load, it is advised that students not take this class while enrolled in the first two semesters of Feature Film Writing Symposium. CLASS ASSIGNMENTS: The primary assignment of the course will be the completion of a 60-page pilot script of an original hour-long TV drama, along with a series proposal document to support the pilot. If you do not complete the pilot script assignment, you fail the course.

The first half of the course will be heavily focused on lectures about creating and writing a TV pilot, from which the student will craft an overall series document. This SERIES PROPOSAL document – similar to what used to be a “series bible” – will include all pertinent information about the series, including loglines for several seasons of subsequent episodes; how the characters will continue to develop and grow; and where the series will be at the end of season 1 and season 2. Included in this proposal will be a story break for the planned pilot episode, as well as a more detailed industry-standard outline for the pilot (10-15 pages), off of which the student will be “green-lit” to comment the writing of the pilot. These elements will be combined into the single document that will serve as the mid-term exam for the course. By doing this, the student will be prompted to really think about their show idea and ensure that it has “legs” and can sustain an actual series. During this portion of the semester, the readings and viewings of the pilots of successful one hour TV series (both in class, and as homework) will be utilized. The second half of the semester will focus on the writing of the first draft of the pilot (5065 pgs), followed in the final two weeks by a rewrite based on the class notes and feedback. Students will begin by creating a "logline" of the series you plan to write for in-class evaluation, and will be required to pitch the idea in the room, as you would to a network executive. Along with this will be an analysis of who the series’ audience would be, and on which network would your series be best suited. To maximize your show’s potential and longevity, the development of dynamic characters and their relationships to one another will be stressed. Character arcs (seasonal and over-arcing) and character triangles will be an essential component, and will help in the creation of loglines for dozens of potential future episode storylines to propel the life of the series. To help solve story problems, the class will aim to replicate the "TV writers’ room" experience, with each of you commenting and making suggestions to help lead to resolutions. This is not an opportunity to rip apart your classmates' story ideas, but to help solve problems - exactly as you would in a real TV series writer's room - and enhance the developing storyline. To do this, that requires that the class be a SAFE ENVIROMENT where ideas will flow freely and we won't criticize. Feel free to use the phrase "This is the bad version but..." and then blurt out your less than stellar idea. Because that idea may lead to another classmate's slightly more stellar idea, and then leads to another classmate's creative solution. This is now creativity works. But to prosper, it needs to feel safe.

REGARDING YOUR SERIES IDEA… Despite the current Hollywood climate, you are not allowed to base your idea on someone else’s intellectual property (IP). So no series based on Marvel Comics characters, or a spin-off of a popular YA novel that you love. You don’t own that, so you are pretty much wasting your time writing something to which you don’t own the underlying rights. Besides, this is your chance to show your voice and truly shine as a writer, creating a fresh world and original characters that convey who YOU ARE. It’s a huge selling tool that can be used for TV and feature film writing jobs. The ONE EXCEPTION to this is a project in the PUBLIC DOMAIN that you bring a strong, original approach to. This must be presented to the instructor and will only be approved based on the viability of these two required conditions.

READING ASSIGNMENTS: Though the major emphasis will be on writing, reading and watching hour-long drama pilots will be an important factor. Scripts and outlines of hour-long pilots, past and present, will be read and examined (provided by the instructor.) Reading will also include articles on writing for television. There's no textbook for this class but you will be required to WRITE. A lot. Recommended Texts: Landau, Neil. The TV Showrunner’s Roadmap, Focus Press, Burlington, MA (2014) Rabkin, William. Writing the Pilot, Moon & Sun & Whisky Inc, Lexington, KY (2011) Venis, Linda. Inside the Room: Writing TV with the Pros, Gotham Publishing. New York, NY (2013) Also, you will be reading actual scripts from TV series similar to the one you will create. If you can’t find them online or I can’t get them, you may have to buy them. You will also be reading articles and other material about writing for TV, provided by me. Professional Guest Speakers may also come to speak from time to time, to share their insight in working as a writer in one-hour television.

APPLIED HOURS: In order to fulfill the requirements of this course, a student should expect to spend two hours for every credit hour or eight hours per week outside of classroom time engaged in reading, research viewing, developing your script (ie, brainstorming and writing), class

preparation, and other requirements. The count of eight hours of outside work per week is an average. It is expected to grow as your story grows and is fully developed.

THE IMPORTANT STUFF: All DEADLINES MUST BE MET. If you don't hand in the assignment at all, you get an "F" for that assignment. So hand something in. Even if you're not finished. Even if you hate it. Because the best way to become a better writer is TO WRITE. Shocking, but true. So write. As much and as often as possible. All submitted scripts and outlines must be PROFESSIONALLY FORMATTED, including the title page. Failure to do so will cause the forfeiting of a top grade. Also, I'm teaching you to be a professional writer, so ACT LIKE ONE. While each show has unique traits (which is why it's crucial to read episode scripts), they all are properly formatted. The Instructor is not there to teach you formatting, or how to write. What I can do, is teach you how to write BETTER. To learn how to solve story problems and work in a creative environment to better prepare you for a possible job as a series staff writer. Pages must be STAPLED together, or - when handing in larger chunks - adhered with BRADS. With a TITLE PAGE that includes all pertinent information, including your name. You wrote it, take credit for it. CLASS ATTENDANCE REQUIREMNETS: Attendance is critical to learning, academic success, and support for other students particularly during production shoots. Regular and prompt attendance at all Columbia College Hollywood classes is required. Instructors are not obligated to assign extra work or prepare additional examinations for classes missed. Class attendance policies are determined by each instructor and must be included in the course syllabus distributed the first class session. The College recommends as a minimal policy that students who are absent 20% of the course will be failed. What constitutes an excused absence is a matter between the student and instructor, although The College expects leniency for documented illness and hospitalization, bereavement, personal emergency, military service, and observance of a religious holiday. Students who do not attend the first two class meetings of a course in which they are registered may be administratively dropped.

If a student wishes to contest the instructor’s application of the attendance policy he/she may petition the Dean of the College. The Dean will conduct an investigation and respond to the petition as quickly as possible. Students who have filed such a petition may attend class sessions while the matter is under review. For this specific course, you are allowed two (2) absences for the quarter. Any absences or tardies above two and you will receive an “F.” There’s a reason for this. Each week we’re going to discuss and learn things you’re going to need for the subsequent weeks, and we simply don’t have time to go back. And after missing two classes, it’s going to be very hard for you to catch up. So don’t miss class. Even if you haven't FINISHED that week's assignment, come to class. Sometimes you might hate what you write. You might be embarrassed to share it with the group. That's okay. Writing's about re-writing. It will get there. A crucial component of this class will be the interplay between me, you and your fellow classmates. Should you miss class, you miss out on this key component. DON'T BE LATE. Not only is it incredibly disruptive, but three tardies equals one absence. You've been warned. On the rare occasion where you know you will be late, please inform me of this via email. (And not the hour before class, because I won’t get it – I’ll already be here, or be en route.) PLAGIARISM: Plagiarism and cheating are not tolerated and are punished severely. Any student suspected of cheating will be reported to the Honor Committee. Please see the Scholastic Catalog for more information on these policies. And honestly - you're better than that. You wanna be a writer, you've got to have your own ideas. Not all of them are gonna work, or be great. But they gotta be YOURS. You learn as much - if not more - from the bad ones as the good ones. So don't plagiarize. GRADING: Script Assignment: 25% of grade Beat Sheets/Outline: 20% Series Proposal: 20% Series Pitching: 5% Homework Assignments: 10% Class Participation: 15% Attendance: 5%

If you complete the assignments according to the deadlines, attend class and participate in the class discussion, you'll get graded honorably. Chronic lateness will be factored into your final grade. You've been warned twice now. Here’s the thing about grading: I don’t GIVE you a grade, you EARN your grade. So show up each week. Do the work. Participate in class - which includes giving and receiving feedback. And turn in all assignments on time. These are the criteria on which you will be graded. Also, improper formatting, misspellings and poor grammar will result in a lower grade. Look, the screenwriting program will do most of the work for you – it’s not all that hard once you get it down. But PROOFREAD YOUR PAGES. Spell Check doesn’t catch everything. (If you’re misspelling or using improper grammar within an artistic context, that’s different.) If you wouldn’t hand it into a producer or agent, don’t hand it in to me. I’m teaching you how to be a professional. In keeping with CCH policy, grading is designated as follows: 92.5 - 100 = A 90 – 92.49 = A87.5 – 89.99 = B+ 82.5 – 87.49 = B 80 – 82.49 = B77.5 – 79.99 = C+ 72.5 – 77.49 = C 70 – 72.49 = C67.5 – 69.99 = D+ 62.5 – 67.49 = D 60 – 62.49 = DBelow a 60 = F Definitions of Letter Grades: A: Performance of the student is at the highest level and demonstrates full and uncompromised commitment and effort. B: Performance of the student is at a high level and demonstrates consistent and effective achievement in meeting course requirements. C: Performance by the student has been adequate to meet the basic requirements of the course.

D: Performance by the student has been sub-par to basic requirements, though meets minimum standards. F: Performance of the student has been such that the minimum course requirements have not been met. Criteria/Grade Narrative Spine and Drive Narrative Clarity Structure Originality

A

B

C

D

F

Clear Beginning, Middle and End – Story “problem” abundantly clear and easy to understand

Good understanding of story spine; narrative mostly clear; structure largely understood, good act outs.

Decent understand of story spine and narrative clarity; structure understood. Decent act outs.

Some sense of structure; some confusion in storytelling; weak understanding of structure. Weak act outs.

No sense of structure; story incomprehensible. Poor or no act outs.

Key episodic TV structure utilized Strong Act Outs

Story creation and verbal presentation

Strong story ideas that could work as a TV series, clear problem and arc defined and pitched coherently

Good episode ideas, and problem defined

Decently defined problem and arc

Weak character arc and unclear problem

Poor, unclear or non-existent character arc and problem

Constructive comments to problem solve story issues

Well-thought out notes and highly constructive feedback

Good notes and feedback

Decent notes, with some series’ inappropriate ideas and feedback

Weak or infrequent notes that occasionally offer helpful solutions, or poor conveyance of the ideas

Poor to no notes and ideas to help address story issues, with a lack of ability to constructively offer solutions.

Visual Writing

Strong visuals in writing – mainly “showing,” not “telling.”

Good visuals in writing – good use of “show, don’t tell”

Decent visuals. Some “show, don’t tell.”

Weak visuals in writing, largely “telling, not showing.”

Poor or no visuals; story “told” rather than “shown”

THE LESS IMPORTANT BUT STILL REALLY NECESSARY STUFF... TURN OFF ALL CELL PHONES, CRACKBERRIES and ELECTRONIC DEVICES. This is a MAJOR PET PEEVE of mine. Not only is it incredibly disruptive, it makes me angry. IF YOU DON'T KNOW SOMETHING, ASK. Talk to me. One of my best teachers taught me, "The only stupid question is the one that goes unasked." Which I think is a great rule. If you don't understand something or aren't clear, ask me. If you have questions, ASK ME. In class, or by email. If you want to discuss something one on one, we'll set up a time. I will typically be here an hour before class and we can arrange to meet then, or some other time that best fits our schedules. CLASS BREAKDOWN Since some topics will spark larger conversations than others, we'll ideally keep this class as fluid as possible while still hitting all the key assignment dates to ensure you complete and revise your episode scripts by the end of the semester. So consider this more of a blueprint than a strict rule book. However – ASSIGNMENTS DEADLINES ARE NOT FLEXIBLE. Without you delivering the required pages, we won't have anything to discuss. And trust me, none of us (especially me) wants me to lecture for four hours. WEEK 1/January 7th       

Overview of the course and an introduction into the world of the hour-long drama pilot. Original Series Ideas – and the difference between cable vs network vs internet series “Familiar but new” – how to make it like other hit shows, but not a copy Your series franchise – what is it? Your series ENGINE – what’s creating stories each week? Screening and breakdown of a series pilot, with group evaluation. In-Class brainstorming exercise

Home Assignment: Create a logline for your series, and decide which network it would best fit on, and who your target audience is.

WEEK 2/January 14:  Class pitching and discussion of series ideas and their intended network and audience.  Character – who is your series about?  What’s your series’ “Family” – and TV is always about “family.”  Storyline “seeding” – laying down elements for potential future story threads. Home Assignment:  Character breakdown pages.  Use the character breakdown pages to devise as many as 12 different episode storylines for your series, to test its longevity.

WEEK 3/January 21:  In-class presentation of episode loglines  Can your idea sustain a series?  The TWO CONFLICTS needed for every great series.  The Unresolvable Conflict at the core of every great show.  Serialized vs Episodic vs Hybrid Series – which is yours?  Premise Pilot or Regular Episode Pilot?  Theme - what’s your series about?  Screening and breakdown of a pilot episode and group discussion Home Assignment:  Add to your episode storylines, until you have at least a dozen workable ideas.  Read an episode script of a series similar to yours, on a network similar to your intended target.  Create a story break for your pilot episode.

WEEK 4/January 28:  In-class reading and discussion of story breaks.  Story problems/issues discussed in Writer's Room-style environment.  How does season 1 end? How does season 2 end?  How does/would the series conclude?  Screening and breaking down of an episode to discuss last week's homework assignment - seeing which scenes move the main plotline, which are subplot scenes and how they all connect with the main plot, narratively and thematically. Homework Assignment: Revise your story break based on the feedback, and develop your story break into an outline.

WEEK 5/February 4th:    

Lecture: Breaking Story; Episode Structure; Pay-Offs In-class discussion and reading of OUTLINES. Discussion of any lingering story/outline problems in Writer's Room-style environment. Continued development of series proposal.

Homework: Revise and/or finish your Pilot Outline. WEEK 6/February 11th:  Lecture: Pilot Endings – Launching the Franchise; Series Proposal  In-Class reading and discussion/problem-solving Homework: Finalize your series proposal document, including the full outline.

WEEK 7/February 18th:  Individual, one-on-one conferences on series proposals.  Once your proposal is approved, begin writing the script. Homework Assignment: Commence your pilot script. Complete at least the Teaser and Acts 1 & 2.

WEEK 8/February 25th:  Discussion of any story/writing problems in Writer's Room-style environment  Completed Acts to be discussed and read in class - at least the first 2 acts should be completed by this date. Homework Assignment: Continue writing your pilot script: Acts 2 and 3.

WEEK 9/March 4th:  Discussion about rewriting - how to enhance all aspects of the script.  Continued Discussion of any problems students are encountering in their writing.  Completed Acts 3 & 4 read and discussed in class. Homework Assignment: Finish Acts 5 and 6 (depending on series structure) or revise Acts 1 and 2 based on notes, using the Final Draft revision mode.

WEEK 10/March 11th:  Lecture and discussion about creating original TV series/pilots, part 1.  In-class reading and discussion of Acts 5 and 6, as well as revised Acts 1 and 2. Homework Assignment: Continue revising Acts 3, 4 and 5 using Final Draft Revision Mode.

WEEK 11/March 18th:  Individual, one-on-one conferences on First Completed Drafts.  Rewrites Commence. Homework Assignment: Continue/Complete revising your episode script and revise your Series Proposal based on changes that have unfolded during the semester’s feedback and your writing of the pilot episode. WEEK 12/March 25th – FINAL CLASS  Completed REVISED DRAFTS AND PROPOSALS DUE  Discussion about where and how to use your spec samples.  Possible Guest Speaker.

Most importantly: WRITE. Even if you hate every single word of it. Because that's the only way you get better. And much of writing is about re-writing. So write the most blatant dialogue that comes out of your brain. Put it down regardless. If you don't know the technical jargon for the brain operation your hero is performing in your episode, just write down "MEDICAL TECHNO BABBLE HERE" and move on. You'll research the exact terminology soon enough. And don't edit yourself. That's an entirely different side of the brain we'll use later, when rewriting. We're striving to reach the point where the characters begin TALKING BY THEMSELVES and you're listening, rather than putting words in their mouths. And you'll get there.

CLOS CLO 1: Demonstrate ability to write a TV pilot script using standard TV formats, with a clear narrative spin, along with a series proposal that strongly and compellingly encapsulates the series. CLO 2: Demonstrate the ability to create dynamic characters who can help generate a wealth of seriesappropriate episode storylines.

A Spine clear, story coherent. Strong, compelling act outs that fuel story. Series proposal conveys the show perfectly.

B Spine mostly clear, narrative mostly coherent. Storylines good, with good act outs or plot points..

C Spine fairly clear; story fairly coherent. Act out or key plot points are decent, as are the A, B and C storylines.

Strong storylines that perfectly fit the intended series, compellingly told with clarity and focus.

Good storylines that fit the series, well-told and mostly clear of problems or familiarity

Decent storylines that could fit the series (possibly a bit derivative) and decent verbal conveying of the stories.

CLO 3: Verbal pitch of your series in a compelling and coherent manner.

Compelling pitch that perfectly sells the series and makes us want to read/watch.

Good pitch that sells the series well and grabs our interest in the pilot.

CLO 4: Demonstrate the ability to use visuals to tell a story, to “show” not “tell.” CLO 5: Demonstrate and communicate analytical skills in regards to story problems and in the constructive offering of solutions in the room.

Strong visuals in writing – mainly “showing,” not “telling.” Excellent understanding and utilization of what works and what doesn’t, and why. Well-thought out notes and highly constructive feedback.

Good visuals in writing – good use of “show, don’t tell” Good – if not total – use and understanding of what works and why. Good notes and feedback.

Decent pitch of the your series, some story issues but still generating some interest in pilot. Decent visuals. Some “show, don’t tell.” Decent – if limited – use and understanding of working and notworking story elements. Some series’ inappropriate notes and ideas.

D Spine mostly obscure; story weak or bordering on incoherent. Weak A, B and C storylines create confusion, while act outs and plot points don’t fuel interest. Weak or somewhat inappropriate series story ideas, some derivative; told in a weak or not compelling.

F No spine; story incomprehensible. Lack of supporting B or C storyline and story confusion abounds.

Weak pitch of your series, mildly engaging our interest in reading the pilot and see the series. Weak visuals in writing, largely “telling,” not “showing.” Weak or very limited offering of notes on what does and doesn’t work in a story, and why.

Poor pitch of the series, completely failing to sell the show and engage our interest in it.

Poor or unclear episode story ideas, inappropriate for the intended series, poorly conveyed.

Poor or no visuals; story “told” rather than “shown” Poor or no ability to offer notes , and lacking an understanding of what works or to constructively offer solutions.