The TV Writer's Workbook

Author: Ellen Sandler
Publisher: Delta
ISBN: 0307492214
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 306

Book Description
Why is TV writing different from any other kind of writing? How will writing a spec script open doors? What do I have to do to get a job writing for TV? Writing for television is a business. And, like any business, there are proven strategies for success. In this unique hands-on guide, television writer and producer Ellen Sandler shares the trade secrets she learned while writing for hit shows like Everybody Loves Raymond and Coach. She offers concrete advice on everything from finding a story to getting hired on a current series. Filled with easy-to-implement exercises and practical wisdom, this ingenious how-to handbook outlines the steps for becoming a professional TV writer, starting with a winning script. Sandler explains the difference between “selling” and “telling,” form and formula, theme and plot. Discover: • A technique for breaking down a show style so you’re as close to being in the writing room as you can get without actually having a job there • The 3 elements for that essential Concept Line that you must have in order to create a story with passion and consequence • Mining the 7 Deadly Sins for fresh and original story lines • Sample scripts from hit shows • In-depth graphs, script breakdown charts, vital checkpoints along the way, and much, much more!

Inside the Room

Author: Linda Venis
Publisher: Avery
ISBN: 1592408117
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 274

Book Description
What does it take to go from being a TV fan to a professional TV writer? Television writers--whose many produced credits include The Simpsons; Mad Men; Frasier; X-Files; Battlestar Gallactica; CSI: Miami; Law and Order; and House, M.D.--take aspiring writers through the process of writing their first spec script for an on-air series, creating one-hour drama and sitcom pilots that break out from the pack, and revising their scripts to meet pro standards. They also learn how to launch and sustain a writing career and get a rare look inside the process of creating, selling, and getting a TV show made. Edited by Linda Venis, Director of the UCLA Extension Writers' Program, Inside the Room is an unmatched resource for everything readers need to know to write their way into the Writers Guild of America.

Writing the TV Drama Series

Author: Pamela Douglas
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781932907346
Category : Television authorship
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Book Description
Some of todays top television writers and producers share their insight and explain the unique craft of writing a drama series for television and how the industry really works.

How To Write For Television

Author: Madeline Dimaggio
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1416570721
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 338

Book Description
This readable, reliable book has been a trusted reference for nearly two decades and is now revised to include the most up-to-date information from today's television climate. TV Writing the Right Way! In this guide for every student of the small screen and every scriptwriter dreaming of breaking into the business, writer-producer Madeline DiMaggio hands you the tools of the trade. With dozens of examples from today's hit shows, as well as perennial classics, DiMaggio walks readers through the scriptwriting process, from learning how to watch TV like a writer to developing your script, pitching it, and eventually sealing the deal. DiMaggio answers the questions on every aspiring television writer's mind, with chapters on: The tools of scriptwriting Hooks that sell Creating the pilot Developing the episode, step by step How to create riveting characters Writing long form and cable movies Adaptations and collaborations Marketing your script DiMaggio combines her own experience with advice to writers from others in the trade, including agents, producers, animators, and more. This readable, reliable book has been a trusted reference for nearly two decades and is now revised to include the most up-to-date information from today's television climate, from writing for cable, reality, and TV-movie formats to the ever-evolving face of the sitcom. A must-read for anyone aiming to write for TV, How to Write for Television will continue to help budding writers reach their small-screen goals and will prepare them for working in the rapidly changing world of TV.

Write to TV

Author: Martie Cook
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1134648294
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 402

Book Description
Learn to craft smart, original stories and scripts for a variety of television formats and genres, including comedy, drama, pilots, animation, made-for-TV movies, late night, and reality television. Hear directly from studio and network executives, agents, and managers on what they’re looking for in new writers and how to avoid common pitfalls. Gain access to sample outlines, script pages, checklists, and countless other invaluable resources that will help you break into the industry and put you on the path to immediate success. In Write to TV, Second Edition industry veteran Martie Cook offers practical advice on writing innovative television scripts that will allow you to finally get that big idea out of your head and onto the screen. This new edition has been updated to include: Tips and techniques from industry vets Jay Leno, Norman Lear, Paul Haggis, David Magee, Susan Rovner, Tal Rabinowitz, Jonathan Littman, Peter Jankowski, Steve Stark, and Doug Herzog that you can immediately apply to your own projects Expanded coverage of writing pilots, pitching, writing webisodes, writing for tweens, writing for late night, and rewriting Useful advice for navigating the confusing television hierarchy, including how to network, get an agent, land that first writing job, and even "do lunch" 25 new interviews with writers and producers of hit shows such as New Girl, Parks and Recreation, The Blacklist, Curb Your Enthusiasm, CSI, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, and many more An all new companion website (www.writetotv.com) featuring blog updates, industry trends, a Q&A discussion forum with the author, and many other resources

Writing Television Sitcoms

Author: Evan S. Smith
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 9780399525339
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 310

Book Description
Describes the writing method called premise-driven comedy, examines how comedy affects character development and story structure, discusses guidelines on script layouts, and offers advice on establishing a career

Save the Cat!(r) Writes for TV

Author: Jamie Nash
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780984157693
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

Book Description
Blake Snyder's Save the Cat!®, the world's top-selling story method for filmmakers and novelists, introduces The Last Book on Creating Binge-Worthy Content You'll Ever Need. Screenwriter Jamie Nash takes up Snyder's torch to lay out a step-by-step approach using Blake's principles so that both new and experienced writers can learn how to: -Use all the nuances, tricks, and techniques of pilot-writing (The Opening Pitch, The Guided Tour, The Whiff of Change) with examples from today's hottest series -Discover the Super-Secret Keep It On The Downlow TV Pitch Template that combines all the critical points of your amazing TV series into one easy-to-read-over-lunch high-level document -Define the 9 TV Franchise Types -Crack your story using the Save the Cat! beat sheet -Devise high-level series concepts with multi-season potential -Map out and organize TV pilots and multi-season shows -Break down the best and most diverse TV series using examples from Atlanta, Barry, Ozark, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, What We Do in the Shadows, Black-ish, The Mandalorian, Law and Order: SVU and more -Create layered characters who are driven by complex internal struggles It's time for Save the Cat! Writes for TV to help you create your binge-worthy TV series!

A Writer's Workbook

Author: Caroline Sharp
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
ISBN: 125012249X
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 173

Book Description
Aspiring doctors have medical school. Karate students have belts of different colors. Pianists have scales and arpeggios. But what system do writers have for getting and staying "in shape," to help them focus, practice, and make progress? A Writer's Workbook is Caroline Sharp's ingenious collection of exercises to inspire, encourage, warm up, and jump-start anyone who writes. A wise and funny friend who will cheerlead you through even your darkest can't-write days and "every idea I've ever had is awful" nights, she provides encouraging suggestions, hilarious observations, and an amazingly vivid catalogue of writers' neuroses (with advice on overcoming them, of course). From "Roget's Resume" and "Emulating Ernest" to "End Well," "The Rewrite Rut," and "Dear John," the exercises in this generous, wry workbook will keep your ideas fresh, your mind open, and your pen moving.

Making a Good Writer Great

Author: Linda Seger
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781879505490
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 254

Book Description
Teaches writers how to be creative within the craft of screenwriting, and discusses theme development, sensation-thinking, dream images, character opposition, and personal vision.

Comedy Writing Workbook

Author: Gene Perret
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781722644710
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 204

Book Description
Veteran TV writer, Gene Perret, shows you how to "think funny" -- and put it on paper. These 87 super workouts guide you through the mechanics of writing jokes, monologues, sketches, and complete scripts.