Beginning Television Writing
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At a Glance
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Mad Men. Modern Family. The Good Wife.
Some of the best storytelling in Hollywood is happening on the small screen, and a TV script is the current must-have spec for any aspiring writer.
Find out how you can dive into the world of working in episodic TV through the Beginning Television Writing course from The Writers Store.
Established executive producer and showrunner William Rabkin will guide you through the the process of successfully writing a spec episodic script that will open doors across Hollywood.
The course is conducted like an actual TV writers room, with Rabkin acting as the showrunner. Over the 4-week course period, you’ll learn how to analyze a TV show and brainstorm “franchise”-friendly story ideas. Next up is developing and writing a story and then, after incorporating Rabkin’s notes, you’ll be sent off to write your outline.
Finally, you’ll develop and refine your outline, leaving you ready to write your episodic spec script…the first step in getting a job on a TV series.
Here’s a general breakdown of subjects covered in this course:
Week 1: Learning How To Sell a TV Story
- What is a TV series?
- How to identify the "franchise"
- What is a TV story?
- The 4-Act sctructure and servicing the franchise
Week 2: TV Story Basics
- Developing your premise
- What stories not to write
- The importance of conflict
- The one-pager
Week 3: Writing the Rough Beat Sheet
- Breaking the story - figuring out which scenes will make up the episode
Week 4: Rewriting and Refining the Outline & Going to Script
- Writing the beat sheet
- Feedback on beat sheets
Required Materials:
Product Details
- Publisher Screenwriters University
- Date available: 01/01/2010
- Return policy: This item is not eligible for return.
Meet the Author: William Rabkin
Veteran TV writer/showrunner, William Rabkin is the author of the best-selling Writing the Pilot and Writing the Pilot: Creating the Series. He is an associate professor of television writing and producing at Long Island University-Brooklyn’s TV Writers Studio, an assistant professor of screen and television writing at University of California, Riverside-Palm Desert’s Low Residency MFA in Creative Writing and Writing for the Performing Arts and in Stephens College’s Low Residency MFA in TV and Screenwriting. Twice nominated for the Edgar Award by the Mystery Writers of America, he is currently developing and writing a 12-episode thri... |