Writing Television Drama: Get Your Scripts Commissioned

by Nicholas Gibbs

Overview

Break Into Writing For Television takes you from the very first line of the script through to becoming a regular writer for soaps and 'continuing dramas'. It starts with the basics of different types of script and production, and moves on to getting ideas, shaping character and dialogue, re-writing, pitching work and the practicalities of who does what in the production world, in both the UK and the US. Structured around a practical, progressive, goal-orientated approach, each chapter contains a diagnostic test, case studies, practical exercises and Aide Memoire boxes. Each chapter concludes with a reminder of the key points of the chapter (Focus Points) and a round-up of what to expect in the next (Next Step), which will whet your appetite for what's coming and how it relates to what you've just read.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781444167610
Publisher:	John Murray Press
Publication date:	09/21/2012
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Nicholas Gibbs (Cambridgeshire, England), a BBC-trained Script Editor, currently has two television dramas in development with independent producers and broadcasters. He runs a series of successful scriptwriting workshops which have included both writers and producers, plus a script feedback service for scriptwriters. His background is in theatre (amateur and professional) and he is a member of the Writers Guild of Great Britain.

Nicholas Gibbs is a scriptwriter, BBC-trained script editor and author of Television Drama Writing.

Table of Contents

Introduction - providing a background to the subject and outlining the purpose of the guide and who it is aimed at. / What is a Script? - Nuts and bolts definition of what a script actually is. / The Script - Format. Television Drama has different formats. Is it a series? Is it a Serial? Is it a one-off? Is it a two-, three-, four-parter? The difference between BBC, ITV, C4 and Sky drama. / The Spec Script - The script that is going to get you noticed / The Idea - What to do before writing begins. The logline. The theme. The synopsis. / The Characters - How to create compelling characters: The Protagonist and The Antagonist / The Characters #2 - Supporting Characters / The World - The where / The Script - Structure / The First Ten Pages - A new writer is judged on the first ten pages of his script as to whether that the rest of the script is read. We look at why this is and also what are the key elements that those first ten pages must have. / Inciting Incident - The reason you are telling this story at this time in your protagonist’s life. / Structure. 3-Acts, 4-Acts, 5-Acts. Classical storytelling. / Main Plot and Sub-Plots. Story arcs. Conflicts. Reversals. Surprises. / The Script - Nuts and Bolts / Show Not Tell. / Writing Action. Writing ‘stage’ directions. / Dialogue. Speech patterns, interaction. / Scene Construction. What should every scene be doing? / Other Documents / Character Biographies. Episode summaries. / Treatments. / Writing is re-writing. / Continuing Drama - The different demands and what can be learned writing for Casualty, Doctors, Holby, Eastenders, Coronation Street, Emmerdale, Hollyoaks. / Online Drama. The opportunities and constraints of drama online. / Who Does What? / Script Readers. What do they do? What do they look for? Who are they? / Script Editor. What do they do? Notes. / How to get an agent? Why do I need an agent? / No agent. What can you do? / Industry events. Workshops. Courses. Competitions. Organisations. / From script to screen. The process can take up to two years (or more) so what happens. / USA Television. What are the differences and opportunities? / Contacts including new writer friendly production companies. / Glossary/Bibliography