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School of Cinematic Arts - Writing Division
CTWR 539: Advanced Hour-Long Drama Series Pilot
4 Units
Pre-Reqs: CTWR 514a: Basic Dramatic Screenwriting
Instructor: Charlie Craig
Class Schedule: Tuesdays 7-10pm
Class Location: SCA 361
Office Hours: By arrangement, Tuesdays 5-7pm
Contact Information:
Course Objective:
Students will write a pilot script for an original one-hour drama TV series as well as a bible for the first season. They will receive notes from the instructor and their classmates in a “writing room” atmosphere, and will incorporate those changes into their revised scripts and bibles, which will be due finals week and count as the course’s “final exam.”
Course Description:
Coming up with a great idea for a TV show isn’t easy – if it was, there’d be more shows out there we’d like to watch. A viable idea needs more than just a great hook – it needs compelling characters, exciting act outs, meaningful stakes, a story that connects with an audience and, most importantly, an anticipation and understanding of “what happens next week.” During the semester we will endeavor to satisfy these and other requirements on our way to creating our own versions of what we’d like to watch on TV.
The workshop nature of this class will rely on students possessing a certain working knowledge of format, story structure, scene construction, what makes a good act out, etc. Not that we won’t cover these topics, but we’ll do so in the context of your stories: the majority of class time will be spent in “writers room” mode, working much like a TV show’s staff to discuss and improve each others’ ideas.
Requirements:
Required text: Inside the Room: Writing Television with the Pros (2013) by Linda Venis.
A screenwriting program such as Final Draft will be needed to complete your script.
Copies of current, in-development pilot scripts will be distributed via Dropbox, so familiarity with that service will be helpful.
Most importantly: class members must actually watch television. The more you watch, the wider breadth of shows you sample, the better equipped you’ll be to come up with a great idea for a pilot. Trying to create something in a vacuum is an exercise in futility.
Writing Assignments:
All writing assignments are due, via email, by 6PM on the Saturday before each class.
In-Class Discussion of Work:
During this course you will be required to submit work, both orally and in writing, that will be critiqued by the class. Please remember that you came here to learn about writing, not to be a critic. Be constructive in your comments and mindful of the effort your classmates put into their work.
Grading Criteria:
Many assignments are listed as “ungraded,” but completion of them is required to help the student stay on track to finish the graded assignments at the standards expected.
Participation: 10%
Pilot Outline: 20%
Pilot Script – First Draft: 20%
Pilot Script – Rewrite 30%
Series Bible: 10%
Proofing of work (no typos) 10%
As per Writing Division policy the following is a breakdown of numeric grade to letter grade:
A 100% to 94% C 76% to 73%
A- 93% to 90% C- 72% to 70%
B+ 89% to 87% D+ 69% to 67%
B 86% to 83% D 66% to 63%
B- 82% to 80% D- 62% to 60%
C+ 79% to 77% F 59% to 0%
Writing Division Attendance Policy:
Students are expected be on time and prepared for each class. Two unexcused absences will result in your grade being lowered by one full point (ex: A to a (A-). A third unexcused absence will result in your grade being lowered another full point (ex: B to a (B-). Your grade will be lowered by one point for every absence after. Two late arrivals equates to one full absence.
In order for absence to be excused the student must have approval from the professor and provide documentation at the next attended class session.
Please note that if you are a Writing for Screen and Television major/minor you must receive a grade of a C or better in order to receive degree credit. If you have any questions about the minimum grade required for credit please check with your home department.
If you have an emergency and must miss class please contact your professor prior to class or contact the Writing Division at 213-740-3303.
Laptop and Cell Phone Policy:
As is standard in TV writing rooms, laptops will remain closed and phones will remain in your pocket.
Class Schedule:
Please note that all dates/topics/assignments are subject to change at the discretion of the professor.
Week One
Introductions: Why you’re here, what you hope to get out of the class. Favorite TV shows. Email/Blackboard.
Nature of the class: Reading or watching a pilot every week, then discussing in class. How to view the assigned shows. Fluid syllabus/guests. Discussion of students’ other semester writing assignments. Lecture time will transition to “room time.”
The Pilot: Define a pilot. Why are you writing one?
The Language of the Hour-Long Drama: Franchise, genre, hook, stakes, conflict, clock and buys. Log-lines. We’ll use these words a lot. Premise vs. non-premise pilot.
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Homework: Decide on the idea you want to write. Begin to consider characters, franchise, and your show’s beginning, middle and end. If necessary, research the area of the script.
Viewing: Watch the assigned pilot episode.
Reading: Chapter 3 of “Inside the Room.”
Week Two
Discuss the pilot we watched. Describe in the terms we learned in Week One. Premise or non-premise? Did you like the pilot? Was it a typical episode of the show?
The Script: One-hour drama structure – length and acts. Themes. A/B/C stories.
Pitching: Why you need to be on the edge of your seat. The Christmas Tree theory of pitching.
In the Room: Discuss students’ pilot ideas. Identify the series log-line, franchise, genre, hook, stakes, conflict, clock and buys. Ideas for the pilot story?
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Homework: Refine your idea based on the room’s feedback. Further develop your pilot’s story and characters. Work on a 60-second in-class pitch for the room next week.
Viewing: Watch the assigned pilot episode.
Week Three
Breaking an Episode 1: the pad method, a prelude to carding.
In the Room: Pitch your ideas. Discuss/refine your stories.
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Homework: Continue to develop your stories.
Viewing: Watch the assigned pilot episode and break it down using the pad method.
Reading: Read the assigned pilot outline.
Week Four
Discuss the pilot we watched and compare breakdowns. That’s a beat sheet, and it’s also what you’d put on your cards if you were…
Breaking an Episode 2: Carding. Last week’s episode as an example.
Characters: the difference between writing a pilot and a spec. Backstory, conflict between characters, the defining moment – why now? Make sure your characters are active.
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Homework: Begin carding your episode – the first step of writing your outline.
Viewing: Watch the assigned pilot and card it out.
Reading: Read the assigned pilot outline.
Week Five
Discuss the pilot we watched and compare students’ cards.
What job titles really mean in TV.
Housekeeping.
Grammer and spelling.
In the Room: Discuss progress on your episode story/structure.
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Homework: Taking into consideration the room’s feedback, write the first draft of your outline and send it to me and your classmates.
Week Six
The Scene: How to justify its existence. Confict, length, possible relation to theme.
In the Room: Discuss progress on your outline and any questions you may have.
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Homework: Revise your outline and send it to me and your classmates. This is a graded assignment and represents 20% of your class grade.
Week Seven
My philosophy of writing: minimalism.
The Teaser: What it should communicate to the reader.
In the Room: Feedback on your outlines, and advice going forwards.
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Homework: Write the Teaser of your episode and send to the usual suspects.
Reading: Chapter 2 of “Inside the Room.”
Week Eight
Act One: The first act and what you need to have communicated by the end of it.
In the Room: Read Teasers aloud and discuss.
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Homework: Revise your Teasers and distribute.
Week Nine
In the Room: Read Teasers aloud and discuss where the story is going in Act One. Have you set everything in place for your first act?
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Homework: Write Act One of your pilot and distribute.
Week Ten
Acts Two and Three: what needs to be happening in the middle of your script.
In the Room: Read selected scenes from Act One and discuss.
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Homework: Write acts Two and Three and distribute.
Week Eleven
Acts Four through Infinity: What you need to have accomplished by the end of your script. Will the audience know what to expect next week – and next year?
In the Room: Read selected scenes from Acts Two and Three and discuss.
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Homework: Finish the first draft of your script and distribute. This is a graded assignment and represents 20% of your class grade.
Week Twelve
Rewriting: Now comes the hard part, and the part that counts.
In the Room: Discuss scripts and our problems/discoveries/questions with the process.
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Homework: Begin to rewrite your pilot, incorporating ideas/advice from the room.
Reading: Chapter 4 of “Inside the Room.”
Week Thirteen
The Bible: What it is and why it’s a good thing to have.
In the Room: Discuss the series that your pilot is setting up, and what to include/not include in your bibles.
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Homework: Continue to rewrite your pilot, and start writing your Bible.
Week Fourteen
Being on Staff: What to do, and what not to do.
Agents and Managers: Who you need, and what you don’t need.
In the Room: Discuss the rewrite process of both your pilot and your bible.
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Homework: Finish your Bible and distibute. This is a graded assignment and represents 10% of your class grade.
Week Fifteen
On Writing: Advice, both practical and grammatical. What it’s like to make a living being a TV writer. The value of your instincts.
In the Room: Last chance to discuss your scripts and anything else on our mind!
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Homework: Finish your pilot script and hand it in by 5pm on May 12th. This is a graded assignment and represents 30% of your final grade.
Statement on Academic Conduct and Support Systems
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Support Systems
A number of USC’s schools provide support for students who need help with scholarly writing. Check with your advisor or program staff to find out more. Students whose primary language is not English should check with the American Language Institute http://dornsife.usc.edu/ali, which sponsors courses and workshops specifically for international graduate students. The Office of Disability Services and Programs http://sait.usc.edu/academicsupport/centerprograms/dsp/home_index.html provides certification for students with disabilities and helps arrange the relevant accommodations. If an officially declared emergency makes travel to campus infeasible, USC Emergency Information http://emergency.usc.edu will provide safety and other updates, including ways in which instruction will be continued by means of blackboard, teleconferencing, and other technology.
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