facebook_pixel Press "Enter" to skip to content

Looking to start your TV writing journey?

Posts tagged as “Pilots”

Seven Years of TV Writing (and advice)

Seven Years of TV Writing (and advice)

Television writing is, for all intents and purposes, the core subject of this website.
It would be foolish to recap seven years worth of TV writing-related content and advice in a post.
Let’s do it anyway.

We began our journey by tackling a very simple problem: how to land that first job in television. Yes, that “simple” comment was sarcasm.
It was shortly thereafter that I started mentioning a few of my favorite TV business books, and some great TV writing books.
Note to self: make another updated list. Other note to self: add previous note to self to to-do list.

June 2010 meant kick-off time in South Africa, which led me to write what the World Cup can teach you about TV writing. Hint: it does not involve corruption.

A big event of the past seven years was also my “spec experiment” in 2013 of writing and publicly publishing my spec pilot of Star Trek: Terran.
I explained my thought-process in a much-debated post entitled “Breaking Rules” — Speccing And Sharing Star Trek: Terran.

Television is a collaborative medium. We’re not writing novels, we’re making episodic scripts. And we should be learning from each other.
Sadly, besides produced scripts being traded in the shadows of Internet, there’s almost no TV writer, aspiring or pro, willing to openly share their work.
And I have to say: it’s weird.
I’m not talking about sharing projects currently in development/production or making the rounds. What I’m referring to is all the other stuff. The failed pitches, the finished projects, the canceled ventures.
This isn’t a question of getting/wanting validation from the outside. It’s obvious most writers already have a group, or an entourage whose opinion they care about. It’s about sharing the craft. The experience of TV writing.
That’s one of the reasons why I put Terran out there. Like any spec, it’s an ongoing work in progress, and I do welcome any feedback I get. Yet, I don’t expect it to be made (copyright issues notwithstanding). I put it out, in part, to share the process (good and bad).

I concluded with the following sentiments:

Writing can be a personal affair, but TV is communal. It’s teamwork. We’re all in this together.
I wish writers were more willing to openly share their work, especially when it comes to television.
It’s high time we started learning from each other’s craft. Why not become a team writer yourself?

Sounds like people need another bump to the bum!

Moving on to one of our most popular TV writing series–
“Screenwriting Lessons From” is a great little series of articles where I reverse-engineer screenwriting lessons from finished series. We’ve tackled Coupling, Friends, Parks & Recreation, Farscape and Six Feet Under.
Last December, this tweet happened:


Yes, that’s a tweet from motherfrelling Farscape creator Rockne S. O’Bannon praising my “Screenwriting Lessons from Farscape” post! I’m still in shock that happened.

And speaking of professional TV people and popular series (greatest transition ever?), we’ve had since last year our “Profiles of Television” interview series, which mixes both TV writing and TV business advice. Posted as of today:
– Kiyong Kim – TV Writing Fellow (Nickelodeon/NBC WOTV/CAAM)
– Meghan Pleticha – TV Writer’s Assistant & Script Coordinator (Silicon Valley/Married)
– Jill Weinberger – TV Writer/Story Editor (Chicago Fire)
– Matt Thilenius – TV Literary Assistant (CAA)
(and someone else we had to remove for secret reasons)
Fun fact: this is just the beginning! I’ve already got four upcoming interviews in the can, ready to fire off. All that’s left to do is the transcript for each. Shouldn’t take more than hours and hours of work.

Of course, our big takeaway for most people have always been my annual spec script lists. I’ve published, so far, 13 spec lists since our creation (or, more accurately, since 2009).
It’s fair to say that over the past few years, our focus has slowly shifted to the TV writing fellowships and specs.
The first venture into the “how-to” spec guide was with the super-duper Canadian police procedural Flashpoint and our “Spec Flashpoint” series. I broke down over seven articles how I specced that show. Everything from research to, well, development.
Let’s not forget also the various how-to articles on spec scripts, mainly how fresh a show should be to spec it, and ten spec writing rules (and why you should care).
Over the past seven years we’ve had a ton of other articles on TV writing, including:
– The difference between a “spec script” and “spec pilot”
– How to land a writing gig on a TV show
– Script Registration 101
– How to get a TV agent
– How late you can spec something
– Animated vs. live-action specs
– Is a pilot script needed when pitching?

And many more.

It has been a very fruitful journey so far, and I hope you continue living it with us.

Write on.

What is the difference between a “spec script” and a “spec pilot”? (TV Writing 101)

What is the difference between a “spec script” and a “spec pilot”? (TV Writing 101)

I’ve been getting a few questions relating to “what is a spec script”, so here goes…

In its basic definition, a “spec script” is a screenplay written on “speculation” (that someone out there will want it). In other words, a script written out of the volition of its writer—without any kind of deal or monetary compensation in place.

Although similarly uncompensated, a spec script in television specifically refers to a “sample episode“. The goal of the TV spec script is to showcase your writing abilities.

If you are an aspiring drama writer, then you might write (for example) a Mad Men spec script. Your goal will therefore be to show that:
a) you can write a compelling, novel story; and
b) you can write within the Mad Men parameters, i.e. mimic an episode of the show.
That means that you need to write with the same format/structure as the show (e.g. four acts), and also be able to channel the showrunner’s (Matthew Weiner’s) “voice”.

In recent years, spec pilots have overtaken spec scripts in terms of what executives and showrunners want to read for new hires. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write sample episode spec scripts!
Even outside of the TV writing fellowships, they are amazing exercises. In fact, your TV writing career will primarily be about your ability to write for a showrunner.

You can learn more about the “dos and donts” of writing TV spec scripts by checking: “Ten Spec Writing Rules (and why you should care)”

Spec pilots are a sub-division of spec scripts. Much like their counterparts, they are written unsolicited. They are here, once again, to show that you can write. This time though, with you own original well-executed ideas.

Note that spec pilot scripts should not be written in the hopes of getting produced. There’s only been a handful of TV spec pilots being made. One of those famously being Matthew Weiner’s Mad Men. He was already established as a TV writer when he AMC bought it. He had used his Mad Men spec pilot as a writing sample to get on The Sopranos. And now others spec his show. The circle is complete.

Is a pilot script needed when pitching? (Readers’ Mail)

Is a pilot script needed when pitching? (Readers’ Mail)

Have you ever wondered…
Do I need to write a spec pilot for my pitch meeting?

On today’s Readers’ Mail, we answer this quandary with Jean-Luc’s e-mail:

I was wondering if you could clarify whether a pilot script is needed when pitching a one hour TV drama. I have heard and been told that I definitely need a pilot script AND I have been told that I just need a detailed outline and descriptions of the world, characters, season arc of the TV concept/idea. If the show is picked up the writing for each episode would be done later. I am interested in knowing which route I should take…TV pitch with treatment and pilot outline or treatment/outline and pilot script.
I’m more interested in having the TV show created and consulting (or selling the idea/concept) rather than writing for the series.

You’re asking a lot of great questions about pitching, which could also be phrased another way:

Where is the line between doing work on spec, and getting paid for it?

With rare exceptions, spec scripts are primarily meant to be samples of your work, not sellable commodities.

Keeping that in mind, let’s ask a few more questions:
– Who are you meeting with? (prodcos, studios, networks)
– What is the meeting: a pitch meeting or more a general?
– Why are you getting a meeting with them?

Assuming it is indeed a pitch meeting with, say, a prodco, then they called you in because either:
a) they want to hear you pitch something they know you’re doing/they’re already interested in; or
b) they liked you/other things you’ve done and want to hear fresh ideas.

So–

Is a pilot script needed for pitch meetings?

If you already have one, then that’s that. Maybe they’ve read the spec to said pitched show, and called you in for that. The pitch will then revolve around the vision you’re bringing and future of that world. They’re already interested in the project. It’s now a question of being invested in your version of it.

If you have NOT written your pilot, and are getting pitch meetings for new stuff, then I would not advise you to write a fully-fledged pilot on spec (unless you plan to use it as a sample regardless).
The reason is simple: why would you be doing all this work for free? If the company is that invested in the pitch, then they’ll pay you to go to the next step.
On top of that, there’s probably (hopefully) going to be some back-and-forth between you and the people in the room. It may change your approach to the pilot.

That doesn’t mean you should pitch out of nothing.

Knowing your pilot and world inside-out is an absolute must.
When it comes to content, everyone has their own pitch best practices. You can check some of my “Profiles of Television” interview series with TV writers and development executives to hear how they do it, and what they prefer.
I’ve personally sat on convoluted pitches involving cardboard maps of worlds and season storylines. Those are intricate “Game of Thrones-esque” pitches, and definitely not the norm, but they work when needed.

Ultimately, your job is to convey your show, your story, and your world. And it all starts with the pilot.
That means that, in your pitch, you’ll probably tell what goes on in the first episode. You should know for (at least) yourself the detailed outline. Past that, description of the world/characters/broad season arc(s) are also expected. “Leave-behinds” can be good too, but they shouldn’t be more than a few pages (at most).
Again, the level of details needed is on a case-by-case basis. The person you’re pitching to should know what they’re buying into, and be intrigued about its potential.

Now about your other question —

Consulting for a TV show

I’m guessing you’re not referring to being a technical consultant (e.g. doctor on a medical show), but rather a creative consultant.

With features, you could, maybe (and extremely rarely), sell some kind of concept/draft and walk away. Not so with TV.
It all boils down to this: television writing isn’t about ideas, it’s about executions. Writers are hired because they are either idea machines and/or great at running with ideas, not because of just “one cool thing”. And that’s not even mentioning how difficult it is to sell anything TV-related to begin with.

Where do creative consultants come from? Well, they’re already known quantities. For example, a famed crime author could partner with a screenwriter to sell an adaptation of a novel series. In that case, the author may become a creative consultant (if not more). They could also be a known producer or writing EP. If J.J. Abrams sneezes something, you can bet everyone will bid on it.

—

If you (who’s reading this) have a question you’d like an answer to, feel free to contact me about it.

Write on.