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Posts tagged as “Staffing”

Why you really need to write a TV spec script

Why you really need to write a TV spec script

The fellowships are coming! The fellowships are coming!

It’s common knowledge that the main requirement to apply for TV writing fellowships is a spec.
As in, a sample script of an episode based on an existing show–not an original pilot.

Despite this, the current TV industry seems to look more favorably at original pilots than specs.
That’s probably the reason you’ve asked yourself why you (still) needed to write a TV spec script.

Let’s take a quick look back at a time when specs were de rigueur when it came to breaking in.
Jane Espenson did a Frasier, Matt Olmstead wrote a Homicide script, and Dave Hemingson went for a Larry Sanders episode.
In fact, up until Enterprise, all Star Trek shows used to have an “open submission” policy when it came to recruiting fresh talent. That’s how Ronald D. Moore and Bryan Fuller got their start (among many).

Spec scripts were so prevalent in TV specifically (beyond pitching) because the medium requires a format that needs to be replicated. Over and over and over again.
You needed to prove that you could fit in that mold.

As original programming exploded, so did the request for “original material”. Which translated to pilot scripts being everyone’s calling card. Even for aspiring TV writers.

And here we are today, where (seemingly) only the writing programs and various screenwriting contests specifically ask for spec scripts.

So… Why are TV spec scripts still worth writing?

First, let’s go back to the point of a spec–

Simply put, a spec script is an exercise in imitation. You write a TV spec to showcase your ability to mimic the style, voice and narrative of the show you selected.

We just talked about television shows being about formulas and structures that are repeatable over several episodes. Even serialized shows akin to Breaking Bad, or anthologies like American Crime Story have a set number of acts, beats and stories.
Spec scripts show your ability to “fit” within those constraints. You’re already imposing them on yourself by speccing a distinct show.

Moira Walley-Beckett Ozymandias BoardMoira Walley-Beckett and the board for her Breaking Bad episode (“Ozymandias”)

Television writing is also intrinsically communal. You will be in a room with X other writers, brainstorming and breaking episodes months on out.

Unless your name rhymes with “Rick Dizzolatto”, your first job as a TV writer won’t be as some EP-level showrunner whose vision will shepherd a multi-million-dollar company (AKA a TV show).
You will likely be a low-level staff writer. And as a staff writer, you’re paid to be a brain in the room and then translate the showrunner’s voice to the page. (Meaning you’re not necessarily hired for your stylistic talents as a raconteur.)

If spec pilots exist to show your unique snowflake of a voice, then spec scripts should remind people you can deliver a producible hour of television within specific guidelines.
In other words, your ability to be a TV writer.

Specs should not replace pilots, the same way that pilots should not replace specs. They’re complimentary exercises.
That’s why the real reason why you need to write a TV spec script isn’t because it’s some mandatory requirement on an application, or just another calling card in your portfolio.
You should be writing TV spec scripts because it is your job as a television writer to write spec scripts (albeit with WGA-mandated pay).

Think of writing TV specs like practice. The exercise of speccing a show is the closest thing to the experience of writing as a TV staff writer.
It may not be as bright and sparkly as creating your own pilot, but it’s the job you’re signing up for.
Researching what the show is. Brainstorming ideas that fit in that world. Breaking and outlining a coherent story. Writing and drafting a compelling script.
That’s the grind of being a television writer. (With complementary sugary snacks.)

Write on.

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.