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Posts published in “TV Analysis”

TV Pilot 301: Scope, Beginnings, and Ends (PT184)

TV Pilot 301: Scope, Beginnings, and Ends (PT184)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:03 — 52.4MB)

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Alex and Nick talk about the big picture of your TV pilot script and its scope, from what the first episode should capture, to what it can leave out.

What defines the scope of your TV pilot? What are ways of deciding when the pilot should start and when it should end? How do you tell a satisfying episodic story while also setting up a longer-tail series? What are common mistakes people make when deciding on the scope of their pilot story? Why shouldn’t you “save it for later”?

The Paper Team hones in…

Content

1 – TV pilot scope and common mistakes (00:29)
2 – TV pilot beginnings and ends (28:58)

Links

TV Pilot 101 (PT30)
TV Pilot 201: Keeping the Reader Interested (PT84)
TV Formula 101: Building an Engine For Your Show (PT117)
Act Breaks (PT15)
Weaving Storylines: A/B/C Stories (PT53)
Teasers & Cold Opens (PT61)
Analyzing Great TV Pilots: Case Studies of Alias, Community, Homicide, The O.C., Scrubs and 3rd Rock from the Sun (PT54)

If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex – @TVCalling
Nick – @_njwatson
For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

TV Prose 201: Breaking Rules (PT156)

TV Prose 201: Breaking Rules (PT156)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 45:51 — 42.2MB)

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Alex and Nick delve into the nuances of editorializing on the page, and take a look at unconventional ways of breaking rules in your TV writing.

What is the goal of breaking rules with prose? What are unique tools to convey information in scene descriptions? How do you direct on the page in an emotional way? When can you editorialize your writing? What is meta-prose and how should you use it? When is formatting worth playing with?

The Paper Team comments…

Content

1 – Preface (01:01)
2 – Editorializing the prose (04:19)
3 – Directing on the page (23:56)
4 – Meta-prose and breaking the fourth wall (30:25)
5 – Playing with formatting (37:48)
Takeaways and Next Week On (44:16)

Links

TV Prose and Scene Description 101 (PT48)
The Girlfriend Experience (TV Show)
The Rules of Attraction (Movie)
TV Characters 101 (PT46)
The Hunt

This episode brought to you by Roadmap Writers
Use the code PAPERTEAM to get $15 OFF your Roadmap Writers Program

If you enjoy Paper Team, please consider supporting us on Patreon at paperteam.co/patreon! :)

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex – @TVCalling
Nick – @_njwatson
For any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

Writing Samples and Preparing for TV Staffing ft. Liz Alper (The Rookie) & Kai Wu (Deception) (PT119)

Writing Samples and Preparing for TV Staffing ft. Liz Alper (The Rookie) & Kai Wu (Deception) (PT119)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:12:13 — 66.3MB)

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Alex and Nick invite fellow TV writers Liz Alper (The Rookie/Hawaii Five-0) & Kai Wu (Deception/The Flash) to debate what samples are worth writing, and how they get ready for staffing season.

Are features better samples than TV pilots or specs? Should writers chase trends? What are ways of researching a spec script? How can you get ready for staffing season? How do you handle a difficult showrunner as a staff writer?

Plus, we give feedback on three Paper tease entries and discuss the latest TV writing news.

The Paper Team cuts deep…

PT119 Liz Alper Kai Wu

SHOWNOTES

Content

Paper Tease Session (00:00:48)
1 – TV writing samples and getting ready for staffing season with Liz Alper & Kai Wu (00:17:33)
2 – Paper Scraps: SMILF allegations, Bandersnatch, and TV watching (00:52:16)
Final Advice and Next Week On (01:07:53)

Paper Tease Entries

“Endwell” by Diana Lampiasi
“Test.ed” by Melissa Long
“Mediocre” by Chris Thomas

Links

Liz Alper on Twitter
Kai Wu on Twitter
The Rookie on ABC
Deception
Daniel Kunka’s Twitter thread
Kai and Liz’s Twitter responses
Edgar Wright & Simon Pegg on Writing (Video)
“‘SMILF’ Creator Frankie Shaw Investigated Over Misconduct Claims” – The Hollywood Reporter
“Sexually Explicit Casting Contract for HBO’s ‘Westworld’ Extras Has SAG-AFTRA Concerned” – The Hollywood Reporter
“HBO Hires “Intimacy Coordinators” To Monitor On-Set Sex” – Deadline
“Inside the 2-Year Journey of ‘Bandersnatch'” – The Hollywood Reporter
Lords & Ladles
Tidying Up with Marie Kondo
Nailed It!

This episode brought to you by Script PipelineSubmit by March 1st to the 2019 Script Pipeline contest for a reduced entry fee

Special thanks to Alex Switzky for helping us edit this episode.

If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :)

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex – @TVCalling
Nick – @_njwatson
If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]