UCLA Extension Writers’ Program Public Syllabus Note to students: this “public” syllabus is designed to give you a glimpse into this course and instructor. If you have further questions about our courses or curriculum, please contact the Writers’ Program at (310) 825-9415 or via email at [email protected]. We are happy to answer any questions and to help you find the best class to achieve your writing goals. Zadoc Angell UCLA Extension Syllabus TV Pilot Writing with a TV Lit Manager: Intermediate Workshop Syllabus X 439.2 Film & Television 3 units You want to write your next pilot in order to break into the TV business as a professional writer. If that statement rings true, this writing course is for you. Taught by Zadoc Angell, a former Paradigm TV Literary Agent and currently a TV Literary Manager at Artist International, this workshop helps you write a pilot from an informed industry perspective. You will learn current TV trends, network brands and their specific needs, and get information about the kinds of pilots executives and showrunners want to read today. In addition, the course explores how to get representation in Hollywood and how to manage your relationships with representatives to get them working for you. Mr. Angell and guest speakers from the TV industry help to demystify the business and give you the tools to prepare for a successful career in television. The goal of the course is to create a new comedy or drama pilot over 10 weeks from idea conception to a strong first draft. Prerequisite: X<\!s>430.4 Beginning Writing for the 1-Hour Spec Drama or X<\!s>431.6 HalfHour Spec Comedy, X 431.4 Writing the 1-Hour Spec Drama or X 431.6 Half-Hour Spec Comedy, and any pilot course. Course may be taken as a certificate core requirement. Enrollment limited to 16 students. Course may be taken as a certificate core or elective requirement. Enrollment limited to 16 students. Internet access required to retrieve course materials. Grading Criteria: Attendance: 15% Class participation: 25% Completion of Outline: 10% Completion of Teaser & First Act: 10% Completion of First Draft: 40% Writers’ Program & Instructor Contact Information For help with any administrative issues please contact the Writers’ Program: (310) 825- 9415 / [email protected]. If you have a question or need to reach me between classes use Identify yourself in the subject line as UCLA Extension Student. Recommended Reading TV WRITING TOOL KIT: HOW TO WRITE A SCRIPT THAT SELLS by Jen Grisanti WRITING THE PILOT by William Rabin Workshopping Guidelines Please remember that when we discuss one another’s work in this open way, there is great opportunity to hurt the writer’s feelings, even if it’s completely unintentional. Try to focus on the technical aspects of the work and not on your evaluation of the psychology of the writer. You will read the work of others, exposing yourself to an array of responses and strategies. You will comment on the writing of your classmates and receive from them comments on your own writing. You will also receive feedback from me. Of course, feedback should avoid personal attacks, insults, or harassment of any kind. Your stance should be that of a careful and interested reader. You're making suggestions or observations the writer can take into the next draft or into other pieces. In my feedback, I will always assume your work is a draft in progress. I will gear my comments toward improvements you can make in future drafts. Whenever possible, when identifying flaws, search for some means by which to rectify the problem. If you were the author of this piece, how would you choose to deal with this problem? And when you are the one receiving feedback, be open and respectful to constructive criticism and resist the sometimes knee-jerk response to become defensive. Workshops can be heartbreakers or they can also be truly effective problem-solving sessions. Weekly Topics: Week 1: Crafting Your Pilot Idea We will discuss the basics of crafting your pilot idea: how to build a compelling lead character in a fully realized world. Students will be advised on areas that are complete “no go’s” in television: for example, stay away from ideas that smack of being “Hollywood insider.” We will also go over the basics of a good logline: one that communicates a strong character with a clear goal in a specific setting. If you can’t communicate your idea in a quick, compelling logline, you should probably pick a different idea. Assignment: Develop two different pilot ideas and create your loglines to describe them. Week 2: The Art of Pitching Students will be asked to pitch their loglines to the group to get immediate feedback on their ideas. Students will also receive feedback on their pitching style and will learn about the basics of clear, effective pitching. Writing is only half the battle for a successful TV writer: you must also be a clear communicator. Assignment: Students must select one pilot area and start to develop their pilot story. Assigned Reading: TBD Produced TV Pilot Script(s) Week 3: Creating a Compelling Pilot World & Outline We will learn the building blocks of a successful pilot: Character, Teaser, Tone, Structure, and Series Engine. We will also talk about the pros and cons of a premise pilot vs. a pilot that plays more like a typical episode of your series. Successful network pilots such as CBS’s THE GOOD WIFE will be studied for reference. The importance and structure of the pilot outline will be addressed. Your outline is your roadmap to a successful pilot script. Assignment: Each student must write the outline for his or her pilot, which is due in class in Week 4. Week 4: Broadcast & Cable Network Brands – Know Where You Fit Outlines are due. Topic of Week 4 will be the different network “brands” and how to target your writing (and your own brand!) accordingly. An ABC multicamera comedy is very different from an FX low budget single camera comedy, and you would never sell the same zombie script to AMC that you would sell to the CW. Watching networks’ programming and understanding their specific brands (and, by extension, their specific audiences) will help you decide where in the marketplace you want to be. Know your strengths and interests as a writer and target your writing for the marketplace that most desires your talents. “Network needs” for development and for staffing will be discussed and demystified. Assignment: Students will be broken up into two groups of eight and will read each other’s outlines for discussion in Week 5. Week 5: Outline Feedback - Peer Review In two groups, students will discuss each others’ outlines and each student will receive specific feedback from instructor. Goal of this week is to solve problems at the outline stage before going to script. Assignment: Students are off to script! The Teaser & First Act of each pilot are due in class Week 7, while the completed First Drafts are due in class in Week 9. Week 6: Selling Your Story in the TV Industry You will tell your life story over and over again in the entertainment industry. No matter how famous or successful you may be, you will always be meeting new people to impress and you will have to “sell” them on you and your story time and again. Many writers fail to understand the importance of owning one’s life story and telling it in a compelling way. Where did you grow up? What was your first job? Why did you decide to become a writer? Answers to these simple questions begin to paint a portrait of your life journey—and it should be full of compelling anecdotes, memorable details, and, if you’re a comedy writer, jokes! Students will practice telling each other their life stories in quick speed-dating sessions, with time for peer feedback. The goal of this week’s class is to give you the tools to succeed in any general meeting. And what in the world is a “general meeting”?! You’ll find out, and learn how to conquer these informal interviews with ease. Assignment: The Teaser & First Act of your pilot is due in class in Week 7. Week 7: The Art of the Deal – Explaining Your First Staff Deal and Pilot Deal Teaser & First Act are due. The business side of Hollywood is something most writers do not want to deal with (that’s what all those agents, managers, and lawyers you’re paying are for, right?). But writers who learn the fundamentals of dealmaking are at a significant advantage in understanding the benefits and limitations of their contractual obligations. We will discuss the basics of two types of legal agreements: your first full time staff deal and your first pilot script deal. Can you write features while staffed on a TV show? What does “first position” in a pilot deal mean? And what the hell is “10% of MAG” anyway? Assignment: Class will be broken into two groups of eight, and you will need to read your peers’ Teasers & First Acts and be prepared to give informed feedback in Week 8. Week 8: How To Get—and Keep—and Fire—an Agent, Manager and Attorney This week the secrets of representation will be revealed (well, most—I can’t reveal all my tricks!). You’ll learn not only how to attract representation, but also how to keep them enthusiastic about selling you with passion and consistency. The agent/client relationship is one of the most passive/aggressive relationships in the history of mankind, but that doesn’t mean it has to be. Communication is key, and representation is a two-way street. But when should you cut and run and find new representation? We will also discuss the important differences between the agent, manager, and attorney and the services they offer you. And when in your career do you need one, two, or all three? We will also split into two groups of eight to give each other feedback on your Teasers & First Acts to give you guidance as you continue the writing process. Assignment: First drafts are due in class in Week 9. Week 9: Beyond This Course – How to Get Your Script Read and Choosing Your Next Pilot to Write First draft pilot scripts are due. We will discuss future steps for your pilot script: how to get your script read (by the right people!) in order to find representation and achieve that all-important first sale and/or staff job. Writers should always be writing, so now that you’ll soon have a new pilot under your belt, you can’t rest on your laurels—what are you going to write next? We’ll discuss the importance of expanding your current library of work and how to write something new and different without completely going outside your so-called “wheelhouse” of what you write well. For example, complementing your CBS cop procedural pilot with an edgy FX drama works nicely, but writing a multicam Disney Channel pilot probably won’t help you—it will only confuse representatives and executives about who you are as a writer. Find out what you write well, and do it consistently and brilliantly. Assignment: Class will be broken into two groups of eight, and you will need to read your peers’ first draft pilots and be prepared to give informed feedback in Week 10. Week 10: Instructor and Peer Feedback on First Drafts Students will break into two groups to give peer feedback on first drafts. This is a critical time in your pilot process to find out what is and is not working about your first draft. As always in our course, students should give constructive feedback that is thoughtful, meaningful, and respectful. Students should avoid feedback that is demeaning or attacking in any personal way. And if you are the one receiving feedback, be open and respectful to constructive criticism and resist the sometimes knee-jerk response to become defensive. Writing is, after all, rewriting! A final note about this syllabus: it is a guide, and is subject to change. The goals and expectations of the course will always remain the same, but the timetable may shift as necessary as the course progresses.
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