Each page equals about a minute of screen time and script lengths usually fall between 53-60 pages. You begin and end them as you would a sitcom, however there are no scene breaks. One-hour shows are formatted like features, except for the act breaks. Cable - Shows such as Queer as Folk, The Sopranos, and Six Feet Under are written without the act breaks seen in commercial television.Fantasy/Sci-Fi - examples here are Enterprise, Twilight Zone, Dead Zone, etc.Hero-types which consist of shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Smallville.Police dramas, such as, The District and NYPD Blue.These are shows like The West Wing, The Practice, etc. Next are the shows that deal with lawyers and politics.The procedural, which consists of shows such as the Law and Order franchise and the CSI franchise,.End them on a dramatic highpoint and make sure the conflict is well developed. They must advance the plot and develop the character. In addition to the above, start your scenes late and get out early. Conflict comes from inside the characters and an external influence. You've got to take your characters to hell before you give them a happy ending or it won't mean anything. The most important thing to remember here is that drama is conflict.
This is great because it has expanded the marketplace in which writers can circulate. Examples are HBO, Showtime, TNT, Sci Fi, and USA. An increasing number of channels have gone into production with their own original programming.
With the increase of cable, the need has increased an awful lot in the last 15 years. It survives on an endless stream of product sometimes so similar in nature that it's hard to tell the shows apart. They also need to be compelling enough to bring your viewer back to the program. The breaks must be in the right spot for the advertisers to put up their wares. A 1/2 hour story runs about 22 minutes an hour show, about 45 minutes with commercials dispersed for the remaining time. In other words, know the show inside and out, be enthusiastic about it, believe in it and be a fan.įormat and story structure are precise when it comes to episodic television.
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Dissect them, try to figure out if anything is wrong with them and, if you find something, figure out how to fix it. Study its style, find out the common script length, and most of all, read as many scripts as you can get your hands on. Learn about the show you wish to write a spec for. If you want to write for television, you must do your homework. The goal here is to give you an idea of what those are. There are some things, however, that remain consistent in all teleplays whether drama or sitcom. It's important to remember that there is no hard and fast standardization.
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