Teleplays - Writers Forum

Diego · 05-26-2007, 06:38 PM

Could somebody give me some good links on format and style for a 1 hour television drama script? I've tried google, but got nothing from it.

ProudestMonkey · 05-26-2007, 10:19 PM

http://www.datahighways.co.uk/dhl/toolkit.htm
Look at some of the .pdf files on that site.

BTW, a television script is no different than a movie script, so any site on those would do just fine.

mammamaia · 05-27-2007, 05:28 PM

you can email me for a great resource guide to writing for tv by nbc, that has been taken off the net...

or, if you're in the uk, go to bbc's website... i think they offer script format guides there...

as noted above, hour and longer tv dramas are written much like a film script, but with more 'acts' to accomodate the commercial breaks... sitcoms and some other ongoing series are not done in quite the same format...

why are you writing this?... just for practice, in hopes of becoming a tv writer?... or to sell?... if the latter, you should know that in the us, it will be impossible, unless you're already working in the industry or have a good track record as a writer and an agent with solid gold connections at the networks...

in the uk, i hear it's at least possible for an unknown to get a proposal looked at... but in the us, legal dept's won't even let unsolicited submissions be opened, much less read!...

love and hugs, maia
maia3maia@hotmail.com

Diego · 05-27-2007, 05:50 PM

My ultimante goal would be to get a show. But as I am 14 I am just writing for fun.

mammamaia · 05-28-2007, 07:00 PM

to reach that goal, you'll need to get into the industry in some capacity...

even if you start out as a lowly intern, page or a gofer, you'll be learning what goes on 'inside' the world of tv and be able to see what writers do and how they do it... then, you can study the craft, hone your skills and practice, till you're good enough at it to get taken on as a writer on some show or another... at which point, you'll be able to get someone to look at your original work...

it's good to have a goal... there's no reason why you can't realize it...

lin · 05-31-2007, 09:13 PM

Actually, there are some very important differences between film scripts and TV scripts. Especially three camera scripts and such things.
But mostly in terms of teleplays being written in acts. (You know, the things that come inbetween the commercial persuasions?) The often contain, depending on the show a short teaser or final tag, or both.

Let me suggest that you sign up on tvwriter.com, a forum for tv writing owned by an old timey pro and visted by a lot of professional writers.

Here are some more links
http://Tvwritersvault.com This is probably the most extensive TV writing site, with all KINDS of stuff including a scheme for pitching to the industry.

http://www.tvwriter.com/ This is the best known TV writing site. It is an intertwined complex of Larry Brody concerns and includes three of the first contests for TV writing, including The People’s Pilot.

http://www.craftyscreenwriting.com/TVFAQ.html This is another major site for this stuff, with lots of goodies.

http://www.dvshop.ca/dvcafe/writing/tvwriter.html A Canadian site, eh. A LOT of good links, including job and call boards.

http://www.tvwriter.com/resources/bulletin.htm These “bulletins” from Larry Brody’s Tvwriter.com cover a lot of basics on pitching and selling tv shows.

lin · 05-31-2007, 09:28 PM

Oh, yeah...here's a pdf book on the subject...and more.
note from the URL that it's provide on the site of the Writer's Guild of America, the union for movie and TV writers. You;ll need adobe reader or some other pdf program to view it of course.

Good luck

ww.wga.org/uploadedFiles/writers_resources/ep_intro.pdf

mammamaia · 05-31-2007, 10:26 PM

brody's a pro of the first order, for sure!... didn't know about his site... thanks for the link, lin... will add this to my collection of stuff i send mentees, when needed...

love and hugs, maia

lin · 06-01-2007, 12:37 AM

I have a whole slug of formats and TV tips in my Zoetrope office, but I can't link to them. Is there a place to upload files on this site?

Diego · 06-01-2007, 10:30 AM

I"ve looked around TVwriter.com. It's a good resource.

apple · 06-01-2007, 04:25 PM

A great guide for screenwriting is by Syd Field...SCREENWRITING.

mammamaia · 06-01-2007, 06:29 PM

the best of his and the only one i recommend to beginners, is his 'workbook'... it's easiest to follow and covers all the basics of developing plot and characters and pacing of the script...

anyone wanting it can email me for my 'tools of the trade' list i sent to all my mentees... just drop me a line at:

maia3maia@hotmail.com