Starting Your Television Writing Career

Starting Your Television Writing Career PDF

Author: Abby Finer

Publisher: Syracuse University Press

Published: 2004-10-01

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 9780815608318

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In this essential guide, Abby Finer and Deborah Pearlman of the Warner Bros. Television Writers Workshop reveal insider tips and tricks aimed at paving the way to better scripts by new writers. The book focuses on all aspects of writing for television, from the definition and importance of sample material to what it takes to be a successful TV writer. In particular, the authors provide instruction on troubleshooting scripts—with a do and don't list. For the novice scriptwriter, they include advice on how to research, brainstorm ideas, choose the right show, as well as write a beat sheet and outline in order to achieve a polished draft. Filled with practical advice and up-to-elate industry information, each chapter provides strategies and insights that will jump-start a fledgling writing career toward success.

The Writer's Guide to Writing Your Screenplay

The Writer's Guide to Writing Your Screenplay PDF

Author: Cynthia Whitcomb

Publisher: Watson-Guptill Publications

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780871161918

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In this essential writer's guide, a professional screen-writer shares her know-how on the elements of writing for the screen, from the basics of character development and creating the structure to resolving problems and revising in only three drafts.

Gardner's Guide to TV Sitcom Writing

Gardner's Guide to TV Sitcom Writing PDF

Author: Marilyn Webber

Publisher: Garth Gardner Company

Published: 2004

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781589650169

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Through writing exercises and advice for developing and pitching, this book helps turn an idea into a saleable television sitcom pilot or sample spec script for an existing show.

Gardner's Guide to Television Scriptwriting

Gardner's Guide to Television Scriptwriting PDF

Author: Marilyn Webber

Publisher:

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781589650046

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This helpful title includes information on the different television genres, the basic four act structure, TV plot gimmicks, character types and motivations, scene construction, dialogue devices, themes, prose and rewrite lists. Learn the proper format and how to pitch an idea once it is written.

Crafty TV Writing

Crafty TV Writing PDF

Author: Alex Epstein

Publisher: Holt Paperbacks

Published: 2006-05-30

Total Pages: 358

ISBN-13: 1466807598

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A professional TV writer's real-world guide to getting paid to write great television "No need for me to ever write a book on TV writing. Alex Epstein has covered it all . . . along with a few things I wouldn't have thought of. Save yourself five years of rookie mistakes. Crafty TV Writing and talent are pretty much all you'll need to make it." —Ken Levine, writer/producer, MASH, Cheers, Frasier, The Simpsons, Wings, Becker Everyone watches television, and everyone has an opinion on what makes good TV. But, as Alex Epstein shows in this invaluable guide, writing for television is a highly specific craft that requires knowledge, skill, and more than a few insider's tricks. Epstein, a veteran TV writer and show creator himself, provides essential knowledge about the entire process of television writing, both for beginners and for professionals who want to go to the next level. Crafty TV Writing explains how to decode the hidden structure of a TV series. It describes the best ways to generate a hook, write an episode, create characters the audience will never tire of, construct entertaining dialogue, and use humor. It shows how to navigate the tough but rewarding television industry, from writing your first "spec" script, to getting hired to work on a show, to surviving—even thriving—if you get fired. And it illuminates how television writers think about the shows they're writing, whether they're working in comedy, drama, or "reality." Fresh, funny, and informed, Crafty TV Writing is the essential guide to writing for and flourishing in the world of television.

Vale's Technique of Screen and Television Writing

Vale's Technique of Screen and Television Writing PDF

Author: Eugene Vale

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2013-01-25

Total Pages: 223

ISBN-13: 1136051538

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Vale's Technique of Screen and Television Writing is an updated and expanded edition of a valuable guide to writing for film and television. Mr. Vale takes the aspiring writer through every phase of a film's development, from the original concept to the final shooting script. Teachers of the craft as well as writers and directors have acclaimed it as one of the best books ever written on how to write a screenplay. This book combines practical advice for the aspiring or established writer with a lucid overview of the unique features of this most contemporary art form, distinguishing film and video from other media and other kinds of storytelling. It teaches the reader to think in terms of the camera and gives practical advice on the realities of filmmaking. At the same time, Vale, who began his own career as a scriptwriter for the great French director Jean Renoir, provides a solid grounding in the history of drama from the Classical Greek theater through the great cinematic works of the twentieth century. Both philosophical and pragmatic, this is a very readable book for students and active professionals who want to improve their writing skills, and for film enthusiasts interested in knowing more about what they see on the screen. Mr. Vale is that rare combination, a practitioner of great experience who can offer a lucid explanation of his craft. Eugene Vale was born in Switzerland and began his career in France in the 1930s. He was an award-winning novelist, film and TV scriptwriter and teacher, whose works include the bestselling novel The Thirteenth Apostle and the scripts for Francis of Assisi, The Bridge of San Luis Rey, and The Second Face. He also worked in many other areas of the motion picture industry, including directing, producing, cutting, distribution and finance. His archives are held by Boston University and University of Southern California. Mr. Vale died in 1997, shortly after he completed the updated version of this handbook.

The TV Writer's Workbook

The TV Writer's Workbook PDF

Author: Ellen Sandler

Publisher: Delta

Published: 2008-11-26

Total Pages: 306

ISBN-13: 0307492214

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Why is TV writing different from any other kind of writing? How will writing a spec script open doors? What do I have to do to get a job writing for TV? Writing for television is a business. And, like any business, there are proven strategies for success. In this unique hands-on guide, television writer and producer Ellen Sandler shares the trade secrets she learned while writing for hit shows like Everybody Loves Raymond and Coach. She offers concrete advice on everything from finding a story to getting hired on a current series. Filled with easy-to-implement exercises and practical wisdom, this ingenious how-to handbook outlines the steps for becoming a professional TV writer, starting with a winning script. Sandler explains the difference between “selling” and “telling,” form and formula, theme and plot. Discover: • A technique for breaking down a show style so you’re as close to being in the writing room as you can get without actually having a job there • The 3 elements for that essential Concept Line that you must have in order to create a story with passion and consequence • Mining the 7 Deadly Sins for fresh and original story lines • Sample scripts from hit shows • In-depth graphs, script breakdown charts, vital checkpoints along the way, and much, much more!