Television

Is there a big difference between being a film writer and a TV writer? Do
you pretty much only do one or the other?

–Alex

Increasingly, many writers work in both film and TV, either simultaneously
or at different phases in their careers. Good writing is good writing, so the
likelihood is that if someone is a good film writer, she’ll be a good TV writer,
and vice-versa. But there are some important differences between the two mediums.

Writing for series television means following a prescribed format, whether
it’s a sitcom or a one-hour drama. There are true act breaks to allow for commercials,
a limited number of recurring characters and sets, and an overall mandate about
what kinds of stories can happen. Television writing is generally collaborative,
with a group of writers contributing to that week’s script, under the supervision
of a producer called the "showrunner." The pace of television writing
is much, much faster than film writing, because there’s a continuous need to
keep up with production. In many ways, being a TV writer is like having a real
job, because you’re working office hours — although they’re often quite long
office hours.

Writing for film has far fewer limits on structure, storyline, characters and tone. It’s also a much more solitary endeavor, because aside from occasional
producer note, you’re off doing the work by yourself on your own timetable.
Some writers thrive in that freedom, while others become paralyzed by indecision.
Usually, a film writer is paid per draft, rather than per week as a TV writer
is, so dawdling can be costly.

There are other important differences between film and TV work. In television,
you see your work on screen every week. In film, you’re lucky if you see it
on screen once a year.

On film, you get to use your characters for two hours. On TV, you get to use
them for a hundred hours or more over the lifetime of the show.

In film, the writer has very little say in the final execution of the work.
In television, the writer supercedes the director.

Now, true confession time. After the success of GO, I created and ran a one-hour
drama on the WB network. While the circumstances and personalities surrounding
that show were uniquely unpleasant, even in the best of situations, I could
never, ever see myself running a television series again. While any project,
film or TV, is going to involve some compromises, television is nothing but
compromises: not enough time, not enough money, not enough energy to fight
the same battle for the 43rd time. And if you’re writing a show about cops,
then by default you’re not getting to write that space epic you’ve always dreamed
about. So you’re compromising your own aspirations as well.

I have friends who truly enjoy their work in television, and manage to pull
off a film career as well, so it can be done. But in answer to your question,
Alex, some people are better off doing one or the other.

At the end
of your excellent discussion on the usage of script versus screenplay, you
make a comparison between one page of a screenplay and one page from a TV drama.
Format-wise, they may be similar, but as the mediums are different (television
for all its visual acumen is very much a dialogue based medium compared to
film) would this not be apparent in the writing on these same pages under comparison?

–Bob Cousins

In certain cases, yes. A script for "Law and Order" is almost entirely
dialogue in the second half, when the court case kicks in. "The West Wing" is
all talking, all the time. If you looked at any one page from these scripts,
you might be able to guess that it’s a TV show.

But a page from "Alias" or "Angel" or "Smallville" looks
and feels exactly like a feature. With the exception of act
breaks, the flow
of words on the page is no different than a 120 page screenplay.

That’s one reason why I would highly recommend any budding screenwriter try
writing an episode of their favorite one-hour drama. It’s a great exercise
in getting comfortable with the challenges of the format. In fact, the very
first script I ever "wrote" was an episode of "Star Trek: The
Next Generation," which I literally transcribed from tape. (I was 19 at
the time. The episode was "Galaxy’s Child," teleplay by Marice Hurley,
story by Thomas Kortozian.) For the cost of a few hours, I learned a lot about
scene length and story pacing, and it got me over my fear of screenplays.

I would like to write for a certain television show. I have studied
all the episodes throughout the years, watched the characters evolve, and
I have
written my own episodes in my spare time for practice. How would I get ahold
of the production company to find out about working for them? My school doesn’t
have the resources to help so I need to do it on my own. What is the best way
to approach the producers?

–Nils Taylor

Although it does happen occasionally, usually a writer is not hired for a
show based on a script he wrote for that specific series. That is, someone
is not hired for THE PRACTICE based on an spec script for THE PRACTICE. Instead,
he might get hired based on a sample episode of THE WEST WING, SIX FEET UNDER,
or another one-hour drama.

Which is weird on the face of it. Why wouldn’t David E. Kelley want to read
a writer exploring the characters and plotlines he created? There are a few
reasons.

First is the possibility of lawsuits. If the spec episode you wrote ends up
resembling a later episode of the series, the producers don’t want to be liable.
Even with signed releases, a lot of producers use this as a reason not to read
submissions of their own show. My assistant, Dana, used to work on SMALLVILLE,
which categorically refused to read any sample SMALLVILLE’s for just this reason.

Second, a producer for THE BERNIE MAC SHOW is going to be comparing your sample
episode to the dozens he’s read or written himself. He may have all sorts of
criteria for quality that aren’t readily apparent to someone outside the show:
how the kids are used, how often Bernie should talk to camera, et cetera. You
would be going in at a disadvantage relative to another writer with a sample
episode of a similar-but-different show, like GREG THE BUNNY or MY WIFE AND
KIDS.

So what are your sample scripts good for? Well, they could help you get a
job on another show you like. They could help you get a television agent or
manager, who will happily read scripts from any show. They could also give
you lots of good experience, since people write what they like better than
what they hate.

Most television shows choose their staffs during the aptly-named "staffing
season," generally late April through the end of May. If you’re good on
the phone, it’s worth calling the production company during that time and finding
out what scripts the producers are reading for staffing, so you’ll know if
you’re in the right ballpark. But almost no network show will take submissions
from an unrepresented writer, so finding an agent and/or manager will need
to be your first step. In previous columns, you can read a lot of discussion
on that.