Happy Friday!
I’m back from vacation and busy working on a new TV Show, developing the series arc, bible, and structuring the pilot. My student is very talented and on the verge of a big deal with a network. I’m very happy for them.
There are a few tips and tricks I use that make show creation less difficult and painful, and I hope you find them helpful.
1. Create a memorable hero or heroine.
A good series always has a memorable main character with flaws, but who is determined to succeed, whether it’s Frasier or Walter White.
2. Create a memorable supporting cast.
In the Frasier TV series, our hero is surrounded by his father, his brother, his father’s caretaker, brother’s wife, producer and of course, Moose the dog. In the Breaking Bad TV series, Walter’s surrounded by his wife, his former student, children, sister and her husband. Try for seven supporting characters.
3. Find a human problem for the main character to solve that is both original and believable.
Frasier’s a divorced guy whose dream of bachelor life is destroyed when his ailing father moves in with him. Walter’s a chemist who when diagnosed with cancer becomes a drug dealer to insure his family’s financial security.
4. Create a strong logline for your series that describes this human problem.
A logline for Breaking Bad might be “When a high school chemistry teacher is diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, he becomes a drug dealer to provide for his family after he dies.” The logline describes the problem, but leaves the solution open-ended so that a producer can imagine the story going on for many episodes.
5. Write the pilot episode.
By doing this, you’ll achieve a level of familiarity and comfort that will help you when presenting your idea. By revising and completing the pilot, you’re ahead of the curve when you make a sale.
There’s a huge demand for content, so get busy!!!
Here’s to your successful writing!
Professor Marilyn Horowitz
