Happy Saturday!
It’s been a long and busy week for all of us, so I’m going to keep this short and I hope, sweet.
In my SVA TV writing class, I was lucky to have Amanda Culkowski of We tv.
She is incredibly knowledgeable about everything to do with lunch with the TV. A key tip: when developing an unscripted series you need a situation and great characters that suggest many possibilities and therefore many episodes. Hustle and Soul, is a series about a restaurant owner in Brooklyn and the crazy people who are a part of his world.
When I gave my seminar, Writing The 1/2 Hour Television Pilot Treatment at NYWIFT, I taught the attendees how to structure their stories by using The 4 Magic Questions Of Screenwriting and how to develop a sellable concept.
My advice: Find a great situation, and memorable and relatable characters that suggest many possibilities for episodes.
To recap, the secret of creating a memorable TV series, whether scripted or unscripted is having a great situation with memorable characters that offer the possibility of many episodes.
The question I asked my students: when you win your Emmy, what will it be for?
Here’s to your successful writing,
Professor Marilyn Horowitz
