Tracy Friedman - 5/19/07
May 19, 2007
“Keep Writing Until Your Work Sings”
Tracy Friedman Speaks on
Teaching Yourself How to Write Episodic One-Hour Drama
by Sylvia Cary*
On Saturday May 19th, the Scriptwriters Network welcomed TV writer and instructor Tracy Friedman, who presented a fascinating short version of her popular Cal State Northridge class, “Teaching Yourself How to Write One-Hour Drama.” This special seminar, which took place at CBS Radford Studios in Studio City, focused on various techniques for writing television drama, which continues to be an exploding marketplace for writers, thanks to Lost, Heroes, 24 and other hit shows. Tracy shared insights -- acquired during 15 years of on-the-job training -- about the inner workings of episodic television, and the road to success in this highly competitive but extremely lucrative branch of the entertainment industry.
“The majority of work for writers in Hollywood is writing for hire. So even if your goal isn’t television, learning to be creative within a specific template is a discipline that will be useful in any part of your writing career. Last week, at the up-fronts, the networks announced schedules full of one-hour dramas.” This means new opportunities for episodic writers. “Besides, it’s not slumming to write TV. Some of the best writing in America today is on television. You may still want to write features, but your fortune might be made in one-hour drama. And you will be much more employable if you know the difference between writing for television and writing for film.”
Breaking in by Breaking it Down
According to Friedman, the first step in learning how to write TV is to watch TV with a pen in your hand. “Pick out three or four of the best shows, and then sit down and break down the show’s structure. Count scenes and acts and lines of dialogue. Time every thing; learn the ‘rules’ that are unique to each series. This year my class did breakdowns of Grey’s Anatomy and Without a Trace. Some aspects of TV shows are quantifiable. Is there a tease? A tag? A single storyline or multiple storylines? Does the show feature stand-alone episodes or stories that are serialized? What’s the pace of the show? Lots of short frenetic scenes, all on the move? Or longer slower scenes that unfold at a leisurely pace? Are flashbacks part of the show? Or does everything happen in linear time? Figure out the template of the show by breaking it down. Although the funny thing is, many show runners don’t even know they have a template! So it’s up to you to figure it out. Writing breakdowns, while watching episodic TV, is an eye-opening experience.”
Conventional Wisdom vs. “Go Figure”
“Conventional wisdom says you’ve got to write what you know; and you’ve got to write something you really like. If you have “feminine” taste and style, and you love relationship shows, then don’t try to write an episode of 24. Write The Gilmore Girls even though most agents will tell you to write an edgy ten o’clock spec.” Don’t get stuck in conventional wisdom, Friedman warns. “Follow your interests, because there’s often no logic to which spec script will land which job. I was hired to write an episode of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman based on a nasty X-Files spec about child sexual abuse. So go figure!”
Writing “Stand-Alone” Scripts vs. “Serialized” Scripts
If you are planning to write a sample script, for an existing show, Friedman advises focusing on shows that feature stand-alone episodes rather serialized stories. “CSI and Law & Order are examples of shows in which the stories begin and conclude within the same episode. On the other hand, Lost, 24, Heroes, and Desperate Housewives are serialized. You have no way of predicting where the show will go next, and it’s difficult to write a script with a satisfying beginning, middle, and end when the stories are meant to carry over from week to week. Serialized shows are much harder to spec successfully. Grey’s Anatomy is a combination of the two styles – the romance storylines are serialized, but the medical stories, for the most part, stand-alone.”
The Odds
Friedman also talked about some of the realities of getting writing work in TV. “There isn’t as much of a free-lance market as there used to be. Most scripts these days are generated in house, so getting started is difficult. Your spec script has got to be great because every development person in TV show has 300 scripts on their desk. And don’t even think about setting up a pilot unless you have twenty years of experience under your belt – well, maybe ten. The powers that be would never let a novice run a show, and you wouldn’t want to. There are obstacles every step of the way; it requires depth of experience, as well as enormous intestinal fortitude, to be an effective show runner. Episodes now cost two to three million dollars apiece; it’s like writing and producing a feature film every two weeks; this is not a job for a beginner or for the faint of heart.”
Start a “Pitch on the Spot” Idea File:
“Episodic television eats up story ideas like Godzilla,” says Friedman. “Actively seek out ideas from books, radio, the internet, basically any news source available. Write a paragraph on each idea. Separate your ideas into categories; medical stories; law stories; science fiction stories, etc. In your episodic writing career, you’re going to have to come up with story after story, often pitching on short notice. Having a place to go for ideas is essential.” Where can you get some of these ideas? Lots of places. “For example, episodic TV loves to rip off movies!” Friedman says. “If producers can relate an idea for an episode to a major motion picture, it expands their comfort zone. Ripping off headlines is another trick, but look in obscure sources, not the LA Times -- because every other writer in Hollywood is also reading the LA Times. U.S. News and World Reports always has interesting medical stories. If you pick out a story for a particular show, check the episode guide on the show’s Web site to see if the idea has already been done. National Public Radio (NPR) is another good source of ideas. You can go to NPR’s Web site to download transcripts if you hear something interesting while you’re driving in your car. Folktales and fairy stories are another great source for ideas. Also, look through specialized journals like Psychology Today.” One of Friedman’s favorite sources is a thick book called The Time Tables of History, which documents all major events since 5000 BC. “That’s where I read that sign-language was introduced into the United States in 1860, information which led me to pitch and eventually write an episode of Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman involving sign-language.”
Protecting Your Ideas
“In episodic, you can’t.” Friedman says. “So forget about it! It’s a non-issue. You can’t protect an idea; you can only protect your writing. So don’t bother being paranoid. You can’t sue producers or production companies for “borrowing” an episodic idea. You’ll be blackballed if you try. I’m not talking about features here. If you’ve spent five years writing an original feature, you have to be cagey about what you say and to whom. But ideas for episodes are in the cosmos. If you see an idea you pitched on the air, you still get pissed off that you didn’t get the paycheck, but at least you have the satisfaction of knowing you nailed it.”
Log-Lines; Leave-Behinds; Beat Sheets; Outlines & Go-to-Script
A log-line is that one sentence you can memorize that describes your story idea in a nutshell. A leave-behind is a written version of your verbal pitch that you leave behind after a pitch meeting. Friedman feels that “leave-behinds” are a good idea because it’s “better to have your story repeated in your words.” A beat-sheet is a bare bones outline, generally used while a story for an episode is in the development stage. “It’s not a vehicle to show off your writing. Keep it simple. The usual process is: story meeting, beat sheet, then another story meeting, then another beat sheet. Eventually you get to be an expert in writing beat-sheets.” When your beat sheet is approved, then you write an outline for the executives. “An outline is an opportunity to show you can really write. Outlines should be written in the tone of the show, with some dialogue, including humor, emotion, suspense, whatever the show requires. Outlines for a one-hour episodic are generally about 12 pages.” Then, finally, when the outline is approved, it’s go to script! “That’s the magic phrase that means you start writing the first draft. After receiving notes on the first draft, you write the second draft, and then a polish. On a well-run show, early in the season, it takes about two months from pitch-to-polish. But there are times, when a script must be written in a matter of days. That’s all part of the pressure of being an episodic writer.”
Tracy Friedman ended her seminar with some good advice: “It often takes several spec scripts before you write the one that opens doors. You have to keep writing until you find the perfect marriage between a show that you love, and a story you’re dying to tell. I can’t tell you exactly how to make a good script great. You just have to keep writing until it sings.”
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To inquire about Tracy Friedman’s workshops and her classes at Cal State Northridge e-mail her at Tracy4939@aol.com.
*Sylvia Cary, MFT, also a psychotherapist, has been a member of the Scriptwriters Network for ten years. Her historical script, The Ladies War (renamed Peg’s War) has been optioned by a Los Angeles production company.