Teleplay Tips & Tricks

Hi MDS'ers,

Here are some television pilot tips I pulled out of the tvwriters.com newsletter. These could be very helpful. I would sign up to get the free newsletter if you're serious about writing for television.

N.

TELEPLAY TIPS & TRICKS #19

Regular visitors to TV Writer.Com know that Larry Brody's "Teleplay
Tips & Tricks" appear in the Art of TV Writing section as cryptic
suggestions for better writing. Now you can find expanded versions
of these merry morsels of dramaturgy began appearing right here in
the TV Writer.Com Newsletter, as well as on the Final Draft software
website. Here, without further ado, is the latest installment in our
exciting monthly series:

One-Hour Teleplay Construction & Plot

Over the years certain types of story construction have proven to work
more effectively than others on TV. By "effective" I mean that series
that plot their stories this way have gotten consistently higher
ratings than others, and during the usual course of an episode fewer
viewers have gone surfing away.

For one-hour shows, start with a Teaser that illustrates the premise
of the episode. Make sure it shows us this week's central problem. And
make sure it really does "tease" us by ending on a note of tension -
with danger (physical or psychological) either impending or rearing
its fascinating head.

Act One should start with a response to what's happened in the Teaser,
and works best if it too ends with tension. Depending on the kind of
series this is, the tension can be personal and involving a series
"regular," or it can be something the hero has to handle professional
and be happening to a "guest."

Act Two should begin with the aftermath or resolution of the previous
tension and conclude with MAJOR trouble for a regular, most likely the
main hero him or herself.

A successful Act Three often starts by resolving the previous danger
and saving the hero and ends with the hero and his/her allies putting
together all the pieces of whatever puzzle they've been trying to
solve so that they now know what to do. It ain't over yet, though.
The end of Act Three is where the major crisis and climax of the whole
episode strikes because even though the doctors, lawyers, or Indian
Chiefs know the answer they still have to put that knowledge into
action.

Act Four then can become the good guys racing to the rescue and saving
their client, patient, or themselves just in time. What should you do
with the Tag? Why just let the gang relax about it. (And if they can
relax poignantly so much the better.)

There we go, another one-hour drama or action show perfectly plotted!

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