Comments on: Write for TV

By: Joey

Joey — Sun, 22 May 2016 14:44:28 +0000

I’ve been trying to convert a story I wrote in to a script and I’ve really struggled. Where I could add descriptive text to a story, i can’t in a script. So how do you create drama with just narrative? thankfully I got the help I needed through this course. It’s not an easy thing to do but I do now know how to think it through to make sure my narrative will give have the right effect on screen. I do find it hard when there’s no on to tell me what I’m doing right or wrong though, so it would be nice to have some avenue to gain feedback.

By: Samantha

Samantha — Sun, 22 May 2016 13:28:17 +0000

When I think about a TV script I think about ‘a’ script but of course in most cases it’s one of a series, and they all have to relate to each other. The series arc is nothing I’d heard of before and provided me with a better insight when it comes to tv script writing. My only concern was the overall cost of the course, but I know there are other course that charge more and provide less information. As an investment in my future I hope it pays off.

By: Jim

Jim — Sun, 22 May 2016 11:56:15 +0000

Ever since I can remember I’ve wanted to write for TV so I jumped at the chance to take this course. I have a number of ideas for scripts but needed guidance as to the best way to put them together to get noticed. While there is plenty of help throughout the course, I found the case studies to be the most help with this. Seeing the finished product and how it came to be provided useful insights, particularly with Game of Thrones.

By: Jen

Jen — Sat, 21 May 2016 17:03:37 +0000

My script is a little different to the norm and is definitely for a niche market. There was a section about writing for a niche audience but I felt this could have been a bit bigger. Lots of the other information I could use so, so overall a very positive experience from this course.

By: Terry

Terry — Sat, 21 May 2016 16:24:59 +0000

I’ve been toying with a few ideas, wondering whether to combine them or make them totally separate stories. I used the information in this course to test my ideas and was surprised at what I found out. I now have two scripts I am working on, neither of which are entirely like I originally planned. I’m hoping my research is right and that they both turn out well when I’m finished.

By: Hugh

Hugh — Fri, 20 May 2016 17:42:18 +0000

Useful insider tips. The case studies provide a good insight in to what the networks are looking for and the section all about character development in network drama had a lot of very useful information to help with this. It changed the way my script is now being developed.

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 20 May 2016 16:28:30 +0000

Having read “A Song of Ice and Fire” and watched Game of Thrones I was absolutely fascinated with the case study. Watching the book come to life was interesting enough, but learning the ins and outs of the screenwriting really did show me a lot about what’s involved.

By: David

David — Thu, 19 May 2016 22:28:59 +0000

I’m currently working on a very complex script involving a number of characters who work together. I’ve been finding it very difficult to get them to work together on screen, so the module involving multi protagonists was a huge help to me.

By: Liam

Liam — Wed, 18 May 2016 23:01:42 +0000

Finally a way to find out how to get all my ideas together and use all the scraps of paper I have with notes written on, to produce a script. I really had no idea how to go about setting my script out so ‘Planning your Teleplay’ was the first module I went to. I did go back over the others which were before this but I was able to start putting everything together as I went along.

By: Di

Di — Tue, 17 May 2016 20:56:41 +0000

Most of my favourite TV shows are American so this course was great to teach me how to target a script. I love Big Bang Theory, having watched it from Day 1 so I was intrigued by the case study. Having done that I can now see how each episode is put together. Fascinating course, and maybe one for the UK market too?

By: Josh

Josh — Sun, 15 May 2016 21:39:02 +0000

I’m very interested in how the internet is now being used a platform for TV. I’ve watched a few shows over the internet and I was hoping to pitch my finished script for that medium. I was very happy to see that this was covered as part of this course and I got a lot of very useful information about it. Many thanks.

By: Alice

Alice — Thu, 12 May 2016 20:52:28 +0000

What I liked most about this course is that there is a good mix of information for both comedy and drama. While the basics will still be the same they are both aimed at different markets. This was shown in the case studies. The Big Bang Theory and Game Of Thrones were two great examples to choose.

By: Linda

Linda — Wed, 11 May 2016 19:43:56 +0000

Narrative isn’t everything with a script, as I found out when I read mine through. The information provided in this course really helped me to get to grips with how to add descriptions and set the scene. I am now rewriting my script with what I have learned.

By: Andy

Andy — Tue, 10 May 2016 20:46:46 +0000

I had an idea for a one off TV script. I use the course to format and write it as a pilot episode. I was then stuck as to how to proceed and turn the idea in to a series. I got a lot of ideas and suggestions which I am using to come up with ideas to develop. While there is information about sending off your completed script, I’d like to have some idea of the companies to approach for different genres and ideas.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sat, 07 May 2016 21:02:53 +0000

The case studies are the best thing about this course, particularly as it shows one which is labelled ‘learn from mistakes.’. I never saw Terra Nova but having seen the case study and found a few episodes to watch, I can clearly see the difference between right and wrong. Sometimes very subtle things too. Hopefully this course has steered me in the right direction.

By: Stacey

Stacey — Sat, 07 May 2016 18:14:41 +0000

For me the internet is the future, so learning how to pitch my script for that market was important to me. Learning the different markets that are out there are well was very interesting and obviously helpful. If one market isn’t interested, another may be. Well structured course, with both new information and some I already knew.

By: Jack

Jack — Sat, 07 May 2016 14:01:57 +0000

One of the things I hate most when watching something on TV is the sudden appearance of a commercial. These are often just ‘stuck in’ in what seems to be a good place. So I was very happy to see that this course has a section dedicated to how to build the tension up to a natural break for a commercial. For me that makes a programme much easier to watch and the help makes it easier to write.

By: Liam

Liam — Thu, 28 Apr 2016 19:16:09 +0000

I never realised that there was more than one type of plot, but now I’ve completed my course, it’s pretty obvious. This is the sort of information I was looking to get: Things that you just don’t think about. While I think I already knew a lot that was in here, (probably because I’ve attended smaller, amateur courses) I still think this was great value for money.

By: Kat

Kat — Tue, 26 Apr 2016 20:31:25 +0000

I was interested in the case studies, as these always provide information which is totally relevant to getting your script noticed and produced. While I can’t say I wasn’t pleased with what I got from all of them, it would have been nice to have been able to see a case study of a more niche programme, or maybe one that isn’t quite so well known.

By: Stuart

Stuart — Sat, 09 Apr 2016 23:37:11 +0000

I used the case studies for ‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Big Bang Theory’ and ‘Terra Nove’ to look at the different ways to write comedy, drama and fantasy. I found all the case studies really added something to the course and were a good source of information.

By: Dean

Dean — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 23:20:05 +0000

I love the phrase ‘setting the table’ and I really thought this was a fun module. I really enjoyed playing with my ideas and getting everything in the right order at the right time. It made my script come to life before I even started it! lovely course.

By: Adrienne

Adrienne — Thu, 07 Apr 2016 21:20:09 +0000

Before spending hours working in a script, I wanted to find a way to see if I could get opinions on my idea first. In this course there is a section which gave me some suggestions how I could do this which was very helpful to me. In finding out what may or may not be popular it meant I could develop my story in the right direction to allow for future plots to develop. There was a lot of other information as well about how to market and send off your script when completed. All very useful.

By: Paul

Paul — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 19:19:15 +0000

Having an idea for a script is one thing. Having ideas to keep it going is something else and this is what I got from this course. It really helped finding out about the components which are crucial to a good story. This alone gave me more ideas to make sure my script had more than just one plotline available to it. Plenty of help with ideas and finding out if they may or may not work too.

By: Katy

Katy — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 18:25:56 +0000

I’m working on a comedy series and to me comedy is just something that makes you laugh. It’s become a lot harder since the section about the many faces of comedy, but in a good way. There is a lot to think about with comedy: target audience, age, visual or written comedy. I’ve now got my script in to one niche and it’s one I’m comfortable to develop as well.

By: Richie

Richie — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 17:41:27 +0000

In the series of scripts I’m currently working on, I have 3 protagonists. The plot will revolve around a different one each week, with the other two keeping in the background. I didn’t find this easy to do as the personalities were all dominant. I am now a lot clearer on how to do this and I’m watching other series where this happens which a much more critical eye.

By: Stephanie

Stephanie — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 13:25:16 +0000

I have an idea for a sci fi series which I am working on with the help of this course. The particular area I have chosen is quite a niche audience and I know how hard it can be to write something like this to make it appeal to everyone. I did find the section about writing for a niche market useful but it would have been even better if the marketing advice later on included ideas on who are the most likely to accept this type of work. There is help there, but on something like this, I know not all networks will appreciate it.

By: Paul

Paul — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 12:55:24 +0000

I think I did this the wrong way round. I was so fascinated by the case studies that I read the one for Terra Nova and then went to watch the series. I had no idea what it was about but I followed the case study as the series progressed and found it extremely informative. In fact I was so engrossed in this that I left my own script writing for a while. I did enjoy the course and the good thing is that you have the freedom to go at your own pace and repeat any sections which you are unsure of. Unfortunately for people like me this can also be a drawback as it can be hard to motivate yourself sometimes.

By: Jason

Jason — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 01:08:32 +0000

With a TV script it’s not usually a one off but just one of a series of scripts. I found I had to rework what I’d written as the course explained this to me and helped me understand how to develop my characters over a series of weeks. I actually felt that this really helped me with my plots and storylines as I could spend time developing those while my protagonist developed slowly. Lots of detail, lots of information which can be put in to practice but I’d simply like more. There were odd points which were covered which I personally feel would benefit from a little more explanation, even though you can still understand what’s being said. I’m rating 4.5 overall.

By: Alison

Alison — Sun, 03 Apr 2016 00:47:04 +0000

Writing for television is difficult at the best of times so it really helps to do a course like this one. I read and read the section which explaine how it works in television as to me this is the most important thing to understand before starting work on any script. I read the course through twice before actually attempting to write anything as I like to make sure I understand things first to cut down on edits and rewrites.

By: Pat

Pat — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 22:07:34 +0000

From the start I knew I’d be picking up things I’d never considered, such as a pilot episode. This has to be taken in to consideration as a script on its own. This also served as a good test script to make sure I got the formatting and style all done correctly too. A nice, well planned course which did help me finish my script.

By: Josie

Josie — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 16:30:57 +0000

Watching Game of Thrones inspired me to start putting some of my ideas on to paper to come up with something suitable for television. I was, therefore, overjoyed to find that this was included as a case study. As my script is very much of the same genre, it’s something I am revisiting regularly to make sure I get my script just right.

By: Hannah

Hannah — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 21:33:24 +0000

When you watch TV you never really think about everything that’s involved. I thought I knew how to write a story until the early section of this course, which goes in to a lot of detail, explaining what a story is. As a result I sat back and made some notes and now I’m confident that I have a lot more depth, not just to my story, but to my characters as well.

By: Rob

Rob — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 17:52:24 +0000

Terra Nova is an amazing show so I’ll admit that the case study was the first thing I went to. Seeing something on screen and in writing are two totally different things and being able to see how this program was put together is something else again. I think this case study taught me more than I expected.

By: Cindy

Cindy — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 17:39:45 +0000

I want to turn a story I’ve written in to a script. It really isn’t as easy as I thought so I’m glad I found this course. The one thing I was struggling with was not being able to describe anything which made it difficult for me to get my characters across properly. This showed my how to do that with action and dialogue and now my characters are coming to life again.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 01:04:51 +0000

I learned a great deal from this course. Unless you understand the technicalities, your script simply won’t work. What interested me was learning about how to turn a normal script in to a television one. Creating a natural break for a play differs from a commercial break and learning how to do this will be of great use. There was further information regarding scenes and how to shoot for television and adding this information to the plot and characterisation, my script will hopefully get me noticed.

By: Laura

Laura — Sun, 27 Mar 2016 16:12:55 +0000

When I sat down to start a script, I realised I had no idea how to go about it. I found this course and like the idea of working at my own pace. I had an idea for a plot, but it wasn’t until I read the module. which included logline and index cards that I realised just how different this is to anything I’ve written before. This is the sort of information which can save hours of rewriting.

By: Connor

Connor — Fri, 25 Mar 2016 23:01:31 +0000

I’ve read a bit previously about character development but my protagonist was a little too good to be true and coming across as very bland. There is a section in this course which deals with that and it helps you to get the right balance between good and bad characteristics. Now my hero has all the good points he needs with just a few little ‘naughty’ tweaks to make him a little more believable.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 22 Mar 2016 23:39:04 +0000

I’m really trying to develop my writing skills and this was the next step for me. Mad Men is one of my favourite TV shows so I really wanted to see the case study on this one. I wasn’t disappointed with it. It really helps being able to watch something after reading this as it helps to visualise what you’re writing. A well planned course.

By: Helen

Helen — Wed, 10 Feb 2016 23:11:48 +0000

I’ve been trying to write a comedy script. I have the idea but Iv’e been struggling with making the comedy look ‘natural’. I love the Big Bang Theory so I was over the moon to see that was used as a case study. Everything looks so natural on the screen, and now I know what I need to do to make mine look the same. I’ve always written humour and that’s what I want to continue to work on. Now when I watch Sheldon, I see myself looking at how they developed the script.

By: Marianna

Marianna — Wed, 10 Feb 2016 18:43:22 +0000

A very detailed course which goes beyond mere outlines. The tasks are well prepared, and fulfilling if you decide to engage with them. They enable you to further understand the lessons and really develop the skills that you learn throughout the lessons.

By: Industrial Scripts

Industrial Scripts — Sun, 29 Jun 2014 10:55:35 +0000

Everything you ever wanted to know about TV Screenwriting, in online form. Take it from home. Take it from the train. Take it at your own speed, and maximise your learning.