————————12————————
FORMATTING FOR PRIME TIME DRAMA
SAMPLE OUTLINE FOR PRIME TIME DRAMA
Drama shows are written single-cam, film-style. (See Chapter 8.) The same rules apply in writing one-hour drama outlines and scripts as those in single-cam sitcoms.
What follows is the first few scenes of an outline for a primetime drama script called Malum In Se. It is written by Miruna Partovi, a student in my Writing Television Pilots class at Emerson College. Miruna’s pilot is about a 15-year-old boy who has the power of resurrection. It is reprinted with Miruna’s permission. Give it a read, and then we will look at the first act of the script to see how Miruna went from outline to teleplay.
ACT ONE
FADE IN:
EXT. PACIFIC BEACH - DAY
Crowded with ...
Get Write to TV, 2nd Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.