TV Writing
What’s Included
25 Hours of Workshop Time
Ten 2 1/2 hour class sessions, each one filled with Jill Chamberlain’s unique lectures, skill-building exercises, group discussions, and individual story consultation.
Script Notes and Feedback
Get feedback on your TV pilot or spec “nutshell,” your outline, and your final script from Jill Chamberlain and your fellow classmates.
Worksheets
Handouts of key story concepts and professional teleplay examples make convenient references in and outside the workshop.
TV Episode Analysis
Each week the class analyzes a television episode assigned for outside viewing and deconstructs its underlying structure.
Syllabus
The 10 week TV Writing curriculum was developed for seasoned and beginning screenwriters alike — complete beginners to Emmy-winner writers take our classes. Most of class time will be spent going through students’ stories. In addition, each week there is a focus on mastering a different area of the TV writing craft, and Jill will cover the following material.
Week 1
The Nutshell Technique and Story Structure
Lecture on the Nutshell Technique and the underlying structure of all screenplays (teleplays and feature film scripts). A film viewing assigned pre-workshop will be analyzed to illustrate the lesson.
Week 2
Review of Students’ Story Nutshells
First round reviews of your initial story nutshell by Jill and the class.
Week 3
Plot Development: One-Hour Dramas
Delving deeper into how to structure your teleplay, you’ll learn the structures employed by one-hour dramas (both network and cable/streaming). Once your nutshell has been cleared, you can turn in an outline for your teleplay.
Week 4
Plot Development: Half-Hour Sitcoms
You’ll learn the structures employed by half-hour sitcoms (both network and cable/streaming).
Week 5
Character Development
Learn the secrets to creating compelling characters and how to orchestrate your whole cast.
Week 6
Writing in Screenplay Format
Learn how to write in industry format for the various types of teleplays.
Week 7
Review of Scene Assignment
Everyone in the workshop turns in a critical scene from their teleplay. The class will do cold table reads of all the scenes, and Jill will offer script doctoring suggestions and address formatting and structural issues.
Week 8
Catch Up
Catch up and more in-class review of scene assignments.
Week 9
Dialogue
Writing natural yet concise dialogue is an art form, and this is when we go over the principles to get you on your way to mastery. This is the last class you can turn in your teleplay for class critique.
Week 10
The Business of Screenwriting
We’ll talk about the business side of screenwriting, and do final in-class critiques of teleplays submitted by class participants.