Writing a TV screenplay can be a hard process.
If you are a beginner screenwriter then there are quite a few rules you must follow in order for it to be considered industry standard, such as formatting, structure, characterisation etc.
In this article I'll be giving my top five tips for writing TV screenplays.
1.
Keep Budget In Mind Most of the time this will be one of the primary deciding factors whether your TV script will be accepted or not if the story is strong enough.
Think about how many sets your TV script would need and ask yourself if it could be made on a budget.
2.
Think About Your Main Characters Lot's of the time a TV screenplay will have more than one main character.
Each main character will have a different primary plot.
Make sure you have no more than three main characters in your screenplay otherwise it may become to saturated.
3.
Plots And Sub Plots In a television script there should be a main plot with other sub plots scattered in between.
The main plot should relate to all of the characters and the sub plots should relate to individual characters but should also feed into the main plot to give it more strength.
4.
Length Of A Television Script The general rule when writing a screenplay is that one page equals one minute of screen time.
Depending on how long your show is will depend on how long you need your script.
5.
Structuring Your Script The structure of your script should still follow the basic three act formula but the ending should conclude each episode and not the whole series so that it can carry on into the next part.
When you send off a television screenplay you should always send off either just a treatment or the pilot episode.
Make sure you have outlines for all of the future episodes just in case you get called in for a meeting.
The last thing you want is to be unprepared.
If you are a beginner I would recommend getting some screenwriting lessons and learning the whole process step by step before sending off your TV screenplay, even if you already have a first draft ready.
If you are a beginner screenwriter then there are quite a few rules you must follow in order for it to be considered industry standard, such as formatting, structure, characterisation etc.
In this article I'll be giving my top five tips for writing TV screenplays.
1.
Keep Budget In Mind Most of the time this will be one of the primary deciding factors whether your TV script will be accepted or not if the story is strong enough.
Think about how many sets your TV script would need and ask yourself if it could be made on a budget.
2.
Think About Your Main Characters Lot's of the time a TV screenplay will have more than one main character.
Each main character will have a different primary plot.
Make sure you have no more than three main characters in your screenplay otherwise it may become to saturated.
3.
Plots And Sub Plots In a television script there should be a main plot with other sub plots scattered in between.
The main plot should relate to all of the characters and the sub plots should relate to individual characters but should also feed into the main plot to give it more strength.
4.
Length Of A Television Script The general rule when writing a screenplay is that one page equals one minute of screen time.
Depending on how long your show is will depend on how long you need your script.
5.
Structuring Your Script The structure of your script should still follow the basic three act formula but the ending should conclude each episode and not the whole series so that it can carry on into the next part.
When you send off a television screenplay you should always send off either just a treatment or the pilot episode.
Make sure you have outlines for all of the future episodes just in case you get called in for a meeting.
The last thing you want is to be unprepared.
If you are a beginner I would recommend getting some screenwriting lessons and learning the whole process step by step before sending off your TV screenplay, even if you already have a first draft ready.